Al's Run Canceled

[rocky_warrior]

I guess someone could argue the route, but a grand total of six cars drive down Wisconsin Ave on a Saturday morning.

Right, but all 6 get shot at, and 12 parked along the route get broken widows. I don't blame them.

[WarriorFan]

The release sounded to me like the woke crowd intervened.  Complete crap in my opinion.  I could see re-formulating it for a common start/finish point...I could see so many ways to preserve it. 

Maybe after next year's NCAA Championship MU can sponsor it (again) and re-name it Shaka's Run?

I ran it every year as a student.  Nothing better.

[rocky_warrior]

In the end, it raised money, lots of it.   "It didn't raise enough money"??

Well, we didn't host an muscoop fundraising campaign the past few years, probably my fault.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Wouldn't changing the route to start and finish at the same place reduce costs?  I've seen plenty of long running road races change routes and in some cases locations to reduce cost

[wisblue]

Other running events have been having a hard time working with the city to get the approvals they need to close streets and provide security. I think the Waukesha parade incident has affected that.

That may be a factor in getting this event put together. So they might be looking for an event that can be held in one location without the need to close streets.

[real chili 83]

I can live with it not being a good financial return for the hospital.  The reason they gave was garbage. About the worse look possible. Fund raising and credibility need to be linked.  Children's mission will trump this blunder long term, but approaching this issue with a statement that is void of integrity is quite the blunder. 

I'm guessing that the "expert" who made this call has no appreciation for the energy Milwaukee can have  for this event. 

[Hards Alumni]

The release sounded to me like the woke crowd intervened.  Complete crap in my opinion.  I could see re-formulating it for a common start/finish point...I could see so many ways to preserve it. 

Maybe after next year's NCAA Championship MU can sponsor it (again) and re-name it Shaka's Run?

I ran it every year as a student.  Nothing better.

It didn't read like that.

You guys are going to be shocked when you hear that they're just rebranding the run to Wojo's Run.

[jesmu84]

It didn't read like that.

You guys are going to be shocked when you hear that they're just rebranding the run to Wojo's Run.

Don't be so ableist, hards

[Jay Bee]

So why doesn't MU sponsor this event now. Have the NIL collective run it for the benefit of other 501c3 and a little bit for itself

MU can't have the NIL collective do anything. They are not affiliated.

[lessthannick11]

It didn't read like that.

You guys are going to be shocked when you hear that they're just rebranding the run to Wojo's Run.

So the route fades at the end and no one finishes the race upright?

[Hards Alumni]

So the route fades at the end and no one finishes the race upright?

It's okay, you still get the big check at the end though.

[The Lens]

Can Marquette sponsor Al's run to benefit the NIL Collective?

[Hards Alumni]

Can Marquette sponsor Al's run to benefit the NIL Collective?

MU can't have the NIL collective do anything. They are not affiliated.

[The Lens]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE 46TH AL'S RUN SPONSORED BY TOWN BANK benefitting the  NIL

[MUfan12]

You think the optics on this were bad for Children's, imagine how it'd look to pivot this event to put cash in the pockets of athletes.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

You think the optics on this were bad for Children's, imagine how it'd look to pivot this event to put cash in the pockets of athletes.

No chit.  People need to get their heads out of they asses.

[lostpassword]

This is not being well-received on social media nor in some local media outlets.  The reaction is generally one of confusion around explanation.  Local radio hosts (620AM) discussed this today and understood there may be ROI issues or challenges working with the city on street shut-downs/safety, but that's not the reason given.  They even played an 1983 commercial with Al and Pat.
Vince (host and formerly on the board for Wisconsin Special Olympics) was as bufuddled as I am about the "ALL abilities" reason given.

I don't think you can have something called "Al's Run" if it's not for Children's or a similar cause.  It's why Al put his name on the thing to start.

[Warriors4ever]

I can buy the reasons given by some of our posters. The explanation is completely befuddling.

[MUBurrow]

FWIW, event-based fundraising is very much out of fashion in nonprofit/development circles.  The ROI of holding events is generally not there (including the nonfinancial publicity benefits), especially when pricing in staff time.  So if attendance was down, I could see that being part of the issue, along with some of the other things suggested here. 

Nonprofits often have a tough time messaging why long-beloved events are canceled in a way that doesn't alienate donors.  But like, pouring gasoline on the woke-SJW wars is... a choice.

[dgies9156]

I get the difficulty associated with operating the run. When bureaucracies get involved, risk managers weigh in and pointy heads make their opinion known, people find hundreds of reasons not to do something.

There's only one reason to do something: It matters.

It Matters to Children's Hospital, not because it puts money in someone's pocket but because it raises visibility for the important work that's done at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

It Matters to the Community, because it is a form of exercise and calls attention to the need for physical fitness in an era of way too much obesity.

It Matters to Milwaukee, because it brings visibility to the city and the state.

It Matters to Marquette because it continues to honor a man who gave his career to something that made us proud, built a national basketball program and made us happy, made us laugh and even made us cry a few times.

I'm not a runner but I respect the work Coach Al did for the community and the loyalty he had to Southeast Wisconsin. All I can say is one word:

Idiots!

[Goose]

dgies

I think your post sums things up perfectly. Well done.

[Mu8891]

Dgies ...

Excellent post.  I agree.   Very bad look for Children's that this is being shut down.

[muwarrior69]

No chit.  People need to get their heads out of they asses.

Is that the preferred pronoun of those who cancelled the run?

[Coleman]

I have no insider info, but I'm guessing it's a combo of two things:

1. I think Briggs & Stratton pulled or greatly reduced their sponsorship.  That company is barely a presence in Milwaukee anymore.  In fact, I think they'll be gone from the city in a few years, so sponsoring this event doesn't really benefit them.

2.  Attendance was way down last year.  8000 runners in 2022 vs. 15,000 in 2018.  And it was only 10,000 in 2019, so it wasn't all covid related.  It probably takes more than 8000 runners to make something of that magnitude make sense.

Isn't Briggs HQ in the Milwaukee area? Are they moving?

[The Lens]

I'm mostly kidding about the NIL stuff but MU should take this over.  Getting even 5,000 people on campus at once is a great PR thing for MU.  Endless non-profits that MU could fundraise for.  I'm very familar with the scale of events like this.  A close family member has produced dozens of them.  This is an opportunity to zag because so many are going away.  Especially a timed 8K which is rare with the glutony of 5K walks.  The city is becoming harder to work with one these so pausing allows them to say no in future years.