[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fsE3dcOg2R-2j92_ARqZicMQtuqMBsHTZtQPrbyuhK00":3,"$fBWhRk9pUMi4JKxVHR-2YteE6oEy4_-xw6lIspT_uTB4":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},187153,"Rob Spear","R",23,null,"rob-spear",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":127},[14,27,38,49,60,71,82,93,104,116],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2535651,"You watch what Nick has been able to accomplish in one year, how much we've improved, and we're going to continue to get better. And I really like the direction that our basketball program is going. Eventually we're going to be a very competitive program in all our sports in the Western Athletic Conference.",4,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},5515042,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},4583,"accomplish",{"id":28,"quote_text":29,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":30,"source":31,"quote_tag":32,"commentary":9},2535647,"His high level of energy is infectious. I'm so confident we have the right guy.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[33],{"id":34,"tag":35},5515037,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},304,"confident",{"id":39,"quote_text":40,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":41,"source":42,"quote_tag":43,"commentary":9},2535641,"I love how Mike has built up programs at Montana State and at Eastern Washington. I love his passion, I love his energy and I love that he's an ex-Vandal.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[44],{"id":45,"tag":46},5515032,{"id":47,"tag_name":48},51720,"built",{"id":50,"quote_text":51,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":52,"source":53,"quote_tag":54,"commentary":9},2535633,"I have several other candidates that are good prospects, so onward and upward.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[55],{"id":56,"tag":57},5515026,{"id":58,"tag_name":59},123672,"candidates",{"id":61,"quote_text":62,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":9},2535626,"It's unbelievable. Our ticket sales are going like hotcakes.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[66],{"id":67,"tag":68},5515020,{"id":69,"tag_name":70},7076,"sales",{"id":72,"quote_text":73,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":74,"source":75,"quote_tag":76,"commentary":9},2535622,"It's a credit to Leonard how hard the kids played. They competed their tails off tonight against a team that was a lot more talented than us. That's something Leonard needs to be very proud of.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[77],{"id":78,"tag":79},5515013,{"id":80,"tag_name":81},1486,"against",{"id":83,"quote_text":84,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":85,"source":86,"quote_tag":87,"commentary":9},2535615,"They've done a wonderful job here. We're doing everything we can to keep our current assistants on staff.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[88],{"id":89,"tag":90},5515006,{"id":91,"tag_name":92},291100,"assistants",{"id":94,"quote_text":95,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":96,"source":97,"quote_tag":98,"commentary":9},2535607,"Sometimes you can go through the process and realize the best candidate is right under your nose.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[99],{"id":100,"tag":101},5514999,{"id":102,"tag_name":103},2294,"best",{"id":105,"quote_text":106,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":107,"source":108,"quote_tag":109,"commentary":115},2535598,"The rivalry helps our recruiting. We're very competitive with them in most programs. With the exception of football.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[110],{"id":111,"tag":112},5514990,{"id":113,"tag_name":114},2983,"exception","**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is from Rob Spear, a former athletic director at Penn State University. The era of his life relevant to the sentiment was during the 2000s and early 2010s, when college sports were becoming increasingly commercialized. At that time, Penn State was competing with other top-tier universities for recruits.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nOn the surface, this quote seems like a matter-of-fact statement about the competitive nature of college athletics. However, it reveals a counter-intuitive truth: Rob Spear is acknowledging that having rivalries can be beneficial to his institution's recruiting efforts, except when it comes to football - the sport with the largest following and highest revenue potential. This highlights the tension between the economic benefits of competition and the specific challenges posed by its most lucrative component.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nThis mindset can be applied in any competitive field where rivalries are a given. To gain an advantage, focus on areas that complement your core strengths rather than trying to dominate every aspect of the competition. By identifying strategic niches where you excel and leveraging those advantages, you can create mutually beneficial relationships with rivals while still achieving your goals.",{"id":117,"quote_text":118,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":119,"source":120,"quote_tag":121,"commentary":9},2535592,"We are obviously thrilled. We have been searching for some time for a league that will provide us with what I would call geographic integrity. That geographic integrity does several things for us.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[122],{"id":123,"tag":124},5514983,{"id":125,"tag_name":126},5048,"call",{"currentPage":128,"totalPages":129,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":130},1,3,10]