ECU about to chop down some sports

[Guest Jonesy Bull]

2 hours ago, puc86 said:

It seemed to work just fine for most programs up until the 90’s and it seems to be working just fine for the majority of people that are currently doing it. Our current situation is suicidal based on finances and fan engagement if the argument is simply that it has a chance of making the suicide faster I am not exactly convinced that’s a good one. Home games  are not a good in and of themselves for us and if we had to play more 2 for 1’s in order to get more paydays and have more attractive home games, even if fewer doesn’t exactly sound like a negative to me. We can sell road warriors, we can sell come take on Goliath, but one thing we know that no one is buying is the AAC where you can maybe be the best team in the 6th best conference despite spending like drunken sailors. 

I would agree if your name is Notre Dame or even BYU and Army......Unfortunately that ain't us.

[puc86]

10 minutes ago, Jonesy Bull said:

I would agree if your name is Notre Dame or even BYU and Army......Unfortunately that ain't us.

So change our name, got it. Just because no one has tried it recently does not make it impossible, what does become increasingly obvious every passing season is that we don’t seem able to make the AAC model work for us in any capacity.

[Guest Jonesy Bull]

10 minutes ago, puc86 said:

So change our name, got it. Just because no one has tried it recently does not make it impossible, what does become increasingly obvious every passing season is that we don’t seem able to make the AAC model work for us in any capacity.

I get it....but do you really think that going Independent is the answer for us?  It seems like a much more risky proposition.  I'm open to why you think it is the way to go?

Just now, Jonesy Bull said:

I get it....but do you really think that going Independent is the answer for us?  It seems like a much more risky proposition.  I'm open to why you think it is the way to go?

I just realized the can or worms I just opened up....LOL

[puc86]

14 minutes ago, Jonesy Bull said:

I get it....but do you really think that going Independent is the answer for us?  It seems like a much more risky proposition.  I'm open to why you think it is the way to go?

I just realized the can or worms I just opened up....LOL

It’s really quite simple. The market has spoken and fans are not interested in the AAC as we continue to hemorrhage money and fans which is untenable. In order to be successful we need to play more established programs our market is interested in. We are unable to force or convince better conferences to take us as a member and we cannot afford to have a slate of AAC games on our schedule with only a game or two a season anyone cares about. We are also uniquely situated to not have a debt service that requires more home games to be pay down that debt while also gaining none of the typical auxiliary benefits that come from getting people in the stadium ie beer sales. For these reasons we would probably benefit most from actually playing exclusively pay day games for interest and and turning a profit. Since home games are not an actualized benefit to us we can negotiate 2-1’s with reckless abandonment. Our market has shown that we can actually draw attendance when playing quality teams and people will pay to see them while also being excited about the games and not having to decide if it’s worth it to also pay for Tulsa et al on a Wednesday afternoon. Also kids much like fans want to play against the best and no one goes to bed dreaming at night about winning the AAC.

[bowman1]

14 hours ago, Friscobull said:

I am not saying college athletes don’t benefit from playing these sports but if they don’t generate revenue or build name recognition for the school than they probably need to disappear, college is expensive enough as it is.  You can always develop those same skills in HS sports, military, clubs in college, work etc...

Herein is the issue - colleges and universities are educational institutions, not businesses 

Over the past 30 years or so, College Football (and college basketball to a lesser extent) has become all about revenue.  In that regard, you need to spend money to make money (hence, the focus on overly extravagant training facilities, high coaching salaries, fancy uniforms and other expenditures).
 

While I agree that each university needs to review their athletic programs as to what works for their school, elimination of traditionally non-revenue generating sports (basically, anything that is not football or basketball) IMO is not the answer because it goes against the basic tenant of what the NCAA stands for (competition, achievement and sportsmanship)

[puc86]

6 minutes ago, bowman1 said:

Herein is the issue - colleges and universities are educational institutions, not businesses 

Over the past 30 years or so, College Football (and college basketball to a lesser extent) has become all about revenue.  In that regard, you need to spend money to make money (hence, the focus on overly extravagant training facilities, high coaching salaries, fancy uniforms and other expenditures).
 

While I agree that each university needs to review their athletic programs as to what works for their school, elimination of traditionally non-revenue generating sports (basically, anything that is not football or basketball) IMO is not the answer because it goes against the basic tenant of what the NCAA stands for (competition, achievement and sportsmanship)

The NCAA stands for that because it makes more than a Billion dollars a year hosting the events while not having to take on the expense of it. If the NCAA and not just the schools were losing money by sponsoring nonrevenue sports I am pretty sure they would be changing their tune as well as their charter. 

[puc86]

21 minutes ago, brybull1970 said:

While I agree with you from a non-conference scheduling perspective 100% AND that nobody wants any of these AAC games (other than UCF), I don't think that's enough of an arguement to go the independent route. 

I think Kelly has assembled the best non-conference schedule over the next 5 years amongst all AAC schools. Keep loading up on the non-conference and make sure we are the best of the AAC.

If something is bad and you lose on it on every transaction, you can’t make it up in volume. The AAC games are negative equity and there is no defensible reason to have them on the schedule when there are 60 things they can be replaced with that are all more attractive. Any home AAC game that we can replace with a P5 game either home or away is a step out of obscurity and property and a step back towards relevance and financial security.

[Triple B]

28 minutes ago, brybull1970 said:

While I agree with you from a non-conference scheduling perspective 100% AND that nobody wants any of these AAC games (other than UCF), I don't think that's enough of an arguement to go the independent route. 

I think Kelly has assembled the best non-conference schedule over the next 5 years amongst all AAC schools. Keep loading up on the non-conference and make sure we are the best of the AAC.

But just think what he might be able to do with 12 games to play with. Obviously wouldn't be all glamor P5 teams but just think back to what FSU did in their rise to prominence. I fully realize it's a different era but still an intriguing idea, to me anyway ...

[NewEnglandBull]

Mentioning the non revenue sports, I wonder if other conferences will simply look to reshuffle these into a separate conference that is geographically close for all schools in a region? I mean why not? Would save $ and create better rivalries. 

[puc86]

8 minutes ago, Triple B said:

But just think what he might be able to do with 12 games to play with. Obviously wouldn't be all glamor P5 teams but just think back to what FSU did in their rise to prominence. I fully realize it's a different era but still an intriguing idea, to me anyway ...

FSU got there that way, Miami got there that way and just about anyone that built a fanbase from scratch and established a national brand did so by taking on the big boys anytime and any place. Loading up on third rate conference championships maybe adorable to some but 1000 wins against ECU and Tulsa will not lead to one more fan in the stands, one more dollar in the coffers and not one iota of respect on the national level.