This is part of it Carl. The northeast for years was dominated by private schools and still somewhat is. We're the big rising public who's trying to join big boy athletics while privates continue to die mostly athletics wise. The problem in ct is that a 4.o student can go to Boston schools, ny schools, ivys etc. in Iowa they go to Iowa or Neb etc. it's a different game. So lax can help us with student popularity for recruiting students who are good at school from wealthy towns. I'm not the guy to lay this out, but u know where I'm going with it. The problem is our leadership can't put these things together because they don't care.
I am not a lax fan don't. I think they wave sticks around and run hard. But I see opportunity and I hate watching it not be jumped on. No one here has told me why cross country, tennis or swimming are played by uconn. What talent pool are they bringing in? How many postseason are on ESPN for brand tv power? How many kids do we recruit for those sports from wealth areas in the tri state?
Dan - we compete in multiple varsity sports, including sports like tennis and swimming, because athletics is part of our mission as an educational institution, and we can afford to support those programs. We support many, and diverse division 1 level varsity sports, many intramural programs for our student body, because athletics is part of our mission as an educational institution. We don't bend over, and turn ourselves into whores, shackled to the bed, and being pimped for TV money that you have no control whatsoever about, because it is NOT a part of your mission as an educational institution. Through everythign that's happened in the past 2 years, I have not heard one whisper of any danger when it comes to UCONN, that say a school like Rutgers or Maryland had, when it came to funding their athletic department, and having a complimentary academic and athletic mission.
In fact, it's the one thing that has quietly kind of gnawed at me about the Big 10 and how Jim Delany has operated the league. Perhaps targeting schools like MAryland and Rutgers, that are in such very bad financial and economic states, was part of the plan - or perhaps it was just coincidence. No way for anybody but the decision makers to know.
I completely agree with the concept, regarding lacrosse, as I've laready stated, that upgrading lacrosse to a scholarship sport at UCONN, is a good idea, simply becuase it elevates the public perception of the athletic department in our area of the country in a small, but I think, significant enough way to warrant it, and I"ve already stated it. My only thing, is that it's a minor issue right now. Upgrading lacrosse, is something that can be achieved at any time, and the cost/benefit doesn't make sense now, we've got football to invest in, heavily right now, and at the same time, a new basketball facility under construction to complete. Upgrading lacrosse right now, does nothing to help that, and the cost of scholarships can significnatly take away right now.
As for the youth movement in lacrosse, I'm already on record saying that I think there is going to be a rebound effect. The popularity of the sport will dip in coming years, you watch. It will level out at a spot higher than it was 10 years ago, but it cannot sustain the growth it's had at the youth level over the past 10 years.
Big 10 men's lacrosse? I'd like UCONN to be a part of it, but I don't believe for a second, that upgrading our lax program right now to men's varsity is going to make that happen.
But then again, you look a school like Maryland and Rutgers (Maryland cutting what 7 varsity sports in 2011 including swimming and track? and getting a Big 10 invite.
And somewhere, I have to wonder - what were they really thinking in the Big 10 and what is Jim Delany really trying to do? Bad logic though, to think that cutting sports, is going to help things in the future.
THe last thing we want to do though, is think that if UCONN decides to go fiscally berzerk to the point where we have to cut multiple varsity sports programs just to run a program, is going to do anythign positive for us in the future.
