As Big East Money Dries Up, UConn Must Create Fresh Revenue Streams (M. Anthony)

[Exit 4]

Edsall better because had he not left, we'd probably be in the ACC.

logic behind this thinking?

 

[WrenchFan69]

logic behind this thinking?

A handful of years of football success after building on a BCS bowl birth

 

[Exit 4]

A handful of years of football success after building on a BCS bowl birth

I think we would have been finishing in the top 25 every one of those years to change the ACC's decision for Louisville and that would not have happened had Edsall stayed.

 

[freescooter]

This is not rocket science. Here's the problems:

Problems:

1. Our conference situation is a god-awful mess, has destroyed our historical and regional rivals. This severs many of the emotional ties of fans to our history. It also totally screws our revenue situation. All of this depresses fan engagement and turnout
2. Our basketball team has been bad for 3 years. This depresses turnout
3. Our football team has been... lets just be nice and saw bad... since 2011. This depresses turnout
4. Basketball is forced to play in 2-3 home venues per year, each with major problems - Gampel is in a terrible, no good, awful location. XL center is located in probably one of the worst cities in terms of atmosphere and "stuff to do" in the country. Oh and no one lives there. People who buy season tickets do it for the routine, the constancy, the fun of it. This depresses turnout, and connectivity.

Here's the solutions;

1. We cant really fix this. 10 years of mismanagement and constantly not undersatnding the problem and the sand shifting under our feet has left us high and dry. Although I am actually starting to think moving to the Big East is a feasible solution to at least shore up MBB as Football figures its way forward, restore some of those rivalries, etc.

2. The basketball team needs to be better. Winning solves a lot.

3. The football team needs to be better. Winning solves a lot.

4. Hartford is dying. Period. This is not going to get political, but with the departures of GE(fairfield) and freaking Aetna(Hartford), we are really feeling the unforgivable 50 year lack of investment and proper policy to build up our metro areas. This filters down and is related to why we have massive problems in XL. I think, honestly, we need to have all our games in Gampel. Maybe the University sponsors pre-game party buses from hartford/New London/Middletown/Waterbury/Fairfield to figure out the driving situation to storrs or something, but we need to have all our games in Gampel unless they are big-time, no brainer sellouts. Period.

Been saying this forever! Civic Center for basketball games needs to be for a Syracuse Villanova UNC Duke type of game. Playing New Hampshire there does nothing.

And we need to win basketball and football games. A friend of mine who came here from Atlanta says the motto of CT sports fans is "we re with you win or win." Basketball needs to be Gonzaga if we are in this league. And get some swagger back. Football needs to be competing with the Houstons and USFs for attention. And needs a rival nearby that we play every year at the end of the year. Temple makes too much sense as does BC so it kind of looks like the league has settled on Cincy. Ok but don't decide next year to end it with Navy. Make it a regular thing.

 

[Excalibur]

And we need to win basketball and football games. A friend of mine who came here from Atlanta says the motto of CT sports fans is "we re with you win or win."

The irony of someone from Atlanta saying this . . . . possibly the worst sports major city in America.

 

[B1GEast]

logic behind this thinking?

Pasquualoni, Diaco, if Edsall had stayed after he BCS game, we would have gotten the nod over Pitt and maybe Louisville.

 

[Exit 4]

Pasquualoni, Diaco, if Edsall had stayed after he BCS game, we would have gotten the nod over Pitt and maybe Louisville.

Yes, we might have, perhaps should have, beaten out Louisville if we played top 25 football those years and Louisville did not. I think if Louisville played like they did, even if we also played top 25 BC would have had the votes to keep us out.

 

[J187Money]

Eliminate donations -- or make them less -- and you'll see season tickets go back up

I would believe that if all of the non donation seats were sold. But it isn't even close.

 

[B1GEast]

Yes, we might have, perhaps should have, beaten out Louisville if we played top 25 football those years and Louisville did not. I think if Louisville played like they did, even if we also played top 25 BC would have had the votes to keep us out.

BC doesn't have that much clout

 

[whaler11]

FWIW - Aetna moved their HQ on paper they didn't leave Hartford.

 

[CL82]

Yes, we might have, perhaps should have, beaten out Louisville if we played top 25 football those years and Louisville did not. I think if Louisville played like they did, even if we also played top 25 BC would have had the votes to keep us out.

If we were the better football program, we would have gotten in instead of Louisville. That wouldn't have mattered when Pitt got our slot.

Some of the problem with CR is the criteria is a moving target. It is geography, unless it's not ('ville to ACC.) Football, unless it's not (Rutgers to the Big 10.) Markets unless it's not (no one to the Big 12.)

If you are on the inside looking out, you are quite sure that it is a distinct fair market selection which confirms your inherent superiority over the G5 programs. If you are on the outside looking in, it seems like largely random events have determine who the winners and losers of college sports will be.

The one ray of hope in that for UConn fans is that we have no idea what will drive the change. That's a ray of hope because under the current situation, we aren't going anywhere.

 

[freescooter]

FWIW - Aetna moved their HQ on paper they didn't leave Hartford.

The equivalent of opening a post office box in Switzerland. Fwiw New York personal and business taxes are much higher than Connecticut.

 

[Exit 4]

My point is I think Uconn not only needed to have top 25 football to beat out Louisville, it also needed Louisville to be less successful on the field. Better football alone wouldn't have done it, unless pared with lesser football from Louisville. Now, is it realistic to think Edsall would have delivered top 25 football? I don't. I think a reasonable goal is to be team that flirts with top 25 somewhere in the season, but finishes top 40.

And I don't think the future of CRA is anymore complicated than revenue math. The schools that move next in CRA will have to bring revenue or it just won't work.

 

[RSTuthill]

We need to win. Period. In all sports. Nothing else matters.

Well, we can't cheat, but otherwise I agree with you full stop. From Little League to the pros, winning solves everything unless you cheat.

 

[noeynox]

Well, we can't cheat, but otherwise I agree with you full stop. From Little League to the pros, winning solves everything unless you cheat.

Cheating worked out for Louisville quite well. For us though, their level of cheating would bring the death penalty.

 

[uconnbill]

People have less money to spend as the economy in Connecticut has fallen behind neighboring states and the product on the field has been terrible. The combination of the two is why attendance is down from football to basketball to other nonrevenue sports.

 

[uconnbill]

FWIW - Aetna moved their HQ on paper they didn't leave Hartford.

Not to be political, but the taxes they pay are first to NYC and what's leftover goes to Connecticut. So yes we are losing tax dollars with the headquarters moving. Cities can tax them on equipment as they always have, but the state loses out on revenue.

 

[whaler11]

Not to be political, but the taxes they pay are first to NYC and what's leftover goes to Connecticut. So yes we are losing tax dollars with the headquarters moving. Cities can tax them on equipment as they always have, but the state loses out on revenue.

No kidding but what does that have to do with UConn's attendance?

There is no shortage of people with money to attend. People just don't want to at any price. Effectively it was zero for tickets to football games for a few seasons. No demand at that price.

 

[NE Football]

I don't think we should obsess with BC. They are a well established program in a huge TV market. The Stanford of the East in many respects, meaning that they are not going to win their league or make the playoffs, but they have their cachet.

We need to win the AAC and hope that the CFP expands to 8 teams and we get an invite.

 

[B1GEast]

My point is I think UConn not only needed to have top 25 football to beat out Louisville, it also needed Louisville to be less successful on the field. Better football alone wouldn't have done it, unless pared with lesser football from Louisville. Now, is it realistic to think Edsall would have delivered top 25 football? I don't. I think a reasonable goal is to be team that flirts with top 25 somewhere in the season, but finishes top 40.

And I don't think the future of CRA is anymore complicated than revenue math. The schools that move next in CRA will have to bring revenue or it just won't work.

I think you're putting too much emphasis in top 25.

 

[RSTuthill]

Aetna is moving 120 Sr. exec's. Thousands are staying behind. The CEO wanted to be in NYC. But not just in NYC but in the same neighborhood as Apple, Google, etc. Midtown wouldn't do. Good article in the Courant or JI today.

 

[noeynox]

I don't think we should obsess with BC. They are a well established program in a huge TV market. The Stanford of the East in many respects, meaning that they are not going to win their league or make the playoffs, but they have their cachet.

We need to win the AAC and hope that the CFP expands to 8 teams and we get an invite.

If BC is the Stanford of the East, then so is Tulane in the south. And Stanford does win their league and play in big bowls and ncaa tournaments which is nothing like BC at all.

I do agree we have to forget about the p5, it isn't happening no time soon. Try and pack the place but I'm doubtful they'll have any luck. Aside from Temple, USF, and Cincinatti, there are no league games to get amped for. Now, that we've acknowledged were going the Mac school route and playing guarantee games, we will likely start seeing less p5 schools come here in the future.

I know we have some scheduled, but I'm not feeling optimistic about where we are at all, especially with what's happening in mens basketball.

We are in a major downtrend at the moment.

 

[UConnDan97]

If BC is the Stanford of the East, then so is Tulane in the south. And Stanford does win their league and play in big bowls and ncaa tournaments which is nothing like BC at all.

I do agree we have to forget about the p5, it isn't happening no time soon. Try and pack the place but I'm doubtful they'll have any luck. Aside from Temple, USF, and Cincinatti, there are no league games to get amped for. Now, that we've acknowledged were going the Mac school route and playing guarantee games, we will likely start seeing less p5 schools come here in the future.

I know we have some scheduled, but I'm not feeling optimistic about where we are at all, especially with what's happening in mens basketball.

We are in a major downtrend at the moment.

I just mentioned in another thread that he's a BC troll. Don't even waste your typing, my friend. Just let him fade away...

 

[UConnNick]

If BC is the Stanford of the East, then so is Tulane in the south. And Stanford does win their league and play in big bowls and ncaa tournaments which is nothing like BC at all.

I do agree we have to forget about the p5, it isn't happening no time soon. Try and pack the place but I'm doubtful they'll have any luck. Aside from Temple, USF, and Cincinatti, there are no league games to get amped for. Now, that we've acknowledged were going the Mac school route and playing guarantee games, we will likely start seeing less p5 schools come here in the future.

I know we have some scheduled, but I'm not feeling optimistic about where we are at all, especially with what's happening in mens basketball.

We are in a major downtrend at the moment.

FWIW, the B10 considers UConn a P5 opponent, even though we're not in a P5 conference. That doesn't necessarily mean any of them will schedule a home-and-home series with us going forward, but at least they don't get trashed by their own conference for scheduling us as a perceived cupcake.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Been saying this forever! Civic Center for basketball games needs to be for a Syracuse Villanova UNC Duke type of game. Playing New Hampshire there does nothing.

And we need to win basketball and football games. A friend of mine who came here from Atlanta says the motto of CT sports fans is "we re with you win or win." Basketball needs to be Gonzaga if we are in this league. And get some swagger back. Football needs to be competing with the Houstons and USFs for attention. And needs a rival nearby that we play every year at the end of the year. Temple makes too much sense as does BC so it kind of looks like the league has settled on Cincy. Ok but don't decide next year to end it with Navy. Make it a regular thing.

If I recall, Navy already has an annual rivalry game... As with any other AAC west team we will play them 2 yrs on and 2 yrs off. I'd love to build a football rivalry with Temple but they are wayyyyy ahead of us at this moment.