Colin McEnroe: ‘UConn athletic teams are on welfare.’

[storrsroars]

The point was you were wrong. Not only about the "most markets" idea, but your mischaracterization of "football first" fans. But don't let the facts get in the way.

And you're defending yourself by bringing up articles on hoops scandals in an attempt to justify why it's OK for football to be scummy. Nice!

Nobody wants to solve anything anymore. They just want to prove the other guy is wrong. Not just sports, it's everything.

End of the day, I'm just tired of people who can spout off the 2nd string OL of the Steelers but can't name their reps or senators. So don't mind me, I'm just pretty crusty these days. Hopefully I'll be comfortably retired in Europe in a few years and won't have to concern myself with this stuff. But I'll still be rooting for UConn to be a model university.

 

[Irishfan]

Just wondering where $48million in PROFIT came from. Couldn’t be all tv money.

They had home attendance of over 710,000. If the average ticket price was only $100 that would be over $70 million. TV money, bowl games, ticket sales, it all adds up.

 

[John Greene]

Just wondering where $48million in PROFIT came from. Couldn’t be all tv money.

Without going too deeply into Bama FB revenue. They get close to $1Million per home game just for parking and rental of spots on the quad. They have full control of all concessions in a 100,000 capacity stadium including luxury suite catering. They have a radio network with close to 100 affiliates that starts broadcasting three hours before kickoff and continues until an hour after end of game. Then there is the "Tide Pride" donation required for the purchase of tickets. Don't have figures on hand for everything but it does add up.

 

[PackTheRent]

All of which begs the question as to why Alabama is such a poor state.

On Per capita income AL may be poor compared to CT, but on the financial health of the state budget it's the opposite. We are 49th and they are 14th (George Mason U/Mercatus Center study). We have little ability to expand funding for the flagship U, whereas Alabama can.

 

[billybud]

The one and done phenoms have made some college basketball less interesting to me...

The attachment to a program is momentary and strictly a well considered stepping stone to the NBA. A piece of a business plan.

Zion...here he comes...there he goes. Cam Redding...etc.

I'd rather watch a team of kids who have developed together, see themselves as really attached to their school.

 

[BlueDogs]

Colin McEnroe and Dan Haar are both liberal elitists who have carved out a niche trafficking in blithe condescension. Small thinkers who think they have big minds.

 

[John Greene]

Colin McEnroe and Dan Haar are both liberal elitists who have carved out a niche trafficking in blithe condescension. Small thinkers who think they have big minds.

So are you saying they are regular posters in the Pool?

 

[DefCONNOne]

And you're defending yourself by bringing up articles on hoops scandals in an attempt to justify why it's OK for football to be scummy. Nice!

Nobody wants to solve anything anymore. They just want to prove the other guy is wrong. Not just sports, it's everything.

End of the day, I'm just tired of people who can spout off the 2nd string OL of the Steelers but can't name their reps or senators. So don't mind me, I'm just pretty crusty these days. Hopefully I'll be comfortably retired in Europe in a few years and won't have to concern myself with this stuff. But I'll still be rooting for UConn to be a model university.

The irony of the bolded is just rich. Not to mention the irony of retiring to Europe, what with all the insanity going on over there.

 

[uconnfan68]

They had home attendance of over 710,000. If the average ticket price was only $100 that would be over $70 million. TV money, bowl games, ticket sales, it all adds up.

Again, poor state... who has $100 for tickets? I heard they had a problem getting students to games (sound familiar?).

 

[uconnfan68]

So are you saying they are regular posters in the Pool?

They post as “BlueDogs” and “John Greene”.

 

[Irishfan]

Again, poor state... who has $100 for tickets? I heard they had a problem getting students to games (sound familiar?).

The 710,000 was actual attendance. I think the actual Bama fans know how to prioritize. And nothing has a higher priority than Bama football.

 

[John Greene]

They post as “BlueDogs” and “John Greene”.

Three points, on your previous posts.

1. Alabama is a poor state with a lot of fairly rich people in it. Not many Greenwich rich,just a few around $1Billion, but a reasonable number of families that would qualify as rich in any state.

2.The gripe with students is that they don't all come to meaningless games and leave early in a blowout. They still have to buy the full slate at the start of the season so from a revenue standpoint it does not matter.

3. I thought "outing" a poster's identity was subject to banning? Now I have to come back with a different persona?

 

[storrsroars]

Not to mention the irony of retiring to Europe, what with all the insanity going on over there.

True it's hard to escape nationalist insanity anywhere these days, but at least I'll be eating far better food,

 

[UConnDan97]

Colin McEnroe is a very knowledgeable person when it comes to the inner workings of Connecticut politics. One of the most knowledgeable out there. Most people on this board won't want to hear that or accept that, but it's true just the same.

But just like everyone else in the world, he's not perfect. He's wrong on this issue. And he's wrong for some very easy-to-be-wrong-with reasons. The biggest of which is the fact that athletics at ALL universities are welfare of a sort, but that they are done because they undeniably increase the university's stature and enrollment. Undeniably so. It's the best advertising money can buy.

It's no secret why UConn is an exponentially better university now than it was in the 70s or even 80s. And it's solely.... SOLELY... because of sports. It's okay to be wrong sometimes...

 

[John Greene]

True it's hard to escape nationalist insanity anywhere these days, but at least I'll be eating far better food,

You have obviously never been to Bratislava, Slovakia.

 

[storrsroars]

You have obviously never been to Bratislava, Slovakia.

Well, it wasn't on my list of retirement areas...

 

[storrsroars]

It's no secret why UConn is an exponentially better university now than it was in the 70s or even 80s. And it's solely.... SOLELY... because of sports. It's okay to be wrong sometimes...

fwiw, this is from a 2015 article on fastest growing state flagships from 2000-2013:

TOP 5
1. University of Alabama, 92%
2. University of Mississippi, 74%
3. University of Arkansas, 68%
4. University of South Carolina-Columbia, 58%
5. University of Nevada-Reno, 55%

BOTTOM 5
46. University of Texas at Austin, 5%
47. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 3%
48. University of Florida, 1%
49. University of Kansas, -2%
50. Louisiana State University, -5%

There are NCs in the top list and on the bottom list. What does it all mean?

 

[UConnDan97]

fwiw, this is from a 2015 article on fastest growing state flagships from 2000-2013:

TOP 5
1. University of Alabama, 92%
2. University of Mississippi, 74%
3. University of Arkansas, 68%
4. University of South Carolina-Columbia, 58%
5. University of Nevada-Reno, 55%

BOTTOM 5
46. University of Texas at Austin, 5%
47. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 3%
48. University of Florida, 1%
49. University of Kansas, -2%
50. Louisiana State University, -5%

There are NCs in the top list and on the bottom list. What does it all mean?

Fastest growing is meaningless if you're already well established, like Texas or Florida.

The fact of the matter is that they are huge. Thank you, sports. By contrast, how big is Idaho, New Hampshire, or Maine? Sports have shaped the major non-ivy universities as we know them today. It's undeniable...

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Purely speculation @storrsroars

Top: high-growth states, low/reasonable out-of-state import costs, Bama obvious increased popularity of football success (similar to UConn ‘99) versus FL’s recent sub-par performances

Bottom: UT and FL constraining growth at targeted sizes? (pushed to states’ alphabet-soup schools); UW possibly same + slow growth, LSU crap school + nation’s bottom-sukcing economy?

 

[John Greene]

Well, it wasn't on my list of retirement areas...

Thank God for that. It is one of the most chauvinistic places I have ever been. With the least reason.

 

[storrsroars]

Purely speculation @storrsroars

Top: high-growth states, low/reasonable out-of-state import costs, Bama obvious increased popularity of football success (similar to UConn ‘99) versus FL’s recent sub-par performances

Bottom: UT and FL constraining growth at targeted sizes? (pushed to states’ alphabet-soup schools); UW possibly same + slow growth, LSU crap school + nation’s bottom-sukcing economy?

LSU can blame Katrina.

I can't wrap my head around a concept of choosing higher education based on a sports program. But I come from a different time.

 

[Irishfan]

LSU can blame Katrina.

I can't wrap my head around a concept of choosing higher education based on a sports program. But I come from a different time.

I doubt I ever would have heard of Notre Dame without their sports programs. So I guess the sports programs were a significant factor in my decision on where I would go to college.

 

[DefCONNOne]

True it's hard to escape nationalist insanity anywhere these days, but at least I'll be eating far better food,

I was talking about religious insanity specifically. You won't be able to escape it.

 

[UConnDan97]

Purely speculation @storrsroars

Top: high-growth states, low/reasonable out-of-state import costs, Bama obvious increased popularity of football success (similar to UConn ‘99) versus FL’s recent sub-par performances

Bottom: UT and FL constraining growth at targeted sizes? (pushed to states’ alphabet-soup schools); UW possibly same + slow growth, LSU crap school + nation’s bottom-sukcing economy?

You're way overthinking this.

If I have a penny stock, then growing by 2 cents is huge. However, I can't claim to be better than Apple because I grew 200% and they didn't.

University of Texas isn't high growth because they are already big . Percent growth isn't the measurement to use here...

 

[Exit 4]

LSU can blame Katrina.

I can't wrap my head around a concept of choosing higher education based on a sports program. But I come from a different time.

They provide atmosphere, community and pride. They boost alumni engagement.

Nothing in this world is one size fits all. Connecting to your university through sports doesnt have universal appeal, but it is powerful in that it connects more than most things in this world (ie high common denominator).

Of course most of us get it, seems silly that university sports could be so effective. Maybe the draw is the same reason pop music has such appeal; we like things that have quick emotional response and are relatable. Hey, anyone want to talk all about the tax code and real estate investing with me? Zzzzz Okay, how about sports?