Courant Columnist Colin McEnroe view on CR and UConn

[Carl Spackler]

Swofford and Tobacco Road are FOR UConn in the ACC.

It's clear what's happening here: you have a political ax to grind.

I've never hid the fact that I don't like Blumenthal. I'm pretty sure you are not a CT resident. I am, and I'm business owner. A small business owner. The politics of this state are a frigging disaster, unless you think that a welfare state, is the way to be. Blumenthal, Malloy.....ugh.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of voters, in the urban centers of this state, that are going to continue to vote, the way they do, things won't change, until the people that actually pay the bills with their taxes - decide they don't want to do that. But when the state government keeps catering to big business, well whatever - I could tell you things about how things operate in CT that would make your head spin like Linda Blair, and it's all business as usual. CL&P, the largest power provider - highest electricity rates in the country other than Hawaii - an island which is in the middle of the pacific ocean? Blumenthal is part of that too, and claimed that he did something good, and the government handout sheep all bought the lines it too.

So yes - it become a political thing for me - discussion of where UCONN is at now, in relation to the ACC, because politics is HUGE part of why we are where we are now.

We simply disagree. I think legal actions taken about 10 years ago now, and filed paperwork in the judicial systems, and the politics aroudn it, is a major factor as to why UCONN was left out of the major football revenue sharing conferences in the past 2-3 years of movement as people of power in the intercollegiate world went about their business of voting for what major state flagship universities and state run universities would be moving around the chess board.

 

[Carl Spackler]

We have been excluded, kicked out actually, of the group of BCS revenue sharing schools in this country around FBS football, an agreement which with the latest evolution of the college football postseason, has a handful of schools in the 5 conferences aet up to share what 85% of the 400 million dollar contract or whatever it is ESPN put up for the football playoff, ......while the other 60-70 schools in the country, which we are now a part of, will will share 15%?) (Estimates - I don't know the actual numbers off the top of my head, but I'm not far off)

The only reason we are not among that group of schools that will be sharing all that money around the football post season, is because not enough people that vote on such matters, felt the need to vote UCONN in.

It's that simple.


The rest of this is just us folks blowing farts in the wind, as to why the discussion around the votes, and the actual votes, didn't happen to include us among those 60 some odd football playing schools.

Ruskin, I completely agree that very little was done politically by those in this state to try to fix anything for UCONN when it came to perception and personal relationships, and politics, especially when it was most needed after 2003. I'm hopeful that things will change in teh future. THe boneyard has been able to do some great things in the past. I see no reason why the collective here, can't initiate some political change in the state as well, as it affects our university.

FWIW: UConn's rep among the football schools that are in power of all of that money, began a long time before Blumenthal made defending the residents of the state of connecticut against Donna Shalala, Eugene Defilippo, John Swofford, et. al. one of his PR compaigns.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NOW IS WIN _ AND CONTINUE TO WIN. We've done well, but winning is everything now. WE win, and we've got power to play with, especially in a few years when the current media deal for the AAC runs out. If we suck, then we suck. We were given a golden ticket to the revenue sharing party by the Big EAst conference, and of the four that got one (us, cincinatti, louisville, and south florida).....only louisville was able to figure out a way to have enough votes, to remain part of it.

 

[Carl Spackler]

P.S. My thoughts on ESPN and the tax structure and Malloy? Well mom said, if you don't have anything nice to say......

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I've never hid the fact that I don't like Blumenthal. I'm pretty sure you are not a CT resident. I am, and I'm business owner. A small business owner. The politics of this state are a frigging disaster, unless you think that a welfare state, is the way to be. Blumenthal, Malloy.....ugh.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of voters, in the urban centers of this state, that are going to continue to vote, the way they do, things won't change, until the people that actually pay the bills with their taxes - decide they don't want to do that.

It takes a particular type of ignorance to believe people are incapable of disagreeing with you unless they're idiots.

I'm a CT resident. I pay taxes. I disagree with you.

Get over yourself.

 

[Carl Spackler]

last thing I'll comment on this, I promise, and then I'm back out for awhile. The last lawsuit that was throin out by a judge in Rockville CT, because it was completely asinine, explicitily named high ranking officials from the University of Miami, University of Virginia, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and Boston College as people that directly conspired against the rights of the residents of the state of connecticut, and were responsible for the unspecified damages. (which eventually settled at a few million dollars. Those same people were in position to influence people that actually are involved in voting processes.....

The damage control necessary from that mess, is long overdue, and unfortunately, needs to be sucked up and handled by people that had nothign to do with it.

 

[RS9999X]

You are overthinking the issue.

UConn is a bubble team in realignment. The momentum factor in football was one problem,

The APR and Calhoun retirement weren't the types of things that instill confidence. Either was the hiring of Pasqualoni. Did Louisville look more committed and have the media numbers to back it? Yes. The football performance? Yes. Is the ACC regretting it after this year? Not a chance. It was a good add for them.

It's all about market size and cable boxes and Nielsen's and Tier I money. In 2003 there were comments about a 5-team super conference emerging when it was well known Tranghese had seen this coming in 1997--the ACC and Big East would not both survive. A merger was inevitable. It could be friendly or ugly. Ugly was the route chosen.

This is not much different than the FCS split.

None of the Presidents are looking at a proposed media contract where UConn is accretive and saying "Let's sacrifice a mil a year to UConn". At best it was a coin flip between UConn and Louisville and Cincy as far as ESPN was concerned. Heading off the Big-12 with Louisville and Pitt was not a bad strategy for the ACC and let's face it, Louisville is the hot little number today. Great media market ratings, etc.

At best it was a coin flip when Pitt and SU were approached. Is UConn football that much better under HCPP than Pitt and SU? Laughable right. Or is there far more upside to Cuse and Pitt's media markets when they have good years? Not to mention a history of ESPN ratings when Pitt fields a decent team against good competition. Face it: Pitt v. the C-USA was a loser for ESPN with Penn State on the BTN. Pitt and the ACC leaves room for some decent games in the Pitt market if the team executes on the field

 

[Carl Spackler]

It takes a particular type of ignorance to believe people are incapable of disagreeing with you unless they're idiots.

I'm a CT resident. I pay taxes. I disagree with you.

Get over yourself.

That's fine. DIsagree. Do a little research though. Track how many businesses have either shut down, or moved out of the state of Connecticut in the past 6 years, and compare the number of businesses now. THe state government thinks they can offset the revenue streams with making big businesses happy. They're wrong. I'm not going to get into a discussion here about how payrolls work, and what kind of burdens small business owners take when employing people (that's the state alone, never mind what the current federal government is doing) DIscussion elsewehre.

Now - have a nice day.

Enjoy the victory parade, if anybody going.

 

[RS9999X]

The damage control necessary from that mess, is long overdue, and unfortunately, needs to be sucked up and handled by people that had nothign to do with it.

Wrong. The due diligence isn't coming back in UConn's favor. The numbers aren't there. Look at the media market rankings by ESPN. UConn football is off the grid. That's Tier II speaking.

 

[Jimdish255]

Do you disregard then the reports that BC blackballed UConn when UConn and Cuse were the initial choices? Or how about FSU demanding Louisville for football reasons when UConn had been "penciled" in?

I disregard football as being the only or primary reason why Louisville was chosen. No inside info but I just didn't and don't buy it. Only to the extent that they have no desire to travel up to CT in Nov/Dec would that be an issue. Other factors in play.

 

[upstater]

I disregard football as being the only or primary reason why Louisville was chosen. No inside info but I just didn't and don't buy it. Only to the extent that they have no desire to travel up to CT in Nov/Dec would that be an issue. Other factors in play.

I've never heard of any other factors for FSU than football. What factors?

 

[upstater]

Wrong. The due diligence isn't coming back in UConn's favor. The numbers aren't there. Look at the media market rankings by ESPN. UConn football is off the grid. That's Tier II speaking.

UConn's media market rank is one of the big things it has going for it, especially in an age when cable dominates.

 

[upstater]

last thing I'll comment on this, I promise, and then I'm back out for awhile. The last lawsuit that was throin out by a judge in Rockville CT, because it was completely asinine, explicitily named high ranking officials from the University of Miami, University of Virginia, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and Boston College as people that directly conspired against the rights of the residents of the state of connecticut, and were responsible for the unspecified damages. (which eventually settled at a few million dollars. Those same people were in position to influence people that actually are involved in voting processes.....

The damage control necessary from that mess, is long overdue, and unfortunately, needs to be sucked up and handled by people that had nothign to do with it.

NC State and Virginia are in UConn's corner.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Probably thinks the NY Times isn't "fair and balanced enough".

Sorry I HATE the NY Times...and MarkLevin calls it the NY Slimes. So, I hate it, sue me!!

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I've never hid the fact that I don't like Blumenthal. I'm pretty sure you are not a CT resident. I am, and I'm business owner. A small business owner. The politics of this state are a frigging disaster, unless you think that a welfare state, is the way to be. Blumenthal, Malloy.....ugh.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of voters, in the urban centers of this state, that are going to continue to vote, the way they do, things won't change, until the people that actually pay the bills with their taxes - decide they don't want to do that. But when the state government keeps catering to big business, well whatever - I could tell you things about how things operate in CT that would make your head spin like Linda Blair, and it's all business as usual. CL&P, the largest power provider - highest electricity rates in the country other than Hawaii - an island which is in the middle of the pacific ocean? Blumenthal is part of that too, and claimed that he did something good, and the government handout sheep all bought the lines it too.

So yes - it become a political thing for me - discussion of where UCONN is at now, in relation to the ACC, because politics is HUGE part of why we are where we are now.

We simply disagree. I think legal actions taken about 10 years ago now, and filed paperwork in the judicial systems, and the politics aroudn it, is a major factor as to why UCONN was left out of the major football revenue sharing conferences in the past 2-3 years of movement as people of power in the intercollegiate world went about their business of voting for what major state flagship universities and state run universities would be moving around the chess board.

Carl:

As a business owner in Connecticut, how can youy survive?? I had to leave, because it was either leave or close up. According to my brother, it is even worse now for small businesses in CT (and Washington is not helping much)

 

[RS9999X]

UConn's media market rank is one of the big things it has going for it, especially in an age when cable dominates.

Media Market and actual Nielsen results are two different things particilarly for the ACC which depends on the ESPN broadcast model.

 

[tzznandrew]

Sorry I HATE the NY Times...and MarkLevin calls it the NY Slimes. So, I hate it, sue me!!

That's fine...I just don't know what the need is to bring politics into everything. Calling it NY Slimes is akin to, in a conversation unrelated to politics, calling Fox News Faux News. It immediately politicizes something for no need. What do you gain out of it?

 

[whaler11]

That's fine...I just don't know what the need is to bring politics into everything. Calling it NY Slimes is akin to, in a conversation unrelated to politics, calling Fox News Faux News. It immediately politicizes something for no need. What do you gain out of it?

Thank you. It's as tiresome as Rutgirls, Saracuse, Pee Cee, Kensucky and all the others. Just so stupid.

 

[whaler11]

I've never hid the fact that I don't like Blumenthal. I'm pretty sure you are not a CT resident. I am, and I'm business owner. A small business owner. The politics of this state are a frigging disaster, unless you think that a welfare state, is the way to be. Blumenthal, Malloy.....ugh.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of voters, in the urban centers of this state, that are going to continue to vote, the way they do, things won't change, until the people that actually pay the bills with their taxes - decide they don't want to do that. But when the state government keeps catering to big business, well whatever - I could tell you things about how things operate in CT that would make your head spin like Linda Blair, and it's all business as usual. CL&P, the largest power provider - highest electricity rates in the country other than Hawaii - an island which is in the middle of the pacific ocean? Blumenthal is part of that too, and claimed that he did something good, and the government handout sheep all bought the lines it too.

So yes - it become a political thing for me - discussion of where UCONN is at now, in relation to the ACC, because politics is HUGE part of why we are where we are now.

We simply disagree. I think legal actions taken about 10 years ago now, and filed paperwork in the judicial systems, and the politics aroudn it, is a major factor as to why UCONN was left out of the major football revenue sharing conferences in the past 2-3 years of movement as people of power in the intercollegiate world went about their business of voting for what major state flagship universities and state run universities would be moving around the chess board.

I'm headed to take a long shower because I agree 100% with 90% of Carl's post.

I don't know about the last paragraph - it could be the reason. Makes more sense then a lot of what I read around here though.

 

[ruskin]

Wrong. The due diligence isn't coming back in UConn's favor. The numbers aren't there. Look at the media market rankings by ESPN. UConn football is off the grid. That's Tier II speaking.

Is the below what you're talking about? If so, don't see how this is a disqualifier. And as far as intensity of interest goes, Rutgers has a slight instate edge at best over UConn, and hoops UConn is in differnent universe than Rutgers.

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-r...ham-oklahoma-city-columbus-top-three-in-2011/

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2012/11/60498/

 

[upstater]

Media Market and actual Nielsen results are two different things particilarly for the ACC which depends on the ESPN broadcast model.

Any way you cut it, UConn is not a slouch at all when it comes to TV. I'm not sure where you got this impression... especially since a chunk of UConn's market is in the NYC DMA.

 

[upstater]

Is the below what you're talking about? If so, don't see how this is a disqualifier. And as far as intensity of interest goes, Rutgers has a slight instate edge at best over UConn, and hoops UConn is in differnent universe than Rutgers.

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-r...ham-oklahoma-city-columbus-top-three-in-2011/

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2012/11/60498/

That's just a listing of ratings. You want ratings plus market size to get a true picture.

 

[RS9999X]

RS9999X said:

Media Market and actual Nielsen results are two different things particilarly for the ACC which depends on the ESPN broadcast model.

Any way you cut it, UConn is not a slouch at all when it comes to TV. I'm not sure where you got this impression... especially since a chunk of UConn's market is in the NYC DMA.

Show me some stats and I mean UConn football Nielsens in NYC.

 

[Samoo]

Sorry I HATE the NY Times...and MarkLevin calls it the NY Slimes. So, I hate it, sue me!!

You meant the author of Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto?

 

[upstater]

Show me some stats and I mean UConn football Nielsens in NYC.

Why not Hartford? Not big enough? I mean much bigger than Louisville! Right? NYC is simply icing on the cake. Why focus on NYC (which doesn't watch football--ANY football). Seriously, you're trying to take a strength and turn it into a negative.

 

[Husky25]

Why not Hartford? Not big enough? I mean much bigger than Louisville! Right? NYC is simply icing on the cake. Why focus on NYC (which doesn't watch football--ANY football). Seriously, you're trying to take a strength and turn it into a negative.

New York is a pro town, just like Boston is, but New York has at lest two of every major sport. They watch a s**tton o football, just not college football. Anyway, it not about eyeballs actually watching games. Its about POTENTIAL eyeballs.