Mike Anthony: UConn President Susan Herbst Understood Importance Of Athletics-Academics Partnership

[intlzncster]

I'm not saying any of this is going to happen tomorrow; however, we are rapidly approaching a time for choosing.

The current path that UConn athletics is on is not sustainable.

After next round of conference realignment when the network deals are up. Not before.

 

[Guapo]

After next round of conference realignment when the network deals are up. Not before.

100% agree

 

[gampelcrazies]

According to who?

Have you seen any programs as big as UConn drop football before?

 

[JMick]

Have you seen any programs as big as UConn drop football before?

That's a non-sequitor.

If the option is FBS football or FCS football, you keep playing FBS.

If the options are FBS football or no football, that's a discussion worth having.

These are hypotheticals. I'm not sure why you think we need to keep an FCS football team if we hypothetically go to the big east. It's a money loser.

 

[jimva]

I think there is a little bit of cart in front of the horse here. As JC used to say winning takes care of everything. It fills seats, creates demand for the product on TV nationally and makes us more attractive to P5 conferences. I think this coming year is a critical year to show a lot of progress both on winning/being more competitive and putting buts in seats. We can build on this for 2019 and then opportunities will materialize.

I think it would be a huge mistake to start looking for avenues of retreat before, at least next summer.

 

[Guapo]

I think there is a little bit of cart in front of the horse here. As JC used to say winning takes care of everything. It fills seats, creates demand for the product on TV nationally and makes us more attractive to P5 conferences. I think this coming year is a critical year to show a lot of progress both on winning/being more competitive and putting buts in seats. We can build on this for 2019 and then opportunities will materialize.

I think it would be a huge mistake to start looking for avenues of retreat before, at least next summer.

I would not get your hopes up about this year (if you're talking about football)

 

[uconnphil2016]

I don't see dropping football as a viable option. You'll have thousands of CT taxpayers driving by P&W Stadium every day wondering why the state used taxpayer money to build a 90 million dollar white elephant that's overgrown with weeds.

If we play FCS football, we won’t be at the Rent anyways

 

[8893]

If we play FCS football, we won’t be at the Rent anyways

I thought it was built with the potential to expand and add on the required number of seats?

 

[JMick]

I thought it was built with the potential to expand and add on the required number of seats?

Lol you're thinking backwards. If we went P5 we'd probably be required to expand. Right now we can't get it much more past half full

 

[CL82]

If we play FCS football, we won’t be at the Rent anyways

Where would it be Phil? It's not like we could play at Memorial Stadium anymore.

 

[8893]

Lol you're thinking backwards. If we went P5 we'd probably be required to expand. Right now we can't get it much more past half full

Yes, I was confused. I was thinking BCS, not FCS.

And yes, I realize that the BCS is now defunct.

As you can see, I'm a *big* college football guy...

 

[uconnphil2016]

Where would it be Phil? It's not like we could play at Memorial Stadium anymore.

It wouldn’t be at the Rent. We don’t own the Rent, and I doubt we could afford to play there with diminished attendance (literally no one would go to east Hartford to see FCS teams) and diminished revenue.

 

[CL82]

It wouldn’t be at the Rent. We don’t own the Rent, and I doubt we could afford to play there with diminished attendance (literally no one would go to east Hartford to see FCS teams) and diminished revenue.

So you're saying we'd have to build an on campus stadium to go to FCS ball? I like the way you think buddy!

 

[uconnphil2016]

So you're saying we'd have to build an on campus stadium to go to FCS ball? I like the way you think buddy!

I just don’t know that an FCS team has ever played in a. 40k seat stadium and I’m not sure we could cover cost of operation to have max 10k people there

 

[JMick]

So you're saying we'd have to build an on campus stadium to go to FCS ball? I like the way you think buddy!

Throw some turf down at C lot and call it a day

 

[CL82]

Throw some turf down at C lot and call it a day

Nah, the locals would complain about kids parking off campus. We could turf the band practice asphalt though.

 

[UConnNick]

I just don’t know that an FCS team has ever played in a. 40k seat stadium and I’m not sure we could cover cost of operation to have max 10k people there

Some do...Yale, Harvard and Penn, to name a few.

We aren't going to build a new stadium to play FCS football. That's totally insane.

 

[Guapo]

Some do...Yale, Harvard and Penn, to name a few.

We aren't going to build a new stadium to play FCS football. That's totally insane.

UConn to the Ivy Leauge confirmed

 

[uconnphil2016]

Some do...Yale, Harvard and Penn, to name a few.

We aren't going to build a new stadium to play FCS football. That's totally insane.

Playing FCS at the Rent is equally insane. Yale, Harvard, and Penn have no financial restraints and also all own their own large stadiums. UConn has to pay to use the Rent, so it’s that much more vital to get butts in the seats. They won’t rent it to have 6,000 people watch them play William and Mary

 

[CL82]

Playing FCS at the Rent is equally insane. Yale, Harvard, and Penn have no financial restraints and also all own their own large stadiums. UConn has to pay to use the Rent, so it’s that much more vital to get butts in the seats. They won’t rent it to have 6,000 people watch them play William and Mary

So you are saying that realistically the only choices are to make FBS work or drop football all together. I am inclined to agree.

 

[huskymedic]

I just don’t know that an FCS team has ever played in a. 40k seat stadium and I’m not sure we could cover cost of operation to have max 10k people there

UConn has to pay to use the Rent, so it’s that much more vital to get butts in the seats. They won’t rent it to have 6,000 people watch them play William and Mary

Moot point since nothing is happening in the near term but if it does, UConn will pay it one way or the other.

Under current lease contract with the State which expires in 2023 - UConn is on the hook for any revenue shortfall up to a $25ok annually in addition to the $170k game day (x 6 game minimum) cost.

“UConn keeps revenues from ticket sales, merchandise sales, and sponsorship, and the stadium keeps concession and parking revenues. If concession and parking revenues do not cover all operating expenses, CRDA may charge UConn to make up the difference. “

That contract renegotiation under the current/future economic pressures for both side will be interesting...

 

[UConnNick]

Playing FCS at the Rent is equally insane. Yale, Harvard, and Penn have no financial restraints and also all own their own large stadiums. UConn has to pay to use the Rent, so it’s that much more vital to get butts in the seats. They won’t rent it to have 6,000 people watch them play William and Mary

Don't look at me. I've never advocated playing FCS. However, in the unlikely event we ever do decide to, we have no other viable alternative venues.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

FCS is football will be s bigger loser than where we are
You have to have an on campus facility
Decreases in expenses are more than offset by decrease in revenue .

The choices really are
1. Totally drop football
That enables you to drop a bunch of women’s programs
2. Go independent Decreases revenue unless you want to be road warriors
3 Stay as we are

 

[CCSU97]

UConn playing FCS should not and will not happen. Dropping the sport would be a better option.

For the record, there are 4 FCS stadiums larger than the Rent:

• Nissan Stadium - Tennessee State (Ohio Valley) - 68,798
• Yale Bowl - Yale (Ivy) - 61,446
• Mississippi Veterans Memorial - Jackson State (SWAC) - 60,492
• Franklin Field - Penn (Ivy) - 52,593

And just 2 FCS programs averaged more fans than UConn (20,334) did last season:

• Montana (Big Sky) - 23,535
• James Madison (CAA) - 21,724

 

[TitleTown]

I would not get your hopes up about this year (if you're talking about football)

Exactly! This year's football team is going to be completely and utterly abysmal! Honestly, I think they will be lucky to win 3 games this year.

 

[Mokum]

Playing FCS at the Rent is equally insane. Yale, Harvard, and Penn have no financial restraints and also all own their own large stadiums. UConn has to pay to use the Rent, so it’s that much more vital to get butts in the seats. They won’t rent it to have 6,000 people watch them play William and Mary

Right. Those ivy league stadiums are ancient. From a different era. Hard to believe, but I can remember as a kid ivy teams being ranked in the top 20.

 

[CL82]

Exactly! This year's football team is going to be completely and utterly abysmal! Honestly, I think they will be lucky to win 3 games this year.

It's a process. Football programs are like big merchant ships. They don't change course quickly of easily

I don't the the team will be completely and and utterly abysmal, but I do think that 3 wins is likely to be all that can be reasonably hoped for this year.