Momentum

[RSTuthill]

It's not my methodology...it is the website I referenced.

Did not see a reference in your post.

Quite sure the number quoted for UConn includes all the subsidies and excludes stadium debt service and upkeep costs. No way that program makes money.

 

[Husky25]

Did not see a reference in your post.

Quite sure the number quoted for UConn includes all the subsidies and excludes stadium debt service and upkeep costs. No way that program makes money.

It should exclude debt service and maintenance. UConn doesn't own Rentschler. They pay rent.

 

[RSTuthill]

It should exclude debt service and maintenance. UConn doesn't own Rentschler. They pay rent.

You and I will agree to differ on this point. No FBS FB team, no Rent. So a full accounting uses the true cost, not any sweatheart rental agreement.

 

[auggie22]

You and I will agree to differ on this point. No FBS FB team, no Rent. So a full accounting uses the true cost, not any sweatheart rental agreement.

All the costs should be accounted for but not all of the revenues? That does not make sense to me.

 

[Husky25]

You and I will agree to differ on this point. No FBS FB team, no Rent. So a full accounting uses the true cost, not any sweatheart rental agreement.

Absent an executed agreement, the norm is for property owners (or their agent. In this case, Global Spectrum) to be responsible for debt service and maintenance. GS can certainly use rents and fees to offset debt service and maintenance, but the tenant does not necessarily have discretion over what costs their rent covers.

In the meantime, I did do some digging. Per UConn's response to the Big XII:

d. Athletics department budgets; debt levels, debt service obligations, and repayment timing and amounts (last 5 years and projected).

The Athletics Department incurred debt related to the construction of Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. The final debt payment of $89,422 will be made in FY2017. There is no other direct debt obligation for the department...

Further down in the document:

h. Investment in athletic facilities (last 5 years); contracted or planned capital expenditure projects and funding sources therefore.

...(Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field) was financed and built by the State of Connecticut, and is being leased back to the university, which has been paying the majority of the debt service via that agreement.

So, while UConn does not own Rentschler Field, their response to the Big XII, presumably as the anchor tenant, indicates they are responsible for a significant portion of debt service.

On the other hand, according to the New London Day, the bonds floated by the State used to finance it will be paid off in 2020 and in the remote possibility that UConn downgrades football, it will be a non-issue.

I still will not agree to disagree because you made an off the cuff SWAG. Plus there is no indication that UConn is responsible for maintenance. In fact, the Rentschler financial statements clearly state that, "...income generated by the operations of the Stadium to be used for the purpose of funding maintenance and capital improvements at the facility."

 

[RSTuthill]

I did not say they were responsible for maintenance. In fact I would be very surprised if they were. But UConn FB is the reason the Rent is there, they are the principal tenant, and if the rental agreement does not fully account for all the debt service and maintenance minus ancillary income, then that should properly go into the calculation. It just does not seem logical to me that in the amount of time the Rent has been there since completion in 2003 (right outside my office window), that UConn FB could have paid off the lion's share of debt service in the form of rent. Maybe their obligations to the state per their agreement, but not the lion's share of the debt service for the entire facility. I also think that the students are getting hit pretty hard to subsidize the program. But others would know more about that than me. And did they not LOSE money on even the Fiesta Bowl?

 

[BlueMAB]

I thought @Hornet22 was the reincarnation of another EH poster whose handle escapes me, but who may have been related to/friends with Dahna Deleston.

 

[auggie22]

I did not say they were responsible for maintenance. In fact I would be very surprised if they were. But UConn FB is the reason the Rent is there, they are the principal tenant, and if the rental agreement does not fully account for all the debt service and maintenance minus ancillary income, then that should properly go into the calculation. It just does not seem logical to me that in the amount of time the Rent has been there since completion in 2003 (right outside my office window), that UConn FB could have paid off the lion's share of debt service in the form of rent. Maybe their obligations to the state per their agreement, but not the lion's share of the debt service for the entire facility. I also think that the students are getting hit pretty hard to subsidize the program. But others would know more about that than me. And did they not LOSE money on even the Fiesta Bowl?

The Rent mgmt group generates revenues ( e.g. game concessions, game parking, concerts, other sports events) that are not directed to the AD ... why should all of the costs be accounted for by the AD?

 

[Hornet22]

I thought @Hornet22 was the reincarnation of another EH poster whose handle escapes me, but who may have been related to/friends with Dahna Deleston.

Nah

 

[Husky25]

What's "upkeep?"

 

[BlueMAB]

Nah

fake news.

 

[UConn66]

They have plenty to lose.

If you get blown out 51-7, you can shatter your team’s confidence and declare to the fans they aren’t worth watching - all before Labor Day.

Nobody in their right mind would want to play the two best teams on the schedule weeks 1 and 2 with that defense.

Who can you blame for this? Edsall? Benedict? The AAC? The Deep State? Russia? Why don't you just lighten up and realize that we're in a lot better place than we were just two seasons ago. "Take my advice. Start drinking heavily."

 

[Ldandy]

2. A guy who wants to borrow a cornhole game, but let's not go crazy it has to be close to his house

I don't know who's right or wrong in this thread, but just thinking of what you typed for #2 in the OP makes me laugh every time I stop by this board. Well done.

 

[UConnNick]

Even with all our history as a football program? Wouldn't that be like saying Rutgers will cut their program? Rutgers started playing in 1869.

Looking at your list above:

Maine: 1892
NH: 1893
URI: 1895
UConn: 1896
Buffalo: 1899
Stony Brook: 1969
Albany: 1973

Some other New England/New York Schools:

Columbia: 1870
Harvard: 1873
Brown: 1878
UMass: 1879
Dartmouth: 1881
Fordham: 1881
Cornell: 1887
Colgate: 1890
Holy Cross: 1891
Boston College: 1893

I feel if Stony Brook and Albany drop their programs it won't be as big a hit as the others on your list. Once those other schools or some of the other New England/New York schools do it, then I say doomsday is getting closer. Wouldn't it be better to pack a stadium for winning FCS team then have an empty stadium for a losing FBS team?

No, it wouldn't. As one example, Sam Houston is a perennial FCS powerhouse, in the middle of rabid southern football country. They have a great on campus stadium. They only get about half to maybe 2/3 capacity crowds for their home FCS playoff games.

Thinking UCONN would pack P&W Stadium for FCS games is crazy.

 

[UConnNick]

Do you think the following schools look at FCS football as an embarrasement?

Montana - 2 national championships (7 appearances), 18 conference championships, 23 playoff appearances, 93.33% avg attendance in 2017, 100.6% in 2016, 95.72% in 2015
James Madison - 2 national championships, 7 conference championships, 14 playoff apperances, 87.32% avg attendance in 2017, 79.76% in 2016
North Dakota State - 6 national championships, 9 conference championships, 8 playoff apperances, 96.48% avg attendance in 2017, 97.66% in 2016, 97.35% in 2015

Comparison:
UConn - 0 national championships, 2 conference championships, 6 bowl games, 50.04% avg attendance in 2017, 65.94% in 2016, 70.53% in 2015

Here is an article about the financial woes of UMass' move to FBS: Football is forever: The money-losing drug these schools can't quit

Apples and oranges. The FCS schools you referenced are all in the middle of freakin' nowhere. Of course they fill their small stadiums when their programs are successful. There's no other game in town.

UCONN is in the middle of the NE megalopolis, sandwiched between two of the biggest pro sports crazy markets in the country, NYC and Boston. CT itself is a pro sports market because of its close proximity. There are also a million other things to do on football Saturdays in the fall. The FCS schools you mention aren't competing against any of that in their local markets. They're literally the only game in town.

 

[Exit 4]

Can anyone name a poster in this thread that said FCS was better for UConn than FBS?

Can anyone name a poster in this thread that said our attendance would improve as an FCS program?

Can anyone name a poster in this thread that said we would make more money as an FCS program?

I dont believe any of these points have been asserted (I could be wrong - show me), but some post as if has.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Can anyone name a poster in this thread that said FCS was better for UConn than FBS?

Can anyone name a poster in this thread that said our attendance would improve as an FCS program?

Can anyone name a poster in this thread that said we would make more money as an FCS program?

I dont believe any of these points have been asserted (I could be wrong - show me), but some post as if has.

Don’t care to do that.

My position is clear. I’d rather drop football altogether than go FCS.

 

[Exit 4]

Don’t care to do that.

My position is clear. I’d rather drop football altogether than go FCS.

I don't recall you making a post in this discussion that indicated you didn't understand the conversation. There have been others however who seem to be responding to positions that have not been made. My post did not have you in mind.

 

[BlueMAB]

2. A guy who wants to borrow a cornhole game, but let's not go crazy it has to be close to his house

I don't know who's right or wrong in this thread, but just thinking of what you typed for #2 in the OP makes me laugh every time I stop by this board. Well done.

@whaler11 has a very underrated sense of humor. I think often he’s making a joke and people think he’s actually pissed off.

 

[CL82]

Who can you blame for this? Edsall? Benedict? The AAC? The Deep State? Russia? Why don't you just lighten up and realize that we're in a lot better place than we were just two seasons ago. "Take my advice. Start drinking heavily."

#unintentionallyironicposts

 

[YoungFree]

Apples and oranges. The FCS schools you referenced are all in the middle of freakin' nowhere. Of course they fill their small stadiums when their programs are successful. There's no other game in town.

UCONN is in the middle of the NE megalopolis, sandwiched between two of the biggest pro sports crazy markets in the country, NYC and Boston. CT itself is a pro sports market because of its close proximity. There are also a million other things to do on football Saturdays in the fall. The FCS schools you mention aren't competing against any of that in their local markets. They're literally the only game in town.

Have you lived in a place where there is only one game in town?

What I am getting at is the culture in those locations are vastly different...what some people think of "the only thing to do on Saturday" is vastly different in those places.

Anchorage, Alaska had a professional hockey team (below NHL) and it was literally "the only game in town" in a town that loves hockey....they didn't necessarily pack the arena because folks were doing other things because sports aren't the only things to do. Folks went to the games because they were fans, regardless of what level the team was playing at.

To say folks wont attend UConn football games just because they move down a Division shows what type of fans we have.

 

[Exit 4]

To say folks wont attend UConn football games just because they move down a Division shows what type of fans we have.

Welcome to New England?

 

[Rocktheworld]

@whaler11 has a very underrated sense of humor. I think often he’s making a joke and people think he’s actually pissed off.

When you get in to shat-on-everything mode, the line is blurred.

Last year or so I’ve intermittently been getting that way when I’ve been drinking.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Have you lived in a place where there is only one game in town?

What I am getting at is the culture in those locations are vastly different...what some people think of "the only thing to do on Saturday" is vastly different in those places.

Anchorage, Alaska had a professional hockey team (below NHL) and it was literally "the only game in town" in a town that loves hockey....they didn't necessarily pack the arena because folks were doing other things because sports aren't the only things to do. Folks went to the games because they were fans, regardless of what level the team was playing at.

To say folks wont attend UConn football games just because they move down a Division shows what type of fans we have.

Um. It means we’re like every other fan base in every other part of the world?

 

[BlueMAB]

To say folks wont attend UConn football games just because they move down a Division shows what type of fans we have.

Welcome to New England?

this is neither unique to UConn nor New England.

Unless you guys know of a bunch of other places where FCS teams routinely outdraw FBS teams.

I didn't go to a single game before UConn upgraded. But I've been a diehard fan since we upgraded.

You couldn't pay me to go watch us play a home slate of James Madison, Richmond, URI, Stony Book, Towson, and William and Mary.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

this is neither unique to UConn nor New England.

Unless you guys know of a bunch of other places where FCS teams routinely outdraw FBS teams.

I didn't go to a single game before UConn upgraded. But I've been a diehard fan since we upgraded.

You couldn't pay me to go watch us play a home slate of James Madison, Richmond, URI, Stony Book, Towson, and William and Mary.

What kind of fan are you?

 

[BlueMAB]

What kind of fan are you?

An honest one. We go FCS and you can count the number of posters on the FB board with two hands.

 

[YoungFree]

this is neither unique to UConn nor New England.

Unless you guys know of a bunch of other places where FCS teams routinely outdraw FBS teams.

I didn't go to a single game before UConn upgraded. But I've been a diehard fan since we upgraded.

You couldn't pay me to go watch us play a home slate of James Madison, Richmond, URI, Stony Book, Towson, and William and Mary.

I will say it constantly and nobody can change my mind. I would rather have UConn at FCS playing those teams then no football at all. If I lived back in CT I would be at the games I could physically make.

 

[Waquoit]

To say folks wont attend UConn football games just because they move down a Division shows what type of fans we have.

And what type might that be?

 

[BlueMAB]

I will say it constantly and nobody can change my mind. I would rather have UConn at FCS playing those teams then no football at all. If I lived back in CT I would be at the games I could physically make.

I'm not trying to change your mind. Just state what should be an obvious fact. FCS teams don't draw as much as FBS teams. That doesn't say anything about the fans.