At that point, UConn did not want to leave. We were the flagship school in the Big East; we thought we could hold the conference together.
Because while we wait to see "how things develop" we starve financially, lose fb recruiting battles, and eventually fall behind after our current coaches retire or are hired away. On top of that the BE makes it that much more expensive to leave. Time is not on our side.
Silliness. In 50 years the nation's #1 popular sport may (or may not!!) still be at #1, so let's stay in the regional league that spans time zones with a bunch of small private religious schools.
I think this kind of myopia is shared by a number of UConn fans. Basketball and nothing else matters. I also get the Big East nostalgia. Moving back was the right move. Basketball has thrived. Football Independence gave us options. But nostalgia is just that. I've been a fan since before my time on campus in the early 80's. Those battles were epic. But times have changed. The landscape has changed. Economic and competitive realities make this unsustainable in the long run, and dropping however many other sports you don't care about won't change that. And the old glory days burned into my memory of the Big East aren't coming back. We need to move forward.
The one that won three of the last seven basketball national championships?
Would you stop please.
Yeah I get that.
And for like the 8th time I’ll have to put you on ignore. No middle ground, just your opinion is correct and when argued, you just go over the top outlandish nonsense. When the SEC is playing flag football in 4 years I’ll be the first to tell you that you were correct. Go Big East! Go Independent Football!! Can’t wait to see the Apple Cash come pouring in.
Basketball is one small part of an athletic department, it's not the athletic department.
speaking of patriot place, they should at least consider turning The Rent area into something more than an empty stadium 350 days a year and cabella's. An on campus stadium becomes the campus crown jewel. A stadium at Rentschler Field is an isolated empty concrete structure getting minimum maintenance because no one sees it all year long except for half a dozen fall weekends.
Basketball is hardly a small part of the athletic department. To most of the country, UConn Basketball defines UConn athletics. It puts us on the map.
The question is moot. Reason being football doesn't require the skill of other sports. Name another sport where you go from playing pick-up basketball in college to the pros. Players don't need high school football for colleges to present an acceptable product. They can get coached up when they get there. As long as there is money to be made playing football, people will play football.
I see where you're going but in UConn's case, one should argue the exact opposite. Field Hockey would probably stay in the Big East. Baseball would benefit hugely by playing the southern boys regularly. Hockey is in Hockey East. Soccer would find a different home.
It's pretty close though. 970k football players, 850k soccer players.
Small part? This is UConn. 16 NCs, thank you.
Blame the politicians for the off-campus stadium.
More and more high schools are dropping football or merging teams with other schools due to declining youth football participation due to concerns over CTE, gets getting lazy and preferring playing Madden on PS5 to real football.
