Some thoughts on the MWC news

[upstater]

I guess its because they had other rivals before the emergence of UConn - Georgetown and SJU in basketball and the independent Eastern schools in football.

It's really because they beat those teams in later years. They couldn't outdo UConn. This is why they would love for UConn to cease to exist.

 

[TRest]

I guess its because they had other rivals before the emergence of UConn - Georgetown and SJU in basketball and the independent Eastern schools in football.

The Cuse board still thinks people outside of upstate/central NY care about the Gtown rivalry. Gtown is becoming a midmajor, but Cuse fans would rather grasp to that last bit of historical relevance.

 

[ctchamps]

UConn is the upstart. They were late to the clique. I imagine younger Cuse fans have a different impression of the rivalry than the older fan.

 

[Adios]

UConn is the upstart. They were late to the clique. I imagine younger Cuse fans have a different impression of the rivalry than the older fan.

Had Yale remained at the 1A level, we'd probably never have stepped up. But UConn should have immediately seized the opportunity to upgrade when Yale decided to de-emphasize atheltics. It took visionaries like Calhoun and Auriemma to show what UConn can be. Let's hope the women's bball team wins another championship this year. I know women's bball doesn't get big TV audiences but more championships in the biggest women's sport absolutely cannot hurt our profile. The success of the women's bball program is brought up plenty of times when analyzing our candidacy for realignment. When the heck are they going to extend Ollie's contract?

 

[whaler11]

Yes it will be the 8th women's basketball title that gets people to notice. The first seven weren't enough.

At some point it has to be clear that if our women's basketball supporters instead supported the two sports that matter that would help us. Really people get that right?

Connecticut's support of women's basketball is a net negative because it makes the people here seem insane. Tennessee can get away with it because 100k show up for their football games and they are already in a league.

 

[UConnDan97]

Connecticut's support of women's basketball is a net negative because it makes the people here seem insane. Tennessee can get away with it because 100k show up for their football games and they are already in a league.

Wow, what a dumb post. Football is king, yes. But to think that having a women's team that wins numerous national titles and gets paid over 1 million per year in tv revenue is a "net negative because it makes the people here seem insane" is.....well, insane.

Is the women's basketball team going to define whether we go to a larger conference or not? No. But to view it as a negative is pretty stupid...

 

[whaler11]

Wow, what a dumb post. Football is king, yes. But to think that having a women's team that wins numerous national titles and gets paid over 1 million per year in tv revenue is a "net negative because it makes the people here seem insane" is.....well, insane.

Is the women's basketball team going to define whether we go to a larger conference or not? No. But to view it as a negative is pretty stupid...

Listen I know it's a highly unpopular opinion, but yeah I think it makes us look like a joke to schools like Florida State. Louisville looks like they care about football, we look like we care about women's basketball.

Not talking about the balance sheet at all, so you can save the SNY revenue - strictly talking about the perception of the fanbase nationally.

 

[Dann]

Cuse is a dying private just like bc. Both will be in the acc 5 years from now and i think the acc will be the best conf in the ncaa. The mwc will prob be a close 2nd. The question is if uconn gets the big call or accepts the small one. Cuse took the small one because nothing else was coming. It gives me hope we are still in a good moving spot vs them. The ncaa will be dying private schools, commuter schools, small publics and directionals soon. Eventually it will crash with issues post big boys split because they wont get 95%of the money they do now. Uconns bad news endind is the acc vs wake cuse bc and crew and ooc bball games vs gtown and sju. We still have a chance at the big boy tableunlike cuse. The cuse fans are pro acc like are pro cherios at any hour. They are either very stupid or they are denying that there school already accepted defeat. Just look at lville fans. They hawked message boards for a tear about the phantom b12 invite. Then they goro the acc. Fans rhump chest for about 2 days then it sets in that all the doom ncaa split talk they were apart if now means they didnt make it. Noe they are wiet as fuck and just say the bball team is doing good to make a excuse. The reslity is either they got passed by cincy in b12 eyes long before cincy went on this pr ride of great moves or the b12 was never touching thrm. They will be a good friend to cuse. Competitive bball and siuthern fball so cuse doesnt completely forget what fball is like.

I pray everynight we get the big call vs the small ok. But while others here are feeaking out im sitting cool in CR. i like the spot, we still have a fighting chance unlike others. Fuck bc. Now dont get me started on warde...

 

[noeynox]

Ugh! Dan you're losing me if you start parroting MHVER3. I read something similar con his twitter feed last night.

 

[upstater]

Cuse is a dying private just like bc. Both will be in the acc 5 years from now and i think the acc will be the best conf in the ncaa. The mwc will prob be a close 2nd. The question is if uconn gets the big call or accepts the small one. Cuse took the small one because nothing else was coming. It gives me hope we are still in a good moving spot vs them. The ncaa will be dying private schools, commuter schools, small publics and directionals soon. Eventually it will crash with issues post big boys split because they wont get 95%of the money they do now. Uconns bad news endind is the acc vs wake cuse bc and crew and ooc bball games vs gtown and sju. We still have a chance at the big boy tableunlike cuse. The cuse fans are pro acc like Replicants are pro cherios at any hour. They are either very stupid or they are denying that there school already accepted defeat. Just look at lville fans. They hawked message boards for a tear about the phantom b12 invite. Then they goro the acc. Fans rhump chest for about 2 days then it sets in that all the doom ncaa split talk they were apart if now means they didnt make it. Noe they are wiet as **** and just say the bball team is doing good to make a excuse. The reslity is either they got passed by cincy in b12 eyes long before cincy went on this pr ride of great moves or the b12 was never touching thrm. They will be a good friend to cuse. Competitive bball and siuthern fball so cuse doesnt completely forget what fball is like.

I pray everynight we get the big call vs the small ok. But while others here are feeaking out im sitting cool in CR. i like the spot, we still have a fighting chance unlike others. **** bc. Now dont get me started on warde...

Given your assumptions about where all this is going, don't be surprised if some schools opt out of the bigtime.

 

[Dann]

Ugh! Dan you're losing me if you start parroting MHVER3. I read something similar con his twitter feed last night.

Its a good way to see who is paying attention.

 

[Dann]

Given your assumptions about where all this is going, don't be surprised if some schools opt out of the bigtime.

Yup. Northwestern is the only 1 i think that will.

 

[noeynox]

I'll say this, the only way I can see paying football players, and them only is if they make a clean break, from the NCAA, and create a minor league football to the NFL essentially. Schools could keep all their other sports "amateur" in the NCAA. In a weird way it makes sense, but eventually I think NCAA schools would stop offering scholarships in football because that would become a total money Pitt that no one watches and a whole lot of kids would lose access to a higher education that is only available to them because of football/sports.

 

[TexanMark]

Cuse is a dying private just like bc. Both will be in the acc 5 years from now and i think the acc will be the best conf in the ncaa. The mwc will prob be a close 2nd. The question is if uconn gets the big call or accepts the small one. Cuse took the small one because nothing else was coming. It gives me hope we are still in a good moving spot vs them. The ncaa will be dying private schools, commuter schools, small publics and directionals soon. Eventually it will crash with issues post big boys split because they wont get 95%of the money they do now. Uconns bad news endind is the acc vs wake cuse bc and crew and ooc bball games vs gtown and sju. We still have a chance at the big boy tableunlike cuse. The cuse fans are pro acc like Replicants are pro cherios at any hour. They are either very stupid or they are denying that there school already accepted defeat. Just look at lville fans. They hawked message boards for a tear about the phantom b12 invite. Then they goro the acc. Fans rhump chest for about 2 days then it sets in that all the doom ncaa split talk they were apart if now means they didnt make it. Noe they are wiet as **** and just say the bball team is doing good to make a excuse. The reslity is either they got passed by cincy in b12 eyes long before cincy went on this pr ride of great moves or the b12 was never touching thrm. They will be a good friend to cuse. Competitive bball and siuthern fball so cuse doesnt completely forget what fball is like.

I pray everynight we get the big call vs the small ok. But while others here are feeaking out im sitting cool in CR. i like the spot, we still have a fighting chance unlike others. **** bc. Now dont get me started on warde...

bizarre and unreadable

 

[UConnDan97]

Listen I know it's a highly unpopular opinion, but yeah I think it makes us look like a joke to schools like Florida State. Louisville looks like they care about football, we look like we care about women's basketball.

Not talking about the balance sheet at all, so you can save the SNY revenue - strictly talking about the perception of the fanbase nationally.

Funny that you would mention the perception of an ACC school, since the ACC is one of the few college conferences that seems to give a damn about women's basketball (UNC, Duke, Maryland). I'm not saying that football is left out of the equation, since as I stated before, "Football is king." However, having a good football team and a crap women's program is NOT greater than having a good football team and a championship women's program. Period. You should know better than that.

And it's not just the SNY money, my friend. It's also the UConn brand being viewed as excellent in every avenue we take. Men's basketball. Women's basketball. Both soccer teams. Hockey. There are a great many ACC teams that actually give a damn about the performance of the olympic sports. There are also a great many B1G teams that give a damn about it as well. So should you....

 

[businesslawyer]

bizarre and unreadable

You're not here enough Mark. Callling that particular HFD post bizarre and unreadable is like calling the Speaker a Republican wackadoodle. In each case (HFD's posts or republicans) it gets a lot worse.

 

[Dann]

bizarre and unreadable

just like the bernie fine case details?

 

[Pudge]

As a guy who lives in upstate NY ... the thing to remember is the bizarre contrast between the Townie fans from Central NY & the uppercrust elitist kids that attend the University (and then run out of the 315 as fast as possible). I don't think it is a large fanbase (despite the basketball attendance). It does not extend to Albany nor Buffalo. (small percentages) And ... for most of the last 20 years, major Institutional investors would not put their money in Central New York property; so, the Corporate pockets aren't deep. It has strong civic mindedness ... but that doesn't overcome a simply stagnant local economy. (and why you find Syracuse businessmen all over the rest of the Northeast)

I don't think they have the prospects that UConn has in the long run. I don't think their brand is near as good as ours. (btw ... whaler ... that's just bizarre that you ding the WBB so much. Give it a rest) We have something that can really be built much greater. I am of mixed heart. Warde Manual ... thus far ... gets a No Confidence vote from me. And I do like Susan Herbst.

O ... and the MWC? I don't see how the MWC can win. (but I am wrong repeatedly lately) They cannot grab the Mark to Market TV rights pricing that Aresco can get. And we have a clear $17m win on the BCS in the next cycle. I understand Boise is using the leverage they have. But, I bet Aresco (former CBS exec) knows something about what can be put on the table. We can have a good 2013 schedule and beyond. And, I am NOT pining for the ACC or the B1G for 8 years like our Cuse fans.

 

[whaler11]

Funny that you would mention the perception of an ACC school, since the ACC is one of the few college conferences that seems to give a damn about women's basketball (UNC, Duke, Maryland). I'm not saying that football is left out of the equation, since as I stated before, "Football is king." However, having a good football team and a crap women's program is NOT greater than having a good football team and a championship women's program. Period. You should know better than that.

And it's not just the SNY money, my friend. It's also the UConn brand being viewed as excellent in every avenue we take. Men's basketball. Women's basketball. Both soccer teams. Hockey. There are a great many ACC teams that actually give a damn about the performance of the olympic sports. There are also a great many B1G teams that give a damn about it as well. So should you....

Sure. Once you point out a single conference realignment move that had anything to do with anything other than football or cable television subscribers I'll make sure to grab season tickets for field hockey. UConn has excellent teams in a lot of non-revenue sports, yet you've watched Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, TCU and Louisville land on their feet.

Please - the brand being about excellence, like anyone is paying attention to these things: Without looking it up tell me what non-revenue sports TCU, Missouri or Texas A&M are good at.

I think sometimes people who follow this stuff lose sight of the tiny niche it inhabits. If you were in downtown Hartford on Wednesday morning the 3rd and asked the first 500 people who walked past you to name one team who made the men's soccer final four in 2012 how many do you think could come up with one? 3% would be 15 - do you think you'd get more than 15?

Pudge, I'm not dinging UConn's women's basketball - the success has created a set of circumstances though:

A: Some of the money that is spent on women's basketball is not spent on football or men's basketball. Now it's probably not a huge percentage but there is some.
B: The success of the women's basketball program has led to a portion of the fanbase who can't comprehend that level of success is impossible in men's sports.
C: It's further spoiled the fanbase - fickle to start - why support a 5-7, 5-7 football team when the 'girls' may run off 80 in a row at any point.
D: You know how we think people that watch bass fishing or NASCAR on TV are nuts - well the southerners who control college football think the same thing about people watching women's college basketball

 

[UConnDan97]

Sure. Once you point out a single conference realignment move that had anything to do with anything other than football or cable television subscribers I'll make sure to grab season tickets for field hockey.

Are you okay?

THAT'S WHAT I SAID!!! If it is all about football, then why the hell, in your estimation, is it a negative to have a dominant women's bball team?!? The real answer is that it isn't a negative, and that you're just too stubborn to admit that you were speaking in hyperbole again, and that you didn't really mean that we have been left out of realignment because our women are successful! If you truly think we've been left out of realignment because our women are successful, then I don't know what else to say to you...

 

[whaler11]

Are you okay?

THAT'S WHAT I SAID!!! If it is all about football, then why the hell, in your estimation, is it a negative to have a dominant women's bball team?!? The real answer is that it isn't a negative, and that you're just too stubborn to admit that you were speaking in hyperbole again, and that you didn't really mean that we have been left out of realignment because our women are successful! If you truly think we've been left out of realignment because our women are successful, then I don't know what else to say to you...

I edited the post with the reasons. I don't think we've been left out of realignment because of it.... but I certainly don't think it's helped.

 

[UConnDan97]

I edited the post with the reasons. I don't think we've been left out of realignment because of it.... but I certainly don't think it's helped.

At worst, it's a neutral. Literally at worst. And to a conference commissioner, it has to look like a positive, even if it is only to a small degree, simply because it means extra revenue for the conference in the off season (and in this case, extra possibilities for the B1GNetwork or whatever conference's network we're talking about). That's all I'm saying...

 

[whaler11]

At worst, it's a neutral. Literally at worst. And to a conference commissioner, it has to look like a positive, even if it is only to a small degree, simply because it means extra revenue for the conference in the off season (and in this case, extra possibilities for the B1GNetwork or whatever conference's network we're talking about). That's all I'm saying...

That's a good point - it could be a positive for a league that shares Tier 3 and not as much for a league that doesn't. I don't really buy into this Big 10 stuff - it's still looks like ACC or bust to me, so I hadn't given much thought to that.

I think that you are brushing off the impact that Geno's success has had on the mentality of a percentage of the fanbase. Granted most of his fanbase isn't exactly a football demographic: but people here are bizarre - we have factions in the men's basketball fanbase that would prefer if the football team disbanded. We had UConn fans who hated the Whalers, just for existing. Maybe I'm missing someplace similar but it seems unique. It's also a bit unique in we have a lot of people from here who don't like UConn at all which is especially strange in a state with only one school at the highest level.

 

[UConnDan97]

That's a good point - it could be a positive for a league that shares Tier 3 and not as much for a league that doesn't. I don't really buy into this Big 10 stuff - it's still looks like ACC or bust to me, so I hadn't given much thought to that.

I think that you are brushing off the impact that Geno's success has had on the mentality of a percentage of the fanbase. Granted most of his fanbase isn't exactly a football demographic: but people here are bizarre - we have factions in the men's basketball fanbase that would prefer if the football team disbanded. We had UConn fans who hated the Whalers, just for existing. Maybe I'm missing someplace similar but it seems unique.

I think that for one reason or another, people sink their identity into "which program" they support. In other words, it's not enough for some people to be a UConn fan. They have to be a UConn women's basketball fan, or a men's basketball fan, or a football fan. I never understood that, but you're right that it exists. However, I'll say that the number of people who are exclusively women's bball fans is much smaller than the other two. It really shouldn't become a factor in defining our psyche. I would buy more of the argument that the men's bball fans make us look like a bball school vs. a football school much more so than the women's fans...

 

[whaler11]

I think that for one reason or another, people sink their identity into "which program" they support. In other words, it's not enough for some people to be a UConn fan. They have to be a UConn women's basketball fan, or a men's basketball fan, or a football fan. I never understood that, but you're right that it exists. However, I'll say that the number of people who are exclusively women's bball fans is much smaller than the other two. It really shouldn't become a factor in defining our psyche. I would buy more of the argument that the men's bball fans make us look like a bball school vs. a football school much more so than the women's fans...

By sheer headcount I think there are more fans that only watch/support women's basketball locally. Maybe nationally there are enough men's basketball fans to outnumber them - but the number of seniors who only roll with women's basketball I think outnumber the men's fans who dislike the football program.

I'd love to see the viewership in Connecticut for Syracuse/WVU, Louisville/Kentucky and UConn/Stanford today.

Where would you put people locally in these categories:
Lean Football/Lean MBB/Lean WBB/Equal FB&MBB/Equal MBB&WBB/All 3 equal

I'd say
15%/30%/10%/25%/15%/5%

I'd put myself in the first group at this point. I will travel for football but haven't taken a big roadtrip for a MBB game since the Maryland game in Syracuse. The Garden is as far as I go for MBB at this point.

 

[SubbaBub]

bizarre and unreadable

It's like the Matrix. If you look at it long enough, you'll see it.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[UConnDan97]

By sheer headcount I think there are more fans that only watch/support women's basketball locally. Maybe nationally there are enough men's basketball fans to outnumber them - but the number of seniors who only roll with women's basketball I think outnumber the men's fans who dislike the football program.

I'd love to see the viewership in Connecticut for Syracuse/WVU, Louisville/Kentucky and UConn/Stanford today.

Where would you put people locally in these categories:
Lean Football/Lean MBB/Lean WBB/Equal FB&MBB/Equal MBB&WBB/All 3 equal

I'd say
15%/30%/10%/25%/15%/5%

I'd put myself in the first group at this point. I will travel for football but haven't taken a big roadtrip for a MBB game since the Maryland game in Syracuse. The Garden is as far as I go for MBB at this point.

I'd probably say that I am equal football and men's bball, with women's bball a close third (with men's soccer). I probably won't travel out of state for any of the games (more due to life situations than desire), but I will pay to see all four when they play in state. Your percentage breakdown is fair, and I'm not sure I would argue with any of it...

 

[whaler11]

I'd probably say that I am equal football and men's bball, with women's bball a close third (with men's soccer). I probably won't travel out of state for any of the games (more due to life situations than desire), but I will pay to see all four when they play in state. Your percentage breakdown is fair, and I'm not sure I would argue with any of it...

I'm looking forward to hockey. Since the vast majority of their fans will come from the current categories shouldn't lead to any further splintering.

 

[UConnDan97]

I'm looking forward to hockey. Since the vast majority of their fans will come from the current categories shouldn't lead to any further splintering.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to hockey, too. I saw them play in the hut, then at Freitas, and now soon to see them in the XL Center. What a transformation!

 

[Pudge]

Pudge, I'm not dinging UConn's women's basketball - the success has created a set of circumstances though:

A: Some of the money that is spent on women's basketball is not spent on football or men's basketball. Now it's probably not a huge percentage but there is some.
B: The success of the women's basketball program has led to a portion of the fanbase who can't comprehend that level of success is impossible in men's sports.
C: It's further spoiled the fanbase - fickle to start - why support a 5-7, 5-7 football team when the 'girls' may run off 80 in a row at any point.
D: You know how we think people that watch bass fishing or NASCAR on TV are nuts - well the southerners who control college football think the same thing about people watching women's college basketball

Spoken like every Jock guy you can talk to in any Sports Bar across America.

We are coming out of pocket for WBB. That simply is not the case. We have a Net Income from it; you can look it up. We also pay our HC a gob of money ... you can look that up ... and we still are taking home shekels. We are one of only a few that can say this in this sport.

I could care less whether some WBB fan things every sport should be 30-0 every year or win by 50. I don't think it has diddly effect on any other component of UConn sports. I do think we (WE) the UConn fanbase underestimated how difficult FBS/BCS level football is & we have not worked hard enough to make all components work. But ... I don't think that comes from WBB. There is ONLY so many dollars that a Market can spend on entertaiment. I wonder if someone says ... I spent X on WBB & I don't have it for Football or MBB or other things. I'd say on whole ... I don't think so.

And what does the PERCEPTION of the National audience think of UConn being the DOMINANT PLAYER (really only a few close) in WBB. This is an evolving viewpoint for me (as I have changed over time); I think it is important. It says this little bitty school (where the MBB also builds champion caliber) can really bring it. WBB is WAY beyond Track or Volleyball or Softball or Wrestling. It is the top Women's sport. And, definitely adds to our Brand.

It is beyond a "cute" thing. And, I bet is far more important to Presidents of Universities than the Average guy in the Bar.