UConn “Telling Our Story” CT Insider Article

[superjohn]

I think the delta between the breakaway and when football becomes irrelevant is going to be so great that brands like UConn and Duke won't matter anymore. We already have people who think memphis and Oregon State are good at football. The same type of thing will happen with basketball and the excluded teams will fade into nothingness

I think you're too much in this realignment board universe that it isn't making you think clearly.

 

[JMick]

I think you're too much in this realignment board universe that it isn't making you think clearly.

Nah I think if anything this board has a better pulse on the future than regular media

 

[giddyup]

Now if only this makes it to ESPN as a headline, or the AP so it floats on SI or other sports publications. While I completely agree it is important for us/our media to shape the narrative, everyone reading the ct insider already thinks that way.

You really needed a guy like Mora and Hurley out there in national media and also spending time with the local media in B12 country. They could have been prepped to talk expansion, all things great about UConn, etc.. We just kind of played Skidmark’s game and sat there like good little doggies waiting for a treat. Hindsight is 20-20 but we didn’t optimize our position.

 

[Drew]

Shutting down the football activities in 2020 was the right move and the only reason other people didn't is because of pure greed.

I think edsall was a booster call and he was hoping edsall could be competent on the cheap. I don't totally blame him for edsall checking out completely but he should have been fired after year 1

 

[Drew]

Nah it was the right thing to do. The players are still student athletes and not professionals. They shouldn't have been put at unnecessary risk.

Football literally shouldn't be that serious. The fact that it is treated so seriously is insane. Football is going to be a dead sport in 30 years.

“Why are we not in the big leagues?”

reads this post

There you go!

 

[noeynox]

Everyone knows you get better by not playing anyone, lolz.

We have to be a little fair. It was to be the 1st independent season, and conferences were only playing in conference games. There wasn't much they could have cobbled up. Maybe UMass and some FCS teams, maybe.

 

[Patman]

I think you're too much in this realignment board universe that it isn't making you think clearly.

I think I agree a lot of people think Memphis is a better long term football choice than UConn

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

We have to be a little fair. It was to be the 1st independent season, and conferences were only playing in conference games. There wasn't much they could have cobbled up. Maybe UMass and some FCS teams, maybe.

True. And because we don't do a good job communications-wise then anyone (fans) on the outside of the UConn universe will jump to the conclusion that we just gave up. We have to do better at marketing and communications. Hell, even our polished gems (men's and women's basketball) aren't looked at in the same way that teams like Duke and Kansas are when in reality we've outperformed/at the very least equalled them the last 25 years.

 

[Sea Goat]

All the Presidents visited, or just Yormark?

I was told that Big 12 people visited Storrs in late June/early July.

 

[Sea Goat]

Shutting down the football activities in 2020 was the right move and the only reason other people didn't is because of pure greed.

I think edsall was a booster call and he was hoping edsall could be competent on the cheap. I don't totally blame him for edsall checking out completely but he should have been fired after year 1

I know DB is not perfect. But, things are getting better and Dan Hurley and JM have been great hires. The trouble is we have no margin of error. Some alleged P-5 teams can scuff around in FB and BB (we know who) and whistle all the way to the bank with no repercussions.

 

[Sea Goat]

True. And because we don't do a good job communications-wise then anyone (fans) on the outside of the UConn universe will jump to the conclusion that we just gave up. We have to do better at marketing and communications. Hell, even our polished gems (men's and women's basketball) aren't looked at in the same way that teams like Duke and Kansas are when in reality we've outperformed/at the very least equalled them the last 25 ye

So glad we’re finally going on the offensive to shape the narrative instead of letting people like Tramel write BS with no consequence.

Yes!

One other thing - arm yourself with facts and be defiant. We should win on the facts. I am tired of our underperforming, overrated, overpriced former conference mates snickering at our predicament. Let's just keep winning and throw it their faces.

 

[RedStickHusky]

You just answer, yes, a county with 3.6 million people, bordered by another county with 18 million people and a third with 7 million people.

Right... Which generally gets a "sux to be you" response...

 

[JMick]

“Why are we not in the big leagues?”

reads this post

There you go!

Sometimes doing the right thing isn't popular. That doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do.

We have also handicapped ourselves because we don't allow a lot of kids into the school. We could go the Colorado or Baylor route but I don't think that's the right thing to do either.

 

[upstater]

Right... Which generally gets a "sux to be you" response...

We're not competing with U. Texas though.

We're up against teams in smaller states, states with 2 teams.

UConn does not have a demographics problem.

Some of the mentality may be linked to the small size of the state. Reminds me of elections when people look at maps of the US and they see the massive bloc of Wyoming as indicative of a candidate's popularity.

 

[ZooCougar]

I was told that Big 12 people visited Storrs in late June/early July.

I flew back to CT in early June and I don’t think I have ever seen Bradley so festooned with UConn stuff. It had to be for the visitors.

 

[UCFBfan]

I flew back to CT in early June and I don’t think I have ever seen Bradley so festooned with UConn stuff. It had to be for the visitors.

I was just there this past week and it's still all up. I was wondering why none of the banners mention that we won the national championship though. Regardless, every pillar has a UConn banner on it.

 

[superjohn]

Sometimes doing the right thing isn't popular. That doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do.

We have also handicapped ourselves because we don't allow a lot of kids into the school. We could go the Colorado or Baylor route but I don't think that's the right thing to do either.

Stop saying it was the right thing to do, everyone else played football and despite a few hiccups it was a total success. There was nothing noble about UConn's decision to not play.

 

[ZooCougar]

I was just there this past week and it's still all up. I was wondering why none of the banners mention that we won the national championship though. Regardless, every pillar has a UConn banner on it.

Good point.

 

[king conn]

Since those schools are already in, it is no point bashing them. We will need their support if we want to join in the future.

" We " are not the media

Is Brett Yormark held responsible for the opinions of Berry Tramel?

 

[ZooCougar]

I was just there this past week and it's still all up. I was wondering why none of the banners mention that we won the national championship though. Regardless, every pillar has a UConn banner on it.

 

[ZooCougar]

Stop saying it was the right thing to do, everyone else played football and despite a few hiccups it was a total success. There was nothing noble about UConn's decision to not play.

After leaving the AAC, which was misinterpreted, we then sent a second signal that we didn’t give a crap.

And if we had played UMass and a few FCS that would have been better than nothing.

 

[JMick]

Stop saying it was the right thing to do, everyone else played football and despite a few hiccups it was a total success. There was nothing noble about UConn's decision to not play.

This is pure hindsight. At the time the decision was made, it was the correct decision. You have to look at it through that lense and not what happened afterwards.

 

[UCFBfan]

Yup, that's still everywhere. I mentioned to my wife how I thought it was pretty cool they were there. I just thought they'd have a few that said something about "Home of the 5x Men's National Champion" or 11x Women's National Champion. They were clearly going with the sports angle with those banners.

 

[noeynox]

After leaving the AAC, which was misinterpreted, we then sent a second signal that we didn’t give a crap.

And if we had played UMass and a few FCS that would have been better than nothing.

I don't disagree with you guys, i just give them a pass because among other teams, I'm sure Randy preferred to golf rather coaching during a pandemic.

And if they played, they would have never won the NY Times National Championship.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Marketing only goes so far in college sports realignment. The typical people you have to convince are university presidents, athletic directors, TV network heads, and governors -- in the case of a state university. A 9 to 3 season in football may prove to be more useful.