With all the Conference realignment thoughts... | The Boneyard

With all the Conference realignment thoughts...

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Where to go, what to do, who has the power? As a huge Uconn BBall fan, as I am sure most here are, without question, what to do? Let's see, we all know its about money, first and foremost. And thats football. BBall is a distant second to that(the other sports distant thirds, fourths, etc, even to roundball), and while it could be regulated, its not, nor will it be in the foreseeable future. And the economy sucks, although its sucking in stability now. UConn is a great BBall pickup for any "new" alignment. UConn football, inconsequential. Again, where's the money? Football. And given that, UConn BBall matters percentagewise, very, very little, much as I hate to admit. Despite all the academics rhetoric, we should all know that that is what it is: rhetoric. Money talks, BS walks. Uconn is positioned OK(not great, but OK) to be in a position to capitalize on the current situation. That WILL NOT be dictated by UConn basketball or Coach Calhoun; it'll be dictated by revenues, largely from football. New York City doesn't give two ts about college athletics for the most part(cept a small contingent of Catholic ND'ers-again primarily FB), so while that is an "untapped" market, it is largely, and has always been, a completely disinterested market. Those revenues are generally in the South nowadays. And most of all, Texas, where they are the key player in all conference realignment propositions. If they're smart, they'll bide their time, waiting for the best opportunity for them, which is smart, me thinks.
I just think New Englanders are a little naive in how much of the country and fiscal matters of the country(which is where it all begins and ends)actually flow through there anymore. People have decided quite clearly, that shoveling snow three to four months a year is a waste. People have decided that the jobs and tax codes favor those states in the warmer climes. Smart men know that the girls/women are better looking down South, not spending 6-7 months locked up and not taking care of themselves. Winter is 6-7 months versus 3-4. The economy is better, because people have time to devote to their jobs, not raking leaves and shoveling. Hell, if it snows down here, you wait two days, its gone. And the populace is much, much more mobile, so why deal with all that crap? Get a job where life is easier, and you get paid 3/4 of what you did in New England, but it still goes twice as far. Tell me how rugged you are while paying twice as much for half the house, twice the commute, twice the upkeep if you like, but I've lived there and in the south: claim your ruggedness all you want, claim intellectual superiority, the facts of the matter are that most of the country disagrees that New England has currently better options for their family, their life.http://pewsocialtrends.org/2008/12/17/u-s-migration-flows/ I'm just not sure they want us.
So whats UConn to do? It depends on what the University wants. Do they desire first and foremost to be a great center of learning? Or is the first priority to bring in funds, through athletic endeavors to allow more CT students to receive a quality education at the state university? I guess it depends upon what your personal mission statement for the university would be(crank out a bunch of graduates, or crank out a few, with maybe higher expectations). Or athletics is the mission statement. I suppose it depends alot on if you have a 12-18 year old weighing those possibilities, and how either decision factors to them. Either way, I think UConn is in decent, if not favorable, position to weather this storm, and I'm sad to not be playing home-and-homes with Pitt and Syracuse on the basketball court ongoing infinitum. Oh, wait, we haven't done that for a few years now anyway. I just hope they land in a good spot where I can watch some good basketball for the next 5-10 winters(I've got no skin in this game, just seems odd that Uconn grads don't think about academic excellence on somewhere close to an even keel with athletic prowess as priorities go- In other words, what is most important, having a great academic institution for your kids, your friends kids, your neighbors kids or ending up in a half-*ss basketball conference possibly)? Its a brave new world, and its dictated by money first in this situation.
 
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