All Activity

Somebody else posted this on Facebook. I agree with all.the conclusions. Akron Football: When Exposure Becomes an Auction Block For decades, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) built its football brand on one thing: exposure. Midweek “MACtion” meant that on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in November, when most of college football was idle, the MAC had the national stage. Even if stadiums were half empty, Akron, Kent State, and their peers could say: “We’re on ESPN.” That pitch worked for a while. Players got national airtime, coaches got recruiting leverage, and universities got their names mentioned on broadcasts that reached millions of households. But in the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) era, exposure has flipped from asset to liability. Exposure, Then and Now Before 2021, a Tuesday night breakout could put a MAC athlete on the NFL radar. Coaches could sell recruits on the guarantee of national TV games. For universities like Akron, whose football profile lagged far behind Ohio State, the ESPN window was a rare equalizer. Now? That same highlight package on ESPN is an advertisement for Power 4 programs to swoop in and recruit Akron’s best players away—with six-figure NIL packages. The math is brutal: • MAC collectives average roughly $0.5 million annually. Akron’s is closer to $341,000.¹ • Power 4 schools now routinely spend millions per year per athlete. • A MAC player who shines on national TV is no longer a point of pride—it’s a scouting reel for someone else’s roster. Exposure without the financial power to retain talent just accelerates the talent drain. The Optics Problem Even when players shine, the pictures ESPN broadcasts are damaging. Attendance across the MAC collapses for midweek games: Saturday contests averaged 16,738 fans in 2018, while midweek games averaged just 12,255—a 27% drop.² At Akron, the numbers are even worse. In 2022, fewer than 3,000 fans attended a sunny, 80-degree home game against Miami (OH). For context, in 2005—a Thanksgiving morning blizzard game with –6° wind chill—more than 7,000 showed up. What ESPN cameras show now isn’t “passionate fans” or “hidden gems.” It’s empty stands, lifeless atmospheres, and lopsided scores from overloaded buy games. That hurts Akron’s brand far more than it helps. The Enrollment Squeeze Akron’s enrollment collapse compounds the problem. In 2011, the university had 25,190 students.³ By 2024, it had dropped nearly 40% to 14,813.⁴ That decline affects everything: tuition revenue, student fees that help fund athletics, and the size of the potential fan base. With fewer students and shrinking resources, Akron can’t afford to prop up an FBS football program at the level the system demands. A Conference in Decline The larger MAC picture isn’t rosy either. The league’s national perception has declined sharply since the early 2000s, when it produced NFL names like Ben Roethlisberger, Julian Edelman, Charlie Frye, and Josh Cribbs. In the past 20 years, the quarterback output has been thin: • Keith Wenning (Ball State, 2014) — limited to practice squads • Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan, 2010) — never started in an NFL game • Kurtis Rourke (Ohio → Indiana, 2025) — drafted but unproven The league that once marketed itself as a talent incubator now serves as a farm system for wealthier schools. The Core Problem: Exposure Without Retention For Akron, the ESPN window no longer sells. National visibility doesn’t build fan support, it doesn’t stabilize enrollment, and it doesn’t retain talent. Instead, it broadcasts the program’s weakness: low crowds, heavy losses, and players destined to leave once they succeed. The very tool meant to elevate the MAC now underscores its irrelevance. Exposure without retention is brand erosion. The Path Forward Akron faces a stark choice. Staying in the FBS MAC means continuing to cash the occasional $1 million “buy game” check and enjoying ESPN visibility—while enduring blowout losses, talent drain, and empty seats. Dropping to the FCS would lower costs and restore competitive balance, but at the expense of national profile and big payouts. Neither option is glamorous. But pretending that exposure alone is still a benefit in 2025 is self-deception. The NIL era has changed the rules. Without new resources or a strategic reset, Akron’s midweek ESPN appearances don’t build the brand—they auction it off. ⸻ Sources 1. NIL reporting: MAC collectives average ~$536,000 annually; Akron’s closer to $341,000. 2. The Ringer: 2018 MAC attendance — 16,738 (Saturday) vs. 12,255 (midweek), –26.8%. 3. University of Akron Institutional Research: enrollment peaked at ~25,190 in 2011. 4. Ideastream: Akron’s fall 2024 enrollment at 14,813.

Could apply at Akron as well. As good a Toledo has been historically and as bad as Akron has been, Toledo is only 13-10 against Akron all-time. They are, unfortunately, 7-2 all-time at home. Rockets 28-14.

Board activity seems to be exponentially higher the week after a loss than a blowout win?😃

From looking at the calendar, I assume it is the annual Tip-off Reception.

Jackie is very deserving of this honor. Her behind the scenes work has been instrumental in the success of many Zips teams.

That information is correct.

Time to build the statue at Jackson Twp City Hall!

Line of the article- " If the Glenn Miller Orchestra famously has a gal in Kalamazoo, the Rockets have demons here." Chip Trayanum is playing for Toledo?

Looking at the Toledo game thread, I wonder if there will be anyone left to care.

Interesting read.

Just win, baby..

The drums in the background during highlights are really annoying. At 80 years old, Joe Dunn is still The Man. Who's going to fill his shoes when he finally hangs up the mic?

I heard that there's a Meet the Team gathering for both the men's and women's teams scheduled for October 28th? Anyone else heard anything? I guess this could be the annual tip-off reception.

Tremendous result tonight for VCU At home, VCU battled Marshall to a 2-2 tie as of 10:30 tonight, Zips are #11 in Gaucho Dan RPI VCU is #25 now in RPI

INCREDIBLE!! What an honor! And I know NOTHING about her...unfortunately! I'm telling my niece-in-law who coaches the University of Hawai'i that now she HAS to schedule the Akron Zips in Hawai'i!

https://gozips.com/news/2025/9/24/jackie-wallgren-named-chair-of-ncaa-division-i-womens-soccer-committee

As a fervent Arsenal supporter (Go Gunners!), I dislike everything Tottenham Hotspur F.C. However, I could grow accustomed to Zips wearing the dark shorts with the home white kit. I think it looks sharp. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. - Wikipedia

I didn't see the broadcast because I was at the match but they definitely appeared to have more equipment than normal, or at least it was more noticeable. They had cords running from outside the stadium to behind the nets for field mics, as well as a fixed camera and camera man on field at midfield. And a camera in a lift outside of the stadium, behind the hill. But all of that doesn't necessarily translate to a better broadcast than usual.

It's a shame that ESPNU couldn't have gotten a mic down ro talk to those two MLS keepers. Frankly, the TV broadcast was "bare bones" at best. No better than ESPN+. But I hope the national broadcast was viewed by all those poll voters who after seeing Akron Zips' dominance, will quickly return the team to the top 10! 🙏

This is the package I have but I altered it a little, which the ticket office was very helpful with. I switched football to GA and soccer to reserved. It only ended up being like $15 more with those changes.

Great game / win last night. Excellent response following the UConn game. Many impressive plays last night. Players worked hard throughout. Need to keep that full on effort going into Butler.

I’ve been using this. I’ve used one football ticket and 4 soccer and I’ve already covered a third of the price. Basketball alone will get me a lot of the way there