ZipForNow

Let’s not forget Track and Field, Rifle, Swimming and Diving…

I think what we are rooting for here is the continuation of the Akron ecosystem. 1. Bud leads the FearTheRoo Collective. 2. Ford develops players. Zips nearly ALL become paid pros, mostly overseas. They make decent money and invest it with.... 3. Bud. 4. Rinse and repeat. 5. At regular gatherings, alumni talk to current Zips, who talk to recruits and recruits' parents about the way things work at UA... 6. Rinse and repeat. 7. A vote for Ford (though I was a Carter supporter) is a vote for continuing a winning ecosystem at UA.

How does revenue from broadcasting fit into this picture? Do decisions based on tv viewing negatively impact attendance? Maybe games get flexed to Fridays for TV purposes.

Nice to be courted and see what’s out there. Makes requests to Goodrich credible.

I agree. I am on the academic side, but even there, when there is interest, you have to pursue the opportunity diligently, maybe even make some over-the-top demands, just to see what is even possible in other places. Then, even if you do not wish to take the job offer, you go back with the offer to your boss and use that to better your position at home. This is simply how it works, maybe in other walks of life as well (executive level in firms, headhunter-dominated fields). Hopefully, this is all that is currently going on. Wasn't there some wisecrack on X that implied "bald man got too greedy" or some similar sentiment? That could be what is going on. Obviously, I am speculating.

For most people, the Zips will always be their fourth favorite team: 1. Browns or Steelers 2. Buckeyes 3. HS Football team 4. Zips This was true even in the Bowden years. Exciting, bowl-winning team still did not draw fans. What is the solution? It will be interesting to see if Goodrich can crack this nut.

Absolutely. That’s what I am saying. The article points out how awful conference realignment has been.

Conference realignment was the eye-opener for me.

Thank you for posting the link. If you go to those projections, what you see is that Ohio has a high mortality rate (both relative to the past and to the national average) and a low birth rate. Surprisingly (to me), there has been a net influx of residents, people moving here, perhaps out of affordability? Still, it does not offset these natural drivers of population decline. This causes problems for UA because most of our students are local and the pool is shrinking. I think we need to start recruiting more students from out of state. These students would be more likely to attend sporting events than the current local student body, who tend to go home after class.

In this country, how to spend one’s own money has come to be seen as an inalienable right. I wonder how this would play out in court. It seems like a bad idea for coaches to be able to do this.

Don’t forget conference realignment. That contributes.

Article on Eric in ABJ: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2026/03/21/eric-mahaffey-akron-zips-ncaa-tournament-march-madness-college-basketball-transfer-portal/89242985007/

Beyond the immediate money, there is the ecosystem: play professionally somewhere, Bud invests it, grow your nest egg, have a good life after your playing days. I wonder whether that is ever part of the deliberations.

I agree. He also got better at making back cuts when the opponent would try to deny him the ball on the perimeter.

High Point coach: "High Point and Miami (Ohio) are 2-1 in Quad 1 games. We couldn't get games. They couldn't get games," Clayman said. "Akron, UNC Wilmington, Belmont couldn't get games. We won 22 of our last 23 games and we didn't move up one spot in the metrics. Not one. We won 22 of our 23. We've won 25 games by double-digits.“