g-mann17

Yep cause getting rid of Temple is positive. Just like losing Marshall and UCF was so positive. We need to lose EMU, and move BG back to the West.

I can only imagine it has something to do with paying for the mega parking deck on Exchange, that may or may not be ready for football season. ($25 for 6 games was 4.17 a game) Now it will be over 8 bucks a game to park, wasn't regular parking per game $5 last year? Is that going up too?

Official announcement now available on Gozips.com I didn't link it because I'm lazy and disgusted at the thought of losing a prime tailgating spot.

If they pull that, it's major BS, there are a total of about 1000 Club, loge, suite seats. They had great priorty parking near the elevators to their level, they also had an "easy in, easy out" with the two exit lot behind Stiles. The walk is no shorter, and the Stiles lot is paved. If we have more than 1000 donors in the 5 to 20 thousand dollar range, I would like to know where they are because that is 5-20 million right there, I didn't even know we did that well in Z-Fund contributions.

Baseball is less boring than soccer? I wonder if they have that same argument in India. "Cricket is far less boring than soccer Apu, sure it can take 3 days to finish a game but I mean there is more equipment involved so it must be more exciting right?"

When I asked about fixing the program, I was referring to our play in the MAC. I never expected us to compete on a national level, few northern schools do. It wasn't about attendance either. I mentioned the charity game against Can't because we got embarassed in front of 1800 people in OUR CITY. That is unacceptable to me as an alumnus. We used to compete with Can't, I don't know if this year is an anomaly or not, and that is why I asked the question. We need new facilties for almost every sport. There should be no comparison between soccer and baseball. Should be no jealousy either, the programs are what they are. But with baseball we should be able to compete to win the MAC every year. No reason we can't get good talent. Heck recruit internationally like the tennis team does. Soccer is soccer, it's our elite program, they are getting their new facilities and are closer to having everything funded then you might think. If the baseball field needs fixed then maybe the coach needs to bring that to the attention of the alumni.

You guys must not read much. Beacon Story "... before 1,827 at Canal Park."

First is there a problem or are we just young. Second, why can't we compete to get better guys then the rest of the MAC. I'm not saying we should be able to compete with Georgia or Arizona, but we should have no problem gettin top tier MAC talent to play here. Is Lee Jackson a problem, history? Bad recruiting, coaching turnover? Just curious what the issue is. A 9-2 whooping in front of 1800+ people really kind of sucks.

Couldn't hoit.

I agree, of the five designs the winning entry has a look that is cohesive to current campus architecture. While costing wasn't part of the competition, I have to think that the UA Blue team's design would be the least expensive design. Can't and Ball State called for a lot of "non structural" titanium. Since the idea behind the bridge is more of a proof of concept, you don't really want it to be a $30 million dollar bridge (which from the looks of the Can't, Miami, and Ball State entries it very well could have been). Congrats to the UA Blue team, and let's see this thing get built.

Just shows that it doesn't matter what sport, MAC officials suck. I've been involved with track in one form or another (as an athlete or coach) for years. Lane violations are almost never called in the 1600m relay because there is no clear advantage to stepping on the line. They are usually only called when a clear obstruction of another competitor occurs. Additionally, a lane violation is flagged as it occurs. There is no reason there should have been 15 plus minutes of conversation on this. It's sad that happened. Knowing the sport, Akron being the fastest times for the event would have been in lane 4 or 5, so how in the H did the official see it, unless it happened in one of the last legs of the race after the run switches to a one lane race. (and it did happen in basketball)

Why, people watched the Browns in droves (3 times as many as we need to fill the stadium)? The Browns over the last decade could hardly be called "entertaining football".

I said 8-4, but I expect 12, we should all expect 12 every year. Truthfully speaking, 5-7 is is likely 4-4 in the MAC which is a lot better than what JD managed the last few seasons.

Hilarious

Only place the flushes will be going bowling is Can't Lanes.

I agree with some of what you said, but below is my disagreement. Why does everything have to be about "the children"? Either we are a big time program or we are not. Stops in play should be filled with awards to student athletes, winter and spring sport athletes being introduced on the field, recognition to large donors, recognition of alumni success, etc. I understand a funny skit with Zippy every once in a while, but college football is adult entertainment. I don't need to go to a football game to be entertained by cartoons during timeouts. Advertise football, not a "family event". We have been giving away tickets for years and it doesn't expand the ticket base. In fact, if I still bought tickets, I would be pissed as Hell that they gave away tickets. Promoting local talent has also not worked....they my as well go back to "band day". I think we agree on something.

Just so you know, ISP is in charge of getting ads on the score board, not marketing the games.

Addressing your points individually - 1.) I never said discounted tickets are a cure-all. Nor did I say they can fill Can't's football stadium. Nothing will save K.e.n.t. football. They have been in the bottom 10 of D-1 for 25 years. Saying "<Insert Idea Here> didn't work for K.e.n.t. football" is not a valid argument. It is like saying "Lipstick and perfume will not work for a pig." Sure it won't, but it will work wonders for any decent-looking girl. K.e.n.t. football is a hopeless pig. 2.) Important: Our product is NOT reasonably priced. $20 is too much money to get GA seats to watch Akron football. $80.00 for a family of four to watch Zips football is too much. One could argue "Season tickets for a family are MUCH cheaper than $20 per person." And, one would be stupid to argue that point. The fact is - most people don't buy season tickets. You want to get families to InfoCision. Then you can set the hook for season tix. And educate them on the value of the season tix. 3.) People should expect $1.00 entry for their kids...once or twice per year. Look at the history - Zips football draws flies at season's end. If the team is terrible, even the flies stay home. Giving a 45% discount on GA seats at year's end loses no money, and cheapens no product. Any butts in the seats are butts that would have stayed home otherwise. 4.) You confuse a 45% discount with free tickets. I am not saying "free tickets." 5.) The Aeros don't cheapen their product with BOGO tix...MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates don't cheapen their product with $1.00 kids tix (they've done it since I was a kid)...but the Zips would somehow take a financial bath if they let some families in for 45% off? Not true. 6.) Handing our free tickets at the last minute (EMU game) is NOT Marketing. Handing out schedules in July, highlighting your Fall 2010 "Buck-a-Roo Kids Night" and promoting it at Zips home games and at InfoCision high school games...will pack the stadium. THAT is Marketing. Summary - Do you want to Market the Zips and try to pack the stadium? Or keep your profit margin, but with a 2/3rd's empty stadium? The same can be applied to basketball at the JAR. Do you want 3k? Or do you want a couple early-season games, typically against "dog" opponents, to draw 4k...or 5k? Funny to see people so negative about a damn good idea that's easily within our budget. 1. Why are we so different then Can't right now? Be honest. I hate them, but hell we have two winning seasons in 2004 and 2005. So again tell me why something that doesn't work for them will work for us? 2. You take two games and apply the price of GA to all the games. $15 bucks is a fine ticket price for GA. A movie is $10 and it's an hour and a half of entertainment. Football is 3 hours and a major social event. 3. Why should people expect $1 per kid nights? Have we done it in the past? No. You know why the Pirates do that. Because they never win and they set themselves up as "crap on a stick, please come out". Are we desperate for attendance? Yeah, we are, but why not give everything away for free? Oh, because we are trying to be something other than "minor league". 4. I never said you were saying free tickets. However, comp tickets don't set an expectation like a $1 per kid night does. You also kill revenue generation by having more people there and selling your concessions at a loss. You do one or the other not both. That is why it's a loss leader. "Oh hey we can go to a game for a buck." or "Oh hey, it won't cost me much to feed the kids." One of the two has to stay the same. 5. The Aeros do cheapen their product. They know they are a cheap product. They are an alternative to the Indians, something to do locally for Baseball fans. They U is already taking a financial bath everytime a seat is empty. Where is $1 tickets and food "only a 45% discount" 6. You might not like it but they were thanking loyal fans for dealing with a crappy season (marketing) and trying to sell the stadium to people who yet to go to a game (marketing). They arrived in the mail in plenty of time for people to take advantage and no one did. Winning fills the stadium, promotions fill a stadium, there is no need to take a double loss like you are suggesting. And the only reason you think it's a good idea is because it's your own idea. It would disappointing if you didn't think that way. You know I have no problem with you, I'm just against such a huge loss leader.

Re-fixed. Do you really think that, if "Buck-a-Roo" nights appear next season, it's because some UA person took in a Pittsburgh Pirates' game? No kidding - Everyone does "Dollar Night." YSU does it. The Aeros do it. I'm sure the Milwaukee Bucks do it too. The overall idea is hardly original. But - How many times has it been done at UA? Zero. How many times has ANYTHING of substance or success, Marketing-wise been done at Akron in the last 5 years? How many 3rd grade baton twirlers did you seen at the JAR this season? Hundreds. How many team jersey's were on sale at the team shop? Zero. What was your favorite promotion to fill the JAR this past season? For lack of any other choice, could it have been the "White Out?" How original was that one? How original was "Fear the Roo"? How successful were those two? People grouse about UA Marketing. But who offers a solution that would get thousands of fans to a game that would otherwise stay home? I did it. And not with a simple link to YSU's promotion. Or simply saying "Dollar Night." I laid it all out. Tied into the "Roo" thing and ready to go. For free in 20 minutes of my lunch time, with my hacker Photoshop skills. The idea costs almost nothing to execute, and can be used annually, easily becoming a tradition that people will place on their calendar. If 3k @ the JAR, or 5k @ InfoCision is cool with UA, they are free to ignore the idea. Band nights and baton twirlers always get Joe Akron off the couch, right? Can't does it, and it works so well for...Oh wait, no football sellouts EVER! This is called "undervaluing your product". Which means you do this, and we do start winning, we end up not filling the stands when we stop doing it, because people expect $1 entry for their kids. It's why Japanese auto makers stayed away from 0% financing, it's why you won't find a pair of Nike's in Walmart. The product is reasonably priced, the team needs to win, and we (alumni and hardcore fans) need to get people to the games so they can get the experience. Hell they gave 6000 season ticket holders 3 free passes to the EMU game (3 free passes, not even a dollar) and what was the attendance? If the fans hold up their end of the bargain on that deal, that should have been 24000 people at that game. You tell me who failed.

Lot of talk about "Joe Akron" and the bottom line is we have 90,000 alumni within 90 minutes. How about we start focusing on getting 30% of the student population and 25% of alumni to show up? 8400 students and 22500 alumni is a full Infocision.

I love it! Pathological Histrionics? I actually had to google define that! You know what? I believe you when you say you had to google that. One of the prerequisites of being nuts is not knowing it. You've more than demonstrated that the object of your hard-on is not UA but me. And, you are welcome! First, as ZW will tell you, there are kids that read these boards. Very inappropriate. Second, you seem all to proud of that idea you suggest, obviously your time at Can't was spent on "discovering yourself".

I did not lose at all and you proved it. Glad your 5 year old son enjoyed himself at a "college event" ( read: Hilltop High all over again). That says it all. I was giving the event too much credit when I called it high school! Actually what made it "Hilltop High" was the people from your generation, and the only people who call it that, are people from your generation. So, "as it is on here, it shall be out there", the sooner you go away the better it will be for everyone.

Anthony J. Alexander, President and CEO FirstEnergy

+1

What this fails to mention. UA's budget is 326 million a year. OSU is 4 times that and Gee only makes about 2.5 times what Proenza does. The biggest problems are this... YSU President...$350000, half the student population of Akron CSU President...$400000, one third the student population of Akron Neither touch us in research dollars, and in fact UARF assists both the other schools. Proenza would have been factual if he took the lead of the Toledo president. They picked on the five largest schools but not the five largest salaries.