sgm405

I like the idea of it - as long as students get first dibs. I love kids, but you have to give first dibs to the students paying tuition dollars. But for the games where crowds are smaller, sure.As RowdyZip said though, we've got to figure out the problems with out own students not being able to sit down low before we let the kids there.

You pretty much nailed it...the biggest frustration is this - if it just seems like logical stuff to everyone here...why do they not seem to get it?

Both sides would've easily been filled up if any student, regardless of what they were wearing was allowed down low...I'm just saying

1. What was up with Quade not playing much? I would've especially had him in at the end, with his great leaping and offensive rebounding ability he would've added the possibility for a put-back had Dru missed. With how he's been playing and what he brings to the table, Quade needs more than 10 MPG. 2. Romeo with a solid game...nothing outstanding, but definitely better. 3. Wood solid also - 9/9 in 23 minutes. I wish Romeo had his aggressiveness down-low. 4. Linhart for 35 minutes, Conyers for 4 minutes? Doesn't make sense to me. Linhart rebounds well and plays solid defense, but I'd like to see closer to a split in those minutes. 5. John Rybak checking in to any game makes me cringe. 6. Is it just me, or has Dials been a disappointment this year? Without looking at his overall numbers, it just seems like he's missing a lot of 3 point looks that I expect him to make. 7. Dru comes through again. I remember seeing him added to the roster his freshman year and wondering if it was more of a favor from Dambrot as anything else. I've never been more wrong in my life on an athlete. He is truly the leader of the team, the best player overall, and the "go-to guy" in clutch situations.

They were walking around practically begging people to sit down there. Most of the students refused, angered at not being able to sit down there. How long before these same students stop coming all together?I used to think it was the Rowdies leadership that was the problem, but not anymore...now I actually feel bad for them. I have a feeling the AD doesn't give them much say in a lot of things, which is BS considering it is a STUDENT organization.

To me it looked like the band stood there...maybe I'm wrong. So let's assume that I am and that they are fine there. Even so, how can the handling of the other side be ignored? Can anyone defend 15-25 STUDENTS not being allowed to sit in the STUDENT section when it's 7/8 empty? Ever?

Want a behind the scenes look at our wonderful athletic department here at the University of Akron? Check out this link:http://youtube.com/watch?v=6BwgpvAk79E&mode=related&search=I say that jokingly of course, but at times I really wonder what is going through the heads of these people in charge...So tonight me and seven of my friends went to the Miami game. As we entered, we saw that there weren't enough seats together on the one side of the court. Half were taken up by the band, who - for some reason - don't sit up top where they should be (and where they are assigned...yes, there's a place set aside for the band). So, seeing that only 11 seats were taken up in the other side of the STUDENT section, we asked to sit there. We were told no...well, unless of course we wanted to shell out $20 for the seat. So we sat up top, with anywhere from 15-20 other students in our area alone (who knows how many others were there). So again, the Zips came out flat because of the lack of energy in the building...and again, the opposition had it easy in the first half. Fast forward to halftime. A few Rowdies leaders were sent around to - for the lack of a better word - beg people to sit down low in that other section. About 10 students moved down, while many others (including me and my friends) declined...why are we not good enough to sit there at tip-off but we are at halftime? So the 10 students moved down, thereby issuing a nice slap of the face to those who did pay the #20 for the seats. "Hey, you paid $20 for these seats...but now that the first half is over all of these people are going to sit here for free"...brilliant. So we went from people waiting in line way before the time the doors opened last year for OU and Can't - to having 3/4 of the STUDENT section reserved for AK-Rowdies. We went from tons and tons of students meeting at the JAR to go to Can't to create chaos that absolutely stunned Can't fans - to 30-some students sitting down low struggling to make any kind of difference for our team. We have discussions all the time on this forum about how we all want our athletics to be held in the same regard as Ohio State, Penn State etc...or to be the next Boise State, George Mason or Gonzaga. And we all talk about recruiting, scheduling, conference play, coaching, etc. And with the signs of improvement we've had in many of those areas, we may be on our way to getting to that "next level"...but none of those schools are able to do what they do without there students. Do you think OSU, PSU, or heck, Can't State or OU...do you think ANY of those schools would ever take away 3/4 of their STUDENT section? Or that they would ever deny STUDENTS from sitting in the STUDENT section when there are 60-70 empty seats? I'm fed up, and I know many that feel the same way. E-Mails to Mack Rhodes are worthless - I wrote him a very polite, professional one about this very topic and received no response...not even the at-least courteous "Thanks, we'll take your thoughts into consideration"...nothing. That tells me how important I am to him. I don't know what the answer is, but we need to find one. Because we'll never reach anywhere we all dream of getting to if we don't have some competence from the people running everything. The University of Akron - where students (apparently) don't really matter at all.

Damnit, I thought I had an original idea!

I can't make the meeting Tuesday because of graduate night class, but I wanted to pass along this idea to be discussed and hopefully, seriously considered. Me and RowdyZip were just discussing our plans for the Akron-Can't State game - how early to get there, what to bring to survive the cold, etc etc etc - and I thought...you know, we shouldn't have to do that. Both of us (along with many others) have been supporting the Zips all year, from the huge Nevada game to the warm-up games against the "cupcakes". We've cheered and screamed, along with many others, to give the Zips a "6th man", trying to overcome the empty seats next to us, as well as across the way. In a year where student support hasn't been great, and mistakes have been made by both the Rowdies leadership and Athletic Department, the Can't game is a perfect opportunity to do something to show the most loyal of the Rowdies that they are appreciated. And it's quite simple...Don't make us wait. Check to see which ID numbers have swiped the most (I think you can don't that) to see which members have been to the most games...or send an email or pass around a sign-up tonight. Take 100 members and let them pick up their ticket ahead of time, and at 6 PM, let them in first. Show them that they are valued and appreciated. Why should someone who hasn't been to a game yet this year sit down low over someone who has been to all of them? That happened last year as people cut in line, saved spots, and snuck their way past loyal Rowdies. I don't see any downside to the idea. You thank your loyal members, you guarantee 100 seats filled (give out 50 to each side even), and you let newer fans "pay their dues" by waiting to get the remaining seats. I think it would be a wonderful first step in re-establishing the AK-Rowdies as a solid program with great leadership.Thoughts???

That really worked!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah but that's not really fair to say because we all know now that texas didn't deserve it's ranking...i dunnoi said before the game that i wanted osu to lose by at least 4 td's...lo and behold! i was close. this stuff of ohio winning 8/10 or whatever is garbage because florida came out ready to fight and where was troy? wasn't it something like 4 for 18? plus an int and a fumble that both lead to scores. if it was a closer game and not a complete blowout, then maybe i could agree a little. i feel that i don't look like a whiner because i have absolutely nothing to do with osu except direct competition with them. they are the closest school to us and we compete against them every year.on a side note: flying back to akron last night, my flight into cleveland was packed with osu fans. i saw so much red i wanted to puke. anyways there was a lot of "gator fans are white trash hillbillies" jokes going around and THAT made them sound like nothing more than poor losers. i also took great pride (and raised my voice a bit so people could hear) in telling the nice guy next to me about how we stomped osu when he asked about my rifle jacket and akron's program. Texas' problems were more because of injuries than anything else if you ask me. Not as good as last year, but still...a damn good team. Troy Ginn proved to be more valuable than we thought. I honestly think the game is a lot closer with him healthy...although I still do think Florida wins. They simply looked like the better team.

They have to do more than beat OSU. People will just think they got lucky or caught OSU on a bad day. To ever try to swing Ohio, they not only have to beat OSU, they have to beat other major programs, win consistently within the conference, get ranked, win bowl games...and hope somehow that OSU stops being an annual power in college football.

BIG TEN vs. SEC - BOWL GAMES 2006Penn State 20, Tennessee 10, FWisconsin 17, Arkansas 14, FFlorida 41, Ohio State 17, FThe Big Ten was 2-1 in head-to-head bowl competition. Maybe both conferences were just really, really good...???

SGM, I agree with you. All this OSU bashing does nothing more than make the person doing it look like a whiner. I am an Akron Alum, so I will cheer for the Zips to beat the Buckeyes next season. But, otherwise, I live in Ohio and will cheer for Ohio teams.BTW...if people feel that Akron is slighted in the media, look at the way Northeast Ohio media barely acknowledges Mount Union (9 D-III Championships since 1993). Oh yeah, the day of the Stagg Bowl is when you hear about Mt Union, but that's about it. Why aren't more of their games televised? Why don't they sell out their stadium for every game? In the great Northeast Ohio "hotbed of football", a perennial powerhouse is generally ignored. Glad to see someone gets what I'm trying to say. The worst part is that Akron would get plenty of media coverage if they won consistently. Everyone seems to overlook that fact.

And how many Zips fans were there to welcome the team home last year after the Motor City Bowl? I sure as hell didn't see any. Does that mean all Zips fans were frontrunners last year? Of course not, and it doesn't mean that for OSU fans either. Nice try though lol. People have work, students have classes...I'm surprised two showed up to be honest.

The same USC that lost to unranked Oregon State and UCLA? Naw...I'll take the team that's only loss (albeit a bad one) came against the eventual National Champion. And the idea that the Big Ten is overrated is just silly. With #2 Ohio State, #7 Wisconsin, #8 Michigan, and #24 Penn State? Three teams in the top ten and the conference is overrated?

2, 3, 4, and 10 work. The rest are crap IMO.

I'd feel a lot better about the game if Carlton Jackson had a bit more experience...Ohio stadium isn't the best place to get your feet wet.

Actually, I do scoff at them, because I can. Aren't we looking for Zips fans, not OSU, Can't, or YSU fans. I have no problem with people making fun of other schools. Actually, I would get a bit more defensive if people are ripping a fellow MAC school, but out of conference who cares.I know the Zips need their fan base to expand and getting the Zero State fans to bandwagon with Zips is one way to go. I would rather have the alumni, community and current student body be Zips fans. SGM, I know you have argued this out with other Zips fans and you used multiple analogies to justify your stance. Here is how I view it. Zero State is the Super Wal-Mart that is sucking all of the retail dollars away from our locally owned store(The University of Akron). We compete with Zero State on many levels and their success does negatively impact us. I am not going to get into a big war of words with a fellow Zips fan on a Zips message board so this will be my last post on this topic, but realize many MAC fans understand that schools like Zero State and scUM are a big hinderance for the MAC to take the next steps as a conference.Congrats to Florida. I am glad Urban Myer was able to get his national title so quickly. Scoff at them all you want...you just look silly in the process. Zips Fan, I understand your argument, my counterpoint is this...First, the recruiting prospects OSU goes after and the ones Akron goes after aren't much of the same. OSU gets the cream of the crop guys, most who probably never even consider Akron. It sucks, but it's realistic. So while technically they are going after the same guys, they really aren't. I guarantee you Brookhart goes harder after three star guys that he can get than five stars guys who might list Akron as a #4 or #5 choice. Second, you don't think Florida competes with Akron in the same way? If there's a big time prospect around this area, you don't think Urban Meyer - especially with his ties to Ohio - is going to go after him? And yet all the hate is shifted towards Ohio State, while the haters cheer for Florida. What sense does that make? Ohio State is a premier school with a football program that will be ranked every year, go to a bowl game every year, and be a National Title contender in a lot of those years as well. THAT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE. Akron is a mid-major school pushing forward in building a top football program. They made strides last year in winning the MAC and making it to the bowl game, but still have never won a bowl game and have never been ranked. They took a step back this season, losing chance after chance to make something of their season. Right now, they are solid football program that lacks consistency to win big games and contend year after year for the league title and Bowl games. THIS CAN CHANGE.The point? Cheering against OSU won't change a thing. They'll still have the most fans in Ohio, they'll still be damn good every year, and they'll still be a premier football program in the nation. Focus on what can change - Akron. Cheer for them...follow them...try to get that "average fan" who cheers for OSU because that's who they were raised on to check out an Akron game. You'll always have your die-hard fans of any school, but there are a lot of "average" fans that could be swayed by a great fan base (with fans who don't antagonize a another fan base that isn't even a rival school) and a winning team. Focus on that...and stop worrying about what the Buckeyes are doing.

What he said

As for strength of schedule, OSU was ranked #37 and beat two #2 teams at the time that they played them. Not bad if you ask me. Boise State, by comparison, was #83. Pretty big difference there. Yikes, so the Bucks strength of schedule was a daunting 37 in 2006. Looks like next years schedule is shaping-up into a top 5 ranking with the Zips, flushes and penguins on the slate. You're totally missing the point. I stated that Boise State played nobody but Oklahoma. You responded by basically saying OSU didn't either. I pointed out that OSU played a far tougher schedule than Boise. Did they have the toughest schedule in the country? Of course not. But going undefeated up until the title game with wins against Texas, Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan is nothing to scoff at either. By the way, even OSU fans got tired of all the hype surrounding the game. My question to you is this: why blame the fans of OSU for what the media does...something they can't control?Balki said something all you OSU haters need to read, and then re-read a few times:"I don't think anyone will ever understand that no amount of badgering will ever make someone like or hate another team."Talking smack and attacking people who cheer for OSU is going to do nothing but drive them away from the Akron bandwagon.

What ever happened to Sportstime Ohio covering some MAC sports during the Indians offseason? I was pumped when I heard about the possibility of that happening.

It's a business. They play to the team with the largest fan base, which is - by far - Ohio State. Simple as that. And you or anyone else cheering for whoever OSU plays will do nothing to change that. I understand the business in broadcasting the game that everyone wants to see and promote the game they are showing. However, promoting a team that is not on TV and not even playing that night and probably will never be on their channel is pure idiotic. What do you expect from the newscasters? Half of them are idiots anyways. I honestly think it was the newscaster's attempt to be sympathetic to the OSU fans watching, that's all. They just did a poor job of doing so...

Very mature... I will be rooting for Akron, just like I do every time the two teams play. I cheer for OSU when the two aren't playing. And seeing as how they aren't in the same conference, that's really no big deal. As for strength of schedule, OSU was ranked #37 and beat two #2 teams at the time that they played them. Not bad if you ask me. Boise State, by comparison, was #83. Pretty big difference there.

Yeah...not too sure about this. It would've been nice for the early season games to draw interest...dunno about now.