Spin

Yeah because we sold out every game at the Info, right??? Just build a nice structure, and the place will be packed, just because it's a nice building. Meanwhile we left money on the table and fans and students unable to attend several games just a little to the west...

Interesting. Student fees made up 70% of the athletic revenue.I feel more comfortable saying I am a "supporter" of the athletic programs now, as a student.

Don't know if anybody posted this already, but the hockey club Has a new home.Keep up the good play.And if you cancel the rest of the season this year, let us know before we pack up the kids and head to the game, and there's nobody but 7 year old girls skating and falling...

The same week Cleveland State traveled to 12th ranked Kansas State.Youngstown State played in Pittsburgh.They're just over half the size of Akron U. We could travel all over the state and compare schedules, but some will just come up with more excuses why we can't.

+1This is what I've heard people outside the program saying for years.If you have a prayer of sniffing a selection bid, in the NCAA or the NIT, 26 wins against Arkansas Pine Bluff and UNC Greensboro is NOT what they're looking for. Been there, done that.So you might as well play tough, and get ready for the conference tourney. Scheduling tough non-con opponents only makes you BETTER. It gets you ready for the conference season and the conference tournament. Playing Binghamton is not going to get Zeke any "big game" exposure. If you play a major, even if you have to travel there (and play Malone at home for a nice payday), IT MAKES YOU BETTER. You go into a big time arena and play a big time team on their court, you learn. You're exposed to the crowd attaching all of your senses. It helps you at tournament time.Wyoming??? not so much...

Although I agree in principle with the idea you presented here, Michigan has a national championship (and two other championship game appearances) and UCLA has perhaps the strongest pedigree of anyone wth 11 National championships. Now if you were to substitute say Virginia Tech and Florida State then I might agree with you.Maybe I should rephrase that "famous recognizable football schools that have basketball programs we could compete with." If not now, in the future.BTW, VT and FSU are two good examples either way.

Anybody knows college baseball has always been only big in the south, and why they are. That's why I used it as a comparison.Nobody wants to hit a fastball in Akron in March, nobody wants to hit a linebacker in Akron (or Ohio State) (or Notre Dame) in November. IF they have an opportunity to play down south.And you agree other schools are getting more exposure. It use to be we had three networks. One was tied to Notre Dame, one was tied to the Big Ten. Now, I have three networks that show nothing but college sports. With the dozen+ sports networks, the other major conferences are playing on national TV too now. Heck I'd wager Baldwin Wallace and Mount U gets more TV time than Akron does. But that's a whole nuther topic for another rant...I don't understand if you think you disagree with me or vice versa, or whatever.

I agree with everything GP1 says. I'll add a couple things to that.Not only are the girls wearing shorts in January in SEC-land, but would you rather play your games in Ohio in late November? Would you rather drive through a snowstorm and walk through chill-factor winds to get to class? Then scrape your windshield and brush off your car to leave?Then, there's another thing that as changed in college football the past decade or two. EXPOSURE. You don't HAVE to go to Notre Dame or the Big Ten to be on network TV. That was one of Notre Dame's biggest selling points, you can be on ABC every week. Your friends and family can watch you in their living rooms.Now, there are dozens of games on nationwide coverage. And how many people really tune in to watch a top Big Ten team run up 70+ on conference fodder? Not so much this year when there wasn't a top Big Ten team... That's not entertainment.Someone else brought up the MAC spread. How many spread quarterbacks have made the transition to the NFL, and can throw a 3 yard out? Can do a 5 step drop? You're not going to recruit top quarterbacks to play that gimmick. And you're not going to recruit top receivers to play 5 wide. That aint going to teach them anything about the NFL. Or let them showcase their NFL potential. It's as bad (or worse) then tOSU playing Woodie Hayes' three yard and a cloud of dust. High school skill players want to go where they play a pro-like game.College football is going the way of college baseball. South. For many of the same reasons...

I'd like to see them play a tougher schedule, even if just on the road. But not because the RPI means a single thing to me, or to the MAC automatic bid.As the program becomes stronger, we need stronger non-con opponents to prepare for the tournament.There's no reason we aren't playing CSU every single year. In fact I came up with an annual game, possibly played at the Q, with the proceeds going to either Akron Children's Hospital or Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, depending on who won the game. Sent it off to TW a couple months ago, he liked it, got my fingers crossed now. It's stuff like that that would bring a LOT of attention to the program.Another idea, bring in teams from famous recognizable football schools, with not-so-famous basketball programs. Michigan, UCLA, Georgia, LSU. Boise State. Who would get you more attention, the Penn State Nittany Lions, or the St. Francis Terriers?We're miles and miles away from even dreaming of a selection bid into the dance. We shouldn't be looking at RPI just yet. Might as well sell some tickets, play against some better teams, and prepare to "go rounds" when we get the MAC auto bid.Just some musings from a fan who has only been watching college basketball a couple years. If I'm out in right field, I'm fine with that. I learn a lot from a lot of you guys here. Don't take what I say as an attack.

Money makes the world go round and sponsorships, no matter how obnoxious at times, no matter what effect they have on the sport, are a necessity.Signed,Auto Racing Fan

Well that wasn't the start we were looking for...

Works for me

Not my problem. The C-town forum mongers are already in high gear anticipating this game. Doubt they'll pay to go, but it's mildly interesting. I watch all sports. In February and March, I'll watch college basketball more. After that, college baseball starts. The NBA gets interesting. The new Cleveland USL team will be getting started. Then the tracks will reopen, the Aeros and Indians will be back. Might even watch the NFL draft, if Mangenius will not be calling the shots.I watch a lot of sports.

I want to see him do well because of all the crap I took over the years on the Cleveland forums defending him. He was the most sacked QB in the NFL, nobody can throw downfield with 2 seconds of protection (unless they have receivers who can run a 2.0 40), on and on...Another reason I hope he shreds the Brown's secondary, it'll end the charade that Mangini should stay, and get us a much needed higher draft pick.

I'm a my third year at Akron U full time, just finishing the first semester of the College of Nursing. My son is in his first year in the Information Techologies program. We do support the programs through tuition and attendance. And buying merchandise, etc. Not what we will as donors one day, but we play a small part.My wife received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Akron. She's the alumna I spoke of.

Considering our record against powerhouses Austin Peay and NC State, maybe not just yet. Which goes back to my point, should a new arena be top priority in the athletics department? And no, that's not animosity. That's just realization of where this program is right now. Not where it will be. I see much improvement already this season. I hope we DO sell out against Valpo and the entire MAC schedule, and we need a 20,000 seat arena. At this date and time, we have more pressing needs. That's not what I'm hearing from those outside the program... But there IS no animosity toward the other sports. I just said that I follow football, basketball, and baseball with all I have. I'm at the games. I never said anything against the other sports. All I said was, they have facilities that suit them right now. If you take offense to that, I have nothing else to tell you. You're going to give me crap over that? As if you don't know there are different levels of support?Holy crap some of you guys are paranoid.

How many other soccer programs are sitting in the middle of a strong soccer fan-base?How many other soccer programs were ranked #1 all year and gave up seven goals in 25 games?I've never said 4,000 seats would be enough. We sellout 4000 now. I've been at the Coliseum with 19,000 SRO crowds, and at the packed Canton Civic Center, for a gimmick knock-off of soccer. I was there when the Cleveland Caps broke the USL attendance records. I've felt the passion people in this area have. No I don't have numbers for you. Because when you sell out a Saturday evening soccer game on TUESDAY MORNING, how can you predict how many fans would have been there?You want numbers, how many games has the basketball team sold out this season? Last season? How much revenue has the basketball team generated the past two seasons? How much did the football team generate this year.Don't get me wrong, I want to see the basketball program continue to grow as badly as anyone else here. Sweet 16. Final four. Take it ALL. I'm at the JAR and I'm at the Info, supporting those teams with everything I have. And the baseball team too. And I see the empty seats.You can't sit there and tell me we sell those places out more than once, maybe twice a year.As a supporter of this University (through thousands and thousands of dollars for tuition and books for me and my son (not to mention my alumna wife), I just think we're doing a huge disservice to students and fans when the game is five days away and they can't buy tickets. Yes, the students buy their tickets to the tournament games, until they're sold out.

We're not talking about the rest of the nation. We're talking about Summit County, Northeast Ohio. The site of the ONLY profitable indoor soccer franchise. The area has TRIED to support this team, and got turned away.Soccer fans, who are collectively in a demographic with more disposable income, are asked to sit on the frozen ground to watch. While there is much excess capacity at basketball games played against Malone, Rhode Island, and St. Francis. What the U considers a "Team Shop" for soccer games, like the concession stand is more like a sideshow. These people WANT to attach to the team, WANT to feel good about it, but it's worse than going to a youth game. That's a public relations nightmare, and a huge loss of revenue. Maybe the national (AND LOCAL) perception of the basketball team would improve IF they played a Division I schedule. Then maybe the JAR would be inadequate, and need replaced.Now, wouldn't the basketball team benefit from the soccer team becoming a revenue generating program? I haven't heard any soccer haters answer that one yet. Look at the whole picture.

NOT ENOUGH. Not when you turn away fans, make fans (and students) pay money to sit on the frozen ground or stand for 2 1/2 hours.With a halfway decent facility, soccer could be another revenue generating sport, benefitting ALL programs. When's the last time the basketball team brought in nationally ranked teams in the non-con, and sold the place out?The soccer program hosts HOSTS conference tournaments and early rounds of the NCAA tournament and that sorry excuse for a high school soccer stadium is inadequate.We need to sell tickets right up to game time, and give those people a place to sit. We need to have lighting that will allow games to be on TV. You have a chance of building something BIG in northeast Ohio, and this crap of slapping more lipstick on the pig, while catering to the traditional revenue sports is going to bite the U in the ass.

And for each yellow card, he would have both parties over for a beer in the back yard so they could get past their differences.Sorry, couldn't resist.

What about the investment value of a new soccer stadium?They invest in a stadium, and in a decent contract for Caleb, we've shown we'll be there, in the worst weather, sitting on the GROUND, packed in like sardines to support this team.An inexpensive stadium would pay for itself. You go out now and get a sponsor while interest is super high, and it could become a revenue sport. Especially when you charge students to attend tournament games.How much money did they leave on the table this season by selling out?Oh well, going off topic. But you gotta look at potential revenue streams that would benefit ALL programs. You can't just sit back (not that I'm saying you are) and say "I hate soccer. They don't need anything". A bigger stadium, and not figuring in the first game at the Info, and the soccer team might outdrew the football team this year...

Well, they say you gotta lose one before you win one.

One reason he signed with Ak because JDB was a WR coach in the NFL.RI was a WR coach at Notre Dumb, so I got my fingers crossed!!!

Not a perfect solution, but what about the NHL system of taking one player off the field (in this case I would make it a starting defender) before each OT period? Even let the other coach decide who to sit. Open the game up a bit, settle it on the field.

I hope he understands, the pro's are a whole new game.Not the game itself, but the attitudes.