MaxZIP

Coach I should continue to poach recruits that have previously committed to other MAC schools. They are mac-level talent and probably committed early. Let them see the stadium and facilities and we will see what they believe after that.

regardless of who is carrying the rock, coach I needs to eliminate the damned shotgun draw/too slow to develop inside running scheme. That never had a chance of working. Line up and smash it down their throats.

Torrence was hobbled on almost every carry. He seemed to come off limping and head right to the endzone facility after a touch or two.

How about an Akron themed sports bar that will show all road games and serve as the official game day meeting point for the zip's away games. I know that would require taking a look at the old discussions of having a bar on campus. However, they serve alcohol in the suites already so they could probably knock that out pretty easy. It could be a great place used over the entire year. You could stop in before any campus event and not have to hassel with parking twice. It could employ mostly university students. I would go there often to support the students.Great idea!! They should put it in the "Team Shop" since:A. We are supposedly having issues with B&NB. Doesn't seem to be much of a push to sell Akron gearAlso a great idea. The restaurant would have parking right outside of the front door. Plus the students living in the new dorms would be right around the corner.

How about an Akron themed sports bar that will show all road games and serve as the official game day meeting point for the zip's away games. I know that would require taking a look at the old discussions of having a bar on campus. However, they serve alcohol in the suites already so they could probably knock that out pretty easy. It could be a great place used over the entire year. You could stop in before any campus event and not have to hassel with parking twice. It could employ mostly university students. I would go there often to support the students.

so the mac champ would be a lower seed than Miami? I would eather face Miami than akron in the first round. Nice try though.

Obviously, there was nothing of substance. I'm very disappointed in my University.Let sleeping dogs lie.

I think that you have hit on a very telling indicator as to the general perception of merchandise by the staff. It is not essential that they sell merch because the majority of their funding comes from university funding. They have not historically generated much merchandise, TV/radio, or ticket sales revenue in house. The Athletic Department Staff needs to step up and expand some underutilized revenue streams.

How much do MAC refs make per game?

On the sale rack in Chapel Hill NC

Walmart in Stow has a bunch of stuff.

Is their an on campus marketing effort to speak of?

I wonder how successful the "pick three" promo was with football? I thought that was a good idea. I would like to see something done like that with basketball. Maybe you give a basketball "coupon" away with the football season tickets. One free GA to any game before the Ken+ game. This way you don't have extra mailing cost, you reach every Zips football fan, you make them attend a game early enough you might get repeat fans later in the season. I would also cross reference the alumni that are signed up on the alumni site that live within 30 miles and offer the same type of "coupon"But the best way to increase attendance is a long term plan by getting more students to the game. Those students become lifetime fans like a lot of us on this site. You don't know how many alumni I come across that didn't go to one bb game or football game while attending, and don't now.Okay...I'm using the emoticon on myself now after reading my post back. It is sad.

Remember that people are paid good money to come up with marketing and promotion plans. You would think that they would do more cross promotion seeing as zips fans are a pretty niche market. Hell they should just mail some lesser game GA basketball tickets to football season ticket holders. Doing so would add some perceived value and sense of membership to being at least a single sport season ticket holder. With a little creativity they could do much more while spending very little. They need to win games on the field and take care of business off.

All I've wanted for years is an Akron soccer jersey... still out of luck. I would be shocked if the jersey/apparel vendors have not approached administratos in the past about making replicas more availible. They are probably either turning them down or not taking action. Either way I hope TW can make gains in this area.

Are the team shops in the Info/Jar operated by the Athletic Department and the merchandising in the student union by the bookstore company? The Bookstore actually has some good stuff. The Athletic Department should be ashamed of BOTH their online store and the sorry excuse for team shops on campus. They could generate six figures annually with a little effort.

Should the merchandise selcetions continue to be centered on "FEAR THE ROO" or is it time to move on?

We complain about the MAC not being able to take advantage of the golden opportunity that is college football. How about the Athletic Department's inability to make positive gains anywhere but building the stadium? Truthfully, the stadium project was finally built as a student recruitment and campus improvement project more than for actual gains in the football program. I know that I will get flamed for that one but it is true. Has the Athletic Department staff made gains in any other areas? I am excited to see what TW can get going here before he moves on. Hell, we don't want him if he is not good enough to move on in a few years. I have been saying all along that the entire organization needs an attitude adjustment from the ushers through department heads. Everybody needs to be evaluated for the purpose of steering the organizational culture in a positive direction. Out with the old ideas and in with the new. I have seen nothing yet. We are a MAC organization. Until that changes we will cycle through MAC level successes and failures. I would rather be in the C-USA failure/success cycle. It is about expanding horizons and demanding better from the staff. No more masquerading as a college football team. Get it done TW.

You would think that a university such as Akron would be able to leverage the perfessional expertise of faculty and provide hands-oh learning experiences for students.

Ask the ADHe reads this site as much as than anyone. Why duplicate the effort?You're probably right. I just like getting a response.

Ask the AD! It seems like most aspects of the athletic department operations are trucking along without a driver. There is very little thought put towards merchandising. How often were we told that the team shops were going to expand and improve. It never happens. They are just throwing money and exposure out the window. It wouldn’t be so bad if they were not paying people good money to take advantage of opportunities and generate revenue. The amount of salary $ spent to manage aspects of the program might be better spent on action-oriented people. Have you ever noticed the amount of guys walking around the b-ball games in suits talking to each other. Each one of them is paid good money to do something. Yet the same problems exist year after year. Example: it takes 20 min per transaction to buy a ticket at the JAR. You miss half the game while waiting in only a 3 person line. They have jobs posted for a Director and Assistant Director of Ticket Sales. Should we expect marked improvement in that area if the U pays 100,000+ combined for those posts? That was a bit of a tangent I know but is indicative of their professional management of amateur athletics. I hope TW is able to close the loop on some dollars that are there for the taking.

We will just have to see when students return and we get rolling in the MAC.

I have sent a few long emails to TW via the “Ask the AD” button on gozips.com. Overall I think he is doing a good job connecting with fans. He (or a rep) answers back promptly and respectfully. I will post a couple of my e-mails when I get home today. Have other members had similar results to their questions and do you think he will heed our suggestions?

They don't need to be power conference teams just quality opponents.

Good read though obvious to Akron fans. KD and crew need to schedule better next eyar. Does he get a bonus based on number of wins or something?http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...nce_basket.html