clarkwgriswold

Agreed, not at all. I just point to it as an example of the environment in which these decisions will be made.

Fair enough. I respect a respectful disagreement! I just think if you pull an average UA student or faculty member off of the street and ask them how the basketball team did this year or who the starting QB is, you will get a blank stare. Unfortunately, that's the environment in which these decisions will be made.

...and the reason we haven't has been that no one in authority gives a **** or they would have devoted the budget to it to do it right.

I would say that collectively the University of Akron as a whole cannot get past step one as the administration and students by and large do not give a **** about athletics. Looking at the crowds tells you the students don't care. Looking at history tells you that the administration has never made athletics a priority or acknowledged the benefits a strong athletic program can have on a campus. They can't be uncomfortable with the current state as they don't care.

I think it would also help fuel local interest in the team. I think some kids though just want to go away to college and there's not much you can do about that.

...and recruiting coordinator. The Pryor kid shows promise. He came from Glen Oak. He is only a sophomore.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20190412/ua-seeks-1-million-for-construction-deficiencies-at-infocision-stadium

I didn't mean to infer it couldn't happen. I was just referencing how it might work in the "real world", not the public institution/bond world.

Imagine that conversation in the private sector. "We have this property that we're upside down in that nobody else wants and it's 10 years old and already decaying. We'd like to refinance." Click. "Hello.....hello?"

I'd have to see how much was donor supported. We could always put the Skeeles' names on the JAR. Rhodes can't complain!

Fair enough. The MAC is a good fit. It begs the question- where do they look to make the cuts? Axe programs? Across the board cuts?

Who would want a decaying, depreciating, unmarketable white elephant? If I live in Akron there's no way in hell I'd ever support the city or school district taking that on.

I'd just like to say that in a world of budget cuts and debates and awful football that it's great to have a team we can enjoy and get behind.

Their noodling team and washboard and jug band program are doomed.

Yep. Our enemies in Brimfield set a record for that last year.

Wouldn't fewer scholarships at the FCS level make it less of a financial burden on some level?

Fresh from Cleveland.com (with some small modifications at the beginning)- "Brimfield, Ohio – PCCC President Todd Diacon announced Monday the university intends to reduce spending, including salary cuts, layoffs and a hiring freeze, to offset as much as $110 million in losses incurred because of the coronavirus crisis. In an email to faculty and staff, Diacon said the university plans to reduce its budget by 20% for fiscal year 2021, which begins on July 1, 2020." "Other cost-saving measures including a hiring freeze in effect through fiscal year 2021, pausing all university-sponsored travel, reducing spending on athletics and postponing new campus construction projects." This along with the stuff posted about other schools is actually promising. It shows, as we've hoped, that others are going through the same things and that system wide changes could be coming as a result.

Well, we're already playing the Concords, as well as the Louisvilles. I get your point and your passion Captain, but I am still showing up if there's a change. I enjoyed them just as much in the OVC, OAC, DII and D1-AA as I do now. I hope to God there's not a change but I will be there to support the teams if there is. At the end of the day, I think we're all getting ahead of ourselves. Every other MAC school is going to have to face those issues and will face the same limitations and I think there will be a solutions beyond Akron alone.

I think we all need to realize that we're not exactly a strong cross section of the University of Akron consumer here. We are strong and informed fans of the athletic program. That's what brings us here. The average UA consumer is aware of athletics at the school but little else. They could care less whether the teams competed in the Big10 or CYO and wouldn't lose a second of sleep over any cuts. For me, as long as the teams are competitive and the games are entertaining and not unduly expensive, I will show up and support the teams of my alma mater, whether they're playing Concord or Louisville. I'd also venture a guess that the average UA consumer (not us) could not distinguish between a game between two good high school teams and two MAC teams.

That's the one factor that keeps me from full panic. With so many schools struggling financially in athletics there are bound to be some corrections system-wide.

Really looking forward to seeing Brian Trimble after hearing Groce's comments. Sounds like he's a next level shooter and should help replace some of the shooting they lose to graduation. Sounds like he can handle the ball too which brings some real value, like Tyler Cheese, when LCJ is off of the floor. He and Daily are going to give the Zips some dangerous wing players. I understood KD's approach in focusing on freshmen, but the infusion of transfers (e.g. X, Riak. LCJ) and JUCOs (Cheese, Banks, Reece) has added a lot of excitement to the program. Dailey, Trimble and Currie will be a huge infusion of talent.

One thing I think many have failed to acknowledge is that this day has been coming for some time. It has only been accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis. We can debate the cause of the problems and the finances all day every day, but the reality is that these are all issues that have been on the horizon for some time but that have aggravated and exacerbated by poor leadership and planning by those in power at the university and the NCAA. At this juncture, the university has to chart a course without regard to the territorialism of the respective sports programs and stick with the plan in the face of the inevitable protests and whining. The plan also has to involve making difficult objective choices rather than just cutting the low hanging fruit.

Is that the total of Student Fees or the portion that goes to athletics?

In simple terms, that's a lot of money for bad football.

That too, he was Mr. Polytechnic!