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For many NE Ohio Browns fans, if it wasn't for Charlie Frye, this will be the first time they become aware that Akron even has a football program. I love the idea. Make more NE Ohio football fans aware of the school and the facilities. It can't hurt.

Good point. Way to identify a possible trend. I'll look for a newcomer to play significant minutes early as a sign that someone could possibly unseat a veteran in the starting lineup next year.

Exactly. Again, we have to face the reality that people flooded to FirstEnergy stadium during the Caleb era because they were Zips fans who wanted to rally behind a great team that was tops in the country and on a national title run.....not because there was some growing emergence of soccer fans in NE Ohio. So, I would absolutely expect more interest for Caleb and his former Zips players, rather than some Akron allegiance of Columbus Crew Soccer fans.

Maybe not my own starting lineup, but I think after all of this time, I know how Keith will go with his experience to start the season. These are the only 8 options. Tree Big Dog or Pat Kretzer or McAdams Deji Betancourt or Evans If I saw Cheatham, Gladden, Jackson, or any freshman or newcomer in the starting lineup on day one, it would speak volumes in terms of how much they had impressed KD during the pre-season.

I hope this isn't something you just noticed It's pathetic, indeed.

He's shown glimpses of what he can possibly contribute. I love his athleticism. I hope he's continuing to work even harder right now, and can get even better. We almost all gave up on him. It's reminding me a bit of the Conyers situation a few years ago.

Like I've said many times, when he was good, we were very good. Unfortunately, it didn't happen often enough. If I had to look ahead, I think my biggest concern with losing him right now is that we lost Diggs in the same year. Those two guys shared the ability to take the ball on the perimeter and finish at the rim. Whether he was consistent enough or not, the possibility of that threat being severely lacking from our offense next year could make us a much easier team to defend.

I'm not sure if you caught my earlier post, but reports are that there are no plans to fill his position here, and that his "responsibilities" will be split between other people. Big surprise, right?

I've been saying this for awhile. But, as weak as it may seem, I do think the arena is the more compelling selling point. I don't think they will sell it as "public service", but more like "public safety". So, be prepared for the scare tactics in the campaign. But again, this is NOT a property tax issue. This affects people all the way to the bottom of the totem pole. That's the obstacle.

When he was playing good, WE were VERY good. Unfortunately, it didn't happen nearly often enough. And on those off nights, it was frustratingly painful to watch. And it was even more frustrating to continue to hope that it would someday become more consistent.

I had been hearing for quite some time that he may not return, but had kept my mouth shut, hoping it would pass.

Does this surprise you? The burden is completely on the supporters to sell this. They will show up at a public forum every chance they get. The opponents will speak loud enough when they say "F new taxes", and go to the voting booth and pull the NO lever. Many of them will do it without even knowing a thing about the issue. Like I said, lets hope for a major snowstorm on Nov. 4th.

Does that tell us anything? I think it does. Not that it matters. As I said, the die-hard Zips fans are too few to sway this thing. I have to ask, are your friends possibly retail business owners who don't want the higher sales tax burden on their customers? Are they just lower income people? Are they people that are usually just against any kind of tax increases? Or, are some people just more in favor of an on-campus facility wholly owned by the U ?? I'd love to know. Personally, I don't know anyone who is a Zips fan who is voting NO.

Umm... I think we can assume that everyone on ZipsNation will be voting in favor of the arena. Of course, we can only dream of what we could accomplish if the diehard supporters numbered in the hundreds of thousands, instead of in the hundreds.

This issue of proximity to a major city, and two major performance venues, surfaced a long, long time ago. And it's a good one. Yes, highly unlikely that Akron could attract any acts of any significance because they would surely book Cleveland or Blossom. If they were a couple of hours away from Cleveland, it would be a huge difference, as you indicate. So, what are the chances that you could make events outside of Zips basketball work if they would have to be 2nd-line acts or lower? It was a big part of the local debate on whether Akron could make its own arena work many years ago, and it hasn't really been discussed much in these recent conversations here. Personally, I love the idea of possibly not having to go to Cleveland. I hated when they closed the Coliseum in Richfield. But, this complex won't come close to attracting Cleveland/Blossom level attractions.

Good Balsy. This might offer a little encouragement for us. But, let me just point out a few things.... 1) These are property tax levies. Only property owners have a stake in this. You already know how differently a sales tax increase affects all of the other people in the county. 2) The real relevant comparison would be the county issues, for sure. And there are indeed some historically popular county issues, such as Metro Parks. I have had the pleasure over the years of supporting and participating in some of these popular county-wide campaigns. So, I know that you have to consider the stark difference between something like the parks system that has universal appeal and is seen as a cost-free and easily accessible benefit to everyone, and a Zips basketball arena and concert venue.

Exactly. Try to get people to change their mind about voting AGAINST a fire levy by telling them that fires will get put out faster if they approve the levy. They'd only care if they ever had a fire at their own house. You can't sway most people to voluntarily pay more taxes if they don't see a direct, personal benefit. As weak as it appears, Zips Basketball and Entertainment Complex is still the part that's likely to garner the most widespread support.

Lets at least acknowledge one thing here.... There is ALWAYS a ready-made major opponent when there is a push to get people to voluntarily agree to pay more taxes. In this case, it's the 540k residents in this county who naturally don't want to pay any more taxes, and need to be swayed in the other direction.

So, you think that more money for the jail and "county operations" are the extra incentive for these low income people to vote YES ?

I said "City of Akron" when referencing the 30k household income. And that represents almost half the people in the county, and the closest in proximity to the new arena. So, GP1 had it right when he said "half the county" lives at a 30k average household income.

I believe that it was paid for exclusively by the City of Akron. If someone has more info., please provide. Today, at least, the city makes money from the stadium by leasing it to the minor league team. I'm sure that was the case with the Aeros too.

I thoroughly enjoy when the always-in-denial OSWho supporters get testy and defensive, even after the expected outcome becomes reality. Love it Looks like you chose to selectively miss some posts on the thread related to the sales tax issue too.

Did anyone read the Beacon article today about the little going-away party for Tressel? I wish I could have attended. I would have been celebrating too. Very interesting that the article indicates that it's still being decided whether someone will be put in his position. And that several administrators will take on his "responsibilities" for the time being. Wow...what a surprise!! Is this big charade starting to make sense to a few of you now ?

You're missing the most important element of all of this. The lower your income, the more you are affected by a sales tax increase. It's unlike the other two taxes in that respect. If you have low income and don't own property, you don't care much about a property tax hike. And if you are lower in income, you don't pay income tax either. But everyone pays sales tax, in the same amount, regardless of your income. So now, your closest geographic beneficiaries of this new "entertainment complex" are the 230,000 residents of the City of Akron. And the last time I checked, the median household income in Akron was about 30k.....that's household....not individual. And that's nearly half the population of the entire county. Lets all do the math. How many of these people are probably gung-ho about a new Zips basketball complex? Or, how many are concert-goers with plenty of disposable income for high-ticket family entertainment, who are clamoring for another venue that they have to pay for on top of the event ticket prices? It just isn't adding up for me. And I know there's people who already know this. Plan B (or, the real Plan A) is already in the works.

I do get the logic here. It would be accessible to anyone, yet only people within these borders would be paying for it.