GP1

My back agrees.

Since I've actually taken the time to do some research on the USFL, I have learned something. There was a major television network willing to throw a large sum of money at it in the 1980s, which tells me spring football is a viable product. It seems to be a lesson many conveniently ignore. The USFL was not a failure and to classify it as such is intellectually lazy. The NFL lost a great deal of money in their early years. The Dixon Plan was written by the guy who brought the New Orleans Saints to NO and that plan even estimated years of financial losses for the USFL before making a profit. All sports leagues lost money early on. The USFL lost money, but the league was well funded and settling into upcoming markets that would have made it more financially stable. The league basically folded due to deviating from the Dixon Plan and owner disgust with other owners rather than for financial reasons. Not a single team ever filed for bankruptcy. It was only in business for 5 years and was becoming more financially stable. Given a few more years and more tv money, it could have easily survived. Lastly, let's not pretend our football programs are a money maker for our schools at the MAClike level. Most are albatrosses around schools necks. This has been going on longer than five years. If the USFL lost $150 million in five years, my guess is MAClike schools lose at least that much over five years as well. Like always, the only thing that could stop this from working is the enemy within and we know who they are.

The USFL would have been a success if a couple of owners hadn't let their ego get in the way. Looking to the 1980s to predict a more modern world is silly. There are always knee jerk reactions to new ideas. It's all about supporting the building process with TV money. The big boys know it. Our leadership is too stupid to figure it out. Someone else will need to figure it out for them, meaning TV executives. If Jones said it, there are many, many more thinking it.

It's just a reflection of their membership.

There is not a worse road to take than the one we are on currently. I prefer the one that allows us to control our own fortunes.

Link The distance between us and them is getting greater. It's not happening in theory or 20 years from now, it's happening right now. Wake up folks! How much longer do we fight this impossible battle before we head in another direction?

Can't you study while you wait?

Oh well. Maybe that student could find another way to spend free time. Is it too much to ask a student to deal with what is a minor inconvenience? The stresses of college life.........

His next article is going to be about the pill Lebron is developing that will make Bickley grow 9 inches and net the City of Akron an additional $10 million a year in tax revenue.

If by multipurpose, you mean for the MBB, WBB and volleyball teams to play sports in while having some classroom space, I agree. How much more recreational space do the students need? Enough is enough already.

This study by the Bliss Institute has some data on income and voter turnout. People under the poverty level have a low turnout compared to other demographic groups. If anyone is counting on them to carry the day, they will be disappointed. Again, a county wide vote will require people far from Akron city center to vote for something they may not understand how it impacts them or is far away from their day to day needs. This is going to be a very difficult election for those who support the tax increase. I'm not saying it can't be won, but the cards are stacked against them.

One other thing about the power commissioners. When TV executives from some of the new sports channels desperate for programming in the spring and early summer start to call on individual ADs around the country and show them the pile of money they have in their Brinks Truck, how fast will it take these moronic commissioners to sing a different tune?

I'm not against a new arena at all and I'm not sure where this comes from. I am against the "building process" as a means to bankrupt universities. Anyhow, I'm in favor of an arena that is built for the Zips to play basketball that is owned and operated by UofA. I'm in favor of a great arena that would make the viewing of a Zips basketball game a top notch experience for the paying customers and television viewers. I'm in favor of an arena that could be on campus and used for educational purposes for the general student body of UofA as they will be paying part of the bill for it. I'm in favor of an arena that could contain treatment facilities for any injured Zips players that play in the sports that would use the arena within close distance to where they live and spend a lot of time, on campus. In my opinion, an arena owned and operated by Summit County/City of Akron/UofA will fail in the above because there are too many interests involved. When there are that many interests involved, the politics becomes too great and many of those acting in the political arena around Akron don't have enough of UofA in the back of their minds when they make decisions. I'll continue to set the bar high in the hopes that those around Akron aim high and hit a high target. Right now, they are aiming just about as low as university and public officials can.

Has anyone asked the following questions. If the arena is built, it doesn't make money and UofA has to pay for the upkeep, how are they going to pay for it considering they are already swimming in red ink? If cuts are to be made to pay for the upkeep, where will they make them? Will they make cuts if there is no money to cover the red ink or are they just going to increase tuition and student fees? Also, we have a new President somewhat tied to Republican politicians. Is he on board with this plan to tie the future of a new arena to a government entity and tax increases?

From what we have learned in recent weeks, all they have to do is say a new arena will account for $100 million in downtown spending annually. Nobody will check the math and it will sound great. Say it enough times and it becomes true.

Tea Party and Can't student..... a two time loser.

When I see the words "5 non-power commissioners" I immediately think of the Keystone Cops. "We have no interest in doing that and have no plans to discuss or look into it," Aresco told ESPN. "Our position is clear. We are an integral part of the fabric of FBS college football. ------ Nonsense. The Bowl part of FBS isn't going to be around much longer. Declining attendance and the placement of the importance of making the new playoff will make bowls irrelevant and less financially viable. "Our conference is and will be extremely competitive and our goal is to play at the highest level, compete for playoff and host bowl spots and challenge the Power Five. We want to be in the power conference conversation and, sooner than later, be regarded as the sixth power conference." ----- You won't dummy. The other conferences aren't going to want to share their money with you, but please don't let that stop you from bankrupting the schools in your conference with the "building process". "I have not reviewed this concept with our membership but I cannot imagine we would support such a concept," Steinbrecher said. "We look forward to competing in the fall." ---- You owe it to your membership to at least review the option with an open mind to explore the potential for this great idea that could back the Brinks Truck of television revenue up to your schools. Jones told the Tampa, Florida, radio station if they moved to the spring that in "five-to-seven years, possibly, the public would demand to have the two leagues play, just like I think the USFL had in mind, originally, of the winner of the USFL playing the winner of the National Football League." ---- Think again dummy. That's not fair. Learn the history of the USFL before you make a stupid statement that will become part of lazy internet search journalism forever. The public was not demanding the USFL to play the NFL. Most owners of USFL teams knew it was a bad idea and didn't want to move to the fall. Donald Trump and a couple of other owners had the bad idea to play in the fall. There obviously would be a myriad of obstacles to overcome with moving to the spring, including the recruiting and academic calendar, uncertainty of bowl games for non-Power Five leagues, not participating in the new College Football Playoff and NFL draft preparation. Those leagues would also lose the tradition of playing in the fall. ----- Recruiting would still be the same. Scholarships are limited so kids who want to play in college will go somewhere. The academic calendar?....When did they start worrying about that.....Just ask a college baseball player who goes to the regional or CWS. Uncertainty of bowl games...Bowl games are going to become a relic of the past in a few years. Non participation in the college football playoff?....Funny, you aren't going to be allowed in before too long. Draft preparation?....Don't worry, NFL teams know who good players are and where they are without you deciding when you play your games. The tradition of playing in the fall?....Sort of like the tradition of playing college football on Saturday afternoon (Thanks for our four Tuesday/Wednesday night games this year jerks.). "You make your own rules at that point," Jones told WDAE. "Football is the No. 1 sport on television right now and the advertisers want live programming. They don't want Hollywood shows because you can TiVo out the commercials. Live programming is a hot topic right now and I think there's a market for bigger numbers for the non-BCS teams." ---- I've said this I don't know how many times on this board. Can I get an Amen! This article provides an example of the real threat to non-BCS schools. The treat is the enemy within...conference commissioners and Athletic Directors at non-BCS conferences who want to hold those jobs at BCS conferences so they will not rock the boat.

My biggest concern has always been not having an independent owned and operated basketball arena because I don't trust the political actors in Akron/Summit Co. I don't see that as maximizing what we currently have as much as throwing in the towel on a better direction.

I'm as confused as ever about this issue after reading your post. That's the real problem. What should be a simple issue is very confusing for those who don't follow this on a regular basis. When people are confused, it is easy to get them to vote against something by finding out what they would really be against and targeting that topic in the election advertisements. To me, this ballot initiative has been completely over thought by those who grouped a public service upgrade with a new arena that will sometimes be used by UofA and somehow they are financially responsible for a portion of the building even though their budget is in the red. It is entirely too confusing for the average voter to understand before walking in the ballot booth. It seems to me that even if one supports this ballot initiative, that person would have to at least admit it is a bit confusing at this point.

If I still lived in Akron, this would be my #1 reason for voting against it. I'd like to come at this from another direction. If the upgrades to the County law enforcement infrastructure is so important, why tie it to an arena? It doesn't make sense to me. Short of donating money to these two organizations, could the ABJ have done more for them to get their organizations off the ground than what is in this article?

I've always thought "trap game" was a term used for gambling. One of those things where a better team is heavily favored over a lesser team and it seems logical to take the better team. However, the lesser team matches up well against the better team and the better team wins, but doesn't cover the spread. It's the stuff that Las Vegas was built upon.

It's OK to have baited breath if you are trying to build a better mouthtrap.

They must have been waiting with baited breath for him to resign. In case you don't know, resign is something you do when you quit your job. Re-sign is something you do when you extend a contract.

The shockingly lazy journalism in NE Ohio continues.....

College football coaches do this every year. Why should we feel animosity against players who do it? I don't know if we know if the money was unavailable. It may have been unavailable, but used to fund other players' scholarships. Do we even know if he has a scholarship at Akron next year? In any even, I'm sure Lee can continue to put up another runner-up finish in DII...always a bridesmaid, never a bride.