GP1

For a single guy like Zeke, this might be important....Ninth, European women are much easier to get into the sack than American women. Since this is a basketball forum, one might say getting a European woman in the sack is a slam dunk. Paul Shirley wrote a book called "Can I Keep My Jersey" and a large part of it is what it is like to be a guy like Zeke trying to make it in the NBA and the leagues guys are willing to play in. One must be careful of the league they play in overseas. Some of the owners are real crooks. Need a good agent to steer the player in the right direction.

Whoever said this is an idiot.

It would depend on the gravitational pull of the four turds our opponents left.

To me, one could classify the types of acts coming to Akron in three categories. 1. Second tier acts. 2. Has beens 3. Up and comers All three could turn a profit for an arena as there is a market for all three types of acts. The infatuation people from NE Ohio have with Classic Rock could make the "Has Beens" category work well. One of my favorite acts right now is Zac Brown Band. The first time I saw him was at The Visulite Theater in Charlotte and there were about 100 people there. Not a fit for the new Akron arena at that point. Later, we saw ZBB at the NC Music Factory outside in October since the weather is still nice here and it was about the size venue he could fill at that point in his career. Perfect size for an Akron arena. Now ZBB is now a headliner and will never see the inside of an arena like Akron's until they fall into the "Has Beens" category in 15-20 years. They play large arenas at this point in their career. This is just an example, but the managers need to be savvy enough to know when to book up and comers. They need to be able to make the Akron arena the cool place to go watch bands. Many of you are not old enough to remember it, but Akron used to be a great place for live music and not the washed up bands they attract to events around the area now.

When I lived in the midwest, Grand Rapids was one of my favorite places to travel to for business. Grand Rapids Arena is Van Andel Arena and is really a nice arena and there is a lot to do in downtown Grand Rapids. Maybe something like this could work in Akron. They are talking similar size arenas. Grand Rapids does have a minor league hockey team that is somewhat popular. NE Ohio has never supported a professional hockey team at any level and I don't see it happening in Akron. I guess another question is this. Outside of Zips basketball, what other entertainment options can this arena provide that isn't already being provided by the two arenas in Cleveland and Blossom? It could be the difference between why an arena such as this works in Grand Rapids, but not in Akron. GR is a long way from a major city (Detroit), so when the Pistons play there or the Red Wings, it is a bid deal because people are so far removed from Detroit. That dynamic does not happen in Akron because it is so close to Cleveland. The WWE goes to Grand Rapids because it is far from Detroit. Why would the WWE come to Akron, foregoing an event in Cleveland? It seems to me the proximity of Akron to Cleveland will make this arena very difficult to make successful. Those public officials who support this deal are asking for a big leap of faith from those who are going to vote in favor of this project. I say vote for it. It isn't my money anymore.

I don't know how the maintenance costs are distributed. UofA has a facilities and maintenance department so the cost could be assigned to them, or the Athletic Department. Either way, UofA is in charge of the costs regardless of the silo the money comes out of. In terms of the best deal, I have an idea. We will have a new President in coming months. New ideas come with new President. Let's give the guy a couple of years to come up with a private solution before jumping in bed with the County/City.

Looking at what is being done in Youngstown is interesting. It does bring to mind some other questions I have. 1. Will the Zips be a profit or loss for the new arena? How many tickets have to be sold for the Zips to see a penny? 2. If the new arena is opened, it immediately becomes competition for the arena in Youngstown because of the close proximity of the arenas. There are only so many tired Baby Boomer acts to fill an arena in this size range and markets, although I'm sure 38 Special would play anywhere to any size crowd. What is the market share gain for those kinds of acts for the Akron arena and how will that translate into profitable revenue for the venue? 3. With additional competition, the Youngstown and Akron arenas will be in bidding wars for acts to perform. How much are the booking costs potentially going to go up and how will that impact profitability? Market share if frequently bought, so the Akron arena will have to pay more than the current rate the Youngstown arena is. I can see business managers really being able to engage in bidding wars between the two arenas. An interesting point that came to mind when I saw DiG's post was how little money the Youngstown arena makes. $384K isn't that much money. If I was pressed to give up a number I thought an arena like that should produce in a year, I'd probably say something around $2 million. Last I heard and someone please correct this if I'm wrong, the annual Athletic Department budget is around $14 million. Let's assume the County is generous and UofA would get half the $384K profit, they are only looking at $192K for playing there. That's 1.3% of the budget. It doesn't cover KD's salary. I thought we were supposed to Think Bigger. This is some pretty small thinking if it is the case. Sort of reinforces my belief UofA should wait until it can afford it's own arena and perhaps contract with a building manager like University of South Carolina does at Colonial Life Arena is that makes sense. The more I read about this new arena, the more confused I get and the more questions I have. On the surface, it could make sense, but the details don't work for me on a lot of levels and I think I'm in the dark probably as much as everyone else about the details. I don't doubt an arena can be build one way or another. I worry about the money. If UofA does this, they need to make it work and not come crying back to everyone in 15-20 years asking for $100 million to build their own arena. They get one shot at this in my lifetime and it needs to work.

@Balsy, I agree with changing the narrative. However, if the other narrative is UA being "given" anything by the City, no thanks. Nothing is free. Getting in bed with the City is a poor idea. Especially if they own the bed.

It's MAC thinking and I'm glad to see it drives someone other than me insane. I'd dare say 80% of this board thinks the same way. This is D-1A football, not high school. Players shouldn't be slowly developed so their senior year they can make an impact. It should be the expectation that a player take a big leap in development after his freshman year. A guy like Pohl should be just about as good as he is ever going to be right now. There is always room for improvement, but a guy like him should be close to the finished product by now and with his experience.

Interesting study presented by Hilltopper and one that makes me wonder if it could ever pass. What is interesting is the motivation for voting. It seems to me there are three motivations here that would render a person to vote "yes" on the tax: 1. Voter wants to support the Zips. 2. Voter wants to support the county. 3. Voter wants to support the Zips and the county. All three options result in a person voluntarily increasing his/her taxes $59 per year per household. To me, it's hard to sell this on the first or second reasons without someone against the tax saying the proponents are being dishonest about what the entire tax is being used for. They can create an air of distrust in the voting population. It would create a good source of negative campaign adds by the opposition and studies show negative ads work better than positive ads. People in the suburbs tend to have more money and are more conservative in their voting choices. Hard to get a Republican in Green, Stow or Hudson to vote for a tax that is not going to put something directly in their own town regardless of their feelings for the Zips. It's hard enough to get them to vote for a school levy, let along a tax for the county and an arena. Thank God I no longer live in a state that funds schools through levies and property taxes that can be voted on. Less nonsense to listen to come election time. I don't think I'm letting the cat out of the bag here by saying there are more minorities in urban areas than suburban areas. This study (page 8) shows minorities are less likely to trust the prison system but have better feeling about the overall criminal justice system. Make me wonder why in the heck they framed this issue as upgrades to the county jail and not "law enforcement upgrades". Anyhow, a tax is a tax regardless of where it is going or how it is cut up. $59 means a lot to someone living in Akron where the median income is $31K per year. Group 3 should be given for the proponents of the tax, but how many of them are really there? I really don't see how this passes. Ever look at a great car with a horrible paint color? There is normally one on every lot. You love the car, but can't get past the color. While there is a market for the car with the bad color, it is small. If it was bigger, the dealership would have more of that color on the lot. To win an election, one needs to convince a big market. Right now, this tax has been presented as a great car with a horrible color and there is no way to order another color. This entire issue has been poorly handled and presented to the public and it should disappoint those in favor of an arena, such as The Great GP1 as I no longer live in Akron and don't care if you guys get taxed until your noses bleed. How? They presented what should have been Plan B as Plan A. If UofA, over the next 5-10 years, somehow can't come up with the money as a Plan A, then fall back to Plan B. If this tax fails, it makes it pretty easy for a legislator in Columbus from outside of NE Ohio to say, "Why would we give you the money to build it yourself. The election shows you cannot support the arena because the public doesn't support it." "Patience you must have my young Padawan." - Yoda

Thanks for the correction. I was going off of another post that noted the Akron median income. I'm not negative towards the idea. I'm negative about the dishonest manner in which these stadium financing schemes are presented to the public. Here is what I really want and since I don't live in Ohio any longer, I think it is a great idea. I want the Zips to get a new arena owned and operated by UofA. Then, I want all of you saps who live in Ohio to pay for the upkeep of the Arena through your tax dollars because the State has nothing better to finance. I don't want a new arena at the expense of education/research or financed by increased student fees placed on students. Lastly and most importantly, the Zips are not going to become a 8 win team in the next 15 years. I anticipate Akron winning 20 games a year for the next ten years at least. It would take the wheels falling off the bus, or a remarkable increase in the quality of the MAC for anything less than that to happen.

Maybe we should just stick to where the Zips will finish in the MAC East and not the depressingly low numbers we are portrayed at in national rankings....

Love this and your point goes straight to how misguided these arenas are. You're right, $59 may not sound like a lot, but half the county is living at the $30K household level. Kids in school?...$59 buys two pairs of jeans, maybe three. A tank of gas costs between forty and fifty dollars. "But GP1, it is spread out over a year so it won't hurt them that bad." Are you freaking kidding me? They are already getting killed. The obscenity that is the tax burden in NE Ohio should not be extended to include a new arena so the same 4,500 people who pack the JAR will be able to go sit in a new 10,000 seat arena surrounded by 5,500 empty seats.

Profit assumes the facility would pay for itself and there would be some left over. Publicly financed stadiums don't pay for themselves. That's the whole point of the nine articles I posted earlier in this thread. It's the point of the anger in Cobb County. They are white elephants that require ongoing taxpayer money to support their upkeep. I'll say it again. I have no problem with communities building these stadiums if that's what the community wants to do after it has been presented to them in an honest manner. We shouldn't proceed with the notion that they will pay for themselves and the taxpayers should be fully informed of the financial burden the arenas will put on the community for 80+ years.

It's more about ownership than geography. The State of Ohio owns their university system. Therefore, the citizens of Ohio own the university system. As such, everyone in Ohio should be responsible for the nutty behavior of their universities and pay the taxes necessary to support the nutty behavior.

Good post. UofA funding it's own arena is the best solution. The one given we know of is that the arena will never pay for itself in terms of construction and maintenance costs. Others are going to have to kick in extra money. Why should only the people within Summit Co. be the ones to shoulder the burden for the arena through higher taxes when people from surrounding counties will take advantage of Zips games also? It simply doesn't make sense. UofA is a public institution of the State of Ohio. As such, if they want to go on these nutty building excursions, UofA along with the taxpayers of the entire State of Ohio should shoulder the risk and burden.

Coming to an Akron City Council meeting near you? Looks like even the people in Cobb County, GA can figure out that a new arena isn't worth the money. Seems the mayor can't figure it out though. Did anyone see Real Sports this week? A great segment on the White Elephants left behind after World Cups and Olympics. Where will Akron house this white elephant after it is completed?

Eight years is a great career for a guy like DH. Shows the value of hard work and professionalism. Well done DH.

OH! You're right. My memory is failing me in my old age.

PSU has had the one thing going for them the past two seasons that can't be replaced or measured. The players have played with as much focus, heart and desire as anyone could expect considering the hand they were dealt. They could have easily folded last season and won a road game against future Rose Bowl Champion, Wisconsin, in the last game. O'Brien couldn't have done a better job with that program, all things considered. Like you said, Franklin will be able to continue on with a much better hand dealt to him than one might have expected him to receive. PSU improved from the beginning of 2012 until the end of last season. Franklin is the right guy to take over at this point and PSU will be even better next season. They won't have a let down against the Zips. If anyone is looking for an early season upset for the Zips, Pitt is the team to look at. Pitt rarely stinks...they are also rarely good. It is a program that has historically been slightly below average to above average depending on the season. They rarely have a lot of cohesion or traction. This is a team a program like Akron can sneak up on early in the season and produce an upset. I hate to even use the word upset because when this type of win happens, the idea of "upset" is more illusion than reality. The Zips didn't upset NC State, they beat a well below average team on the field. Pitt plays four games (schedule) prior to playing the Zips. They could be 4-0 coming into the Akron game and that spells trouble for Akron because of the confidence and momentum of a 4-0 start. I could also see a 2-2 start for Pitt with a loss to Iowa the week before the Akron game. I like the Zips chances if this happens because a 2-2 start means there half the stadium will be empty and their fans and team will already be disinterested in the rest of the season...this happens to Pitt a lot. It's really hard to predict this game because Pitt is a predictably average team and average teams are the hardest to predict because....well,....their performances are unpredictable. The unpredictability makes it more likely to beat them.

I think their winning has contributed to their ability to bring in good players. I've never been one to believe facilities attract good players. Facilities are secondary to winning. Good players want to win regardless of facilities. My best piece of evidence would be the success of our basketball team in recent years playing in a poor arena. Solich is a mope.

That settles it. They built indoor practice facilities and are expanding their stadium. Everywhere this happens, teams get more succes..... What? We went 1-11 two years into a new stadium? Never mind..... Injuries or not, I'm still not buying OU football. Every time I watch a game and see Solich slouching around the sidelines, I'm reminded of having to watch Jim Grobe slouch around the sidelines for Wake for far too long. At the end of last season, OU was a team without any energy. That's hard to get back. It's even harder to get back with a coach who has little energy.

Every year we see articles such as this in well known national publications. I typically toss them in to the category of "Lazy Journalism". They involve taking the prior year's standings and moving them to the following year and moving most of the teams up or down a peg in the standings. Then they hit the easy topics, which are: Who is the best team in the league? Who are the new coaches? Where did the old coaches go? This one has the added lazy bonus of comments about a well known coach on a team and then say something about the future of that team without really knowing a single player on the team. I don't begrudge these publications for doing this. It is what it is and they are paying writers who have to provide content so this is what we get. This year I'm selling the MAC and buying the Zips. After our usual 1-3 start, we will be able to gain some confidence and momentum against EMU and Miami and I think that will translate into a win in Athens (I think OU's program is in decline and we saw that the second half of last year where they got hammered in 4 of their last 5 games and only were able to put a beating on a hapless UMASS team late in the season). Throw in wins against Can't State and UMASS and we have six wins minimum. The Bowen name gets us into a bowl in Alabama. I can also see the Zips beating BG at home if they can capitalize on their mid season confidence. Will it be easy? No, but the Zips now have the players and coaching to do better than just winning against teams they should win against and should be able to produce an "upset" or two along the way. This topic really makes me wish it was football season. Can't wait!

I think these points systems are a good idea. Many of the manufacturers I represent use similar points systems to motivate contractors to continue to support the line for various reasons...one of the best is a trip to Mexico, etc. I for one stay at Marriotts when I travel in order to take advantage of my points program and I'll spend a little extra just to do that (I've had too many free weekend stays in Marriotts to not continue.) T he Zips program probably benefits basketball fans more than other sports because of the limited availability of good seats. I'm curious, how many people are motivated to do more with this program?