ESPN Article on college stadium investments

[MaxZIP]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=4327190What about Akron dropping $60 Million on a new stadium and over $300 millllion on total improvements? I guess La. Tech is bigger news spending $1.6 million on a new jumbotron. At least this is an article in support of stadium construction.

[ZachTheZip]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=4327190What about Akron dropping $60 Million on a new stadium and over $300 millllion on total improvements? I guess La. Tech is bigger news spending $1.6 million on a new jumbotron. At least this is an article in support of stadium construction.

Written by Graham Watson, even. It's her job to cover non-BCS schools like Akron. Why couldn't she have used us as the example instead of Minnesota?

[MaxZIP]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=4327190What about Akron dropping $60 Million on a new stadium and over $300 millllion on total improvements? I guess La. Tech is bigger news spending $1.6 million on a new jumbotron. At least this is an article in support of stadium construction.

Written by Graham Watson, even. It's her job to cover non-BCS schools like Akron. Why couldn't she have used us as the example instead of Minnesota?

Akron is exactly what she describes in her article. A mid-major school looking to gain an advantage on some BCS schools by making capital improvements. A $1.6 million new scoreboard is apparently going to get it done for La tech? I guess we really mean business.

[xu9697]

Disgraceful. 2 new purely college football Division I stadiums for the first time in many years, and she mentiones La Tech and a scoreboard but not Akron. Nice reporting. Good research.

[zen]

Is this what happens when people can write but have zero common sense?Aside from the points you guys bring up about us, it sounds like she was going for some sort of angle and didn't care if it made any sense at all.First, most of the current projects were planned and put on the books before the so called recession.Secondly, most universities are affected less by recession. In fact, it would seem that many are helped.

[ZachTheZip]

Let her know about it. Nothing will change until somebody gets an earful.

[MaxZIP]

Let her know about it. Nothing will change until somebody gets an earful.

This is similar to what you would get if any of us were writing a column on selecting bed linens and the upcoming fall fashions. Too sexist?

[Z.I.P.]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=4327190What about Akron dropping $60 Million on a new stadium and over $300 millllion on total improvements? I guess La. Tech is bigger news spending $1.6 million on a new jumbotron. At least this is an article in support of stadium construction.

Is that GRAHAM WATSON's photo? The Graham Watson I know is in France this week. He's the most famous cycling photog of all time.

[GP1]

Akron is not a good example for this story. The point the writer is making pertains to the "arms race" going on in college athletics. Info is being built in small part because we are trying to keep up. In reality, the Rubber Bowl should have been shut down years ago for safety reasons and the cost of rennovating the RB would have been at least equal to if not more expensive than building a new stadium. People in the know will tell you that the City of Akron had large concerns about the safety of the RB for the last 3-4 years that dump was standing (slouching...whatever you want to describe it as) and it took a lot of begging just to keep it opened as long as they did. Believe it or not, we are getting off on the cheap building the new stadium. $65 million is not that expensive if you look at the cost per seat which is less than $2,500 per seat. What is the cost per seat of the new Cowboys stadium or even the new Minnesota stadium? I believe we got a pretty good deal for our money. It's all about how you view things.....Attention Mike Rasor........Speaking of the cost of the new stadium. Find out what the final cost of the new stadium is after it is complete. Look into it around December when all of the change orders are close to complete. Look into any law suits as well. There almost always are some on any construction project.

[xu9697]

Let her know about it. Nothing will change until somebody gets an earful.

I was going to write her, started to, then you have to be a "member" of something before you can actual complet it. Not sure if it is anything that costs $$$, but I don't need anymore e-mails, junk mail, etc. Plus, I am sick and tired of ESPN and some of their crap.

[K-Roo]

Anybody know how much our new scoreboard costs? Out of the $61 million????

[MaxZIP]

Akron is not a good example for this story. The point the writer is making pertains to the "arms race" going on in college athletics. Info is being built in small part because we are trying to keep up. In reality, the Rubber Bowl should have been shut down years ago for safety reasons and the cost of rennovating the RB would have been at least equal to if not more expensive than building a new stadium. People in the know will tell you that the City of Akron had large concerns about the safety of the RB for the last 3-4 years that dump was standing (slouching...whatever you want to describe it as) and it took a lot of begging just to keep it opened as long as they did. Believe it or not, we are getting off on the cheap building the new stadium. $65 million is not that expensive if you look at the cost per seat which is less than $2,500 per seat. What is the cost per seat of the new Cowboys stadium or even the new Minnesota stadium? I believe we got a pretty good deal for our money. It's all about how you view things.....Attention Mike Rasor........Speaking of the cost of the new stadium. Find out what the final cost of the new stadium is after it is complete. Look into it around December when all of the change orders are close to complete. Look into any law suits as well. There almost always are some on any construction project.

I think we got off easy as well. The Info will be a great place for years to come as Minnesota intended for their stadium. They intended to do it right and they have. Also we like other schools began planning the improvements before the economic downturn but refused to scale back efforts because of the economy. The bottom fell out in October of 2007 and UofA dedicated an additional $6.6 million in December 2007 to do it right with brick facades. In addition, Minnesota like Akron also had to build a new stadium because of the dilapidated metro dome facility. Basically we are a mirror image of what Minnesota did just on a smaller scale. Thus we are a mid-major school trying to gain an advantage in marketability through capital improvements during an economic downturn. That is the basis of the article. The size and potential impact of what the University of Akron is doing dwarfs all other efforts put forth by non BCS schools. 1.6 million on a scoreboard is peanuts and is a loose tie to the purpose of the article. Who cares about new tennis courts and resurfaced tracks. Akron is doing it all and doing it better. ESPN is the number one name in sports journalism. They should have at least mentioned both of the two brand new facilities set to open this year. Will the Louisiana Tech scoreboard, tennis courts, and track look good on tv this year?

[MaxZIP]

Anybody know how much our new scoreboard costs? Out of the $61 million????

I don't know but did you notice that they put money towards improving their tailgating areas? The UofA athletic department doesn't even understand why people tailgate much less intend to put any funding into it.

[ksu sucks]

I agree with everyone who commented. I think zen sums it up best. Graham Watson had an intended slant and she used the facts that best backed that up. There's a line between slanting data and journalistic irresponsibility. Whether or not she crossed that line is subjective to each reader.

[Dr Z]

Plus, I am sick and tired of ESPN and some of their crap.

Try this. Go a month without watching ESPN. Find your sports fix in other places. MLB channel, NFL channel, Fox Sports, SI.com, Satellite radio etc... See if you are a more informed sports fan for doing so. PS You are going to miss some TO, Farve and Ochocinco stories, but you might just make it.

[GP1]

Plus, I am sick and tired of ESPN and some of their crap.

Try this. Go a month without watching ESPN. Find your sports fix in other places. MLB channel, NFL channel, Fox Sports, SI.com, Satellite radio etc... See if you are a more informed sports fan for doing so. PS You are going to miss some TO, Farve and Ochocinco stories, but you might just make it.

I agree. ESPN has become terrible over the past few years and the anchors have become silly cartoons of themselves. The only shows worth watching are NFL Live and College Football Live, but those shows are on in the afternoon. I especially dislike the summer long "kids with terminal diseases" stories. I know kids get cancer, etc. and I know it is awful, but when news is slow, do we have to watch a different version of it every day? I watch sports to get away from daily life, not to have a bigger pile of crap hoisted upon me.Everyone should go out and buy a book called, "God Save The Fan". There is quite a bit in this book about what ESPN has actually become and how it has become nothing but a promotional tool for ABC/ESPN sports casts.

[UA Fan]

Akron is not a good example for this story. The point the writer is making pertains to the "arms race" going on in college athletics. Info is being built in small part because we are trying to keep up. In reality, the Rubber Bowl should have been shut down years ago for safety reasons and the cost of rennovating the RB would have been at least equal to if not more expensive than building a new stadium. People in the know will tell you that the City of Akron had large concerns about the safety of the RB for the last 3-4 years that dump was standing (slouching...whatever you want to describe it as) and it took a lot of begging just to keep it opened as long as they did. Believe it or not, we are getting off on the cheap building the new stadium. $65 million is not that expensive if you look at the cost per seat which is less than $2,500 per seat. What is the cost per seat of the new Cowboys stadium or even the new Minnesota stadium? I believe we got a pretty good deal for our money. It's all about how you view things.....Attention Mike Rasor........Speaking of the cost of the new stadium. Find out what the final cost of the new stadium is after it is complete. Look into it around December when all of the change orders are close to complete. Look into any law suits as well. There almost always are some on any construction project.

I think we got off easy as well. The Info will be a great place for years to come as Minnesota intended for their stadium. They intended to do it right and they have. Also we like other schools began planning the improvements before the economic downturn but refused to scale back efforts because of the economy. The bottom fell out in October of 2007 and UofA dedicated an additional $6.6 million in December 2007 to do it right with brick facades. In addition, Minnesota like Akron also had to build a new stadium because of the dilapidated metro dome facility. Basically we are a mirror image of what Minnesota did just on a smaller scale. Thus we are a mid-major school trying to gain an advantage in marketability through capital improvements during an economic downturn. That is the basis of the article. The size and potential impact of what the University of Akron is doing dwarfs all other efforts put forth by non BCS schools. 1.6 million on a scoreboard is peanuts and is a loose tie to the purpose of the article. Who cares about new tennis courts and resurfaced tracks. Akron is doing it all and doing it better. ESPN is the number one name in sports journalism. They should have at least mentioned both of the two brand new facilities set to open this year. Will the Louisiana Tech scoreboard, tennis courts, and track look good on tv this year?

Minnesota's stadium pics...now that's a scoreboard !http://stadium.gophersports.com/multi_photo_gallery.html