Rank the importance of the Akron sports

[KingZip]

1. Basketball

2. Football

3. Soccer

4. Volleyball

5. Baseball/Softball

6. Track & Field

7. Golf

8. Swimming

9. Tennis

[KingZip]

Why?

Basketball is a sport where you can compete for a national title.

Football is relegated to crap bowl level status and will never have the realistic chance to play in a BCS game.

Soccer is popular in NE Ohio among kids and Akron is good at men's soccer and getting better at women's.

Volleyball has historical success.

Baseball and Softball have had success but have fallen back over the past decade.

Track and Field and Golf should benefit greatly from the new indoor thing on campus. The men's track team and golf team have never won Reese-Jacoby points.

The other sports do not really carry any public interest.

[InTheZone]

1. Football

2. Basketball

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3. Baseball

4. Soccer

5. Track and Field

6. Golf

[Z.I.P.]

1. Football (simply because of the national interest and $$$ attached to being a prime-time player in the sport)

2. Basketball

3. Mens' Soccer

4. Mens & women's Track & Field (because we've had many all-Americans recently)

5. Baseball (no reputation, except for a lonely MAC title years ago)

6. Volleyball (some rep, and a consistently good team that has plateaued to the point where the staff is in trouble if they fail to compete for a MAC title soon -- we need to realize "good" doesn't hack it any more)

7. Softball (again, some rep, but when they failed to compete a change had to be made)

8. Women's soccer (on the fence -- could step into the elite like the men, or stay in mediocrity -- the future is in 2005, gotta move back to double-digit wins and top half of MAC, at least)

9. Golf (don't understand why there's no women's team yet, but this is a big sport for the Akron area)

10. Rifle (Maybe should be ahead of golf and others (I'm sure ZR agrees!) if only because of national reputation.

After that...swimming, tennis and whatever else is lucky to get any attention at all -- but that can chance just by hiring the right person to guide the program.

[UA Fan]

1.  Football (simply because of the national interest and $$$ attached to being a prime-time player in the sport)

2.  Basketball

3.  Mens' Soccer

4.  Mens & women's Track & Field (because we've had many all-Americans recently)

5.  Baseball (no reputation, except for a lonely MAC title years ago)

6.  Volleyball (some rep, and a consistently good team that has plateaued to the point where the staff is in trouble if they fail to compete for a MAC title soon -- we need to realize "good" doesn't hack it any more)

7. Softball (again, some rep, but when they failed to compete a change had to be made)

8.  Women's soccer (on the fence -- could step into the elite like the men, or stay in mediocrity -- the future is in 2005, gotta move back to double-digit wins and top half of MAC, at least)

9.  Golf (don't understand why there's no women's team yet, but this is a big sport for the Akron area)

10.  Rifle  (Maybe should be ahead of golf and others (I'm sure ZR agrees!) if only because of national reputation.

After that...swimming, tennis and whatever else is lucky to get any attention at all -- but that can chance just by hiring the right person to guide the program.

That looks like about the right order at the top. A football win over a big name or a top 25 ranking gets us noticed by just about everyone. Same with an NCAA tourney appearance in hoops. Soccer is important because we are succussful at it and it's a building block and gets us Reese Trophy points. Track has been getting good and I think will continue to get even better with the new indoor track. I would probably put volleyball next since it's the #2 womens sport and we are consistently competetive. I would move rifle up a few spots...even though it's more obscure, it has recently been our best chance at a team national championship.

Pretty sharp drop-off after that, I would say.