Zipmeister Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 No idea. Never watched a game in the Rubber Bowl. Just think it is a safe bet that a guy who grew up in the town of the Rubber Bowl, and a guy who has lived in North Canton the past 10+ years would have plenty of local knowledge. Fortunately for you I won't take you up on your safe bet! Is Akron Fulton Airport still operational? If so, stadium lights placed in their normal position would still constitute a flight hazard just as it would have when the University bought the Rubber Bowl from the city. Odds of getting permission to stick lights up dangerously close to one of the airports flight paths.........slim and none (and slim just left town). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziptrumpet87 Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 IIRC, it has to do with FAA and the Akron Fulton Airport next door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyzip84 Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 Fortunately for you I won't take you up on your safe bet! Is Akron Fulton Airport still operational? If so, stadium lights placed in their normal position would still constitute a flight hazard just as it would have when the University bought the Rubber Bowl from the city. Odds of getting permission to stick lights up dangerously close to one of the airports flight paths.........slim and none (and slim just left town). I think you might be taking these investors too lightly. Didn't you read the part where, everytime they walk around the venerable bowl, new ideas come to them in bunches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I think you might be taking these investors too lightly. Didn't you read the part where, everytime they walk around the venerable bowl, new ideas come to them in bunches. I see your point. I guess everything is good then. Never mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsfan33 Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 "They may also want to add more suites." More? Can someone tell me where the existing ones are so that they can add more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsfan33 Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I've been sleeping on this... Who hires a head coach and GM before there is even a team? I think the more I hear about this venture the more doomed it becomes. I never saw it happening and I really don't see it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I've been sleeping on this... Who hires a head coach and GM before there is even a team? I think the more I hear about this venture the more doomed it becomes. I never saw it happening and I really don't see it now! probably have to convince investors that everything is in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spin Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I've been sleeping on this... Who hires a head coach and GM before there is even a team? I think the more I hear about this venture the more doomed it becomes. I never saw it happening and I really don't see it now! What do you mean there is no team? They already own a stadium and a franchise with the league. The league is a year away from starting. I don't know how far along you think they should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I've been sleeping on this... Who hires a head coach and GM before there is even a team? I think the more I hear about this venture the more doomed it becomes. I never saw it happening and I really don't see it now! There is a good chance it will fail, just like every other outdoors league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 A couple of things come to mind reading this article. These two guys are gonna get a reality check real soon if they think local businesses are falling all over themselves waiting for an opportunity to dump a bunch of money into this dump. It reminds me of an old adage that I heard over and over when I was involved in racing. That was if you want to make a million dollars, you need to start with 5 million $$$. It seems these guys have more dollar than sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 A couple of things come to mind reading this article. These two guys are gonna get a reality check real soon if they think local businesses are falling all over themselves waiting for an opportunity to dump a bunch of money into this dump. It reminds me of an old adage that I heard over and over when I was involved in racing. That was if you want to make a million dollars, you need to start with 5 million $$$. It seems these guys have more dollar than sense. There are at least a couple of ways to look at their situation. 1. They get a shot at living the dream of being a professional sports team owner. Feel good story if the 1 in a billion gazillion shot pays off. 2. They provide another real world example of how to part a fool from his money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyzip84 Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 There are at least a couple of ways to look at their situation. 1. They get a shot at living the dream of being a professional sports team owner. Feel good story if the 1 in a billion gazillion shot pays off. 2. They provide another real world example of how to part a fool from his money. Awe man, you guys are such Debbie Downer's. Don't you realize the field turf is, like, brand new dudes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spin Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I think it CAN be done, but I doubt this plan is how it will happen. They're folowing the MLS model, which has been a success. They want to build stadiums, which the MLS did, except the MLS was already established in those markets. It was five years before they built their first purpose-built venue, Columbus Crew Stadium. They're also following the MLS' player system where everyone plays for the league, and are distributed to teams via draft. That worked, but the USFL wants to pay players $3000-3500 per game??? That's a lot more than arena players are paid, and there are a lot fewer of them on a team. For 35 players that's $122,500 per game. Half the games are on the road, so you have no income, and you have travel expenses for 40-50 people. Don't forget, the Arena Football LEague collapsed under it's player salaries, and had to be completely restructured. Minor league football would work. But you have to live within your means. You have to be realistic what you're going to bring in. You can't count on sponsors and investors and TV money (many sports pay for their TV exposure). From everything I have read, these guys aren't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsfan33 Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 What do you mean there is no team? They already own a stadium and a franchise with the league. The league is a year away from starting. I don't know how far along you think they should be. Except they do NOT own a franchise yet. The league has not named Akron yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spin Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 There's another aspect of minor league sports that I have yet to see a minor league football league implement. Regionalism. If you look at minor league baseball, the leagues are all regional in nature. Look at the Aeros' AA level, you have the Eastern League, the Southern League, and the Texas League. You can stay within your minor league budget, with bus trips, in football no overnight stays. You can have the regional champions play in a championship. But you don't have them playing each other during the season. The USFL has named two cities, Akron and Portland, which are 2,000 miles apart. It does seem to be working for the D-League, but they're directly funded by the NBA. And you're really putting yourself behind the 8 ball (as a start-up especially) when you're moving 3x as many players around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsfan33 Posted March 4, 2013 Report Share Posted March 4, 2013 Spin you are killing me man! Here is a quote from the USFL website from Feb. 11, 2013 "The USFL and its development partner have identified and secured the first five of these markets and plan to begin construction on stadiums to seat up to 20,000 fans in time for the league’s inaugural season, which is scheduled to kick off in the spring of 2014. The markets include locations in Southern California, Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. Additionally, the USFL has made significant strides toward bringing a team to Ohio, and has been working closely with multiple other cities to ensure that it reaches its goal of securing teams in eight markets for its debut season." Nothing has been officially named in Ohio and or Portland. http://www.theusfl.net/press-02_11_13.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spin Posted March 4, 2013 Report Share Posted March 4, 2013 I know there are no franchises established for the league yet, but you have one group affiliated with the league already hiring staff and purchasing a stadium. Put two and two together, and you shouldn't be all that surprised that when the franchises are named, this group IS that team in Ohio. Still having trouble connecting the dots??? ANd does that fact mean I can't rip apart the league's business plan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted March 4, 2013 Report Share Posted March 4, 2013 There are at least a couple of ways to look at their situation. 1. They get a shot at living the dream of being a professional sports team owner. Feel good story if the 1 in a billion gazillion shot pays off. 2. They provide another real world example of how to part a fool from his money. Option one fits best. If it pays off, it could be huge if the league is purchased by the NFL. I still believe there is a market for spring football in the US. If you can test that market with limited financial output, it is worth it. Failure would result in a pretty good tax write off if the failure happens. Doubters will point to the folding of the USFL years ago. This is a short sighted way of looking at it and an example of why the past does not always predict the future. Football is far more popular today than it was back then. Hell, ESPN televises spring football practices and people actually watch it. If people will watch something as boring as a spring football practice, they will watch a real football game in the spring. In the end, I don't think this league will work and it won't be because there isn't a market for spring football. It will be because there isn't a market for a league with no affiliation to something bigger such as the NFL. There is a name for leagues that call themselves minor league with no major league affiliation...Bush League. Americans like minor league...they don't like Bush League. If there was going to be a national football league played in the spring with regional affiliation/interest, a built in fan base, ready made stadiums, opportunity for TV network broadcasting and quality football, it would be a national league of college football. The non-BCS conferences aren't smart enough to make this work though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted March 4, 2013 Report Share Posted March 4, 2013 Option one fits best. If it pays off, it could be huge if the league is purchased by the NFL. I still believe there is a market for spring football in the US. If you can test that market with limited financial output, it is worth it. Failure would result in a pretty good tax write off if the failure happens. Doubters will point to the folding of the USFL years ago. This is a short sighted way of looking at it and an example of why the past does not always predict the future. Football is far more popular today than it was back then. Hell, ESPN televises spring football practices and people actually watch it. If people will watch something as boring as a spring football practice, they will watch a real football game in the spring. In the end, I don't think this league will work and it won't be because there isn't a market for spring football. It will be because there isn't a market for a league with no affiliation to something bigger such as the NFL. There is a name for leagues that call themselves minor league with no major league affiliation...Bush League. Americans like minor league...they don't like Bush League. If there was going to be a national football league played in the spring with regional affiliation/interest, a built in fan base, ready made stadiums, opportunity for TV network broadcasting and quality football, it would be a national league of college football. The non-BCS conferences aren't smart enough to make this work though. Plus I heard all the execs of the proposed league are former college athletic directors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted March 4, 2013 Report Share Posted March 4, 2013 Plus I heard all the execs of the proposed league are former college athletic directors. This would make it the perfect storm of stupidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsfan33 Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 There were contractors trucks spotted at the Rubber Bowl this afternoon. Maybe this will happen after-all? I still will believe it when i see it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 There were contractors trucks spotted at the Rubber Bowl this afternoon.Might be getting reality...I mean bids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsfan33 Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Well they obviously have money to waste... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyZip Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Hey! I am happy that everyone found my piece, before I did.....Anyway. It was supposed to run in Akron Life, but things got a little rough there, no matter! I understand everyone's criticisms and support for the bowl. I did not want to make it sound like it was going to be an easy job. I continued to feel during the interview that these guys had a lot of money behind them which always makes things a little easier. I am interested in what you guys think of the article itself. I am still working hard to become a better writer/journalist, did I leave you guys wondering anything that I should have touched on more? Thanks guys, Parker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsfan33 Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 Parker, it was a good read. I just have a hard time seeing their dream coming to life. The one thing that jumped out at me was the comment about suites. There currently aren't any and the article said they wanted to add to the existing. Where and how would they be built? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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