(12-19-2011 10:32 AM)AnnapolisPirate Wrote:  I'll give the props to Va Tech where they are due, they have a large presence in VA as well as in the the DC metro, including Maryland. In fact, other than the small schools in Md (Salisbury, Towson etc) there appears to be more VPI support and stickers than any other school besides Md.

But this "state flagship" argument is more subjective than you make it out to be. Unfortunately, much like crappy intel we have had prior to some military operations, which really is impacted by "feet on the ground" or, HUMINT, this lack of perception is generated by people who don't really know what impact East Carolina has in the region. Nor do they care to find out.

So, please compare facts to facts: at the time VPI was added to the big East in the 90s, the two programs were relatively even. Today, the enrollment of the two schools is very close, ~30k to ECU's ~28k.

East Carolina draws students form across the state, as well as form the mid-atlantic. Many kids from Maryland and New Jersey enroll at ECU. it is possible that ECU has more kids from Va, MD and NJ than Wake Forest has students.

As for competitive draws, wake has some pull in NC as it is still a Southern school. Duke, however, is more of a National school as arguably has more of a national fanbase than a local one. That certainly has an effect within the state, but does not takeaway from ECU's following.

Currently, the Big East has next to no presence in Va, and none south of that, until you reach Florida. ECU, does have a measurable presence in this region, which will likely have more natural interest in the Big East than exists in California. (We did grow up watching the Big East ACC challenge after all). East Carolina is located in one of the fastest growing towns, in one of the fastest growing states, that already has ~10 million residents.

In addition to its strong statewide pull, and strong interest in the Virginia tidewater region (1.5 hours away), it is the only team with a physical presence in the Eastern portion of the state, itself home to ~2 million residents. You could say that we are the flagship in a region home to 2 million folks, but most won't, because you personally don't know this info and don't care to listen to people who do.

We have positive measurable TV ratings in all the state's major markets, proven attendance showing support of people willing to pay to attend games, had more people go to Memphis to watch the Liberty bowl than Ct could send to the Orange, overall strong attendance record in Bowl games, strong attendance in neutral site games in Charlotte, large overall commitment to all our programs, decent, and improving academics, etc.

All this has been measured and is not the product of opinion. That so many choose to ignore the facts tends to irritate us. That people rely on subjective opinions that don't truly have a strong factual basis only increases our ire.

Apparently it is the product of opinion & not based on facts. If it were factual, ECU would be in the Big East right now.

The Big East has worked with 6 major media consultants independent of the conference in developing their expansion strategy. These people measure this stuff for a living & they have access to what other people measure as well. It's what they do every day they report to work. They know way more about this stuff than you or any ECU fan does. And they're looking at it objectively, not from the bias of any individual school. The Big East is paying them big bucks to provide an unbiased opinion.

Regardless of you point of vies, apparently the networks are simply not going to pay at the levels needed to max out the conference's potential for a school that is the 5th AQ in the state. Even if you want to ignore Duke, Appalachian State is the #1 FCS draw in the country & draws as many fans to football games as Duke does. They are a presence in the state & draw almost entirely from within the state.

What you are ignoring is the fact that 50K fans at ECU games does little for the other schools in the conference. Ticket sales represent revenue for ECU. TV ratings are what benefits the conference as a whole because those translate directly into dollars in everyone's pockets. VA Tech is the 2nd AQ school in Virginia & that's their advantage. ECU is the 5th school in a market that is already maxed out. Just as ECU draws from around the state, so do UNC-CH & State, which means that ECU isn't the exclusive draw in the eastern part of the state. There's competiton for those TV ratings all over the state & apparently the folks who do this stuff for a living have assessed that ECU simply doesn't bring enough.

And you ignore basketball to your own detriment. Even though football is a bigger money machine, basketball is still a big part of the TV package - especially in a TV-first conference.