(10-30-2010 07:21 AM)MichiganTiger Wrote:  

(10-27-2010 04:37 PM)animus Wrote:  

(10-27-2010 04:17 PM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  So now expansion is lacrosse-driven? Not to shoot the messanger, but I've heard it all now

I tend to agree with you but i think this has to do more with Network Programing than the actual sport of Lacrosse. Who knows... I think Hockey would be more important than Lacrosse when it came to Network Programing myself.

Now that Penn State is moving to Div. 1, Big Ten Hockey is only a matter of time (and browbeating Minnesota, they're still reluctant).

I agree. I don't think it's the game itself although if spread I think most football fans would like lacross seems like cross between futbol and football. It is about TV network programing. It's the content to fill the tube to raise the valueand dollars of the subsription. The north east like lacross. There is even a professional leaque I think.

(10-27-2010 06:26 PM)Theodoresdaddy Wrote:  does anyone think that the average Big 10 fan cares about lacrosse

No, albeit that's more because they've never been exposed to it. Outside of Pennsylvania, the only place in the Big Ten footprint that has a substantial number of youth lacrosse leagues is the Chicago suburbs.

Hockey, on the other hand, is a very big deal. If Big Ten schools have any money to add another men's sport, that's the one that everyone wants. (It's all easier said than done, of course. Penn State needed the largest single donation in the history of its school for *anything* - academics, athletics, buildings, research labs, etc. - to start up its hockey program. Not too many schools can count on $100 million coming from a benefactor to start up hockey.)

By the way, the addition of Nebraska is probably going to be used as a spearhead for the Big Ten to improve its baseball league. Nebraska is the de facto home team for the College World Series in Omaha and has had one of the most successful non-Sun Belt programs. The Big Ten will always have a weather disadvantage being in the North (meaning teams typically spend the first month of the season on the road in places like Florida, Arizona and Texas), but the recruiting has been improving with the Big Ten Network and schools have been pouring money into improving facilities. If Big Ten baseball can be halfway respectable, that would be more valuable spring programming for the BTN more than anything.

(10-30-2010 07:21 AM)MichiganTiger Wrote:  Now that Penn State is moving to Div. 1, Big Ten Hockey is only a matter of time (and browbeating Minnesota, they're still reluctant).

Which would promptly destroy college hockey.

Still not enough schools with lacrosse for this to be an imminent development.

(10-31-2010 10:23 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(10-27-2010 06:26 PM)Theodoresdaddy Wrote:  does anyone think that the average Big 10 fan cares about lacrosse

No, albeit that's more because they've never been exposed to it. Outside of Pennsylvania, the only place in the Big Ten footprint that has a substantial number of youth lacrosse leagues is the Chicago suburbs.

Hockey, on the other hand, is a very big deal. If Big Ten schools have any money to add another men's sport, that's the one that everyone wants. (It's all easier said than done, of course. Penn State needed the largest single donation in the history of its school for *anything* - academics, athletics, buildings, research labs, etc. - to start up its hockey program. Not too many schools can count on $100 million coming from a benefactor to start up hockey.)

Hockey sounds expensive....and so is lacrosse.
At Carolina lacrosse offers the largest number of scholarships (around 35 IIRC) each year with the exception of football. Hince it is the 2nd most expensive sport for the University to fund. Lacrosse is played as a varsity sport in the ACC by only 4 schools (Carolina, Dook, UVa and Maryland).

(11-01-2010 07:29 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(10-31-2010 10:23 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(10-27-2010 06:26 PM)Theodoresdaddy Wrote:  does anyone think that the average Big 10 fan cares about lacrosse

No, albeit that's more because they've never been exposed to it. Outside of Pennsylvania, the only place in the Big Ten footprint that has a substantial number of youth lacrosse leagues is the Chicago suburbs.

Hockey, on the other hand, is a very big deal. If Big Ten schools have any money to add another men's sport, that's the one that everyone wants. (It's all easier said than done, of course. Penn State needed the largest single donation in the history of its school for *anything* - academics, athletics, buildings, research labs, etc. - to start up its hockey program. Not too many schools can count on $100 million coming from a benefactor to start up hockey.)

Hockey sounds expensive....and so is lacrosse.
At Carolina lacrosse offers the largest number of scholarships (around 35 IIRC) each year with the exception of football. Hince it is the 2nd most expensive sport for the University to fund. Lacrosse is played as a varsity sport in the ACC by only 4 schools (Carolina, Dook, UVa and Maryland).

Lacrosse is expensive from a scholarship perspective, but costs peanuts from a facility perspective. You can just use the soccer stadium to play the lacrosse games. Hockey requires either a separate arena or a shared arena that was specifically designed with a hockey rink in mind. There's also all of that expensive ice making equipment and the cost of maintaining the ice.

Considering how difficult it is already to stay Title 9 compliant due to the scholly hog that is college football, why would any BCS conference be looking to burden itself with lacrosse? Can college lacrosse really be a TV money maker while minor leage baseball can't? College lacrosse is going to make TV money, but the Arena Football League folded despite actually having TV coverage? This sounds like the biggest April fools joke ever.

Would Hopkins affiliate with a Big 10 lacrosse league?

(11-01-2010 07:36 AM)Inigo Wrote:  

(11-01-2010 07:29 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(10-31-2010 10:23 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(10-27-2010 06:26 PM)Theodoresdaddy Wrote:  does anyone think that the average Big 10 fan cares about lacrosse

No, albeit that's more because they've never been exposed to it. Outside of Pennsylvania, the only place in the Big Ten footprint that has a substantial number of youth lacrosse leagues is the Chicago suburbs.

Hockey, on the other hand, is a very big deal. If Big Ten schools have any money to add another men's sport, that's the one that everyone wants. (It's all easier said than done, of course. Penn State needed the largest single donation in the history of its school for *anything* - academics, athletics, buildings, research labs, etc. - to start up its hockey program. Not too many schools can count on $100 million coming from a benefactor to start up hockey.)

Hockey sounds expensive....and so is lacrosse.
At Carolina lacrosse offers the largest number of scholarships (around 35 IIRC) each year with the exception of football. Hince it is the 2nd most expensive sport for the University to fund. Lacrosse is played as a varsity sport in the ACC by only 4 schools (Carolina, Dook, UVa and Maryland).

Lacrosse is expensive from a scholarship perspective, but costs peanuts from a facility perspective. You can just use the soccer stadium to play the lacrosse games. Hockey requires either a separate arena or a shared arena that was specifically designed with a hockey rink in mind. There's also all of that expensive ice making equipment and the cost of maintaining the ice.

That's all very true. The capital start-up costs for hockey are fairly huge. The advantage (at least in the Big Ten region), though, is that it can be a true revenue sport for large programs. Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Minnesota all make a substantial amount of profit on hockey.

The most likely candidates for new hockey programs would be schools that want to replace their current basketball arenas with multi-purpose facilities (Indiana and Illinois head that list in the Big Ten). That eliminates the need for an entirely separate facility.

(11-01-2010 07:29 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(10-31-2010 10:23 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(10-27-2010 06:26 PM)Theodoresdaddy Wrote:  does anyone think that the average Big 10 fan cares about lacrosse

No, albeit that's more because they've never been exposed to it. Outside of Pennsylvania, the only place in the Big Ten footprint that has a substantial number of youth lacrosse leagues is the Chicago suburbs.

Hockey, on the other hand, is a very big deal. If Big Ten schools have any money to add another men's sport, that's the one that everyone wants. (It's all easier said than done, of course. Penn State needed the largest single donation in the history of its school for *anything* - academics, athletics, buildings, research labs, etc. - to start up its hockey program. Not too many schools can count on $100 million coming from a benefactor to start up hockey.)

Hockey sounds expensive....and so is lacrosse.
At Carolina lacrosse offers the largest number of scholarships (around 35 IIRC) each year with the exception of football. Hince it is the 2nd most expensive sport for the University to fund. Lacrosse is played as a varsity sport in the ACC by only 4 schools (Carolina, Dook, UVa and Maryland).

I doubt UNC has 35 lacrosse players on schollie. The max is 12.6. Most lacrosse programs have 8-10 athletes on full scholarships, some more on partial to get to the 12.6 max and the rest are walk-ons.

Cheers,
Neil

(11-01-2010 07:38 AM)JunkYardCard Wrote:  Considering how difficult it is already to stay Title 9 compliant due to the scholly hog that is college football, why would any BCS conference be looking to burden itself with lacrosse? Can college lacrosse really be a TV money maker while minor leage baseball can't? College lacrosse is going to make TV money, but the Arena Football League folded despite actually having TV coverage?

Lacrosse, to me, is the closest equivalent to spring-time football. Not sure it will ever catch on outside the northeast/mid-atlantic states and I really, really don't believe the Big Ten is going to make its expansion decisions around this sport or baseball for that matter.

Football and academics will always be the driving force for any expansion.

Cheers,
Neil

Right you are Neil! The NCAA scholarship count for men's lacrosse is 12.6.
The Carolina lacrosse team does carry a compliment of 45 total players.

I might be a tad bias... But this is great news..


The funny part is that if they can get lacrosse going on the B10N it is a great substitute for a very week baseball component in the spring sports schedule. This is one of the areas that as a conference you can make big gains with the use of the B10N as a recruiting tool.

Much easier to recruit kids by telling them that there games will be guaranteed to be broadcasted on the B10N vs. having only regional tv possibilities for most of the teams on the east coast.

Love it on many levels. Great for the sport, great for the spring programming schedule and a great way to leverage the conference image into a budding spring sport that is TV friendly.

(11-01-2010 07:38 AM)JunkYardCard Wrote:  Considering how difficult it is already to stay Title 9 compliant due to the scholly hog that is college football, why would any BCS conference be looking to burden itself with lacrosse? Can college lacrosse really be a TV money maker while minor leage baseball can't? College lacrosse is going to make TV money, but the Arena Football League folded despite actually having TV coverage? This sounds like the biggest April fools joke ever.

Lacrosse games fit nicely into a 2 hour block...they don't usually go over unless there is overtime. Much more exciting IMHO to watch Lax than Basebore.

BTW, Omni is correct 12.6 scholies for Lax...35 was wrong.

(11-01-2010 08:51 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  Would Hopkins affiliate with a Big 10 lacrosse league?

Hopkins can stay Indy or go to any league they want in Lax. They are one of the two ultra elite programs in college Lax.

This is actually one of the reasons I am a proponent of Syracuse moving to the ACC and not the Big Ten. Football Stadium and on-field ability are a better fit in the ACC, playing BC/Duke/UNC/Maryland is much better in basketball, and the ACC LAX league would be stacked with Cuse, Virginia, UNC, Duke, and Maryland.