The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(11-27-2012 09:08 PM)Blazerstadium Wrote:  Take the money and the stigma of the Sun Belt Conference name away. Would we not be better off playing Middle TN, WKU, USA, Troy, Ga St then we are playing UTEP, Tulsa, Marshall, whatever south FL team. To me it makes more sense, business and fan perspective to play more teams that are within a few hours drive then schools that are an airplane ride away. We would have more fans in the stands, even if they were visiting fans, but it would bring a better atmosphere. Better atmosphere would bring more people back.

That and their is a better chance that there are alumni of those schools in the Birmingham area, creating rivalries, as well as UAB alumni in those closer cities.

Go ahead. Talk yourself into it.

(11-27-2012 09:08 PM)Blazerstadium Wrote:  Take the money and the stigma of the Sun Belt Conference name away. Would we not be better off playing Middle TN, WKU, USA, Troy, Ga St then we are playing UTEP, Tulsa, Marshall, whatever south FL team. To me it makes more sense, business and fan perspective to play more teams that are within a few hours drive then schools that are an airplane ride away. We would have more fans in the stands, even if they were visiting fans, but it would bring a better atmosphere. Better atmosphere would bring more people back.

That and their is a better chance that there are alumni of those schools in the Birmingham area, creating rivalries, as well as UAB alumni in those closer cities.

Welcome to BlazerTalk, Mr. Solomon.

Gene Bartow would never allow lowered expectations.

The current leadership sits down to pee.

You know why it's so hard to raise money for UAB athletics? Because it doesn't go to to improving anything.

I attended the club games in 1989 and 1990. I was in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 7, 1991. I enjoyed going to the football games against the likes of Lindenwood, Hastings, and Clinch Valley because I just knew that playing the dregs of college athletics was a temporary existence -- paying our dues, you might say -- and we'd eventually be in the big time after climbing the ladder for a while.

I will not enjoy watching games against the likes of WKU, FIU, UNT, and UTSA on our way back down. Been there, done that.

Patience -- and hope -- are running out.

I go to watch MY team play.

(11-27-2012 09:51 PM)Smaug Wrote:  I go to watch MY team play.

(11-27-2012 09:51 PM)Smaug Wrote:  I go to watch MY team play.

That's cool and very admirable. It's unfortunate, however, that there aren't enough people who feel the same way to keep the lights on forever.

(11-27-2012 09:58 PM)BlazerGrad88 Wrote:  

(11-27-2012 09:51 PM)Smaug Wrote:  I go to watch MY team play.

That's cool and very admirable. It's unfortunate, however, that there aren't enough people who feel the same way to keep the lights on forever.

Yep, there's going to be a huge drop off in attendance when we go from playing Tulane to playing La. Tech.

I remember when I was in undergrad, La Tech brought quite a few folks up. If I remember correctly, they had a QB by the name of Tim Ratay.

kicked our tail.

(11-27-2012 09:08 PM)Blazerstadium Wrote:  Take the money and the stigma of the Sun Belt Conference name away...

Yes, you actually typed that. How the hell do you evaluate a conference without regard to money and reputation? In today's world, why does the regional closeness of a conference matter? When we hosted Bham-Southern basketball exhibition games a few years ago there was no huge section of UAB fans shaking their fists and taunting their players, nor do I imagine anyone contacted Mackin to makes sure he knew his job was on the line if we didn't beat the Panthers.

So if regional proximity does not automagically make for rivals, what value does it provide? If you like, grab a calculator and add up the travel expenses of a CUSA schedule, then do the same for a Sunbelt schedule. Whatever savings you find are covered - many times over, probably - by the distribution from TV rights for a national conference (that has teams on the basketball side, btw, that networks actually WANT on their channel). Furthermore, you can add a line in the "Cons" column of the Sunbelt for "$$ lost from donors who have no interest in supporting a Sunbelt athletics program".


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(11-27-2012 09:53 PM)Motley Blazer Wrote:  

(11-27-2012 09:51 PM)Smaug Wrote:  I go to watch MY team play.

:rock:

Well you'll have to physically be at every game because you won't ever see it on TV again.

I don't have the luxury of living in Bham. I managed to make the trip to Legion Field for ECU to watch that catastrophe in person. However due to our TV package I saw every televised game.

In the Sunbelt, we won't have 6 games televised regionally.

Even though the BE tv deal isn't final, per espn, TV revenues may go from 750k per team to 8 million. THAT is the difference of being a have or a have not.

While our management makes sure that the UAT game is on in the Legion Field sky box during our home games, sits at the head of the BCS table, prepares for another national championship game, spends 80 million on renovations to their Saturday sanctuary...we tumble down the rabbit hole because a 4 billion dollar leg of the system drowns in its own vomit.

Everybody repeatedly kicks UAB in the balls because we continually let them do it with no fear of revolt. After the stadium debacle, there was enough evidence to make changes and they just listened to the steam run out of the tank. UAH too. #freeUAB is a memory and everybody just went back to sleep. Nothing will ever change without having a group of people in place that have the sack to carry the fight every day.

We are sleeping in the bed that we made. It's lumpy and the sheets need washed.

Okay, then. What's your plan to to get us rolling?

(11-27-2012 10:49 PM)blazr Wrote:  

(11-27-2012 09:08 PM)Blazerstadium Wrote:  Take the money and the stigma of the Sun Belt Conference name away...

Yes, you actually typed that. How the hell do you evaluate a conference without regard to money and reputation? In today's world, why does the regional closeness of a conference matter? When we hosted Bham-Southern basketball exhibition games a few years ago there was no huge section of UAB fans shaking their fists and taunting their players, nor do I imagine anyone contacted Mackin to makes sure he knew his job was on the line if we didn't beat the Panthers.

So if regional proximity does not automagically make for rivals, what value does it provide? If you like, grab a calculator and add up the travel expenses of a CUSA schedule, then do the same for a Sunbelt schedule. Whatever savings you find are covered - many times over, probably - by the distribution from TV rights for a national conference (that has teams on the basketball side, btw, that networks actually WANT on their channel). Furthermore, you can add a line in the "Cons" column of the Sunbelt for "$$ lost from donors who have no interest in supporting a Sunbelt athletics program".


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AUTOMAGICALLY?

I am stealing that.

(11-28-2012 08:34 AM)Uncle BLAZER Wrote:  AUTOMAGICALLY?

I am stealing that.

Alas, I must give credit to the one-time famous and always strange Biz Markie.

(11-28-2012 07:39 AM)Smaug Wrote:  Okay, then. What's your plan to to get us rolling?

If I had that answer, I wouldn't be posting cries for help on a message board.

Wish I knew. Really wish I knew.

(11-25-2012 09:54 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  

(11-25-2012 06:36 PM)BlazingGoat Wrote:  

(11-25-2012 01:14 PM)UABFRENCHY Wrote:  Some day all the non bcs teams will be part of a big super conference with multiple divisions in relation of the location (aka to save money)

All those teams will get one and only one chance of compete again the 7 or 15 spots allocate to the bcs teams .
Right now most of thoses non bcs teams dont even have a chance

Actually, I think that part of this should happen.

1) All "bcs" teams should be in their own conference and league. No more "undefeated" seasons. They have to play each other for homecoming even!

2) They can even pay their players (like they do now) and do the whole professional football thing down to the unions and the whole bit.

3) Then the rest of us can get back to the business of playing college football without feeling like we have to sell out or constantly talk about why we don't fill a 72,000 seat stadium.

Everybody talks about "gasp" how dare anyone consider UAB dropping down to a lower division (the horror), but I've seen this proposal more than once. If this idea goes through, what do you think we will be, other than a lower division. Separate by equal didnt' work in civil rights and education. It doesn't work in college sports either.

Well, I did a very poor job of stating what I meant actually. What I mean is not EVERY BCS team. What I mean are the top 1% or whatever. These megaschools who are even now in some ways "above the law". I guess if you consistently draw 80K+ when you play the little sisters of the poor. THOSE people.

They should just play each other and let the rest of us do our own thing. They are as much like us as we are like aliens from Alpha Centauri. There would be plenty of teams left (even of the BCS conferences) for us to play. It wouldn't really be a lower division. More like voting THEM off the island.

What's funny to think about is how many bandwagoners would still go to watch them when they lost 4-5 games a year... It's not easy playing a peer... If an Apple plays an Orange that's not competition.