(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

Good luck with that. $1 million/6 games / $20 per ticket = 8,333 extra tickets sold per game. Right. In this conference?

(05-31-2014 01:47 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

Good luck with that. $1 million/6 games / $20 per ticket = 8,333 extra tickets sold per game. Right. In this conference?

Yup, not easy. But, the ticket sales have to increase for all sports. So, you find a way.

The two sports from which the revenue must be generated are football and basketball. If one assumes an increase of 5,000 per game in football (laughable, but we'll assume it for the sake of argument), you'd need an increase of 2,000 per game in basketball, assuming 13 home games and an average ticket price of $15.

Sorry, but I don't see either scenario in the near or distant future.

(05-31-2014 01:59 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  The two sports from which the revenue must be generated are football and basketball. If one assumes an increase of 5,000 per game in football (laughable, but we'll assume it for the sake of argument), you'd need an increase of 2,000 per game in basketball, assuming 13 home games and an average ticket price of $15.

Sorry, but I don't see either scenario in the near or distant future.

Ok, so you do the best you can in that area and then you work on another area.

(05-31-2014 01:47 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

Good luck with that. $1 million/6 games / $20 per ticket = 8,333 extra tickets sold per game. Right. In this conference?

This conference vs the previous one isn't a huge difference. UNT vs SMU and UTSA vs asluT are potentially worth 5k more in those games and maybe even more. Losing UH as a conference mate hurts, and might hurt as much as gaining these two helps.

I don't know if the season ticket numbers I heard were accurate (the source was the horse, but it may have been a qualified number) but if I understood the number correctly, adding 8,333 tickets per game means selling about 11,000 season tickets.... total.

It's important that we dominate CUSA if we expect to draw, but it's also important that we close the gap between ourselves and the middle of the p5 conferences. I think we've done better in the former, but not nearly well enough in the latter. Games against A&M and Notre Dame and Tech and Baylor can't be merely money games, but opportunities to make statements.

(05-31-2014 02:16 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  Games against A&M and Notre Dame and Tech and Baylor can't be merely money games, but opportunities to make statements.

And there you have it.

(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Perhaps this is your point, but the average driving distance is something like (Rice-IAH=12)+(***-dest)=##, which will probably be under 100 miles averaged with (210+286+307)=270.

Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

I hope (but don't know for sure) that UTEP and UAB will be flights for all sports.

USM is tough. I think the nearest commercial airport is New Orleans, and Hattiesburg is a 2 hour drive from there. IIRC baseball took buses.

Mostly I just think it's weird that some people keep trying to convince us that our new division is "geographically compact."

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

UH was in our division; USM and UAB were not. In football that's partially offset by only having 2 cross-division games. In other sports, I don't know yet how scheduling will be done. But the idea that the new configuration will be better for travel for Rice seems like an irrational fantasy.

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

You might be right about those two, but that's unlikely to balance replacing UH with LaTech.

I do agree that the AD's focus is correct. Unfortunately, I think this conference makes that job harder, not easier.

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

Exactly. I'm glad I'm not the only one beating this drum anymore. UTSA and North Texas were excellent replacements for SMU and Tulsa. UTSA and UNT are public schools with far more fans. They'll bring more than twice the number of fans to Rice Stadium than Tulsa and SMU. If CUSA ever expands again, I hope they consider ULL for the same reasons (proximity, traveling fan base).

(05-31-2014 01:51 PM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 01:47 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

Good luck with that. $1 million/6 games / $20 per ticket = 8,333 extra tickets sold per game. Right. In this conference?

Yup, not easy. But, the ticket sales have to increase for all sports. So, you find a way.

That, or jack up prices to compensate. But that's all that is in Rices control now (ticket sales).

(05-31-2014 06:01 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 01:51 PM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 01:47 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 11:55 AM)I45owl Wrote:  Alternately, the important number is 3, which is the number of schools that can be driven to, practically.

And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

Good luck with that. $1 million/6 games / $20 per ticket = 8,333 extra tickets sold per game. Right. In this conference?

Yup, not easy. But, the ticket sales have to increase for all sports. So, you find a way.

That, or jack up prices to compensate. But that's all that is in Rices control now (ticket sales).

I'd remembered significant price increases in MBB tickets during Del Conte's time. To what extent did that hurt casual fan interest and attendance during later promising years with Kazemi?

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

(05-31-2014 06:51 PM)YOwl Ming Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 06:01 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 01:51 PM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 01:47 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(05-31-2014 12:32 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  And each of those 3 were programs added last year. UTEP and UAB were already here.

The AD is right to focus on making up that $1M in tv revenues with ticket sales. North Texas may bring more fans than SMU. UTSA will definitely bring more than Tulsa.

Good luck with that. $1 million/6 games / $20 per ticket = 8,333 extra tickets sold per game. Right. In this conference?

Yup, not easy. But, the ticket sales have to increase for all sports. So, you find a way.

That, or jack up prices to compensate. But that's all that is in Rices control now (ticket sales).

I'd remembered significant price increases in MBB tickets during Del Conte's time. To what extent did that hurt casual fan interest and attendance during later promising years with Kazemi?

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

It led to me discontinuing my season tickets, which led to me never attending.