Hello There, Guest! (LoginRegister)

      
Post Reply 
Motivation
Author Message
Bookmark and Share
colohank Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 2,027
Joined: Jul 2014
Reputation: 248
I Root For: Cincy
Location: Colorado
Post: #1
Motivation
I've enjoyed watching the construction activity at Nippert Stadium, but I can't help wondering...

Would a responsible public university administration approve the expenditure of more than eighty million bucks to upgrade a football stadium and another big chunk of change to upgrade a basketball venue with the hope that those projects might motivate a P5 conference to extend an invitation, or would it do so only if it knew for sure that such an invitation was imminent?

If the former, isn't that one hell of a gamble?

There's a very fine line, methinks, between building a ticket to the big time and building a couple of big white elephants.
 
04-23-2015 11:33 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


Murph29 Offline
Heisman
*

Posts: 6,784
Joined: Sep 2004
Reputation: 107
I Root For: humble people
Location: Right of Center
Post: #2
RE: Motivation
Universities upgrade, expand and improve facilities all the time without conference changes in the background. I hope you're right but I think given the success of football, the effect of the crowd size on the smaller, obsolete nippert infrastructure and the impact on the game experience, they knew it was time to upgrade and knowing that's also needed for conference upgrade, they moved forward. I think they knew they needed it for an upgrade in conference whether that's now or at some time down the road in the future.
 
04-23-2015 11:45 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
FLIP Offline
Special Teams
*

Posts: 929
Joined: Aug 2004
Reputation: 16
I Root For:
Location:
Post: #3
RE: Motivation
Regardless if UC gets into a P5 or not, those projects needed to be done. Nippert - the old pressbox was not close to being big enough, facilities such as bathrooms needed to be addressed due to increased attendance. Basketball - current setup is not very fan friendly, and is way out of date compared to venues in schools the same size and smaller than UC. Unlike the city and their white elephants (freedom center, and the future street car) these projects have a higher chance for success - Nippert has already sold out the suites (10 year lease) and season ticket sales have been as high as ever (around 12-14k in the early 90's to well over 22k today). Besides, both venues will have a decent revenue stream compared to the city's current and future white elephants. IMO, I wouldn't call it a gamble, but a necessity. And if UC does get the P5 invite, that's a bonus.
 
04-23-2015 11:51 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


CliftonAve Offline
Heisman
*

Posts: 21,880
Joined: May 2012
Reputation: 1171
I Root For: Jimmy Nippert
Location:
Post: #4
RE: Motivation
The last two posters are dead on. The revenue garnered from the premium seating is actually needed now more than ever before.

Another thing I would add is that we are hardly the only team adding or enhancing facilities. Everyone is doing it, including the MAC schools. Miami just built a new indoor practice facility that is as nice as most elite P5 schools. NIU is talking about expanding their football stadium to 42k.
 
04-23-2015 11:58 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
kyucat Offline
Special Teams
*

Posts: 801
Joined: Nov 2005
Reputation: 18
I Root For:
Location:
Post: #5
RE: Motivation
I do not think of Miami as a rival the program has advanced way past Miami.
The Miami Game should be held in Cincinnati every year. Attendance for the game would be much better. Even Miami fans don't attend the games as witnessed by there 16,000 per game average. In fact the entire MAC has a average of around 15,000 per game.
 
04-23-2015 12:14 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


SuperFlyBCat Offline
Banned

Posts: 49,583
Joined: Mar 2005
I Root For: America and UC
Location: Cincinnati
Post: #6
RE: Motivation
(04-23-2015 11:58 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  The last two posters are dead on. The revenue garnered from the premium seating is actually needed now more than ever before.

Another thing I would add is that we are hardly the only team adding or enhancing facilities. Everyone is doing it, including the MAC schools. Miami just built a new indoor practice facility that is as nice as most elite P5 schools. NIU is talking about expanding their football stadium to 42k.

Besides NIU, CSU is building a new stadium. Houston just completed their stadium, same for Tulane. UCF's is newer. The Suites and Club revenue should do a good job of servicing the debt. It was a project that had to get done regardless. Nippert is going to look great for the ESPN Thursday night game vs. Hurricanes.
 
04-23-2015 12:48 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
bearcatfan Offline
Hall of Famer
*

Posts: 19,516
Joined: Jun 2004
Reputation: 192
I Root For: The Bearcats!
Location:
Post: #7
RE: Motivation
I think at this point you either try to keep up as best as you can or just scrap football. I think as the next few years go by we may see some schools either drop football or go to FCS.

If the P5 get their own division, and I think that is what they are after, some schools may just say "you win, we give up".
 
04-23-2015 01:19 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


MickMack Offline
All American
*

Posts: 4,499
Joined: Sep 2011
Reputation: 335
I Root For: UC!
Location:
Post: #8
RE: Motivation
(04-23-2015 11:33 AM)colohank Wrote:  I've enjoyed watching the construction activity at Nippert Stadium, but I can't help wondering...

Would a responsible public university administration approve the expenditure of more than eighty million bucks to upgrade a football stadium and another big chunk of change to upgrade a basketball venue with the hope that those projects might motivate a P5 conference to extend an invitation, or would it do so only if it knew for sure that such an invitation was imminent?

If the former, isn't that one hell of a gamble?

There's a very fine line, methinks, between building a ticket to the big time and building a couple of big white elephants.

Think of it this way: there's a plausible argument that we're not in a P5 conference right now because past administrations failed to invest in facilities upgrades. The only question for me is whether UC is too late.
 
04-23-2015 02:09 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
BearcatJerry Offline
Hall of Famer
*

Posts: 12,092
Joined: Mar 2013
Reputation: 506
I Root For: UC Bearcats
Location:
Post: #9
RE: Motivation
(04-23-2015 11:33 AM)colohank Wrote:  I've enjoyed watching the construction activity at Nippert Stadium, but I can't help wondering...

Would a responsible public university administration approve the expenditure of more than eighty million bucks to upgrade a football stadium and another big chunk of change to upgrade a basketball venue with the hope that those projects might motivate a P5 conference to extend an invitation, or would it do so only if it knew for sure that such an invitation was imminent?

If the former, isn't that one hell of a gamble?

There's a very fine line, methinks, between building a ticket to the big time and building a couple of big white elephants.

1) It's absolute gamble, but one the university HAD to take. Brian Kelly was clear on the issue: Nippert...as it used to be...hamstrung the FB program because it had NO alternate revenue streams. Plus fans were also fairly clear: the stadium...as it was...was a negative in that concessions, restrooms, and basic traffic flow made going to the games more a labor than a joy. Hopefully both of those things have now been addressed.

2) What other solutions...even if UC ends up for a long time outside the "Power" world did you have? Akron fairly recently built a whole new stadium. So did North Texas. There was no option to build new...certainly not at $87MM. So you're left with having to invest in Nippert or (presumably) disband FB. Some said "Use Paul Brown Stadium" which makes some sense except that PBS is a privately held venture meaning that you have to take whatever terms the Brown family offered you. Look at what's happening in Philadelphia, where Temple is in a similar situation and facing a HUGE rent increase. (FWIW, I think Temple FB will be one of the casualties of the realignment.) Pitt is dissimilar because the University of Pittsburgh is a co-investor in Heinz Field. So, the $87MM the University invested in Nippert belongs TO US, whereas we would have been paying that much...and probably more...over the long-haul to a private family in rent.

3) If you're going to use Nippert, there are some inherent realities you have to accept:
A) It is more expensive to build on the site because of existing infrastructure (so part of that $87MM is just the reality of building where you are).
B) There will always be a tight, MAXIMUM capacity (meaning you are going to have to live with the idea that Nippert, no matter HOW much you pour into it will never exceed a certain number, probably in the range of 55-65k).
C) But what is spent here, STAYS here...and will bring more in through concessions, parking, and on-campus sales. (Whereas going off-campus means that all those things leave the University...)
D) The more people you have coming INTO campus translates into free publicity for the future of the University in terms of future students. (How many kids end up going to the University they first started dreaming of when they went to games there?)

In short, I think the University HAD to do this and do it now. The funding was there NOW, the interest was there NOW. It may well payoff down the road in a "Power" conference invitation, but the University had to take the chance to do this now even if it doesn't.
 
04-23-2015 02:15 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


JackieTreehorn Offline
Heisman
*

Posts: 6,869
Joined: Jul 2007
Reputation: 129
I Root For: The Bearcats
Location: The 'Nati
Post: #10
RE: Motivation
(04-23-2015 11:33 AM)colohank Wrote:  I've enjoyed watching the construction activity at Nippert Stadium, but I can't help wondering...

Would a responsible public university administration approve the expenditure of more than eighty million bucks to upgrade a football stadium and another big chunk of change to upgrade a basketball venue with the hope that those projects might motivate a P5 conference to extend an invitation, or would it do so only if it knew for sure that such an invitation was imminent?

If the former, isn't that one hell of a gamble?

There's a very fine line, methinks, between building a ticket to the big time and building a couple of big white elephants.

It's not like the university itself is writing a check from it's general funds. This is largely being financed by donations, seat and suite licenses, etc...
In any eventuality, trying to label a up-to-date, functional arena and stadium which is part of a major college campus a "white elephant" is absurd.
 
04-23-2015 02:30 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
bctn8n Offline
1st String
*

Posts: 1,049
Joined: Oct 2011
Reputation: 19
I Root For: .
Location:
Post: #11
RE: Motivation
(04-23-2015 02:30 PM)JackieTreehorn Wrote:  
(04-23-2015 11:33 AM)colohank Wrote:  I've enjoyed watching the construction activity at Nippert Stadium, but I can't help wondering...

Would a responsible public university administration approve the expenditure of more than eighty million bucks to upgrade a football stadium and another big chunk of change to upgrade a basketball venue with the hope that those projects might motivate a P5 conference to extend an invitation, or would it do so only if it knew for sure that such an invitation was imminent?

If the former, isn't that one hell of a gamble?

There's a very fine line, methinks, between building a ticket to the big time and building a couple of big white elephants.

It's not like the university itself is writing a check from it's general funds. This is largely being financed by donations, seat and suite licenses, etc...
In any eventuality, trying to label a up-to-date, functional arena and stadium which is part of a major college campus a "white elephant" is absurd.

Does anyone know the origin of the use of "White Elephant"? To me a white elephant would be extremely rare thus the value would be extremely high. By using that logic, labeling Nippert as a white elephant would be a good thing in being an ultra rare and profitable CFB stadium.

Same thing goes with the phrase "the giant gorilla in the room". If there was truly a giant gorilla out there and it was in the room I was in, I would "attempt" to catch it. Once caught, I would lease it out to the zoo for some extra cash.
 
04-23-2015 02:40 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 




User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


Copyright © 2002-2024 Collegiate Sports Nation Bulletin Board System (CSNbbs), All Rights Reserved.
CSNbbs is an independent fan site and is in no way affiliated to the NCAA or any of the schools and conferences it represents.
This site monetizes links. FTC Disclosure.
We allow third-party companies to serve ads and/or collect certain anonymous information when you visit our web site. These companies may use non-personally identifiable information (e.g., click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over) during your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use a cookie or third party web beacon to collect this information. To learn more about this behavioral advertising practice or to opt-out of this type of advertising, you can visit http://www.networkadvertising.org.
Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2024 MyBB Group.