(05-04-2015 01:41 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  At least 7 of those 17 are private schools. I think they're only talking about public schools in each state in this thread. Regardless, 10 is still are large number.

Yes, you are correct, I should've been more specific: our 14 are all public uni's. There are also a bunch of private ones spread through out the state...esp in NOLA.

(05-04-2015 01:27 PM)inutech Wrote:  One of the few ways to get Tech fans and ULL fans to agree is to start talking about shutting down other 4 year schools in Louisiana.

The other, depending on the level of fandom, would be to complain about LSU. But you'd always run the risk (with either school's fanbase, sadly) of running across a bandwagon tigah fan who cheers for LSU and beloved alma mater, so even that's not as reliable as the ole "let's merge X, close Y, and turn Z into a community college."

I have always said, LTU & UL need to realize they are on the same side, and lsu is on the other.

(05-04-2015 12:32 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(05-04-2015 11:21 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  Well I just got back from 7 days in the area of Boca to Miami well actually Palm Beach to Miami, my 5th trip since Jan 18th...

Boca and Miami are so much different than any of our cities (CUSA) like light and day...actually NIGHT AND DAY. People in Miami are not going to travel across the city to watch FIU play...there's no connection to the people living 5 miles from the school to FIU. Other words if you live in BG or any other CUSA city other than Houston or San Antonio 95% of the people will know of the university and in most cases it will be one of the top 5 employers for the city and the #1 cause of employment for most of us.

PEOPLE KNOW IT and that makes more of a personal connection to the school

that's really not the case in Miami most people east of I95 probably don't know what FIU is

FIU is surrounded mostly by what would be middle to upper working class in most of our cities and in my opinion, which is based off no facts other than what I see with my own eyes FIU is more connected to the middle upper class type of people because that is the look the school dives off when you drive around the campus and see the students walking....like I said I might be wrong but that's the look I get. So with that you don't have the connection to the kids growing up on football...the kids we all spend big bucks to recruit out of S. Fla. So those families are not traveling across the city to watch a FIU game...

not when 99% of them thinks pro or P5 when they think football

So my point is FIU is not a Grambling type school that has a connection or some history in the black communities in the city to draw fans from. Once you take that out a large % of the people came to this city from another country with in the last 50 years and places where football a totally different sport. So again no connection

Like others have said you are fighting with the beaches, night life, arts, shopping, food and a 100 other things for the dollars it cost to see a FIU game.

Boca is or at least the area I seen is mostly rich folks and a large % of those are from somewhere else. I'm sure it has it's poorer part of the city but it must be the area around i95 and away from the campus. Again you are fighting with the beaches and mid 70s to 80s in Nov and Dec. TONs of nightlife with in a 30-45 minute drive...Miami, Ft Lauderdale and the same goes for eats. You could probably go out to eat every weekend and not experience all of the go to places with in a 10 to 30 minute drive in two years...104 times. Same with Bars and nightclubs. All of those are fighting for the money being spent on football..and TIME. Again you are in the area of the country where pro sports are king to the people living there.

So while most of us have a very limited number of places to go eat or go out to...you always have a new choice in both Miami and BOCA with in a 30 minute drive. Not only that you don't have the connection that most of our schools have with the city...employment and value. And since a large % of the people probably came to the area with in the last 20 to 50 years...most of them have no connection to the school or football and basketball teams.

Both are fighting a battle with butts in the seats that they can not win...not even with winning teams. That not even adding in the fact over the last 20+ years espn has told everyone with the money to buy those tickets (40 under) we don't play big boy football.

I don't think any of the presidents in CUSA would trade either FIU or FAU for a team playing in any other G5 conference....I wouldn't either, well other than Western for FAU on the timeline. But not FAU for UL-L, ARK ST, USA, and MAC school or and MTW school...more so on distant in for the MTW

Now to the bond rating...Western and Bowling Green has a partnership where the city issues a lot of bonds for Western because of the rating. Not that Western's was bad but because the city's was better and the issue Western had with needing state approval if it went through Western.

Everything you have stated is true except for even the P5 school as well as the Pro teams have difficulty drawing a crowd. You can't look as what happens for a Superbowl in Miami. There is simply an abundance of venues trying to get the entertainment dollars out of the people's pockets. Take a look and the Hurricanes MBB attendance numbers, they are horrible for an ACC team and its the same for their football. Even the Dolphins have very weak crowds. There is just too much competition for the dollar.

Yes I agree with that I was mainly talking about people in the fan pool that are football/basketball fans...

most of those think of pro sports as bigtime, then P5 and a long way down the line G5 schools.