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

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/foot...ffect-unlv

Excerpt:

By MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The fight at Alabama-Birmingham rages on, with those rallying to save football at the school gaining momentum after it looked as if their battle was hopeless.

What happens at UAB will have far-reaching effects, including at UNLV.

UAB president Ray Watts decided Dec. 2 to shut down the football program, saying the university no longer could afford to subsidize two-thirds of what has been a $30 million operating budget for the athletic department. Supporters of the program have since rallied to try to bring back football, and Watts is weighing whether keeping the sport makes financial sense.

If Watts sticks with his decision to end Blazers football, such a decision would influence other schools in similar financial situations to look seriously at taking such a bold step.

(05-24-2015 06:41 AM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/foot...ffect-unlv

Excerpt:

By MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

The fight at Alabama-Birmingham rages on, with those rallying to save football at the school gaining momentum after it looked as if their battle was hopeless.

What happens at UAB will have far-reaching effects, including at UNLV.

UAB president Ray Watts decided Dec. 2 to shut down the football program, saying the university no longer could afford to subsidize two-thirds of what has been a $30 million operating budget for the athletic department. Supporters of the program have since rallied to try to bring back football, and Watts is weighing whether keeping the sport makes financial sense.

If Watts sticks with his decision to end Blazers football, such a decision would influence other schools in similar financial situations to look seriously at taking such a bold step.

I try not to hate anyone, but I am failing at this when it comes to Ray Watts and certain members if the UA BoT.

Well Desert, you live out there and know that UNLV's football program has struggled mightily over the past few years. But there's no way they're contemplating doing the same thing.

Not to mention it has been proven that this really isn't about money so article is moot or is that moo

I agree. It's really never been about the money for real, but, unfortunately, people around the country will continue to look at the decision here in that context. Instead of looking at it as an administrative failing, it's going to be framed as being a waste of funds that could be allocated elsewhere or whatever. People look at this and they don't see the stuff surrounding this unless they're specifically informed. What ultimately happens here will go on to be a case study for sure.

Completely off topic, but the article mentioned Miami wanting to leave the stadium they share with the Dolphins so they can put up a smaller stadium that could host a MLS team. That's something I always thought Birmingham could emulate.

(05-24-2015 12:01 PM)FNblazer Wrote:  Well Desert, you live out there and know that UNLV's football program has struggled mightily over the past few years. But there's no way they're contemplating doing the same thing.

The topic has been floated from time to time. I hoped it would be put to rest with the hiring of our new coach and subsequent financial support by the Fertitta brothers (casino moguls and UFC owners). There is more excitement over the program's direction right now than i can remember. But there are also many alumni who mistakenly see football (and everything else) as a drag on basketball. You just can't convince them that the loss of football would damage basketball and that a strong football program would help basketball.

But, in the end, UNLV doesn't suffer under a hostile BoT the way UAB does. Sure there is tension between UNR and UNLV, but the board of regents is elected with term limits (decisions seem to swing UNLV's way at present, with a new more favorable funding formula for southern NV institutions and approval of a new UNLV medical school--Lord I hope they don't hire Watts).

(05-24-2015 01:20 PM)Desert_Blazer Wrote:  You just can't convince them that the loss of football would damage basketball and that a strong football program would help basketball.

Because honestly there is no real proof of this. Matter of fact, I would argue the lack of football success didn't prevent UNLV from winning a national championship in basketball. A lack of a FBS program hasn't preventing teams like Gonzaga, St. Marys, Creighton, and Wichita State from having very good to great programs.

Now you're out west where football isn't king supposedly so that would make UAB and UNLV completely different situations. But could it be argue that a lack of a strong football program has hurt UNLV Basketball? I don't buy the excuse of not having a football program hurts basketball. Not having a football program hurts campus life and the recruitment of new students for sure.

In UAB case, the lack of an attractive football program has prevented basketball from being in a better conference (AAC for example). I know this is due to the meddling of the BOT and it can't be help but it is what it is.

UNLV would take a massive pay cut to play in the Big West. There is no where else for them to go, and even if the WCC was open to a public school, it's still a pay cut.

UNLV should have taken the Big East/Big West hybrid option when it was available. If UNLV could have convinced San Diego State, BYU, and Boise State to all join the WAC with them, it could have made the WAC a decent basketball conference:

Seattle
San Diego State
UNLV
BYU
Boise State
Idaho
Denver
New Mexico State

The football lineup would have looked something like this:

West - SMU, Houston, BYU, UNLV, SDSU, Boise State
East - USF, UCF, Cincinnati, Temple, UConn, Memphis

The Big East probably still wouldn't become a contract (AQ) conference, but it would have a better shot at the G5 slot than the current AAC.

The Mountain West isn't going to let them stay without football.