http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/539634

Quote:“I think it's the best thing this conference has done to elevate its success,” Campbell said. “Obviously our fans — that's tough to play on a Tuesday and Wednesday night. But if we really look at what those Tuesday and Wednesday night games have done for our conference, it's made us better.”

Is there any evidence to support that the conference has been more successful when several of the teams are mired in the bottom ten of the rankings? In what way does the commissioner or the coaches feel the conference has been more successful? And in what ways have the universities used and benefitted from the tv money? How does that tv revenue compare to the expected revenue from fuller stadiums? Could they have probably made local deals that generated revenue and retained the weekend games? Is comparing the attendance of a 1994 weekend game to a 2014 Thursday game, two decades later, really informational?


It doesn't seem to me a particularly good piece of journalism. I like the ESPN package, particularly for away games but overall, the article didn't really answer any questions I had. It didn't justify or challenge the package. It was more a mouth piece for those that do not want to have to justify their decision, whether it be good or bad. For all it said, that entire revenue stream could be going straight to coaching and conference management salaries. They could possibly make more from a deal with local broadcasts and keep fans in the seats for weekend games.

I thought this was a poorly written story with nothing new. How about an interview with Mike O'Brien about how poor attendance affects the program long term?

“So we're asking our fans, for one or two home games per year, work with us on that. There's some give and take there, but I think by-and-large, [weeknight games have] been very, very positive for this conference.”

We have five weeknight games. I understand they are not all at home, but that restricts our travel as well. Mount Pleasant is one of my favorite drives to make for UT games, but can't go this year.

I think it's a timely story. Maybe not new information to hard core fans, but it might be informative to the general public.

Quote:Toledo's top four quarterbacks came from Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Louisiana. The Rockets' best receiver comes from Washington, D.C., and two defensive line starters come from Oklahoma and Florida. Ten Rockets hail from the Pittsburgh area, most key contributors.

Having players from all over the country, even internationally, is nothing new, although I could see where the exposure on ESPN helps somewhat.

I still think the games should be strictly pay-per-view locally and the cost should be that of a general admission ticket, with some of the revenue going to UT. I go to every home football game--17 years running, haven't missed one--but if I had to be at home sick I'd gladly pay the price to be able to watch the game.

The difficulty with local deals is that most MAC schools have extremely small local markets that may not even have a local TV station to cut a deal with. Most of the ones in/near bigger media markets are competing with big name schools, NFL teams and the like. Evidence is that Akron and Kent who are in the biggest media market in the MAC school have never been able to get local TV deals. A school like EMU is trapped and has no chance for a local TV deal. Toledo is somewhat unique in that it is in a fair sized market but far away from big competition to be able to warrant a local deal. WMU might be the only similar story. Still, I can't believe a UT deal with BCSN or another channel would bring in anything near what the ESPN deal nets for the school.

The national exposure benefits in many ways
- out of town alums can watch the team, and remain in touch and thus may be more willing to donate
- advertising and name recognition that can attract students (not just athletes). How many people around the country do you think know that Toledo has a major university only because of seeing the sports teams on ESPN? A lot I think, as I have met many.
- Helps recruiting, not just because the athletes now know about the UT program, but they also know that their family and friends will get to see them play on TV at least a couple times a year.

Of course, that kind of stuff is very hard to quantify, so does it beat out the annoyance to the local fanbase? I don't know. I don't like the Tuesday night games much myself, but would guess it is still an overall plus to most all of the MAC schools.

name recognition that can attract students (not just athletes)

I've been hearing this for years, but UT has gone from a high of 26,000 students to under 20,000 in 2014.

(08-02-2015 12:03 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  name recognition that can attract students (not just athletes)

I've been hearing this for years, but UT has gone from a high of 26,000 students to under 20,000 in 2014.

20,782 in 2015; heading in the right direction

Why has their been no research to find exactly how many fans this weeknight deal have been turned off attending games.... versus how many people can now watch MAC games on TV?

Like a chart showing saturday weekend games in mid november for Kent vs. Miami in 2007 and now when they would play at 8:00 on a Wednesday in November?

I feel like November games are poorly attended games in the midwest anyhow? Why not take a hit with the slightly poorer attended games, but take the huge national exposure???? I'd rather be playing midweek games in November than in September when fans would really get mad to miss nice weather, non conference opponents, later at night???

Really would CMU be happy to play Toledo on November 12th on a Saturday for 1,000? more fans.... versus on November 8th on a weeknight with 100k people on national TV tuning in?

Would Toledo rather play WMU in the 7 degree warmer weather on a Saturday in late November for 3,000 more fans vs. earlier that week.... versus playing Iowa State on a weeknight at 8:00 in September when 7,000 less fans can show up for the national exposure of that game. We are hurt by the weeknight games the same no matter the month as far as the % of people who can make it out. But in November that fan pool is already smaller because it's cold and people don't want to go anyways. IMO we would lose way more fans if we did the weeknight thing early in the season.

I absolutely hate the weeknight games particularly Tuesday and Wednesday.

No atmosphere, no "game day" fun, e.g., tailgating, etc.

I've personally lost a lost of interest in Rockets football the past 2-3 years. Haven't been able to travel to watch the UT-NIU game in DeKalb for years because the damn game is always the middle of the week.

I've spoken with my wallet. Stopped donating (was at President's Club level), stopped buying season tickets, and I sold the Jambulance because it was a lot of work and money to maintain it for just a few Saturday games.

So Fan Plans for us, and my days as a "Rockets Fanatic" are just a fading memory.

(08-02-2015 12:30 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(08-02-2015 12:03 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  name recognition that can attract students (not just athletes)

I've been hearing this for years, but UT has gone from a high of 26,000 students to under 20,000 in 2014.

20,782 in 2015; heading in the right direction

It's the ACT scores and retention that matter, not the enrollment numbers. I would love to see that the higher enrollment is due to retention as opposed to incoming Freshman, unless of course those Fr represent higher entrance scores. Otherwise, all the number says is that they convinced more students to stay home for costs sake and that the standards have fallen to boot.

Devil's in the details.

(08-02-2015 02:02 PM)RangerRocket Wrote:  I absolutely hate the weeknight games particularly Tuesday and Wednesday.

No atmosphere, no "game day" fun, e.g., tailgating, etc.

I've personally lost a lost of interest in Rockets football the past 2-3 years. Haven't been able to travel to watch the UT-NIU game in DeKalb for years because the damn game is always the middle of the week.

I've spoken with my wallet. Stopped donating (was at President's Club level), stopped buying season tickets, and I sold the Jambulance because it was a lot of work and money to maintain it for just a few Saturday games.

So Fan Plans for us, and my days as a "Rockets Fanatic" are just a fading memory.

(08-02-2015 05:03 PM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(08-02-2015 02:02 PM)RangerRocket Wrote:  I absolutely hate the weeknight games particularly Tuesday and Wednesday.

No atmosphere, no "game day" fun, e.g., tailgating, etc.

I've personally lost a lost of interest in Rockets football the past 2-3 years. Haven't been able to travel to watch the UT-NIU game in DeKalb for years because the damn game is always the middle of the week.

I've spoken with my wallet. Stopped donating (was at President's Club level), stopped buying season tickets, and I sold the Jambulance because it was a lot of work and money to maintain it for just a few Saturday games.

So Fan Plans for us, and my days as a "Rockets Fanatic" are just a fading memory.

We also stopped buying football season tickets that we have had for many years. We have increased our Rocket Fund donation with the money we don't spend on football. Our focus is on men's and women's basketball (season tickets to both). Game day, Saturday, was as much about tailgating and being with friends as it was about football.
It will be sad when ESPN decides to go another direction. The money and the fans will be gone.

(08-02-2015 05:54 PM)SylvaniaRocket Wrote:  Game day, Saturday, was as much about tailgating and being with friends as it was about football.

How's come when I say that, the universal response is "just win baby!"


Trying to convince short term thinkers that the path to program success is rarely direct is wasted breath.

The way to build a successful program is by making the atmosphere from the lots to the gates to the stadium visually, aurally and aromatically compelling WAY before the game even starts.

People go to sports events to be part of an event. They want their kids to be part of the event. Most prospective fans BY FAR never went to the university, never played the game. They can be helped to feel part of both but not by a row of cheerleaders you can't hear of identify with, standing on the field a couple hundred feet away.


Cheer LEADERS in the stands and that big ol video board is the way to teach new fans, old traditions and create new ones.


Putting on your faith on "winning" just creates a few fair weather fans. Traditions will get you through the down years and create those fans that donate, even though they never went to the University.

The pre-game experience is great, but I personally like to watch the Rockets play football. I love the game. Even at this years Boca Bowl I was in the stadium watching warm-ups an hour before the game. It gives me an adrenaline rush.

(08-02-2015 07:04 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  

Quote:“I think it's the best thing this conference has done to elevate its success,” Campbell said. “Obviously our fans — that's tough to play on a Tuesday and Wednesday night. But if we really look at what those Tuesday and Wednesday night games have done for our conference, it's made us better.”

Is there any evidence to support that the conference has been more successful when several of the teams are mired in the bottom ten of the rankings? In what way does the commissioner or the coaches feel the conference has been more successful? And in what ways have the universities used and benefitted from the tv money? How does that tv revenue compare to the expected revenue from fuller stadiums? Could they have probably made local deals that generated revenue and retained the weekend games? Is comparing the attendance of a 1994 weekend game to a 2014 Thursday game, two decades later, really informational?


It doesn't seem to me a particularly good piece of journalism. I like the ESPN package, particularly for away games but overall, the article didn't really answer any questions I had. It didn't justify or challenge the package. It was more a mouth piece for those that do not want to have to justify their decision, whether it be good or bad. For all it said, that entire revenue stream could be going straight to coaching and conference management salaries. They could possibly make more from a deal with local broadcasts and keep fans in the seats for weekend games.

These are my questions as well. We've been doing this for several years or more. Due to the exposure, we should see an uptick in enrollment, donations and/or recruiting versus other conferences. I have seen none of these. And it would require some noticeable improvement simply to make up for what we lose with turning off fans, and letting people see MAC games where the stadium is mostly empty because it's 20 degrees out on a Tuesday night.

(08-02-2015 05:03 PM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(08-02-2015 02:02 PM)RangerRocket Wrote:  I absolutely hate the weeknight games particularly Tuesday and Wednesday.

No atmosphere, no "game day" fun, e.g., tailgating, etc.

I've personally lost a lost of interest in Rockets football the past 2-3 years. Haven't been able to travel to watch the UT-NIU game in DeKalb for years because the damn game is always the middle of the week.

I've spoken with my wallet. Stopped donating (was at President's Club level), stopped buying season tickets, and I sold the Jambulance because it was a lot of work and money to maintain it for just a few Saturday games.

So Fan Plans for us, and my days as a "Rockets Fanatic" are just a fading memory.

Careful who you make fun of.......

And why are you making fun of someone who right???

(08-03-2015 10:53 AM)Terry Wrote:  

(08-02-2015 05:03 PM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(08-02-2015 02:02 PM)RangerRocket Wrote:  I absolutely hate the weeknight games particularly Tuesday and Wednesday.

No atmosphere, no "game day" fun, e.g., tailgating, etc.

I've personally lost a lost of interest in Rockets football the past 2-3 years. Haven't been able to travel to watch the UT-NIU game in DeKalb for years because the damn game is always the middle of the week.

I've spoken with my wallet. Stopped donating (was at President's Club level), stopped buying season tickets, and I sold the Jambulance because it was a lot of work and money to maintain it for just a few Saturday games.

So Fan Plans for us, and my days as a "Rockets Fanatic" are just a fading memory.

Careful who you make fun of.......

And why are you making fun of someone who right???

"Careful" Really? I guess that comes under the "or what" category but any one with a brain would know he wasn't being made fun of.

I'll be the opposite here like I am a lot. I don't mind weeknight games that much. To mee it's football first and everything else second. I lovvvvve that MAC games are on tv during the week as I prefer them over any other football. Tailgating is great and I'll be there all day for a nice Saturday game, but in November when it's freezing I don't mind getting to campus 2 hours before the game and having a few drinks to get the internal heater going. Even the weekday road games are mostly do able, as I'm willing to be super tired the next day at work in the name of watching football. Now I do agree, and the only thing to me that stinks about it, is that the NIU game has annually been on a weekday and those games in Dekalb have been the only games I've missed over the last 5 years.

Anyway, Go Rockets!!!!

If the team, cheerleaders, band members and other supporters can strap it on, suit up and work hard throughout the fall and the three-plus hours on a weeknight for your entertainment, the least you can do as a "fan" is to show up and sit there and enjoy it. The hard labor by those that matter (the team and others) stands in sharp contrast to your excuse of needing to stay up late on a weeknight. It is what it is, we are who we are, and these young people need your support no matter the day of the week.