NIUFAN84 Wrote:What do you guys think needs to be done to strengthen the MAC. I like the idea of going after Temple. They would really help MAC basketball. I also like the idea of going after Memphis, East Carolina and South Florida if Lousiville and Cincinnati leave for the BE and TCU, Tulane and Houston leave for the WAC. The only problem is the MAC would have to kick out a few schools. But over time I believe the MAC would be stronger in BB and FB.
I think it's worth remembering that NIU isn't far from an 0-11 season. All this talk about changing teams ignores the fact that there are always ups and downs, and chasing this year's "hot team" may lead to next year's SOS anchor.
Philly or Tampa to DeKalb is pretty far. I don't see the merits in bringing in teams just to dump others. Of course I personally like the idea of E Coast teams in the MAC, but it's not clear that's the very best choice.
What to do to make the MAC stronger? Concentrate on fundamentals, accept and work within the current "circle of influence" (to quote Covey) instead of griping about what might be or proposing mega-conferences to get attention.
Specifically:
1. Increase student attendance, and build a lasting tradition that alumni return to games. This will provide an escalating increase in attendance that eventually will get network media attention.
This will involve a variety of promotions, but more than that. It will require a committment from the university. RA's need to encourage freshman to go to games; Frats and Sororities need to encourage members and pledges that it's part of their loyalty to the university. Similarly, outreach must be made to other organizations.
Kill the competition. I think CaTV in dorms is completely antithetical to a college education. Pull the plug. An unexpected consequence (in addition to better grades) is that the entertainment the university already provides (namely inter-collegiate sports, duh) will be more attractive and there won't be a bunch of kids watching ESPN in their dorm rooms on beautiful Saturday autumn afternoons.
On a side note, remember "That which is important, gets measured." The MAC should work w/ member insititutions on coming up w/ fair and reasonable expectations for improvements in attendance. Once these are established and a team fails to deliver, only then should talk begin about dropping a program from the conference. Furthermore, member institutions should work together. The drive from BG or Toledo to EMU is not far. There should be some hype to get fans to travel this short distance, and everyone benefits from increased attendance figures.
2. As for alumni, use inexpensive AM radio to extend the coverage. Find the major cities where alumni live, and make sure they have access to games. Then hit them up w/ fund requests to pay for this. People are more inclined to give when they see a tangible product they will receive. Furthermore, once people start giving to a cause, they feel ownership and have a greater committment (more giving and more attendance). This will work in conjunction w/ graduating students having access to the games they enjoyed while in college.
3. Reach out to the communities. This will require additional promotioinal ideas. They may vary from University to university. All ideas should be considered, and measured on ROI, not the size. When you're getting 10-11K fans, an increase of 50-100 is significant. Furthermore, some ideas may be cheap and easy, but pay no immediate returns. If the cost is very low, keep at it. Sometimes payoffs from grass-roots efforts show up in a few years.
This also includes getting smaller newspapers on board. This is a fight in NW Ohio, but people w/ more charisma than I have should work w/ these papers to publish more column inches on the MAC.
Another NW Ohio example: plenty of automotive plants. Meaning union employees from companies that sponsor the MAC's main bowl game. Why not make pitches to them for discounted season ticket sales, and bowl game tickets? Again, grass roots efforts may take some time, but reaching out to these folks may mean loyal fans in the future.
4. Be proactive in attacking the BCS. Frankly, sitting around on your thumb isn't going to change the system. The logical conclusion is that the mid-majors get squeezed out, so these programs need to stand up now, they have nothing to lose. They spend too much time bickering over their crumbs and trying to be the top dog to get into the BCS clique. Instead they should be organizing and taking back the opportunities they have been denied.
