CSNbbs

At least the game isn't being played in Green Bay.

HuskiemobileMan Wrote:At least the game isn't being played in Green Bay.

at least if it was it would be a UW home game off the schedule not ours.

calvin12 Wrote:

sugnug Wrote:

Rock Bottom Wrote:Too many - WAY TOO MANY - NIU alums aren't even proud enough to loudly stand up and admit they went to NIU. I'd bet big bucks that a huge number of NIU alums would go to the game in SF wearing WI gear even.

I'll take that bet. If an NIU grad buys tickets to a game at SF, why would they not cheer for NIU? I do believe that Wisconsin will have a lot more fans than NIU, but I think we learned from the Iowa game and will purchase tickets earlier. When they first announced the Iowa game, some people were worried it might not sell out. I know I waited too long.

If this gets moved to SF I won't be cheering for NIU. I either won't buy tickets or I'll sell mine to a UW fan. If NIU is going to spit in my face and tell me as a loyal fan that I don't matter F' em for that game. The rest of the season, I'll still support them, but I won't for this game.

I will either not renew my season tickets next year or sell half of them. The 2 annual November week night games are one thing. The away Wisconsin "home" game is the last straw. I will not attend another game at SF, nor will I attend week night games in November.

Dog Fan Wrote:

calvin12 Wrote:

sugnug Wrote:

Rock Bottom Wrote:Too many - WAY TOO MANY - NIU alums aren't even proud enough to loudly stand up and admit they went to NIU. I'd bet big bucks that a huge number of NIU alums would go to the game in SF wearing WI gear even.

I'll take that bet. If an NIU grad buys tickets to a game at SF, why would they not cheer for NIU? I do believe that Wisconsin will have a lot more fans than NIU, but I think we learned from the Iowa game and will purchase tickets earlier. When they first announced the Iowa game, some people were worried it might not sell out. I know I waited too long.

If this gets moved to SF I won't be cheering for NIU. I either won't buy tickets or I'll sell mine to a UW fan. If NIU is going to spit in my face and tell me as a loyal fan that I don't matter F' em for that game. The rest of the season, I'll still support them, but I won't for this game.

I will either not renew my season tickets next year or sell half of them. The 2 annual November week night games are one thing. The away Wisconsin "home" game is the last straw. I will not attend another game at SF, nor will I attend week night games in November.

Agree 100%
Start factoring in the loss of your season ticket base into the money you will receive.

huskie1stdown Wrote:

Dog Fan Wrote:

calvin12 Wrote:

sugnug Wrote:

Rock Bottom Wrote:Too many - WAY TOO MANY - NIU alums aren't even proud enough to loudly stand up and admit they went to NIU. I'd bet big bucks that a huge number of NIU alums would go to the game in SF wearing WI gear even.

I'll take that bet. If an NIU grad buys tickets to a game at SF, why would they not cheer for NIU? I do believe that Wisconsin will have a lot more fans than NIU, but I think we learned from the Iowa game and will purchase tickets earlier. When they first announced the Iowa game, some people were worried it might not sell out. I know I waited too long.

If this gets moved to SF I won't be cheering for NIU. I either won't buy tickets or I'll sell mine to a UW fan. If NIU is going to spit in my face and tell me as a loyal fan that I don't matter F' em for that game. The rest of the season, I'll still support them, but I won't for this game.

I will either not renew my season tickets next year or sell half of them. The 2 annual November week night games are one thing. The away Wisconsin "home" game is the last straw. I will not attend another game at SF, nor will I attend week night games in November.

Agree 100%
Start factoring in the loss of your season ticket base into the money you will receive.

And start factoring in all the future season ticket holders you will NOT have because you aren't cultivating them as students! Season ticket holders (or fans period) don't just spring forth out of your head -- they have to be cultivated, and that is done over time.

Rock Bottom Wrote:Money aside (although it never really can be) playing WI at Soldier Field is like Houston playing a "home" game in Milwaukee. SF will just be MadTown South, an be invaded like Iowa invaded.

Too many - WAY TOO MANY - NIU alums aren't even proud enough to loudly stand up and admit they went to NIU. I'd bet big bucks that a huge number of NIU alums would go to the game in SF wearing WI gear even.

Keep the game at Huskie Stadium and have TONS of students there - that will be the only way we have a chance to beat them next year - with a real home field advantage.

I agree with you. The majority of NIU graduates work hard to minimize their affiliation with the school to the point that those who do show up at Soldier Field will probably sit on their hands in the company of a Big 10 crowd. We are a school that has forever been plagued with a severe inferiority complex. This disorder becomes even more pronounced in the company of Big Ten people.

That all said, it is still the right decision to play this game at Soldier Field. The alternative is no big payday and us having to replace Wisconsin on the 2009 schedule.

calvin12 Wrote:[quote=gcd]
UW would make over a mill and I hear the deal we cut will be substantially higher then the Iowa game. If an AD did not do this game at SF he would be malfeasent. Moving this game to SF is a no brainer.

Why in the world would we give Wisconsin a million for this game when they get $300-$400k for other games?

Nigel Incubator-Jones Wrote:

Rock Bottom Wrote:Money aside (although it never really can be) playing WI at Soldier Field is like Houston playing a "home" game in Milwaukee. SF will just be MadTown South, an be invaded like Iowa invaded.

Too many - WAY TOO MANY - NIU alums aren't even proud enough to loudly stand up and admit they went to NIU. I'd bet big bucks that a huge number of NIU alums would go to the game in SF wearing WI gear even.

Keep the game at Huskie Stadium and have TONS of students there - that will be the only way we have a chance to beat them next year - with a real home field advantage.

I agree with you. The majority of NIU graduates work hard to minimize their affiliation with the school to the point that those who do show up at Soldier Field will probably sit on their hands in the company of a Big 10 crowd. We are a school that has forever been plagued with a severe inferiority complex. This disorder becomes even more pronounced in the company of Big Ten people.

That all said, it is still the right decision to play this game at Soldier Field. The alternative is no big payday and us having to replace Wisconsin on the 2009 schedule.

The only people with a bigger inferiority complex than NIU fans are Sox fans!

chihuskie Wrote:

huskie1stdown Wrote:

Dog Fan Wrote:

calvin12 Wrote:

sugnug Wrote:

Rock Bottom Wrote:Too many - WAY TOO MANY - NIU alums aren't even proud enough to loudly stand up and admit they went to NIU. I'd bet big bucks that a huge number of NIU alums would go to the game in SF wearing WI gear even.

I'll take that bet. If an NIU grad buys tickets to a game at SF, why would they not cheer for NIU? I do believe that Wisconsin will have a lot more fans than NIU, but I think we learned from the Iowa game and will purchase tickets earlier. When they first announced the Iowa game, some people were worried it might not sell out. I know I waited too long.

If this gets moved to SF I won't be cheering for NIU. I either won't buy tickets or I'll sell mine to a UW fan. If NIU is going to spit in my face and tell me as a loyal fan that I don't matter F' em for that game. The rest of the season, I'll still support them, but I won't for this game.

I will either not renew my season tickets next year or sell half of them. The 2 annual November week night games are one thing. The away Wisconsin "home" game is the last straw. I will not attend another game at SF, nor will I attend week night games in November.

Agree 100%
Start factoring in the loss of your season ticket base into the money you will receive.

And start factoring in all the future season ticket holders you will NOT have because you aren't cultivating them as students! Season ticket holders (or fans period) don't just spring forth out of your head -- they have to be cultivated, and that is done over time.

calvin12 Wrote:

Flying Corn Wrote:

gcd Wrote:UW would make over a mill and I hear the deal we cut will be substantially higher then the Iowa game. If an AD did not do this game at SF he would be malfeasent. Moving this game to SF is a no brainer.

Yes, any AD who did not take this deal would rightfully be subject to termination.

Right now, we need the money. If Kill can rebuild the program, we may find ourselves in a situation down the road where we can, and should, pay for a prestige game at Huskie stadium. But we're a long way from that point right now.

Frankly, I'm relieved to hear the game is at SF. As a diehard NIU fan, I was dreading the embarrassing spectacle of Huskie Stadium becoming Camp Randall South as NIU students and "fans," alike gladly sold-off their tickets to the northern hoarde thronging to DeKalb on the 90-minute road trip that weekend.

We'll have a better ratio of Huskie fans to Badger fans in the stands at SF than we would if the game was in Huskie stadium.

are you certifibly insane?

No, little boy, I am not.

You do realize that Wisconsin, arguably the Big-10's second most powerful program right now, is a mere 90 miles away from DeKalb?

Wisconsin fans will pay top dollar(comparatively) for seats at Huskie Stadium for what will be a defacto home game for Wisconsin. Even if we make them buy tickets to several other home games, they'll still buy out the west side. Their big-spenders will buy off our season ticket-holders, and our notoriously unreliable students will be bought off cheap.

If they came to Huskie Stadium, they will absolutely own the place, and we will look ridiculous.

At Soldier Field, we provide our own alumni base with a vacation stay in Chicago comparable to what Wisconsin enjoys, plus we could market the game to NIU alums in Chicago like we did w the Iowa game. You can forget the students, because they won't be at the game if its at SF or 90 feet from their dorm rooms.

We accounted for a good 15% of the crowd at the Iowa game. While the percentage would be lower for a Wisconsin game given their proximity and willingness to travel, my guess is a greater percentage of Huskie fans would show up to Soldier Field than to Huskie Stadium.

Nigel Incubator-Jones Wrote:

Rock Bottom Wrote:Money aside (although it never really can be) playing WI at Soldier Field is like Houston playing a "home" game in Milwaukee. SF will just be MadTown South, an be invaded like Iowa invaded.

Too many - WAY TOO MANY - NIU alums aren't even proud enough to loudly stand up and admit they went to NIU. I'd bet big bucks that a huge number of NIU alums would go to the game in SF wearing WI gear even.

Keep the game at Huskie Stadium and have TONS of students there - that will be the only way we have a chance to beat them next year - with a real home field advantage.

I agree with you. The majority of NIU graduates work hard to minimize their affiliation with the school to the point that those who do show up at Soldier Field will probably sit on their hands in the company of a Big 10 crowd. We are a school that has forever been plagued with a severe inferiority complex. This disorder becomes even more pronounced in the company of Big Ten people.

While your point is well-taken, the fortunate 500 of we NIU fans who showed up to the NIU-Wisconsin game in 2002 at Camp Randall didn't have to sit on our hands for very long.

Quite to the contrary, we got to stand up and scream the Huskie Fight Song ( many of us humming it for the first time in genuine pride because we didn't yet know the words) at the top of lungs from the nether-reaches of the west-side of the upper-deck when Michael Turner plunged into the end zone in the fourth quater, the culmination of a day of domination by the Huskies on offense and defense.

The then unknown-Burner's TD gave NIU....unranked, 34-point underdog NIU, w/o their starting halfback, yes THAT NIU.... a 21-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

One of the most thrilling moments of my life as a sports fan, and a proud NIU grad, was when the 500 faithful fans from "THE" Northern Illinois University were shouting down the suddenly silent, stunned 80,000 badger fans.

We all know what happened after that, and how they stole our victory from us, but we also know how that team eventually put NIU on the map in a way we'd never know before. I honestly believe that the seeds of the 2003 breakthrough can be traced to the 2002 game at Camp Randall.

What we need right now is another game like that, a game w a big payoff and the opportunity to give a top-notch opponent a big-time scare.

Play UW in Soldier Field in 2009. Beat them, and we have a home crowd at Huskie Stadium thereafter unrivaled in the history of our beloved alma mater....

calvin12 Wrote:Ahh yes, as a athlete I'd be thrilled to have my home games given away so that I can play an extra road game to make money for someone else down the line to *maybe* get use of.

Now you're talking about certifiably insane - I'll bet our players hate the fact they get to play at Soldier Field.

Flying Corn Wrote:

calvin12 Wrote:

Flying Corn Wrote:

gcd Wrote:UW would make over a mill and I hear the deal we cut will be substantially higher then the Iowa game. If an AD did not do this game at SF he would be malfeasent. Moving this game to SF is a no brainer.

Yes, any AD who did not take this deal would rightfully be subject to termination.

Right now, we need the money. If Kill can rebuild the program, we may find ourselves in a situation down the road where we can, and should, pay for a prestige game at Huskie stadium. But we're a long way from that point right now.

Frankly, I'm relieved to hear the game is at SF. As a diehard NIU fan, I was dreading the embarrassing spectacle of Huskie Stadium becoming Camp Randall South as NIU students and "fans," alike gladly sold-off their tickets to the northern hoarde thronging to DeKalb on the 90-minute road trip that weekend.

We'll have a better ratio of Huskie fans to Badger fans in the stands at SF than we would if the game was in Huskie stadium.

are you certifibly insane?

No, little boy, I am not.

You do realize that Wisconsin, arguably the Big-10's second most powerful program right now, is a mere 90 miles away from DeKalb?

Wisconsin fans will pay top dollar(comparatively) for seats at Huskie Stadium for what will be a defacto home game for Wisconsin. Even if we make them buy tickets to several other home games, they'll still buy out the west side. Their big-spenders will buy off our season ticket-holders, and our notoriously unreliable students will be bought off cheap.

If they came to Huskie Stadium, they will absolutely own the place, and we will look ridiculous.

At Soldier Field, we provide our own alumni base with a vacation stay in Chicago comparable to what Wisconsin enjoys, plus we could market the game to NIU alums in Chicago like we did w the Iowa game. You can forget the students, because they won't be at the game if its at SF or 90 feet from their dorm rooms.

We accounted for a good 15% of the crowd at the Iowa game. While the percentage would be lower for a Wisconsin game given their proximity and willingness to travel, my guess is a greater percentage of Huskie fans would show up to Soldier Field than to Huskie Stadium.

A *good* 15 %??? what hte hell is that? The student section alone at 6000 is more than 15% of the HS capacity, it would not be possible to have a lower showing at HS, based on your estimate.
the student issue is really easy to fix, you cant get in w/o your ID and ticket. one w/o the other does not get you in. There is 6000 guaranteed NIU students. NIU ST holders will generally keep their tickets. That give you half the stadium. you think NIU will fill half of SF, not a chance, we didn't for Iowa and a lot of people who went to that game didn't like it and won't go back.

Premier Club Wrote:

calvin12 Wrote:Ahh yes, as a athlete I'd be thrilled to have my home games given away so that I can play an extra road game to make money for someone else down the line to *maybe* get use of.

Now you're talking about certifiably insane - I'll bet our players hate the fact they get to play at Soldier Field.

No, I didn't say that would hate playing at SF. I said as players they would prefer to play their *home games* at HS. Play a neutral site at against WI at SF and don't take away our home games, take away theirs.

I wouild suspect many NIU players who grew up in Chicagoland may likely be mostly Bears fans and would think playing in SF would be a thrill and challenge....like did the baseball players in the CELL last spring.

It's one of those more unique experiences we jokingly say about telling grandkids some day.

Dare I suggest it would be one of many world class experiences and a powerful recruiting tool for a coach.

cyberdawg Wrote:I wouild suspect many NIU players who grew up in Chicagoland may likely be mostly Bears fans and would think playing in SF would be a thrill and challenge....like did the baseball players in the CELL last spring.

It's one of those more unique experiences we jokingly say about telling grandkids some day.

Dare I suggest it would be one of many world class experiences and a powerful recruiting tool for a coach.

Might be a "fun" experience but the SF games are not good for growth of the athletic program and it supports stagnation.

MaddDawgz02 Wrote:

cyberdawg Wrote:I wouild suspect many NIU players who grew up in Chicagoland may likely be mostly Bears fans and would think playing in SF would be a thrill and challenge....like did the baseball players in the CELL last spring.

It's one of those more unique experiences we jokingly say about telling grandkids some day.

Dare I suggest it would be one of many world class experiences and a powerful recruiting tool for a coach.

Might be a "fun" experience but the SF games are not good for growth of the athletic program and it supports stagnation.

And having one Big 10 team coming into DeKalb will turn the whole program around. We are not Notre Dame or Michigan or any other Major program. To be able to stay D1 in football, we need the money. Having 85 scholarships for football and another 13? Basketball scholarships require that you have the same number of women's scholarships. $1 million dollars covers a lot of those scholarships. The athletic department is a business. If the powers that be felt we could cover our expenditures by having Wisconsin play in HS, they would but this revenue is important for keeping NIU in D1.

And for those people that don't renew their scholarships or HASF donations, it is a free country. That is your choice. There are probably tickets available at NW or Illinois. Guess you could become a fan of theirs.

klake87 Wrote:

MaddDawgz02 Wrote:

cyberdawg Wrote:I wouild suspect many NIU players who grew up in Chicagoland may likely be mostly Bears fans and would think playing in SF would be a thrill and challenge....like did the baseball players in the CELL last spring.

It's one of those more unique experiences we jokingly say about telling grandkids some day.

Dare I suggest it would be one of many world class experiences and a powerful recruiting tool for a coach.

Might be a "fun" experience but the SF games are not good for growth of the athletic program and it supports stagnation.

And having one Big 10 team coming into DeKalb will turn the whole program around. We are not Notre Dame or Michigan or any other Major program. To be able to stay D1 in football, we need the money. Having 85 scholarships for football and another 13? Basketball scholarships require that you have the same number of women's scholarships. $1 million dollars covers a lot of those scholarships. The athletic department is a business. If the powers that be felt we could cover our expenditures by having Wisconsin play in HS, they would but this revenue is important for keeping NIU in D1.

And for those people that don't renew their scholarships or HASF donations, it is a free country. That is your choice. There are probably tickets available at NW or Illinois. Guess you could become a fan of theirs.

you can make the 1M playing at HS w/o giving UW 1M. What do renewing donations or schoarships have to do with getting NU tickets?

cyberdawg Wrote:I wouild suspect many NIU players who grew up in Chicagoland may likely be mostly Bears fans and would think playing in SF would be a thrill and challenge....like did the baseball players in the CELL last spring.

It's one of those more unique experiences we jokingly say about telling grandkids some day.

Dare I suggest it would be one of many world class experiences and a powerful recruiting tool for a coach.

well most of them already did the we played SF thing already, so they don't need to again when the opponent was wiling to come here. If they were not willing to come here it would be a different story. They reason people are pissed is that they game was announced for HS to SF. IF both teams they thought they would have lost money playing at HS they would not have agreed to play here. There is no question that the game would have made money. Remember money is made on normal home games, this one would have made more.

It seems that NIU and the MAC have gone out of thier way to inconvience/disappoint thier fans and in particular the season ticket holders.

Example: When the Navy game was first announced I was extremely excited picturing a beautiful Saturday afternoon game with a quality opponent at HS. I expected a near full house with the addition of being able to welcome several thousand of the fine men and women from Great Lakes Naval Base to the Dekalb campus. I expected nice local media coverage considering the tradition of Navy and what should have been a close game. I expected a game where the students, Season ticket holders, and casual fans would leave saying "Wow that was fun lets do it again sometime". REALITY: The game was schedule for perhaps the worst possible time. The weather will at the best be cold at worst rainy and snowy. The students will be leaving school for Thanksgiving break, season ticket holders like myself will not be able to make it due to work considerations, there will be no casual fans. The media will basically ignore the game. There will be less than 10,000 in attendance. A marketing nightmare!

Other example include the aforementioned weekday night games, the goofy schedule this year of only 1 September game and then 3 in a row in October, and now the potential moving of the Wisconsin game to SF. I have attended several away games (Northwestern= great, Alabama= super great, Iowa at SF=terrible) but will not attend any more NIU games at SF.

Now I am not a NIU alum just a season ticket holder(4 years) who fell in love with this progam in the early 2000's. I bought my season tickets this year knowing that we would only be able to attend 3 games, but knowing that it would guarantee me good tickets to the Wisy game in 2009. That now seems to be out the window. It now looks like the max games I will be able to attend next year will be 3 games, at which time I will drop my season tickets