(12-23-2012 10:05 PM)Broncos83 Wrote: [ -> ]Not me! Love Hockey but it's far down the list behind FB and BB. From a national perspective, it's practically an afterthought at best. Great sport, great in person, hit almost all the games but, personally, not in my top 2 favorites.
We are most relevant on the national stage in hockey.
No argument that we are most relevant from a national perspective in hockey. The only problem with that is that the national hockey stage is not relevant! Kinda like being the tallest midget. I have family spread out across the country and we talk Bronco FB and BB frequently. Not once have we talked Bronco Hockey. Face it, outside of about 10 - 15 states, college hockey is a blip on the radar. Again, l love it and love to follow the Broncos, but nationally, I'd say it's on par or possibly below college Baseball, Soccer and Track and Field. Just my thoughts...fire away.
Bronco hockey does show up routinely on my sports TV channels. So there is that exposure, for those who click the choice.
Sure you can find it on TV. My point is it's rarely (if ever) discussed on a national stage. College FB and BB are king. College Hockey is a niche sport nationally. Just the way it is. Even with no NHL this year, the coverage is sparse. Let me know when they start running Colleg Hockey scores on any of the ESPN family of network stations other than ESPNU. I wish it was covered more nationally but it's just not. If the Frozen Four could ever get 1/4 of the coverage of the College Baseball World Series, then you'd be talking exposure.
Does Hockey get a bigger student turnout than Football or Basketball?
Is attendance percent of capacity higher at Lawson, Waldo, or Read?
I'll bet Hockey has never had a span of only one home game in six weeks.
Broncos83 - I agree with a lot of your points.
What kind of "school" we are goes in waves. When I first came to WMU (2003), WMU was "basketball school." You couldn't find a seat in the student section at University Arena if you didn't get there at least 20-30 minutes early. Before that, it was football back when attendance numbers were great and we had those good teams in the 90's/early 2000's. Now... yes, I would say we are a "hockey school."
Bottom line is that if you win games, people will come to watch.
Quote:I'll bet Hockey has never had a span of only one home game in six weeks.
The longest stretch MBB has been away from home this season is 21 days (Oakland - Mount St. Mary's).... which is a long time, yes.
During the 2003-2004 season, MBB went 30 days between home games and we all know that didn't effect attendance that year.
Again, just win games.
We're not close to competing at the national level in any sport that charges money for tickets and is televised on a regular basis but hockey.
Our football program is going the opposite direction, and speaking of tallest midgets, our basketball program the last five years has been stuck in neutral at best.
(12-24-2012 10:48 AM)DesertBronco Wrote: [ -> ]We're not close to competing at the national level in any sport that charges money for tickets and is televised on a regular basis but hockey.
You're right, but what is the pay-off?
I still think every bowl game (whether it's the LCPB or the Rose Bowl) and every tournament game (from play-in to final four) gets more national exposure than the college hockey national championship.
Just my opinion.
As far as hoops, when have we have a "tournament game"? I think you overrate bowl games in terms of importance, we like them as a community, rightfully so, other people mock the name of the bowl and directional name of our school unless the bowl were a big time one, which I don't see happening.
I don't quite get your constant metric of "payoff" when it comes to discussing hockey Persky, one look in Lawson with the active, INTERESTED student section yelling their lungs out cementing their status as Broncos should be payoff enough, let alone the national exposure and relevance. We're in the top tier of hockey and looking to take it to another level.
Basketball and football? Not so much? Been the same cycle for decades in those sports.
So yes, in conclusion, we're a hockey school, and AGAIN, I'm okay with that definition because it's a space where we can succeed on the national level.
By "pay-off" I mean dollars and exposure for WMU athletics as a whole nationally.
So like I said earlier... unless somebody can provide concrete numbers to persuade me otherwise (I'm open to that), I just feel like a bowl game or an NCAA tournament provides a better "pay-off" than the pinnacle (national championship) of what our hockey program can provide.
DB - it's okay to disagree on something peacefully.
Do you think the average sports fan in (pick a random City, ST) knows Miami University because of Ben Roethlisberger's passing records and Wally Szczerbiak's Sweet 16 run in 1999.... or do you think the average sports fan knows Miami University because of Tommy Wingels, Alec Martinez, Carter Camper, etc. and their deep runs in the NCAA hockey tournament?
(12-24-2012 11:20 AM)BrianPersky Wrote: [ -> ]By "pay-off" I mean dollars and exposure for WMU athletics as a whole nationally.
So like I said earlier... unless somebody can provide concrete numbers to persuade me otherwise (I'm open to that), I just feel like a bowl game or an NCAA tournament provides a better "pay-off" than the pinnacle (national championship) of what our hockey program can provide.
DB - it's okay to disagree on something peacefully.
I told you a long time ago Persky, you came in here demanded respect and I feel that it's earned, that got you on my list and you'll have to earn your way out or not, either way it's fine with me.
Your metrics for "payoff" and reasoning fits in very well with the "bush thinking" I describe for our community, the results, and by that, I mean lack thereof, support my conclusion.
I've reached the crescendo of the curve where thinking "being positive" will get us over, we as a community have build in limitations that I don't see being overcome anytime soon, and those limitations are the very same reason that I'm all about us being a hockey school. Just because it's smaller in stature and a place where our small time thinking and ability to spend, fits in better.
Sorry, way it looks from my lofty "2000 mile away view" that you and Mr. Green Jeans Dip like to point out to marginalize my opinions.
(12-24-2012 11:31 AM)BrianPersky Wrote: [ -> ]Do you think the average sports fan in (pick a random City, ST) knows Miami University because of Ben Roethlisberger's passing records and Wally Szczerbiak's Sweet 16 run in 1999.... or do you think the average sports fan knows Miami University because of Tommy Wingels, Alec Martinez, Carter Camper, etc. and their deep runs in the NCAA hockey tournament?
The "average sports fan" says "oh yeah" when it's pointed out to them either little tid bit of information, they don't care or pay attention unless the media forces it down their tv's at them.
Whenever I mention to anybody that I go to WMU, the first words out of their mouths are "Wow, you guys have an amazing hockey team!"
Hockey has done more for the image and recruitment of this school than football and basketball combined in the past 3 years. I you don't think that's significant I have a few bridges to sell you.
(12-24-2012 01:28 PM)WMU_Flyboy Wrote: [ -> ]Whenever I mention to anybody that I go to WMU, the first words out of their mouths are "Wow, you guys have an amazing hockey team!"
Hockey has done more for the image and recruitment of this school than football and basketball combined in the past 3 years. I you don't think that's significant I have a few bridges to sell you.
Same here, I'm getting people around Denver talking about our resurgence, these are DU people who know the sport but if you talk to people who know college basketball and football and have WMU gear on, they usually ask if you're FCS or FBS.
(12-24-2012 01:28 PM)WMU_Flyboy Wrote: [ -> ]Whenever I mention to anybody that I go to WMU, the first words out of their mouths are "Wow, you guys have an amazing hockey team!"
Might be true the last 3-4 years but I can guarantee you that wasn't the case before that.
But again, I'm not arguing that we aren't currently a hockey school. Because I believe it's transformed into exactly that recently.
(12-24-2012 01:41 PM)DesertBronco Wrote: [ -> ]Same here, I'm getting people around Denver talking about our resurgence, these are DU people who know the sport but if you talk to people who know college basketball and football and have WMU gear on, they usually ask if you're FCS or FBS.
FCS & FBS are still stupid names as 99.99% of America doesn't know what they are or care.
And if you're not BCS they definitely don't care, so yeah, a mid level program from a one bid conference in hoops, a non-AQ program in football that the "pundits" threw a fit about a peer of ours getting a BCS bid, or legit recognition in hockey.
I'll take being legit and respected any day until our admin learns how to get out of their own way and put together a plan and execute.
Quote:Might be true the last 3-4 years but I can guarantee you that wasn't the case before that.
Uhhhhhh, when I came out with the ski club in the mid eighties, we were recognized as a hockey school, that's factually incorrect again Persky.