http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/colleges...o-presence

Lame.

(02-19-2013 02:51 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Lame.

given the number of D1 schools within a 200 or 250 mile radius of chicago, I don't think UI ever will be able to make it the first choice of Illinois athletes. Every kid in Ohio wnats to be a Buckeye and every kid in Louisana wats to be a Tiger, that is not the case in Ill. They shouls just try to capture the middle on south of the state

Well, they didn't learn anything from the last time they played in Soldier Field 20 years ago, playing Washington St in front of about 15,000 people (back when Wazzu was good). Now they're going to play Washington.

They have a similar problem and goal as us, though, in that they know they're not going to flip NIU or Notre Dame people. They just need to get their own alums to actually get excited about things. That'd be enough, just like with us.

There's more than enough sports fans in Chicago for all of the schools to have a heavy-ass footprint.

It's a good idea, but the major hurdle to overcome is that their football team sucks.

For college basketball coaches to deal with Chicago playes, they are walking into a cesspool. You need to deal with street agents, AAU coaches and sometimes a high school coach that wants something. You better have an alumni that knows somebody that knows somebody for the bag money. Just ask D Rose about his ACT test. MM will never get a Chicago player if he plays by JC rules. The right way.

(02-19-2013 03:40 PM)BarsemaBone2 Wrote:  It's a good idea, but the major hurdle to overcome is that their football team sucks.

yep.

(02-19-2013 03:40 PM)BarsemaBone2 Wrote:  It's a good idea, but the major hurdle to overcome is that their football team sucks.

I think Beckman is going to run it into the ground. Atleast with Zook they would have some great players come in (b/c he could recruit with the best of them) and the talent alone would win some games...with Beckman not so much.

(02-19-2013 07:01 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(02-19-2013 03:40 PM)BarsemaBone2 Wrote:  It's a good idea, but the major hurdle to overcome is that their football team sucks.

I think Beckman is going to run it into the ground. Atleast with Zook they would have some great players come in (b/c he could recruit with the best of them) and the talent alone would win some games...with Beckman not so much.

Tim Beckman = Ricardo Patton?

(02-19-2013 03:16 PM)GCD70 Wrote:  given the number of D1 schools within a 200 or 250 mile radius of chicago, I don't think UI ever will be able to make it the first choice of Illinois athletes. Every kid in Ohio wnats to be a Buckeye and every kid in Louisana wats to be a Tiger, that is not the case in Ill. They shouls just try to capture the middle on south of the state

They already have Central Illinois and then south of there. I think the big thing is just staying connected with the massive alumni base in the Chicago area, which they did a terrible job of under Guenther. Guenther basically ignored it, and that infuriated a lot of people.

What Thomas has done that is a great long term move is partnering with the Kane County Cougars and having U of I athletics cross promoted with Cougars baseball.

With Kane County drawing over 500 K fans a season and their season ending on Labor Day, that's a move that NIU should have made. Even more, the KC Cougars are now a Chicago Cub Class A affiliate. Imagine how a relationship like that could pay off for NIU.

If Gompher is serious about extending NIU's profile around the state, his staff should be talking to the Chicago Wolves(2nd highest average attendance in minor league hockey over 300K attended last year) and the Peoria Chiefs (Peoria is on the fringe of northern Illinois) who are a St Louis Cardinal Class A affiliate. Not only did was the Midwest League 3rd among all minor leagues in attendance last year:

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd...ey=pr_milb

With 10% of all minor league attendance (there are 15 leagues including the Mexican league)

There is a huge St Louis Cardinal fanbase in central and southern Illinois. Building a relationship with Peoria could tap into those fans as well. Seems like a direction to take to grow the Huskie fanbase.

Chiefs have averaged 3500 per game the last 5 years.

(02-19-2013 07:53 PM)Poliicious Wrote:  What Thomas has done that is a great long term move is partnering with the Kane County Cougars and having U of I athletics cross promoted with Cougars baseball.

With Kane County drawing over 500 K fans a season and their season ending on Labor Day, that's a move that NIU should have made. Even more, the KC Cougars are now a Chicago Cub Class A affiliate. Imagine how a relationship like that could pay off for NIU.

+500K

(02-19-2013 08:20 PM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(02-19-2013 07:53 PM)Poliicious Wrote:  What Thomas has done that is a great long term move is partnering with the Kane County Cougars and having U of I athletics cross promoted with Cougars baseball.

With Kane County drawing over 500 K fans a season and their season ending on Labor Day, that's a move that NIU should have made. Even more, the KC Cougars are now a Chicago Cub Class A affiliate. Imagine how a relationship like that could pay off for NIU.

+500K

Yeah, and would have made more sense for us than them, since KC Cougar fans & families are exactly the types of people we should be getting out the NIU football. Only a few miles down the road, family-friendly atmosphere, cheap for division 1 football.

Since the opponents suck, sell the experience. Most people go to Cougars games hardly even knowing (and almost certainly not caring) who they're even playing that day.

Oh, crap. I probably just turned this into a marketing/attendance thread.

Sorry everyone.

(02-19-2013 07:53 PM)Poliicious Wrote:  What Thomas has done that is a great long term move is partnering with the Kane County Cougars and having U of I athletics cross promoted with Cougars baseball.

With Kane County drawing over 500 K fans a season and their season ending on Labor Day, that's a move that NIU should have made. Even more, the KC Cougars are now a Chicago Cub Class A affiliate. Imagine how a relationship like that could pay off for NIU.

ugh another missed opportunity for our marketing department

(02-20-2013 09:00 AM)cawoo22 Wrote:  Yeah, and would have made more sense for us than them, since KC Cougar fans & families are exactly the types of people we should be getting out the NIU football. Only a few miles down the road, family-friendly atmosphere, cheap for division 1 football.
Since the opponents suck, sell the experience. Most people go to Cougars games hardly even knowing (and almost certainly not caring) who they're even playing that day.

You hit the nail on the end when you talk about fans from fewer miles away, family-friendly, and either not knowing nor not caring who the opponent is. That's exactly the fan base Northern Illinois needs to expand.
I'll say one thing for the Cougars, their schedule cards are 100 times easier to find than NIU's -- especially in DeKalb. They blanket the restaurants, gas stations, hotels, etc. like crazy.

(02-20-2013 10:10 AM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(02-20-2013 09:00 AM)cawoo22 Wrote:  Yeah, and would have made more sense for us than them, since KC Cougar fans & families are exactly the types of people we should be getting out the NIU football. Only a few miles down the road, family-friendly atmosphere, cheap for division 1 football.
Since the opponents suck, sell the experience. Most people go to Cougars games hardly even knowing (and almost certainly not caring) who they're even playing that day.

You hit the nail on the end when you talk about fans from fewer miles away, family-friendly, and either not knowing nor not caring who the opponent is. That's exactly the fan base Northern Illinois needs to expand.
I'll say one thing for the Cougars, their schedule cards are 100 times easier to find than NIU's -- especially in DeKalb. They blanket the restaurants, gas stations, hotels, etc. like crazy.

Exactly! I've been saying this all along! As it relates to NIU - MOST casual NIU football fans don't know or don't care WHO is playing NIU in Huskie Stadium! All of you keep wanting "big" competitors etc. but the casual fan doesn't care who we play. They just like to see the home team win when they go to a game.

(02-20-2013 11:30 AM)HuskieFootball Addict Wrote:  

(02-20-2013 10:10 AM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(02-20-2013 09:00 AM)cawoo22 Wrote:  Yeah, and would have made more sense for us than them, since KC Cougar fans & families are exactly the types of people we should be getting out the NIU football. Only a few miles down the road, family-friendly atmosphere, cheap for division 1 football.
Since the opponents suck, sell the experience. Most people go to Cougars games hardly even knowing (and almost certainly not caring) who they're even playing that day.

You hit the nail on the end when you talk about fans from fewer miles away, family-friendly, and either not knowing nor not caring who the opponent is. That's exactly the fan base Northern Illinois needs to expand.
I'll say one thing for the Cougars, their schedule cards are 100 times easier to find than NIU's -- especially in DeKalb. They blanket the restaurants, gas stations, hotels, etc. like crazy.

Exactly! I've been saying this all along! As it relates to NIU - MOST casual NIU football fans don't know or don't care WHO is playing NIU in Huskie Stadium! All of you keep wanting "big" competitors etc. but the casual fan doesn't care who we play. They just like to see the home team win when they go to a game.

So THAT'S why our basketball games are so poorly attended!

(02-20-2013 09:00 AM)cawoo22 Wrote:  

(02-19-2013 08:20 PM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  

(02-19-2013 07:53 PM)Poliicious Wrote:  What Thomas has done that is a great long term move is partnering with the Kane County Cougars and having U of I athletics cross promoted with Cougars baseball.

With Kane County drawing over 500 K fans a season and their season ending on Labor Day, that's a move that NIU should have made. Even more, the KC Cougars are now a Chicago Cub Class A affiliate. Imagine how a relationship like that could pay off for NIU.

+500K

Yeah, and would have made more sense for us than them, since KC Cougar fans & families are exactly the types of people we should be getting out the NIU football. Only a few miles down the road, family-friendly atmosphere, cheap for division 1 football.

Since the opponents suck, sell the experience. Most people go to Cougars games hardly even knowing (and almost certainly not caring) who they're even playing that day.

Oh, crap. I probably just turned this into a marketing/attendance thread.

Sorry everyone.

+1

Don't apologize. Scroll down the list of Thread topics. Most don't come close to the importance of Marketing/Attendance.