(12-13-2016 10:22 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(12-13-2016 06:53 PM)Minnewaska Owl Wrote:  

(12-13-2016 06:28 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I'm still dumbfounded. I bet the number of schools in the country that would get this much complaining about a move like this is exactly one--Rice. I'm simply amazed.
But maybe that speaks volumes about the problems of our athletic program. We're not in the SWC any more. It's time to outgrow our sense of entitlement.

I'm surprised at how annoyed you are that some people are expressing disappointment over now not being able to see the Stanford game - especially considering we have been told all along that we would be hosting this game to start the 2017 season.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say in an earlier thread that you have given up on Rice football, and stopped going to games a while back? If that's not true, I apologize. But if it is true, you obviously can't relate to the feelings of people that are still fans and want to see Rice play home games against top P5 schools.

I don't go to see Rice p[lay much any more, because I don't enjoy it, because the quality of the product is godawful. I don't think I missed a home game from 1974 until 2007. But the last two games I attended, I left at the half because I couldn't stand to watch. I certainly wouldn't enjoy watching us get blown out by Stanford. The key to me is improving the product. The key to improving the product seems to be money. This is a way to make money. Slam dunk.

Why does it matter to you whom Rice is playing? If you want to see Rice play, shouldn't you want to see Rice play regardless of the opponent? If you want to see Rice play, shouldn't you want to see Rice play regardless of opponent? I don't want to see Rice play right now, because the quality of play just makes me very angry. But that's independent of the opponent. I want to see the program improve, and this is the kind of opportunity that must be taken if we are to do that.

For Pete's sake, it would be nice to see you, at least once, respond to someone disagreeing with you without doubling down.

He had a valid point. Loyal fans, who come to the games, who actually are some of the 'butts in the seats' have a right to be at least disappointed that a game that had been advertised on our home schedule was yanked, when it was essentially the very next game on our schedule. We ALL understand why the money is important.

You started out by lecturing, which was bad enough, but on top of that came just short of implying that those of us who were disappointed somehow were dense to the obvious reason the AD gave up the game for money.

After years of never missing a home football game, I now have to adjust my schedule over my kids baseball games, cross country meets, etc. I saw 3 games in person this year, and listened to the rest on internet radio, sometimes driving back from Fayetteville, or Dallas, sometimes with an earbud in at a baseball game. When the sad day comes when I no longer have a game to watch when my kids are competing, I will be enormously glad that I will have my full slate of home games available at Rice Stadium to help me cope a bit.

So in answer to your question, you are right, I will go to a game regardless of the opponent when my schedule is clear. However when we give up a home game, that's one less weekend opportunity available to me if my schedule works out.

And there's nothing wrong with any of us looking forward to a better recognized P5 opponent coming to Rice Stadium. Minnewaska probably misses SWC opponents as much as anyone. No one who shows up for our CUSA schedule and supports the team should be criticized over being disappointed with this scheduling decision.

On a separate but related note, I'm don't know whether to be disappointed or disgusted with the recent posts advocating we sell off the majority of our home games and serve as the Homecoming version of the Washington Generals to the SEC. If I thought it was done tongue in cheek, it'd be annoying, but maybe I'm dense because it sure came across as a serious discussion to me.

Our student-athletes deserve more respect than that, IMO.