Maybe we need to look at this differently. Let's set aside the Frazier-bashing for a moment.

Consider that ...

... There is no more local market to tap, even with better marketing. Commuter students have boosted the "suitcase school" crowd to the point that majority attention is focused away from campus. The die-hard fan base is aging, dying off and staying home to watch on TV. And DeKalb/Sycamore is not suddenly going to grow by 200,000 to expand the local population base.

... Frazier went after big bucks, and it didn't show up. The Convo naming rights offer has been on the table for, what 2-3 years? No takers. Who wants to hang a sign out for the Route 38 traffic? The "old" estimate for the master plan rehab/expansion of Huskie Stadium is $60 million; where is that going to come from? And the West Grandstand is 55 years old. The Chessick, Rich, Yordan, Barsema dedication is terrific, but who else is there with really big bucks?

... Nobody can do a thing about the weather (see last season for reference). Don't even mention a domed stadium or a stadium rooftop. No money, and the site is not configured for that kind of structure (I know some pros who took a look and said 'you're outa your mind').

... The ESPN TV deal runs through 2027, so weekday night games are not going away for a long time. Evening kickoffs and length of game are too tight for people who work. Add travel time/distance and weather, and a ton of luck will give a game a max around 8,000. (Capacity is 23,595). Remember that this is not Frazier's doing. NIU is 1/12 of the MAC.

Add all that up, and what else is there but those 160,000 Chicagoland alumni? If a game at SeatGeek can draw just 10%, that's 16,000. All by itself that's almost as much as total attendance for Utah. Yes, just one game, but the attention of a big name like BYU might do it.

I concede the odds are not great, with a long list of reasons I'll omit (getting too long already). One I should mention, though, is that Northwestern and Illinois have tried to break into the pro-sports-plus-Notre Dame market there, and not done well.

But NIU has to try. Or like some have said, in 5 years kiss it all good-bye. IMO, it is important to ask ... People here have complained about lack of marketing, but what is the "retention" effort going to be afterward?