(08-03-2009 09:53 AM)HuronDave Wrote: We have already seen the MAC make the decision to scale back its mens BB tournament to campus sites once again for the first round and it is quite likely that the MAC football championship game will be moved from Ford Field in the near future back to a campus site. I have always said that if you want to be big-time you can't think small-time. Draw your own conclusions.
I'm disappointed in this. Maybe bball can get away w/ it, but fball will start to look like Div III.
I agree w/ Dave, you can't think small-time. Additionnally, you can't just believe, "If we build it they will come." That may be Chryst's mistake, although I think he saw that there were many parties involved and they weren't pulling their weight.
20+ years following BG and the MAC, w/ 15 on-line. I don't see the committment from MAC universities to make it real. No one has addressed root causes, or efforts to build support from the ground up. No one has put plans in place for continuous improvement, to augment and leverage the occasional breakout season.
Sure, you're fighting against the Big 10, they actively work against the MAC...but MAC fans are realistic. We aren't expecting 80K attendances; we'd be pleased to see growth from 18-23K up to 28-40K. We'd be happy for an occasional Boise St type season, but also some years w/ 2-3 teams winning bowls and cracking the Top 25. We'd expect to see recruiting compete w/ the Davidsons, Gonzagas, Butlers and Utah States. We'd be happy to know that 2-bids to the Big Dance will be granted when earned, and that we'll see some occasional Sweet 16 appearances (or better).
We've seen fits and starts in this direction, but little strategy and planning to perpetuate it. I see little, if any, coordination among the leaders and the loyal fans that have stuck around for years/decades. I have seen blown opportunities, tunnel vision, and a learned sense of helplessness.