"When students return for the fall and we play our first men's and women's basketball game in the Dome, it looks different, the experience is enhanced and we're able to attract our fans from across the region back home to campus"

Full article:
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Living/a...p?id=99979

What do you think he is thinking with his statement about attracting fans back home to campus?

Simply that a ton of people graduate from ETSU, get jobs around the region, but have no emotional attachment to the university and do not come out to support any athletic or other events.

(04-28-2012 09:40 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  Simply that a ton of people graduate from ETSU, get jobs around the region, but have no emotional attachment to the university and do not come out to support any athletic or other events.

Whose fault is this? Can it be fixed? What will he have to do to fix it?

Win. Win games that matter.

Golf tournaments and soccer games do not matter. Beating USC-Upstate does not matter.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games matter. National rankings in sports people care about matter. Games in major conferences matter.

That's how it's done, boys!

(04-28-2012 03:39 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 09:40 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  Simply that a ton of people graduate from ETSU, get jobs around the region, but have no emotional attachment to the university and do not come out to support any athletic or other events.

Whose fault is this? Can it be fixed? What will he have to do to fix it?

Fault lies within about 30-40 years of bad decision making. Yes, it can be fixed and will take more than winning. He's gonna have to get out in the community, go visit schools, Rotary, Lions, Civitan, Elks, Moose, Eagles and any other organization that will have him. I've railed on this over and over and over again. He has GOT to get the alumni association off their collective arses and force them into action. Get folks to come out, and be very public about the events.

(04-28-2012 09:27 AM)Buc66 Wrote:  "When students return for the fall and we play our first men's and women's basketball game in the Dome, it looks different, the experience is enhanced and we're able to attract our fans from across the region back home to campus"

Full article:
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Living/a...p?id=99979

What do you think he is thinking with his statement about attracting fans back home to campus?

That quote struck me as well. I thought everything was just fine...right? Is he suggesting that fans have left?

(04-28-2012 07:22 PM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  Win. Win games that matter.

Golf tournaments and soccer games do not matter. Beating USC-Upstate does not matter.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games matter. National rankings in sports people care about matter. Games in major conferences matter.

That's how it's done, boys!

Winning is not enough. Its a big part but by itself is not enough. Have to play and beat opponents that people want to see. Just as important, you have to package and market your product.

Can't beat a bunch of no bodies and expect attendance to spike.

(04-28-2012 10:46 PM)BucNut22 Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 07:22 PM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  Win. Win games that matter.

Golf tournaments and soccer games do not matter. Beating USC-Upstate does not matter.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games matter. National rankings in sports people care about matter. Games in major conferences matter.

That's how it's done, boys!

Winning is not enough. Its a big part but by itself is not enough. Have to play and beat opponents that people want to see. Just as important, you have to package and market your product.

Can't beat a bunch of no bodies and expect attendance to spike.

I always felt that our occasional MBB win over Belmont seemed to get people up for ETSU. Word on campus is that Rick Byrd called Bartow a few weeks back. Evidently, Byrd wants to continue beating (I mean "playing") ETSU. Murray has declined Byrd's offer. Just cutting losses? For sure giving up on beating Belmont when they have NO inside game (with Saunders and Hedgepeth graduating). They have that real big guy (Langly?), but I don't think they've ever played him. So, we're going to miss-out on an ETSU vs. BU matchup when Belmont will be small underneath.....our chance to win.

(04-28-2012 09:37 PM)abuc90 Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 09:27 AM)Buc66 Wrote:  "When students return for the fall and we play our first men's and women's basketball game in the Dome, it looks different, the experience is enhanced and we're able to attract our fans from across the region back home to campus"

Full article:
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Living/a...p?id=99979

What do you think he is thinking with his statement about attracting fans back home to campus?

That quote struck me as well. I thought everything was just fine...right? Is he suggesting that fans have left?

I took it that way - bringing people back home, to me, means that they are some place else other than home.

(04-29-2012 12:15 AM)BucSinceTheSixties Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 10:46 PM)BucNut22 Wrote:  

(04-28-2012 07:22 PM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  Win. Win games that matter.

Golf tournaments and soccer games do not matter. Beating USC-Upstate does not matter.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games matter. National rankings in sports people care about matter. Games in major conferences matter.

That's how it's done, boys!

Winning is not enough. Its a big part but by itself is not enough. Have to play and beat opponents that people want to see. Just as important, you have to package and market your product.

Can't beat a bunch of no bodies and expect attendance to spike.

I always felt that our occasional MBB win over Belmont seemed to get people up for ETSU. Word on campus is that Rick Byrd called Bartow a few weeks back. Evidently, Byrd wants to continue beating (I mean "playing") ETSU. Murray has declined Byrd's offer. Just cutting losses? For sure giving up on beating Belmont when they have NO inside game (with Saunders and Hedgepeth graduating). They have that real big guy (Langly?), but I don't think they've ever played him. So, we're going to miss-out on an ETSU vs. BU matchup when Belmont will be small underneath.....our chance to win.

I realize coaches at mid-majors will tell you how difficult it is to schedule big name opponents, but then whenever ETSU seems to need cash they find their way to travel to Syracuse and Oklahoma State and of course Kentucky didn't have a problem with smacking the Bucs in Lexington after they did it in the tourney.

Point is, I remember the likes of N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Michigan State coming to Johnson City. And every year it seems ETSU makes a trip to Clemson, Vanderbilt, or Tennessee.

Why can't those three schools ever come to Johnson City?

And on that thought, when David Mullins says publicly that it doesn't benefit ETSU to schedule 3 and 1s with the likes of these schools, how is it possible he isn't fired immediately for sheer stupidity?

The answer is, of course, what I've said for years- bad sports town that either doesn't care or has such little knowledge you can tell them up is down and they'll believe it.

Or that ETSU doesn't care.

Maybe a little of both?

Further thoughts-

While I understand the appeal of scheduling opponents such as Chattanooga, Appalachian State, and Belmont, I would argue that a victory against a major opponent on the road will create more of a buzz for ETSU and sell more seats for upcoming Atlantic Sun opponents than beating Belmont at home in December.

You also will never rise above the likes of Chattanooga, Appalachian State, and Belmont and become the next Gonzaga or Butler or whoever if you continue to play them in home-and-home series during the course of a season.

Programs like UNLV basketball and Florida State football grew by scheduling major opponents. It would seem to me that simply by greasing the palms of a fire marshall or adding new exits ETSU could reap the benefits fully of scheduling such opponents.

But, as we all know, it is much more important to have a softball field.

There's one thing I want to add what Pitt and others have written and it has to do with the Dome. Dave Walker's annual track meet was always attractive to any runner that had to turn a corner in his or her race because of its size. Anyone who has ever run indoor track knows that the standard 1/8 mile tracks produce slower times in events from the 200 up because of the sharp curve, even if it's banked. Racing on the track in the dome almost better even than running outside since there is no wind to worry about and the turns are not noticeably sharper than an outdoor track. That is the main reason that the ACC contracted to have its indoor championships at ETSU for so many years, as did the SoCon. Basically the times were faster and that meant that runners in the events from 800 meters up had a much better chance of making the NCAA individual qualifying times than they did on a standard sized track. And all was good for many years. However, toward the end of the the 1990s and into the 2000s this began to change and one big reason was the deplorable condition of the other facilities in the dome. Coach Walker once told me about a letter he received from a fellow coach following his team's participation in a meet in the dome. I can't quote but I remember it well enough to parapharse. Dave - loved the meet. Thanks for the hospitality and the well-run meet. The locker rooms, main arena and even the track are the filthiest facilities we've ever seen. The locker rooms and showers aren't what I'd expect in a high school. I don't know how much this has to do with not getting schools like Tennessee to play in J.C., but it can't help. Just another thought on why a new BB facility is sorely needed. The Dome has deteriorated to the point where I wonder if it can ever really brought up to even minimal standards.

Final note- Anyone with just a whisp of sports marketing intelligence will tell you your attendance is largely made up of advance ticket sales, which translates into season ticket sales.

Season ticket sales come when you generate a buzz. A star player. A quality home schedule. The chance at a great season you won't want to miss and "You better come get your tickets now or else they'll sell out."

The latter has got to be a major reason why ETSU won't do anything about the Vault/Dome's seating capacity. I would argue, however, that it would be in their best interest to have the seats available if needed for an event, but perhaps section the venue's last 6,000 or so seats.

So if Tennessee would ever come to town, you could sell 12,000 seats. But if USC-Upstate is the opponent, rope off those sections and keep the capacity to 6,000.

As it is right now, ETSU doesn't even tarp off those seats. And my main question- if it was so vitally important to make sure the football equipment was sold off right away for the revenue it provided- wouldn't ripping out the additional seats they can't sell by law and auctioning them off be in ETSU's best interest?

(04-29-2012 02:00 PM)OldGrayDog Wrote:  There's one thing I want to add what Pitt and others have written and it has to do with the Dome. Dave Walker's annual track meet was always attractive to any runner that had to turn a corner in his or her race because of its size. Anyone who has ever run indoor track knows that the standard 1/8 mile tracks produce slower times in events from the 200 up because of the sharp curve, even if it's banked. Racing on the track in the dome almost better even than running outside since there is no wind to worry about and the turns are not noticeably sharper than an outdoor track. That is the main reason that the ACC contracted to have its indoor championships at ETSU for so many years, as did the SoCon. Basically the times were faster and that meant that runners in the events from 800 meters up had a much better chance of making the NCAA individual qualifying times than they did on a standard sized track. And all was good for many years. However, toward the end of the the 1990s and into the 2000s this began to change and one big reason was the deplorable condition of the other facilities in the dome. Coach Walker once told me about a letter he received from a fellow coach following his team's participation in a meet in the dome. I can't quote but I remember it well enough to parapharse. Dave - loved the meet. Thanks for the hospitality and the well-run meet. The locker rooms, main arena and even the track are the filthiest facilities we've ever seen. The locker rooms and showers aren't what I'd expect in a high school. I don't know how much this has to do with not getting schools like Tennessee to play in J.C., but it can't help. Just another thought on why a new BB facility is sorely needed. The Dome has deteriorated to the point where I wonder if it can ever really brought up to even minimal standards.

I haven't been in the locker rooms there in awhile, but what I do recall is that they had metal lockers, which are certainly yesterday's news.

Whether they still have them or replaced them with walk-in "lockers," I don't know.

I still remember the JC Press article from a few years ago stating that the Vault/Dome would be gone by 2014.

How's that working out?

(04-29-2012 02:07 PM)PittsburghBucs Wrote:  Final note- Anyone with just a whisp of sports marketing intelligence will tell you your attendance is largely made up of advance ticket sales, which translates into season ticket sales.

Season ticket sales come when you generate a buzz. A star player. A quality home schedule. The chance at a great season you won't want to miss and "You better come get your tickets now or else they'll sell out."

The latter has got to be a major reason why ETSU won't do anything about the Vault/Dome's seating capacity. I would argue, however, that it would be in their best interest to have the seats available if needed for an event, but perhaps section the venue's last 6,000 or so seats.

So if Tennessee would ever come to town, you could sell 12,000 seats. But if USC-Upstate is the opponent, rope off those sections and keep the capacity to 6,000.

As it is right now, ETSU doesn't even tarp off those seats. And my main question- if it was so vitally important to make sure the football equipment was sold off right away for the revenue it provided- wouldn't ripping out the additional seats they can't sell by law and auctioning them off be in ETSU's best interest?

Don't get me started on ETSU's sport marketing.

The home schedule is critical. If you have to do a 3-1 with Tennessee, Memphis, Vandy, etc so be it. The payoff is worth its weight in gold even if you lose. Provided you are able to get an agree with more than 1 team you can space it out to the point where you play a "named" opponent at home every 2 years or so. Even if it is not a "high-major" you can find a school that would generate some interest.

Playing UTC, App St, and/or Belmont doesn't necessarily hurt the home schedule IMO. Replacing Milligan or James Madison with one of those teams is an upgrade. We play bums in the OOC already, might as well have it be a team people are interested in watching the Bucs play. The problem is when UTC or Belmont is your "marquee" game.