The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(03-10-2014 11:15 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 10:54 PM)tibber Wrote:  I was thinking 2006 (hence the "almost.") If we don't repeatedly **** the bed in big games under Davis and lose to bad teams the way we've done thus far under Haase, we probably have more than a play-in game blowout in the big dance. That would have made us a lot more attractive. But of course, all this assumes there was anything behind realignment than a desperate grab for T.V. ratings in large markets. How else do you explain Tulane and SMU getting in and Southern Miss, the Ellis Johnson debacle not withstanding, getting left behind with us? Football hasn't helped but they sure aren't entirely to blame.

However, you can blame most of it on football.

Only if that is your intent.

(03-10-2014 08:20 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  UAB got into every conference we have ever gotten into because of the widely held respect for Coach Gene Bartow and we haven't budged an inch since he left us.

As long as UAB is not perceived as being "master of its own ship", it is unlikely it will be invited by any major conference that would be an improvement over C-USA. I suspect that a lot is being said about our system BOT's control over UAB in whispers behind raised hands which was spurred on by the way our OCS wound up being denied without a public vote. That action was not missed by other conferences.

Will a conference consider UAB when there is a strong (but quiet) suspicion that the system BOT has designs for killing the FB program just as soon as they can get a clear shot at it?

100% correct. Gene had an ambitious vision for UAB and that vision left with him. The biggest reason UAB hasn't moved up has been the lack of leadership. AD's since Gene retired: Herman Frazier, Watson Brown, Brian Mackin. We replaced a giant with midgets.

(03-10-2014 09:03 PM)tibber Wrote:  And there's another problem; UAB/Birmingham doesn't really have a powerhouse corporate benefactor on the level of FedEx, and even if they did, UA and AU have the Birmingham market in a stranglehold. Can't blame football for Birmingham being an afterthought to every other major city in the south.

This. Conference realignment is all about television revenue more than anything else. If your market can't generate additional dollars for a conference, you aren't wanted. As MB said in his reply, Memphis's market actually has potential for television growth. UAB has zero potential for media growth in Birmingham because of UA and AU. It's as simple as that.

Basketball landscape has change, once basketball was undisputed king in the minds of some teams from certain power conferences, competing in the top tier of atheltics. It was the main event and highly anticipated by the basketball fan.

UCLA, Kentucky, Kansas, N,Carolina, Indiana, Duke and many more good basketball programs Not known for great football, currently in power football conference are a few example.

You can say from the group I named Duke appears to have separated its basketball program the most where the basketball program isnt a distraction until football season arrives, I dare say at Duke, recruiting, spring games and the up coming football season are highly anticipated by fans of Duke Athletics.

IMO UAB was left out of expansion talk the last go around because of lack of support and success for the 2 key Athletic programs.

I am a basketball fan first, football second, I attend all the home basketball games and in most football seasons I attend about 3- 4 games.

The fan support for basketball is different from the support for the football team, its not even close, the football team can attract 10 to 15 thousand fans even when we havent won more then 4 games in years. In the same season we can win 18-20 games in Basketball and in my opinion play the best brand of basketball in Alabama and still average around 4500 fans.
This is where we need to build the fan base, we need to get fans of Football to become Basketball fans and Basketball fans to become Football fans.
Heck I always ask, where are the students at basketball games, its not like theres alot going on on Sunday nights.

Well back to the subject, until UAB athletics gain/earns/grow more fans, get the community its employees, student, business partners, civic support for all the athletic department,the next expansion talk may have the same results, regardless of the Basketball landscape.

(03-11-2014 10:54 AM)rebounder2u Wrote:  at the if there are no surprises or other activities needing my attention.

After reading that post, your literacy needs serious attention.

Hmmmmm, the process often referred to as a "literacy test." But in fact, it was much
more than just a reading test, it was an entire complex system that Grammar-Nazi devoted to denying
Rebounder2u his right to post undeleted sentences...

Huh?

(03-11-2014 11:08 AM)rebounder2u Wrote:  Hmmmmm, the process often referred to as a "literacy test." But in fact, it was much
more than just a reading test, it was an entire complex system that Grammar-Nazi devoted to denying
Rebounder2u his right to post undeleted sentences...

I think he just proved my point.

(03-11-2014 12:08 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 11:15 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 10:54 PM)tibber Wrote:  I was thinking 2006 (hence the "almost.") If we don't repeatedly **** the bed in big games under Davis and lose to bad teams the way we've done thus far under Haase, we probably have more than a play-in game blowout in the big dance. That would have made us a lot more attractive. But of course, all this assumes there was anything behind realignment than a desperate grab for T.V. ratings in large markets. How else do you explain Tulane and SMU getting in and Southern Miss, the Ellis Johnson debacle not withstanding, getting left behind with us? Football hasn't helped but they sure aren't entirely to blame.

However, you can blame most of it on football.

Only if that is your intent.

Or if it is the truth. And it is. The argument has been if not for football, UAB would have been stuck in the Sun Belt or worse. Well........

(03-11-2014 09:47 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(03-11-2014 12:08 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 11:15 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 10:54 PM)tibber Wrote:  I was thinking 2006 (hence the "almost.") If we don't repeatedly **** the bed in big games under Davis and lose to bad teams the way we've done thus far under Haase, we probably have more than a play-in game blowout in the big dance. That would have made us a lot more attractive. But of course, all this assumes there was anything behind realignment than a desperate grab for T.V. ratings in large markets. How else do you explain Tulane and SMU getting in and Southern Miss, the Ellis Johnson debacle not withstanding, getting left behind with us? Football hasn't helped but they sure aren't entirely to blame.

However, you can blame most of it on football.

Only if that is your intent.

Or if it is the truth. And it is. The argument has been if not for football, UAB would have been stuck in the Sun Belt or worse. Well........

Men's Basketball hasn't exactly shown out for the last 7 years.

How is that football's fault ?

(03-11-2014 10:41 AM)Grammar-Nazi Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 09:03 PM)tibber Wrote:  And there's another problem; UAB/Birmingham doesn't really have a powerhouse corporate benefactor on the level of FedEx, and even if they did, UA and AU have the Birmingham market in a stranglehold. Can't blame football for Birmingham being an afterthought to every other major city in the south.

This. Conference realignment is all about television revenue more than anything else. If your market can't generate additional dollars for a conference, you aren't wanted. As MB said in his reply, Memphis's market actually has potential for television growth. UAB has zero potential for media growth in Birmingham because of UA and AU. It's as simple as that.

I wish I could argue the point. Conference realignment, more than any single factor, is about television eyeball count. UAB does not move the needle in Birmingham enough to sell out the North Carolina basketball game, let alone be a decent draw for televised football. That's a bitter pill, but its the damn truth.