The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(10-28-2018 06:57 PM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  There is are monumental disconnects at the University.

As many of you know I was an Alumni chapter officer/President from 2010 through 2017.

In those eight years, the chapter and ODAF had but one joint venture, a watch party in 2015.

In all of those years, I (nor to my knowledge any chapter officer), was ever formally introduced to the any member of the alumni board or it's president.
The sad truth is that, through charity and local chapter initiated projects, I am more familiar with VCU, VT, GMU, and W&M alumni associations than I ever was with my own.
Relationships I had with big name ODU alumni were actually developed through ODAF.
I run into young alumni all the time in this area. I give them a chapter card and invite them to participate. Not only are they surprised that there is a local group, they are unaware of any alumni organization.

Employee turnover in the Office of Alumni Relations has been extremely high, and I suspect the same for ODAF, as whenever I spoke to an ODAF rep, either about my personal account or representing the chapter, it was always someone different. The Coaches Caravan people are different every year as well.

IMHO, ODU needs to address the compartmentalization, and have some sort of a coordinating umbrella that includes ODAF, ODUAA, Sports Properties, Branding, Monarch Media, Marching Band, Dance Team, Cheerleaders, All the Big Blues, Sports Marketing, etc.

Ten years into the football program the band shouldn't play over the offense, the PA system shouldn't be crap, and those who paid big bucks to have access to 4400 at the TED shouldn't now find out that their donation was unnecessary.

I take it to heart when good folks such as Smitty, ODUalum78, and others speak. A wise person once advised me to seek first to understand and then to be understood. In that connection I’m thinking about each of the valid points that each of you are raising. Perhaps it would be be good if ODAF strongly encouraged the President of the University to provide his vision (sooner rather than later) for education in what I refer to as “Decade 2020” and yes, specifically how our “larger” sports will contribute going forward. Some food for thought that they/he may want to consider in planning for the evolution of our beloved university!:

1. A forum(s) for explanation of our major athletics program decisions. I would prefer for it to be in public and include strong email (ok, I’m old school) and social media components each tailored to graduates, to athletics support groups such as ODAF and the Alumni Association, to our state elected leaders (local representatives take notice, you need to be engaged, proactive, and “change-makers”), and to the students who will be “tomorrow’s graduates”, contributors, and beneficiaries of upcoming athletics endeavors.

2. A Project Management Plan (PMP) should be developed (and used) for Game Day activities (who does what to/for whom, when, where, and how). This should include all steps involved. The PMP should be doctrine for all current and future employees and volunteers. It’s not hard to develop and shouldn’t be hard to use.

3. Establishment and publication of quantifiable metrics to judge progress in meeting the athletics vision and how adjustments will be made.

This is a start and I hope that it stimulates additional thought and more importantly, actionable outcomes from those who are leading the way. I trust that this will make its way to the appropriate folks. Go in peace, my Monarchs!

(10-28-2018 02:55 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:25 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:10 PM)ODUDJ96 Wrote:  Agreed - I think any financial/wealth advisor will tell you these types of donations are ill-advised (unless you’re wealthy). ODU better realize a “return” is expected in the form of a watchable product. Dumb money continues to invest in a product with no return.

Disclaimer: My financial investment in anything that isn't living expenses/credit cards/student loans is zero because DC is expensive and I am stupid with money.

How are we defining "return"? Because if the expectation is that money donated should be tied to on-field success, then people should donate to Alabama and Clemson instead.

I think it's reasonable to say that if the program is mired in a long-term slump in all facets with little if any hope of revival, then that's the time to cut bait. But if you're upset that this year is poor and thus the pursestrings should be pulled shut, then I think that's a little short-sighted — yes, even after two straight sub-.500 seasons. Look at CUSA: Nearly every team in the conference is either a) bad now or b) has been bad at least once since ODU joined. I think Louisiana Tech might be it for consistently strong teams? Even Western Kentucky is in the dumps this season.

At some point there is an event horizon moment to face where, if something dramatic doesn't happen, then all hope is lost for the foreseeable future, but I'm not sure we're there just yet. I do think if nothing else, Wood and BW need to have a serious talk about the future of the program. I'm not 100 percent on the "fire BW" train because it's never good to make those statements shortly after an embarrassing defeat, but I'm a lot further along than I was at the beginning of the season.

What’s a “long term slump”? Last year was bad, this year was awful, next year looks to be just as bad. Assuming we don’t let BW go until after next season, it could be 5 losing years in a row if we give the new guy 2 years to turn things around.

A lot of people around here don't seem to consider this.

To me, you have to act quickly and decisively when the program is heading in the wrong direction or even at a plateau, so that you avoid a long term downturn. You cannot allow the program to get into a position where you are down for several years, and it is much easier to hire a decent coach when the program has not yet hit rock bottom.

If you wait until the program is terrible to fire a coach, then you are ensuring a long downturn because it was probably 3-4 years to the bottom and 2-4 years for back to the top. That is 5-8 years of not heading in the right direction. If you fire 2 years into a downturn, you may still have some talent that a new coach can use to make a quick improvement and you could see a marked turnaround in 3-4 years.

(10-28-2018 02:55 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:25 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:10 PM)ODUDJ96 Wrote:  Agreed - I think any financial/wealth advisor will tell you these types of donations are ill-advised (unless you’re wealthy). ODU better realize a “return” is expected in the form of a watchable product. Dumb money continues to invest in a product with no return.

Disclaimer: My financial investment in anything that isn't living expenses/credit cards/student loans is zero because DC is expensive and I am stupid with money.

How are we defining "return"? Because if the expectation is that money donated should be tied to on-field success, then people should donate to Alabama and Clemson instead.

I think it's reasonable to say that if the program is mired in a long-term slump in all facets with little if any hope of revival, then that's the time to cut bait. But if you're upset that this year is poor and thus the pursestrings should be pulled shut, then I think that's a little short-sighted — yes, even after two straight sub-.500 seasons. Look at CUSA: Nearly every team in the conference is either a) bad now or b) has been bad at least once since ODU joined. I think Louisiana Tech might be it for consistently strong teams? Even Western Kentucky is in the dumps this season.

At some point there is an event horizon moment to face where, if something dramatic doesn't happen, then all hope is lost for the foreseeable future, but I'm not sure we're there just yet. I do think if nothing else, Wood and BW need to have a serious talk about the future of the program. I'm not 100 percent on the "fire BW" train because it's never good to make those statements shortly after an embarrassing defeat, but I'm a lot further along than I was at the beginning of the season.

What’s a “long term slump”? Last year was bad, this year was awful, next year looks to be just as bad. Assuming we don’t let BW go until after next season, it could be 5 losing years in a row if we give the new guy 2 years to turn things around.

There are some assumptions here.....

"Next year looks to be as bad." We can see this year, that it's difficult to predict. We have some major pieces to fill at DL and WR, but I don't know that we are in as dire straights as some suggest. We are going to be returning a senior QB with an experienced backup and possibly a highly rated recruit (ignoring Fitz). We will be loaded at RB with several experienced backs. The OL will have 4 guys back that are essentially starting right now. Barnett, Weaver, Magwood, Lawson. Everyone will be back at TE. Everyone will be back at LB and cornerback. There is really 3 spots we are losing players (assuming no major defections) WR, DL, S. At WR, it's really an unknown. Luckily, we should get Fox back and Haynes is playing well. What we do inside besides Meiser is a question mark. At safety, Richardson, Gordon, and Ajegwu have been getting more time so they will be experienced next year. The 2 major red flags are DE and WR, something hopefully the TEs will help with.

Hypothetically if Wilder is gone, Im not sure I agree that coaches take 2 years to get up to speed.

P.S. I don't really think last year was "bad" per se. It wasn't good, but it was a team that was 1 win away from a bowl game with a roster that was very much in transition, primarily at QB. I would qualify by saying it was not as good as what we hope for. No issue with thinking it was unacceptable.

This season is bad. We have the talent to do so much better. This is the one season out of our entire history where we can say the teams record was not reflective of what it should have been. Its probably some regression to the mean as we had some 5 to 6 win seasons early on that probably should have been 4 to 5.

(10-29-2018 10:40 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:55 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:25 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:10 PM)ODUDJ96 Wrote:  Agreed - I think any financial/wealth advisor will tell you these types of donations are ill-advised (unless you’re wealthy). ODU better realize a “return” is expected in the form of a watchable product. Dumb money continues to invest in a product with no return.

Disclaimer: My financial investment in anything that isn't living expenses/credit cards/student loans is zero because DC is expensive and I am stupid with money.

How are we defining "return"? Because if the expectation is that money donated should be tied to on-field success, then people should donate to Alabama and Clemson instead.

I think it's reasonable to say that if the program is mired in a long-term slump in all facets with little if any hope of revival, then that's the time to cut bait. But if you're upset that this year is poor and thus the pursestrings should be pulled shut, then I think that's a little short-sighted — yes, even after two straight sub-.500 seasons. Look at CUSA: Nearly every team in the conference is either a) bad now or b) has been bad at least once since ODU joined. I think Louisiana Tech might be it for consistently strong teams? Even Western Kentucky is in the dumps this season.

At some point there is an event horizon moment to face where, if something dramatic doesn't happen, then all hope is lost for the foreseeable future, but I'm not sure we're there just yet. I do think if nothing else, Wood and BW need to have a serious talk about the future of the program. I'm not 100 percent on the "fire BW" train because it's never good to make those statements shortly after an embarrassing defeat, but I'm a lot further along than I was at the beginning of the season.

What’s a “long term slump”? Last year was bad, this year was awful, next year looks to be just as bad. Assuming we don’t let BW go until after next season, it could be 5 losing years in a row if we give the new guy 2 years to turn things around.

There are some assumptions here.....

"Next year looks to be as bad." We can see this year, that it's difficult to predict. We have some major pieces to fill at DL and WR, but I don't know that we are in as dire straights as some suggest. We are going to be returning a senior QB with an experienced backup and possibly a highly rated recruit (ignoring Fitz). We will be loaded at RB with several experienced backs. The OL will have 4 guys back that are essentially starting right now. Barnett, Weaver, Magwood, Lawson. Everyone will be back at TE. Everyone will be back at LB and cornerback. There is really 3 spots we are losing players (assuming no major defections) WR, DL, S. At WR, it's really an unknown. Luckily, we should get Fox back and Haynes is playing well. What we do inside besides Meiser is a question mark. At safety, Richardson, Gordon, and Ajegwu have been getting more time so they will be experienced next year. The 2 major red flags are DE and WR, something hopefully the TEs will help with.

Hypothetically if Wilder is gone, Im not sure I agree that coaches take 2 years to get up to speed.

P.S. I don't really think last year was "bad" per se. It wasn't good, but it was a team that was 1 win away from a bowl game with a roster that was very much in transition, primarily at QB. I would qualify by saying it was not as good as what we hope for. No issue with thinking it was unacceptable.

This season is bad. We have the talent to do so much better. This is the one season out of our entire history where we can say the teams record was not reflective of what it should have been. Its probably some regression to the mean as we had some 5 to 6 win seasons early on that probably should have been 4 to 5.

The WR spot is a BIG problem for us. Without Fulgham and Duhart our offense is essentially crap. We would be winless this year without them. I don't think the other guys on the roster will be able to fill those holes.

(10-29-2018 11:59 AM)MonarchManiac Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 10:40 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:55 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:25 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:10 PM)ODUDJ96 Wrote:  Agreed - I think any financial/wealth advisor will tell you these types of donations are ill-advised (unless you’re wealthy). ODU better realize a “return” is expected in the form of a watchable product. Dumb money continues to invest in a product with no return.

Disclaimer: My financial investment in anything that isn't living expenses/credit cards/student loans is zero because DC is expensive and I am stupid with money.

How are we defining "return"? Because if the expectation is that money donated should be tied to on-field success, then people should donate to Alabama and Clemson instead.

I think it's reasonable to say that if the program is mired in a long-term slump in all facets with little if any hope of revival, then that's the time to cut bait. But if you're upset that this year is poor and thus the pursestrings should be pulled shut, then I think that's a little short-sighted — yes, even after two straight sub-.500 seasons. Look at CUSA: Nearly every team in the conference is either a) bad now or b) has been bad at least once since ODU joined. I think Louisiana Tech might be it for consistently strong teams? Even Western Kentucky is in the dumps this season.

At some point there is an event horizon moment to face where, if something dramatic doesn't happen, then all hope is lost for the foreseeable future, but I'm not sure we're there just yet. I do think if nothing else, Wood and BW need to have a serious talk about the future of the program. I'm not 100 percent on the "fire BW" train because it's never good to make those statements shortly after an embarrassing defeat, but I'm a lot further along than I was at the beginning of the season.

What’s a “long term slump”? Last year was bad, this year was awful, next year looks to be just as bad. Assuming we don’t let BW go until after next season, it could be 5 losing years in a row if we give the new guy 2 years to turn things around.

There are some assumptions here.....

"Next year looks to be as bad." We can see this year, that it's difficult to predict. We have some major pieces to fill at DL and WR, but I don't know that we are in as dire straights as some suggest. We are going to be returning a senior QB with an experienced backup and possibly a highly rated recruit (ignoring Fitz). We will be loaded at RB with several experienced backs. The OL will have 4 guys back that are essentially starting right now. Barnett, Weaver, Magwood, Lawson. Everyone will be back at TE. Everyone will be back at LB and cornerback. There is really 3 spots we are losing players (assuming no major defections) WR, DL, S. At WR, it's really an unknown. Luckily, we should get Fox back and Haynes is playing well. What we do inside besides Meiser is a question mark. At safety, Richardson, Gordon, and Ajegwu have been getting more time so they will be experienced next year. The 2 major red flags are DE and WR, something hopefully the TEs will help with.

Hypothetically if Wilder is gone, Im not sure I agree that coaches take 2 years to get up to speed.

P.S. I don't really think last year was "bad" per se. It wasn't good, but it was a team that was 1 win away from a bowl game with a roster that was very much in transition, primarily at QB. I would qualify by saying it was not as good as what we hope for. No issue with thinking it was unacceptable.

This season is bad. We have the talent to do so much better. This is the one season out of our entire history where we can say the teams record was not reflective of what it should have been. Its probably some regression to the mean as we had some 5 to 6 win seasons early on that probably should have been 4 to 5.

The WR spot is a BIG problem for us. Without Fulgham and Duhart our offense is essentially crap. We would be winless this year without them. I don't think the other guys on the roster will be able to fill those holes.

That is hard to tell. We don't know what we have behind Duhart and Fulgham because those guys are so good that we don't ask much from others. I've heard good things about Mayo and Fitzgerald, but its difficult to project at this point. The running game has gotten going. Strong has 384 yards over the past 4 games at 4.8 yards per carry. Knight/Davis have shown flashes (fumbling won't help). If they have good QB play and the RBs are a threat, I'm not as worried about WRs, we have done a good job of developing WRs.

The DL is the major concern. And like really major concern.

Drunkard- When you had your meeting with a rep and gleaned that $350-ish per ticket would be the price to look at is that with or without a donation to ODAF?

Is parking included? If not did you hear a price?

Will priority points still be used in seat selection? Will more points be given to reflect higher cost for FB tix?

I wonder how the order of rep meetings is figured?

I guess that's enough questions for now!

(10-29-2018 11:59 AM)MonarchManiac Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 10:40 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:55 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:25 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:10 PM)ODUDJ96 Wrote:  Agreed - I think any financial/wealth advisor will tell you these types of donations are ill-advised (unless you’re wealthy). ODU better realize a “return” is expected in the form of a watchable product. Dumb money continues to invest in a product with no return.

Disclaimer: My financial investment in anything that isn't living expenses/credit cards/student loans is zero because DC is expensive and I am stupid with money.

How are we defining "return"? Because if the expectation is that money donated should be tied to on-field success, then people should donate to Alabama and Clemson instead.

I think it's reasonable to say that if the program is mired in a long-term slump in all facets with little if any hope of revival, then that's the time to cut bait. But if you're upset that this year is poor and thus the pursestrings should be pulled shut, then I think that's a little short-sighted — yes, even after two straight sub-.500 seasons. Look at CUSA: Nearly every team in the conference is either a) bad now or b) has been bad at least once since ODU joined. I think Louisiana Tech might be it for consistently strong teams? Even Western Kentucky is in the dumps this season.

At some point there is an event horizon moment to face where, if something dramatic doesn't happen, then all hope is lost for the foreseeable future, but I'm not sure we're there just yet. I do think if nothing else, Wood and BW need to have a serious talk about the future of the program. I'm not 100 percent on the "fire BW" train because it's never good to make those statements shortly after an embarrassing defeat, but I'm a lot further along than I was at the beginning of the season.

What’s a “long term slump”? Last year was bad, this year was awful, next year looks to be just as bad. Assuming we don’t let BW go until after next season, it could be 5 losing years in a row if we give the new guy 2 years to turn things around.

There are some assumptions here.....

"Next year looks to be as bad." We can see this year, that it's difficult to predict. We have some major pieces to fill at DL and WR, but I don't know that we are in as dire straights as some suggest. We are going to be returning a senior QB with an experienced backup and possibly a highly rated recruit (ignoring Fitz). We will be loaded at RB with several experienced backs. The OL will have 4 guys back that are essentially starting right now. Barnett, Weaver, Magwood, Lawson. Everyone will be back at TE. Everyone will be back at LB and cornerback. There is really 3 spots we are losing players (assuming no major defections) WR, DL, S. At WR, it's really an unknown. Luckily, we should get Fox back and Haynes is playing well. What we do inside besides Meiser is a question mark. At safety, Richardson, Gordon, and Ajegwu have been getting more time so they will be experienced next year. The 2 major red flags are DE and WR, something hopefully the TEs will help with.

Hypothetically if Wilder is gone, Im not sure I agree that coaches take 2 years to get up to speed.

P.S. I don't really think last year was "bad" per se. It wasn't good, but it was a team that was 1 win away from a bowl game with a roster that was very much in transition, primarily at QB. I would qualify by saying it was not as good as what we hope for. No issue with thinking it was unacceptable.

This season is bad. We have the talent to do so much better. This is the one season out of our entire history where we can say the teams record was not reflective of what it should have been. Its probably some regression to the mean as we had some 5 to 6 win seasons early on that probably should have been 4 to 5.

The WR spot is a BIG problem for us. Without Fulgham and Duhart our offense is essentially crap. We would be winless this year without them. I don't think the other guys on the roster will be able to fill those holes.

How would we know? Duhart, Fulgham, and Harper take up most of the balls thrown from Blake. We've had a handful of other passes where receivers other than these three have made some very nice plays. We definitely have some big shoes to fill with their loss, but I'm not overly concerned that these young guys can't come in and make an impact. From Mayers, to Pinkard, to Vaughn, to Pascal, to Duhart . . . we'll be OK.

(10-29-2018 12:31 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  Drunkard- When you had your meeting with a rep and gleaned that $350-ish per ticket would be the price to look at is that with or without a donation to ODAF?

Is parking included? If not did you hear a price?

Will priority points still be used in seat selection? Will more points be given to reflect higher cost for FB tix?

I wonder how the order of rep meetings is figured?

I guess that's enough questions for now!

Donations won't be required to buy the PSL tickets.

Donations will be required for tailgating and beer garden access.

The cost for parking will depend on where you want to park. Not much change in that aspect of it. But if you're trying to cut costs, I know they introduced a $100 donation lot recently.

Seat selection will remain tied to priority points. The PSLs are renewable annually.

(10-29-2018 01:09 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 12:31 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  Drunkard- When you had your meeting with a rep and gleaned that $350-ish per ticket would be the price to look at is that with or without a donation to ODAF?

Is parking included? If not did you hear a price?

Will priority points still be used in seat selection? Will more points be given to reflect higher cost for FB tix?

I wonder how the order of rep meetings is figured?

I guess that's enough questions for now!

Donations won't be required to buy the PSL tickets.

Thanks, Drunkard. Now that we're retired we have a fixed amount for ODU stuff yearly (BB & FB tix, ODAF donations and one or two ODU related trips depending on whether one is overseas!). If tix (or PSL's added) are higher our donation would have to be lower.

Donations will be required for tailgating and beer garden access.

The cost for parking will depend on where you want to park. Not much change in that aspect of it. But if you're trying to cut costs, I know they introduced a $100 donation lot recently.

Seat selection will remain tied to priority points. The PSLs are renewable annually.

(10-27-2018 06:31 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  Think I'm going from six to zip season tixs. Plan on buying individual game tixs, will save me a couple thousand. They are taking our tailgate lot for the third time. I have four tixs to UNT, $10ea.

If they are losing you, they are REALLY making a big mistake and I mean that sincerely.

Someone needs to take the reigns because terrible decisions are being made right now.

(10-29-2018 12:31 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  Drunkard- When you had your meeting with a rep and gleaned that $350-ish per ticket would be the price to look at is that with or without a donation to ODAF?

Is parking included? If not did you hear a price?

Will priority points still be used in seat selection? Will more points be given to reflect higher cost for FB tix?

I wonder how the order of rep meetings is figured?

I guess that's enough questions for now!

- $350 ish for 50 yard line seats does not include ticket price. Add 225 for ticket. Like I said ...high end was about $600ish. If you want 20-30 yard line seats then $350 would be inclusive of ticket cost I have been told $350 to $600 total seat costs are being discussed.
- No parking is not included. That is dependent on what lot you want to park in or tailgate in. I have heard some crazy $ amounts so I am not going to repeat them because I would not want to scare people.
- Priority points will only be used this year for seating. After this year they will be used only for away tickets etc.

(10-29-2018 09:57 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 12:31 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  Drunkard- When you had your meeting with a rep and gleaned that $350-ish per ticket would be the price to look at is that with or without a donation to ODAF?

Is parking included? If not did you hear a price?

Will priority points still be used in seat selection? Will more points be given to reflect higher cost for FB tix?

I wonder how the order of rep meetings is figured?

I guess that's enough questions for now!

- $350 ish for 50 yard line seats does not include ticket price. Add 225 for ticket. Like I said ...high end was about $600ish. If you want 20-30 yard line seats then $350 would be inclusive of ticket cost I have been told $350 to $600 total seat costs are being discussed.
- No parking is not included. That is dependent on what lot you want to park in or tailgate in. I have heard some crazy $ amounts so I am not going to repeat them because I would not want to scare people.
- Priority points will only be used this year for seating. After this year they will be used only for away tickets etc.

So a person can now donate a min of $100 and get 2 seats for $199 each. $500 total. Now they will want $700 for those same seats at $350 each. Sounds like they are asking the fans who can least afford it to pay $100 more PER TICKET. Again, a 25%+ hike in price after 2 losing seasons. The short sightedness from these folks is unfathomable. It’s as if they are trying to stifle growth intentionally.

(10-30-2018 06:45 AM)monarx Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 09:57 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 12:31 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  Drunkard- When you had your meeting with a rep and gleaned that $350-ish per ticket would be the price to look at is that with or without a donation to ODAF?

Is parking included? If not did you hear a price?

Will priority points still be used in seat selection? Will more points be given to reflect higher cost for FB tix?

I wonder how the order of rep meetings is figured?

I guess that's enough questions for now!

- $350 ish for 50 yard line seats does not include ticket price. Add 225 for ticket. Like I said ...high end was about $600ish. If you want 20-30 yard line seats then $350 would be inclusive of ticket cost I have been told $350 to $600 total seat costs are being discussed.
- No parking is not included. That is dependent on what lot you want to park in or tailgate in. I have heard some crazy $ amounts so I am not going to repeat them because I would not want to scare people.
- Priority points will only be used this year for seating. After this year they will be used only for away tickets etc.

So a person can now donate a min of $100 and get 2 seats for $199 each. $500 total. Now they will want $700 for those same seats at $350 each. Sounds like they are asking the fans who can least afford it to pay $100 more PER TICKET. Again, a 25%+ hike in price after 2 losing seasons. The short sightedness from these folks is unfathomable. It’s as if they are trying to stifle growth intentionally.

The fan donating $100 didn't have tickets in the premium sideline section which is where the PSLs will be applied. There will be sections for those folks.

(10-29-2018 12:29 PM)Gilesfan Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 11:59 AM)MonarchManiac Wrote:  

(10-29-2018 10:40 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:55 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(10-28-2018 02:25 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  Disclaimer: My financial investment in anything that isn't living expenses/credit cards/student loans is zero because DC is expensive and I am stupid with money.

How are we defining "return"? Because if the expectation is that money donated should be tied to on-field success, then people should donate to Alabama and Clemson instead.

I think it's reasonable to say that if the program is mired in a long-term slump in all facets with little if any hope of revival, then that's the time to cut bait. But if you're upset that this year is poor and thus the pursestrings should be pulled shut, then I think that's a little short-sighted — yes, even after two straight sub-.500 seasons. Look at CUSA: Nearly every team in the conference is either a) bad now or b) has been bad at least once since ODU joined. I think Louisiana Tech might be it for consistently strong teams? Even Western Kentucky is in the dumps this season.

At some point there is an event horizon moment to face where, if something dramatic doesn't happen, then all hope is lost for the foreseeable future, but I'm not sure we're there just yet. I do think if nothing else, Wood and BW need to have a serious talk about the future of the program. I'm not 100 percent on the "fire BW" train because it's never good to make those statements shortly after an embarrassing defeat, but I'm a lot further along than I was at the beginning of the season.

What’s a “long term slump”? Last year was bad, this year was awful, next year looks to be just as bad. Assuming we don’t let BW go until after next season, it could be 5 losing years in a row if we give the new guy 2 years to turn things around.

There are some assumptions here.....

"Next year looks to be as bad." We can see this year, that it's difficult to predict. We have some major pieces to fill at DL and WR, but I don't know that we are in as dire straights as some suggest. We are going to be returning a senior QB with an experienced backup and possibly a highly rated recruit (ignoring Fitz). We will be loaded at RB with several experienced backs. The OL will have 4 guys back that are essentially starting right now. Barnett, Weaver, Magwood, Lawson. Everyone will be back at TE. Everyone will be back at LB and cornerback. There is really 3 spots we are losing players (assuming no major defections) WR, DL, S. At WR, it's really an unknown. Luckily, we should get Fox back and Haynes is playing well. What we do inside besides Meiser is a question mark. At safety, Richardson, Gordon, and Ajegwu have been getting more time so they will be experienced next year. The 2 major red flags are DE and WR, something hopefully the TEs will help with.

Hypothetically if Wilder is gone, Im not sure I agree that coaches take 2 years to get up to speed.

P.S. I don't really think last year was "bad" per se. It wasn't good, but it was a team that was 1 win away from a bowl game with a roster that was very much in transition, primarily at QB. I would qualify by saying it was not as good as what we hope for. No issue with thinking it was unacceptable.

This season is bad. We have the talent to do so much better. This is the one season out of our entire history where we can say the teams record was not reflective of what it should have been. Its probably some regression to the mean as we had some 5 to 6 win seasons early on that probably should have been 4 to 5.

The WR spot is a BIG problem for us. Without Fulgham and Duhart our offense is essentially crap. We would be winless this year without them. I don't think the other guys on the roster will be able to fill those holes.

That is hard to tell. We don't know what we have behind Duhart and Fulgham because those guys are so good that we don't ask much from others. I've heard good things about Mayo and Fitzgerald, but its difficult to project at this point. The running game has gotten going. Strong has 384 yards over the past 4 games at 4.8 yards per carry. Knight/Davis have shown flashes (fumbling won't help). If they have good QB play and the RBs are a threat, I'm not as worried about WRs, we have done a good job of developing WRs.

The DL is the major concern. And like really major concern.

Duhart makes NFL catches... even elite NFL catches at times. It is highly doubtful anyone behind him can duplicate.

I hope the parking is separate. I pay for a tailgate spot that I've used 1 time in 10 years. If I can apply my money toward the ticket/PSL and not the the parking, I'm happy with that.

(10-30-2018 08:50 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  I hope the parking is separate. I pay for a tailgate spot that I've used 1 time in 10 years. If I can apply my money toward the ticket/PSL and not the the parking, I'm happy with that.

It is.

(10-30-2018 09:03 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(10-30-2018 08:50 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  I hope the parking is separate. I pay for a tailgate spot that I've used 1 time in 10 years. If I can apply my money toward the ticket/PSL and not the the parking, I'm happy with that.

It is.

ODAF really needs to get the new vision of seat fees and parking/hospitality donations in front of people sooner rather than later. I really hope they include how it is going to look for basketball going forward as well.

They won't.

(10-30-2018 11:16 AM)Old Dominion Wrote:  They won't.

Probably not. We will probably get to see the football stuff before the end of the year. Go through that process. Then they will drop the basketball info after everyone loaded up on football seat fees.

(10-30-2018 11:42 AM)ODU2K1 Wrote:  

(10-30-2018 11:16 AM)Old Dominion Wrote:  They won't.

Probably not. We will probably get to see the football stuff before the end of the year. Go through that process. Then they will drop the basketball info after everyone loaded up on football seat fees.

Basketball won't change. The seats you have now are yours for the foreseeable future. You might even be able to upgrade.