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

Growing up with odu sports I never could understand why odu was never loved as much by locals as say uva va tech unc. I know they have been around longer, in a bigger conference, have better athlete usually. I mean it's your home team and it's the biggest thing in town. Our newspaper seems to think we are in Charlottesville or blacksburg and I always thought it was strange that most of time odu wins it's on page 3 and when we lose it's on page 1. Most places donate a lot of coverage to local team and sometimes I see 2 teams playing on a local channel that are irrelevant to our area and there is no odu on local channel or any a lot of times. It might be a rights thing,but it rare to see any merchandise at stores around here unless it's an acc school. Am I the only person that does not understand why odu is not pushed more in this area? I would love your thoughts. I think we need a more localized conference and schedule for one and a little more local media push. Radio included in this as well.

(08-08-2020 10:25 PM)jaybird44 Wrote:  Growing up with odu sports I never could understand why odu was never loved as much by locals as say uva va tech unc. I know they have been around longer, in a bigger conference, have better athlete usually. I mean it's your home team and it's the biggest thing in town. Our newspaper seems to think we are in Charlottesville or blacksburg and I always thought it was strange that most of time odu wins it's on page 3 and when we lose it's on page 1. Most places donate a lot of coverage to local team and sometimes I see 2 teams playing on a local channel that are irrelevant to our area and there is no odu on local channel or any a lot of times. It might be a rights thing,but it rare to see any merchandise at stores around here unless it's an acc school. Am I the only person that does not understand why odu is not pushed more in this area? I would love your thoughts. I think we need a more localized conference and schedule for one and a little more local media push. Radio included in this as well.

Tidewater is military-heavy, which means it's transient-heavy. It's hard for people to develop close ties with the sports teams, college or pro, that represent the area because it's not their area, it's the place they're stationed for a bit before they move on to the next stop. Virginia and Virginia Tech are schools with a deep statewide following and extensive alumni networks throughout, which means they're going to be bigger news than ODU in Norfolk, VCU and Richmond in the capital, and everyone other than Maryland and (when good) Georgetown hoops in D.C. There's a reason the power-conference schools are so stratified from the G5 or mid-major or whatever schools.

Oh, and as a former sports reporter who spent time at the Pilot, I can unequivocally state that there's no monkey business with how ODU games are treated. There's not enough time to trash the entire layout to move an ODU loss to the cover or bury a win. (This was also a common complaint from Hampton Roads Admirals fans, that we openly celebrated their losses in the newsroom and would go to great lengths to make them the biggest story in the paper—especially when they lost to Richmond, since apparently we were all Renegades lifers?)

Stores aren't in the business of providing shelf space for charity. If ODU stuff sells, it's going to be ordered. If not, then there's going to be more UVa and VT stuff.

Good answers, but it just seems that we should get push from local media. I understand sales, but I listen to stations on radio and tv give scores and don't even mention odu. You are not getting more fans unless you market more. There is no reason you can not fill a 20000 football stadium and 8600 basketball stadium around here. I think it can be done with more rivalries and our conference does not provide that for the most part, no one gets excited about playing UTEP or forth texas,but whether its odu marketing,scheduling or a little more local coverage in paper,radio, or tv it is crazy we don't do better. Putting winners on field would help too.

(08-08-2020 10:51 PM)jaybird44 Wrote:  Good answers, but it just seems that we should get push from local media. I understand sales, but I listen to stations on radio and tv give scores and don't even mention odu. You are not getting more fans unless you market more. There is no reason you can not fill a 20000 football stadium and 8600 basketball stadium around here. I think it can be done with more rivalries and our conference does not provide that for the most part, no one gets excited about playing UTEP or forth texas,but whether its odu marketing,scheduling or a little more local coverage in paper,radio, or tv it is crazy we don't do better. Putting winners on field would help too.

On-field success is the paint that covers a multitude of sins. ODU went to a bowl in 2016 and finished with a 10-3 record. They've had 10 wins in the three years since. That's not conducive to a rabid fan base. But unlike some of the schools in the conference who can't draw old people to buffets even if they're always winning, once ODU gets back on track, I think the fans will be there again. Marketing's great but what you're marketing matters more.

I understand what you are saying, no one wants to buy a crappy product, but no one will buy it unless it is advertised. Odu does a good job with scheduling regional out of conference games but they need to get in a better conference and I will bet you most conference usa teams and sun belt teams feel the same way. Let's get more local and regional conference, even if we have to combine cusa and sun belt and split geographically. App st,coastal, ga state and ga southern and either jmu or liberty come on down and join us and cusa east

There is nothing new about the human habit of taking for granted that which is within your reach:

“Familiarity breeds contempt.”

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

“I would never want to join a club that would have me as a member.”

Back when I worked at a larger firm, before opening my own shop, I would often try to engage my coworkers on discussions about ODU athletics, or on other local ODU-related community endeavors. These were people who, for the most part (unlike me) grew up here. It always surprised me by how much more interest they had in discussing out-of-town schools than they did their own local team - - including people who had no personal connection whatsoever to UVA, VT, W&M, UNC or whatever other school caught their attention. Interestingly, the folks who had the most interest in discussing ODU matters were usually the NSU fans.

At first I chalked that up to football. But I think it’s more the notion that local is boring to many people.

We live in an area surrounded by programs that have been wildly successful for years. Success ODU has never once achieved, let alone consistently. Maybe had we been Big East it would be different, but people love winners and we have never had that kind of success. And that's the truth. Ranhe may be the splashiest hire we have ever made, and that's sad. There's no sizzle and has never been. We are solid, which ain't good enough.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

I’m trying

Regional pride, in general, is a problem here. I'm sure the military has something to do with. I'm sure the excuse of the military also has something to do with it. I have neice and a nephew who go to school in Coastal Carolina. It seems they do a much better job of instilling an appreciation for what their region represents than our schools do. There are so many cool things about this area from history to geography to agricoastal culture and unique environmental features, but our schools barely introduce our kids to our local history and beauty.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

(08-09-2020 07:05 AM)bench jockey Wrote:  We live in an area surrounded by programs that have been wildly successful for years. Success ODU has never once achieved, let alone consistently. Maybe had we been Big East it would be different, but people love winners and we have never had that kind of success. And that's the truth. Ranhe may be the splashiest hire we have ever made, and that's sad. There's no sizzle and has never been. We are solid, which ain't good enough.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

WOOD, THINK YOUNG ON YOUR NEXT BASKETBALL COACH, AND PLEASE NO MORE EXTENSIONS! Also, under the virus it's time for salary cuts, if not the deficit will be much higher in 2021.

I lived in vermont for a few years. Back then there were tons of NY Giants fans, a few Jets fans and a few Patriot fans. I asked someone why there weren't more patriots fans, given proximity and he explained that relatively speaking, The Pats were the new kids. All the old timers grew up in an era when there were no jets or Pats, only giants. thus the allegiance to the team they grew up with.

Same holds true in tidewater.

I grew up on the rural outer fringes of Tidewater, but still got local TV and the Va Pilot. To me, it seemed ODU was almost as big as UVA and VT, and surely the 3rd biggest, 3rd most popular school in the state. Now I know thats not the case, but honestly, I thought ODU was big time. In my rural neck of the woods, we had never heard of JMU or GMU. VCU was the unsafe art school in the murder capital of Richmond, CNC was the local junior college my friends parents went to, and W&M was for rich kids with straight As. Most of that perception came from media coverage or lack thereof. ODU historically has done pretty well as far as local coverage considering their stature.

(08-09-2020 09:27 AM)bluelight Wrote:  

(08-09-2020 07:05 AM)bench jockey Wrote:  We live in an area surrounded by programs that have been wildly successful for years. Success ODU has never once achieved, let alone consistently. Maybe had we been Big East it would be different, but people love winners and we have never had that kind of success. And that's the truth. Ranhe may be the splashiest hire we have ever made, and that's sad. There's no sizzle and has never been. We are solid, which ain't good enough.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

WOOD, THINK YOUNG ON YOUR NEXT BASKETBALL COACH, AND PLEASE NO MORE EXTENSIONS! Also, under the virus it's time for salary cuts, if not the deficit will be much higher in 2021.

Just don't think "Tom Young" on your next basketball coach. LOL.

(08-08-2020 10:37 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(08-08-2020 10:25 PM)jaybird44 Wrote:  Growing up with odu sports I never could understand why odu was never loved as much by locals as say uva va tech unc. I know they have been around longer, in a bigger conference, have better athlete usually. I mean it's your home team and it's the biggest thing in town. Our newspaper seems to think we are in Charlottesville or blacksburg and I always thought it was strange that most of time odu wins it's on page 3 and when we lose it's on page 1. Most places donate a lot of coverage to local team and sometimes I see 2 teams playing on a local channel that are irrelevant to our area and there is no odu on local channel or any a lot of times. It might be a rights thing,but it rare to see any merchandise at stores around here unless it's an acc school. Am I the only person that does not understand why odu is not pushed more in this area? I would love your thoughts. I think we need a more localized conference and schedule for one and a little more local media push. Radio included in this as well.

Tidewater is military-heavy, which means it's transient-heavy. It's hard for people to develop close ties with the sports teams, college or pro, that represent the area because it's not their area, it's the place they're stationed for a bit before they move on to the next stop. Virginia and Virginia Tech are schools with a deep statewide following and extensive alumni networks throughout, which means they're going to be bigger news than ODU in Norfolk, VCU and Richmond in the capital, and everyone other than Maryland and (when good) Georgetown hoops in D.C. There's a reason the power-conference schools are so stratified from the G5 or mid-major or whatever schools.

Oh, and as a former sports reporter who spent time at the Pilot, I can unequivocally state that there's no monkey business with how ODU games are treated. There's not enough time to trash the entire layout to move an ODU loss to the cover or bury a win. (This was also a common complaint from Hampton Roads Admirals fans, that we openly celebrated their losses in the newsroom and would go to great lengths to make them the biggest story in the paper—especially when they lost to Richmond, since apparently we were all Renegades lifers?)

Stores aren't in the business of providing shelf space for charity. If ODU stuff sells, it's going to be ordered. If not, then there's going to be more UVa and VT stuff.

As much as I'd like to register my concurrence with this line of thinking, I tend to see it differently. Regardless of someone's residency status, good sports is good sports, and if the product is good and entertaining, folks will come. Did you ever subscribe to the adage "If you build it, they will come"? As a matter of fact, I will even go farther to opine, even though it may sound counter intuitive to some folks, that the transient nature of Hampton Roads actually bodes well for ODU should the administration strive even harder to field successful and entertaining brand of sports, especially in Football, M-Basketball, and W-Basketball, for fans to clamor towards. Not only will you attract local interest in attending games, but the transient nature some see as negative will actually help carry ODU's story across the nation, wherever these so called "transients" eventually settle in. Let's recognize the positives inherent in ODU's circumstance and play it hard to our benefit. Coach Rahney appears to be making strides in that direction, hope Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones will continue the upward trajectory Coach McCray started to get us to, or at least close to, where we once belonged. Go Monarchs!

(08-08-2020 10:37 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(08-08-2020 10:25 PM)jaybird44 Wrote:  Growing up with odu sports I never could understand why odu was never loved as much by locals as say uva va tech unc. I know they have been around longer, in a bigger conference, have better athlete usually. I mean it's your home team and it's the biggest thing in town. Our newspaper seems to think we are in Charlottesville or blacksburg and I always thought it was strange that most of time odu wins it's on page 3 and when we lose it's on page 1. Most places donate a lot of coverage to local team and sometimes I see 2 teams playing on a local channel that are irrelevant to our area and there is no odu on local channel or any a lot of times. It might be a rights thing,but it rare to see any merchandise at stores around here unless it's an acc school. Am I the only person that does not understand why odu is not pushed more in this area? I would love your thoughts. I think we need a more localized conference and schedule for one and a little more local media push. Radio included in this as well.

Tidewater is military-heavy, which means it's transient-heavy. It's hard for people to develop close ties with the sports teams, college or pro, that represent the area because it's not their area, it's the place they're stationed for a bit before they move on to the next stop. Virginia and Virginia Tech are schools with a deep statewide following and extensive alumni networks throughout, which means they're going to be bigger news than ODU in Norfolk, VCU and Richmond in the capital, and everyone other than Maryland and (when good) Georgetown hoops in D.C. There's a reason the power-conference schools are so stratified from the G5 or mid-major or whatever schools.

Oh, and as a former sports reporter who spent time at the Pilot, I can unequivocally state that there's no monkey business with how ODU games are treated. There's not enough time to trash the entire layout to move an ODU loss to the cover or bury a win. (This was also a common complaint from Hampton Roads Admirals fans, that we openly celebrated their losses in the newsroom and would go to great lengths to make them the biggest story in the paper—especially when they lost to Richmond, since apparently we were all Renegades lifers?)

Stores aren't in the business of providing shelf space for charity. If ODU stuff sells, it's going to be ordered. If not, then there's going to be more UVa and VT stuff.

My first comment only addresses the “military presence” in our area as I keep on hearing this as a reason why this area can’t support pro sports or has any hometown affiliation with a sports team. I agree that there is a very large portion of our area that is active duty, but there are about 80,000 active duty personnel in the area so if you factor in a wife and child at most that’s about 240k which only comprises 15% of the total HR population. So 85% of the people - about 1.5 milllion - are not necessarily transient.

I’m thinking that UVA and VT being more so on the national stage and many of their alumni living in our area explains why ODU plays second fiddle.

How do you get the locals engaged when you can barely get the students engaged? I was there late '80's/early 90's, and most of my friends were locals that commuted. They didn't have much interest in coming to campus for sports. I know that has changed in adding a bunch of dorms and trying to get away from that 'commuter school' image, but still has to be a lingering sentiment. What's the ratio of on campus vs. day students, for lack of a better term, these days?

(08-09-2020 09:18 PM)Stanger Wrote:  How do you get the locals engaged when you can barely get the students engaged? I was there late '80's/early 90's, and most of my friends were locals that commuted. They didn't have much interest in coming to campus for sports. I know that has changed in adding a bunch of dorms and trying to get away from that 'commuter school' image, but still has to be a lingering sentiment. What's the ratio of on campus vs. day students, for lack of a better term, these days?

25% live in dorms. Gotta figure another 25% live just off campus, so probably around half. So that, and the on campus arena should be helping. Part of our issue is our undergrad numbers are smaller than many peers while our grad school numbers are high. We need more traditional undergrads. Secondly, we have pretty bad student engagement overall and rather poor game environment for students. Hiring talented people for both jobs, building more dorms would help. I’m not certain adding to undergrad is good for ODU overall though. We should have built much taller dorms, so now there’s a space problem. And we need to improve selectivity and student experience first to get a more engaged, proud (and eventually, we can donating) student body who talk up the school and encourage others to attend.

(08-08-2020 10:51 PM)jaybird44 Wrote:  Good answers, but it just seems that we should get push from local media. I understand sales, but I listen to stations on radio and tv give scores and don't even mention odu. You are not getting more fans unless you market more. There is no reason you can not fill a 20000 football stadium and 8600 basketball stadium around here. I think it can be done with more rivalries and our conference does not provide that for the most part, no one gets excited about playing UTEP or forth texas,but whether its odu marketing,scheduling or a little more local coverage in paper,radio, or tv it is crazy we don't do better. Putting winners on field would help too.

As for marketing, every graduate should get a car sticker and/or yard banner in addition to the ODU Alumni Pin (that I simply tossed in a drawer and ignore). Getting the shipyards to also fly ODU flags on the cranes would be a good marketing tool as well.

(08-10-2020 08:14 AM)GhentFan Wrote:  

(08-08-2020 10:51 PM)jaybird44 Wrote:  Good answers, but it just seems that we should get push from local media. I understand sales, but I listen to stations on radio and tv give scores and don't even mention odu. You are not getting more fans unless you market more. There is no reason you can not fill a 20000 football stadium and 8600 basketball stadium around here. I think it can be done with more rivalries and our conference does not provide that for the most part, no one gets excited about playing UTEP or forth texas,but whether its odu marketing,scheduling or a little more local coverage in paper,radio, or tv it is crazy we don't do better. Putting winners on field would help too.

As for marketing, every graduate should get a car sticker and/or yard banner in addition to the ODU Alumni Pin (that I simply tossed in a drawer and ignore). Getting the shipyards to also fly ODU flags on the cranes would be a good marketing tool as well.

Completely agree about the vehicle stickers. Every incoming freshman should get a sticker and a nice T-shirt they would actually want to wear as well. Another thing is the parking decals. Many schools have the stickers you put on your car for on campus parking. ODU does the hang tags. I realize thats nice because you can move it from car to car, but its certainly a missed marketing opportunity. Imagine if every undergrad and grad student, plus every faculty member and employee had an ODU (parking) sticker on their car. That'd be a LOT of ODU moving around the area.

I was reading this post yesterday while my wife was shopping in Michaels which seems like for-ev-er! I was surprised by the number of ladies coming out of Michaels with ODU tshirts and a couple of dudes with ODU hats. I didn't see any ECU, UNC, VT, or UVA branded people walking out maybe they're just not artsy/DIY folk .