RE: SEC EXPANSION
66-You post about your 'dream conference' and then you post, IMO, all the reasons why you think it would be impossible to fund and a bad move for ETSU to aspire to the same levels of your 'dream conference'. Most of your reasons center about money or attendance figures.
You cannot sell a item without first producing said item. To produce that item you build a facility, hire workers and market the item. If it's an item that people want they will buy it. If it satisfies and fulfills the people they will continue to buy more until something else comes along that does a better job than their current item. Simple business procedure that every successful business employs.
When ETSU university grows in enrollment, they receive more funds from the state and more money from students. That in turn causes a ripple effect for the surrounding area. More money flowing to current businesses, more new businesses, more jobs, more growth in overall population, everything moves to a higher level when more people become in involved.
Can you imagine what an additional 4-6,000 students, spending their monies and the monies of their families and friends would do for the ETSU, Johnson City and surrounding area?
Can you imagine how much money would be spent in Johnson City on 6-7 weekends with 15,000-25000 attending a football game or 5000-6000 for 16 basketball games. It would be, as the AD at ODU said to the media, after moving to the Sunbelt, "we hit the lottery'.
Your idea that it would cost ETSU more to move to FBS is entirely correct but nowhere near the amounts you suggested. Unfortunately you discount all the benefits that ETSU and surrounding area would reap. Your assessments are all money costs, not return on investment. This is the problem with being so conservative. You don't keep up with times and when you do have to spend to improve, it costs way more to improve. To catch up, in many cases, can't be done, to far behind.
The previous administration followed your line of thinking. What was the result? Very minimal growth, lack of student, business and fan support. I cannot think of one peer Institution that had not surpassed ETSU. Dr Noland and his staff have worked valiantly to improve ETSU on all fronts. Their efforts are so visible and rewarding. The students have become involved, businesses and fans have become involved. The highly successful basketball program, under Forbes and staff and the reboot of football have put ETSU in a much, much better light and have complemented the successful efforts of revitalizing Johnson City, especially the downtown area.
Why have they taken interest? IMO, they were provided items they wanted. They have and will invest in items they want as long as the item is viable to them.
Droping football was a terrible and costly mistake. The public was told that the University was losing 1 million dollars per year, yet without football, the Athletic Department budget increased the very next year. Another case of small thinking and using costs to thwart progress.
The marching band is a perfect example of destroying growth. For 12 years no football, no band. The Marching Bucs are approx 300 strong and are held in high regard. That 300 brings additional students ( girl friends, boy friends,
friends ). Their parents, relatives and friends come to the football, basketball games and musical events. How much money in tuition and everyday spending does the Marching Bucs provide ETSU and Johnson City, a lot.
For comparison, I looked up several of our peer Institutions that have much the same type of environment and surrounding population. All of the instructions, except for ETSU had highly successful football programs. There are similar results at other peer institutions but I used ones that most people would be very familiar with.
1987 Enrollments. 2021 Enrollments
JMU. 10,000. 30,000
GA Southern 11,000. 26,000
APP STATE ..11,000. 21,000
ETSU. 10,000. 14,000
I didn't spend much time researching and double checking the above numbers but feel free to correct/update.
You can't put the cart in front of the horse.
Build it, Win....the recipe for success, growth, support and money.
Get to ETSU early this Sat, its Homecoming. Be a Buc tailgater, enjoy all the pregame activities. See and hear the fantastic Marching Bucs pregame and halftime shows.and yell like crazy for the Bucs. Make it so loud that VMI can't hear or think. This game is for a playoff spot and first place in conference. Turn Greene Stadium into a homefield frenzy
GO BUCS
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