Why is ISU AND blm/nrl resist going big time?

[crazzymark]

I am curious why ISU and the community think so small?? Can't be the failing program in Champain or Bradley? Need to know from Orlando.

[isuquinndog]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here. Not to mention the weather yesterday was awful. I'm never going to fault people for not wanting to sit in rain/sleet/snow/wind chills to watch a game.

[isuquinndog]

Also, I'm sure UCF would like to know why you aren't a season ticket holder? You live there. Why don't you support your hometown team?

It's because you have no tie to it. You are tied to ISU but you are a transplant to Orlando.

Maybe you do have a season tickets, but I'm making an assumption you don't.

[TheTruth]

I am curious why ISU and the community think so small?? Can't be the failing program in Champain or Bradley? Need to know from Orlando.

What makes you think the B/N community thinks small?

[cpacmel]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here.

No one who lives in B/N went to ISU?

No one who works for State Farm (in Bloomington) went to ISU or has ties to ISU?

[jbird]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here. Not to mention the weather yesterday was awful. I'm never going to fault people for not wanting to sit in rain/sleet/snow/wind chills to watch a game.

Maybe I just have a man crush on the NDSU fan base, but if the Bison played outdoors in elements/circumstances identical to Saturday at Hancock Stadium, I have a sneaky feeling that there would have been 12,000 hearty Bison fans braving the elements.

[TheTruth]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here.

You realize that's not even close to being true, or even if it was, it's not necessary to build a fanbase. Do UIUC graduates generally speaking stick around and live in Urbana-Champaign? Do KSU graduates stick around and live in Manhattan? Do Notre Dame graduates stick around and live in South Bend? Illinois State is no different than any other major public university located in a "college town".

[isuquinndog]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here.

You realize that's not even close to being true, or even if it was, it's not necessary to build a fanbase. Do UIUC graduates generally speaking stick around and live in Urbana-Champaign? Do KSU graduates stick around and live in Manhattan? Do Notre Dame graduates stick around and live in South Bend? Illinois State is no different than any other major public university located in a "college town".

You named all power 5 conference schools. That's the difference. When you are school with the athletic prestige level ISU has, and no one who has any ties to the university live there, it's tough to "create" a following when there is nothing to follow.

I wonder where most of NDSU alumni live? Not all...but majority.

[TheTruth]

. That's the difference. When you are school with the athletic prestige level ISU has, and no one who has any ties to the university live there, it's tough to "create" a following when there is nothing to follow.

Agreed, it's not easy to sell an irrelevant level of football (1-AA), that's exactly why Illinois State not building its program up to where it should be has been so detrimental to its athletic dept/university.

[isuquinndog]

. That's the difference. When you are school with the athletic prestige level ISU has, and no one who has any ties to the university live there, it's tough to "create" a following when there is nothing to follow.

Agreed, it's not easy to sell an irrelevant level of football (1-AA), that's exactly why Illinois State not building its program up to where it should be has been so detrimental to its athletic dept/university.

Chicken before the egg? Build it and they will come? Or let them come and build it?

[TheTruth]

Chicken before the egg? Build it and they will come? Or let them come and build it?

It's not even so much about the building at this point. It's about what the athletic dept is communicating to its public, or more importantly, how it's perceived by its fanbase/potential fanbase. This game of chicken has to end, people are not going to invest (financially or emotionally) in a program like Illinois State's that continuously performs/competes below its potential (and shows no shame in that). Yes, at a certain point in the near future there will need to be a "build it and they will come" project, because if there's not they might as well join the Summit League.

[Reggie Redbird]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here.

No one who lives in B/N went to ISU?

No one who works for State Farm (in Bloomington) went to ISU or has ties to ISU?

State Farm is actually the number 1 employer of ISU grads, at least that's the last metric I saw reported by the university. The state of IL/ISU was #2.

[crazzymark]

I am curious why ISU and the community think so small?? Can't be the failing program in Champain or Bradley? Need to know from Orlando.

What makes you think the B/N community thinks small?

really?????? attendance in a must will game?? any bb game??

[saxman210]

I would agree that the level of our competition is a key factor in getting fans to games. If ISU was in a better athletic conference, or if the conferences that we ARE in were to improve their national standing, there would be more interest.

The casual sports fan simply doesn’t pay attention to MVC sports. ISU missed a great chance during the Moser era when MVC RPI was consisteny top 6-7 in the country with Creighton, UNI and Wichita State to make an in-road. Unfortunately, we were about a step above a doormat during that time. Who knows if the Valley will ever get back to that level of prominence?

[TheTruth]

I am curious why ISU and the community think so small?? Can't be the failing program in Champain or Bradley? Need to know from Orlando.

What makes you think the B/N community thinks small?

really?????? attendance in a must will game?? any bb game??

Can you sat that again in English! I honestly have no idea what you were trying to say there.

[ChiRedbirdfan]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here. Not to mention the weather yesterday was awful. I'm never going to fault people for not wanting to sit in rain/sleet/snow/wind chills to watch a game.

Not the "town'" , not the people nor the weather rather it is the university's fault, IMO

[RedbirdSoxFan]

Because no one in this town went to ISU. Having an employer of 15k is great but none of them have any ties here. Not to mention the weather yesterday was awful. I'm never going to fault people for not wanting to sit in rain/sleet/snow/wind chills to watch a game.

I agree about the weather. I was at the North Dakota State game, and I would say that I was miserable sitting out there. Would not fault anyone for staying home. They should have given a voucher for a free ticket to any upcoming ISU basketball game, or 2018 Redbird football game to any fan who sat through that game. Fortunately I was able to make it back to Rochester for their semifinal game against Highland, and thankfully there was no rain.