We've agreed on what is happening, but we don't agree on why it is happening. Or to put it another way we disagree on where the mindset originates.Agreed.... historically, Illinois State leadership has continuously chosen the path of least resistance when it comes to athletics. Like you, I've seen nothing demonstrated to make me think that mindset has changed.
Anyone taking an honest look at the situation can see that the athletic dept has historically responded to the interests and actions, as well as the disinterests and lack of action, of the Redbird Fanbase. Data points demonstrating that this is the case are all around us if we choose to look at them. I've posted hundreds over the years. You need more?
Look at the 2024 Basketball recruiting board. There is a thread about Jaheem Webber. He isn't coming to Illinois State now and he will likely never play 1 minute here. Doesn't matter, fans are INTERESTED. That thread has been viewed 19 THOUSAND TIMES! Ok, he's local so we'll throw that one out. How about the player below him. Jaden Smith Chicago Kenwood. He's not coming here. The thread has been viewed 7 THOUSAND TIMES. Now contrast that with the Football Board. The 2024 List so Far thread contains discussion and listing of over 30 names of players actually coming to Illinois State to perform. Over 30 real Redbird athletes and the entire thread has been viewed 7 thousand times. That makes it equal to 1 basketball player that will likely never play here.
Do you think the athletic dept. decides that? Do you think they manufacture those disparate levels of interest? No! It happened naturally. I blame Doug Collins but maybe it goes back even further than that and I don't expect it will change.
At that point you have two options. Recognize what your fanbase is telling you and focus on what they want or ignore the evidence and plow ahead. We have a thread on the Football Board discussing a move to the MAC and we have posts responding from a purely basketball perspective saying that the MVC is better than the MAC in basketball. Again, this is on the FOOTBALL BOARD! I think we know what they want.
There are lot of people in the athletic dept that would love for you to be right about FBS football requiring nothing more that good-sized push from the top. Kenny Mossman told you that many years ago. But they haven't lost their senses and they have seen the response or lack thereof to private fundraising efforts. They aren't blind to the interest levels of the fanbase.
We had a poll about joining the MAC. It's 3 1/2 days old and 24 people bothered to respond. 24. 14 want to move up. What's that telling you? Are we going to join the MAC to keep those 14 fans in the fold knowing we might lose some of the basketball fans we have left?
Hey, I know that this board doesn't have the traffic it once did as everyone flocks to newer technology. Message boards are for old people now but guess what? The Boomers are the ones with the money so again if you get a grand total of 24 responses it's trying to tell you something. You ain't got the juice.
But you've been telling me something too and I haven't been listening. You're not interested data points, facts or evidence. The athletic admin is just lazy and stupid. It's a good soundbite that resonates with the uninformed. You should go into politics.