MAC, NIU, ESPN & attendance decline

[Jon99]

Our Saturday football fan base is about the same. The difference is they drop by more than half on weeknights. So let's be honest. We wouldn't draw well on a Tuesday night either.
The big difference in fan base is basketball. They played multiple home games to fewer than 1000 people. I knew it wasn't great but that's atrocious.

I like how people on their board laugh that we only have a few people posting here... Congrats to them, they win the message board attendance trophy, we will go ahead and take the game attendance trophy ha.... Its also why they are talking about cutting athletic programs..

 

[fourthandshort]

jon .... they're sure not a fan of you .. they seem to know who you are from outher posting names and said you're a troll ?? Are you even a Redbird Fan .. what is your connection to ISUr and for how long ? Your profile indicates you jouned this forum in Sep 2017 ... but you've only got 64 posts and most are on this thread and ripping NIU.

So how do you plead to the charge of being a troll ?? Why do you hate NIU do so much ?

 

[Virginia Redbird]

I struggle with the argument that playing ISU, UConn and Bowling Green will boost Illini attendance. If Illinois is weak again this year then it is hard to imagine those games having more than 44k attending next year. As some have stated the Big followers at other conf schools have bolstered Illini attendance. ISU/UConn/BG will have nowhere near the followers of the Illini Big conference mates, IMO

yes, both points ... ISU is nowhere near ready for prime time (i.e. FBS) and MAC is a conference in decline. It would be a stepping stone at best, but many years away .. that and I have zero interest in attending ISU football games on a Thursday night. I hate Friday nights too, though less than Thursday nights.

So let's start by making another Natty run in 2019 .. then stoke the interest in funding for the IPF by 2020 offseason .... aggressive, yes .. but I'm tired of waiting for AD Lyons to make good on his public commitment to fund and build an IPF.

And I'm still going to be a fan if it takes 10 years to start sniffing FBS or longer. We're in a pretty good spot as is right now with MVFC in FCS .. but sh-t happens and things change, so should always be planning for possible next phase. I doubt Dakota's move up or out of MVFC, not to mention many others have no ability or interest in moving up or out .. except maybe YSU or MoST.

So let's do that ... Natty Run in 2019 and IPF by 2020 offseason !!!!

James Madison is a candidate for fbs.

I think the growth potential in ISU FCS football, based upon attendance and donation dollars to the ISU athletic department post the 2015 fcs national championship game, is much smaller/limited than we may like to believe. I believe the same likely applies to raising funds for the IPF while playing FCS football otherwise the IPF likely would have been built by now.

JMU is in my backyard and I hear quite a bit of conversation about them. This article is a year old and Houston has moved on and a new coach starts 2019 for JMU. Still, the current Athletic Director is quoted in this article and I don't think much has changed for JMU since last year as far as FBS aspirations. The situation would have to be just right for JMU to move and the new coach would have to maintain the performance established by Houston.
Contrast JMU with ISU. JMU built an indoor facility, invested heavily in the program, Houston made over $500,000 and the AD bumped the Assistant Coaches pay pool by $118,500 last season. I don't know what Coach Spack's current salary is but last I remember reading it was around $300,000. There is no indoor facility and as has been discussed here in great detail there is not one coming anytime soon. JMU has reaped rewards for their investment in success on the field, exposure, and fan interest. Maybe a lesson there for the ISU Athletic Department.
"USA Today’s college sports financial database reports for the 2016-17 academic year, JMU’s athletic department total revenue of $48,210,400 ranked 62nd among all Division I schools. That number topped all athletic departments with FCS programs and nearly half of the FBS schools including Group of Five schools like Old Dominion, Boise State and Appalachian State — all of which have jumped from FCS to FBS."
If they get the perfect offer then JMU would likely make the jump. Here in Virginia, though you don't hear much from the fan base about FBS and there does not seem to be much enthusiasm from the fan base for it. Maybe that is a factor in why Houston moved on, I don't know.

https://jamesmadison.rivals.com/news/houston-has-zero-reservations-if-jmu-moves-to-fbs

 

[ChiRedbirdfan]

yes, both points ... ISU is nowhere near ready for prime time (i.e. FBS) and MAC is a conference in decline. It would be a stepping stone at best, but many years away .. that and I have zero interest in attending ISU football games on a Thursday night. I hate Friday nights too, though less than Thursday nights.

So let's start by making another Natty run in 2019 .. then stoke the interest in funding for the IPF by 2020 offseason .... aggressive, yes .. but I'm tired of waiting for AD Lyons to make good on his public commitment to fund and build an IPF.

And I'm still going to be a fan if it takes 10 years to start sniffing FBS or longer. We're in a pretty good spot as is right now with MVFC in FCS .. but sh-t happens and things change, so should always be planning for possible next phase. I doubt Dakota's move up or out of MVFC, not to mention many others have no ability or interest in moving up or out .. except maybe YSU or MoST.

So let's do that ... Natty Run in 2019 and IPF by 2020 offseason !!!!

James Madison is a candidate for fbs.

I think the growth potential in ISU FCS football, based upon attendance and donation dollars to the ISU athletic department post the 2015 fcs national championship game, is much smaller/limited than we may like to believe. I believe the same likely applies to raising funds for the IPF while playing FCS football otherwise the IPF likely would have been built by now.

Would your optimism improve if we had another AD ??

Asking for friend !!

A new AD that is more of a leader and creates excitement around the ISU athletic program would help but senior ISU leadership needs to be engaged if $20MM is going to be raised to ultimately build an IPF. Dietz does not seem to be all too big on ISU athletics, IMO but please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. The IPF just does not seem to be anywhere near a priority for ISU leadership otherwise we would hear more from them about the need for the IPF. ISU leadership have bigger fish to fry and quite frankly I support that approach given the low to marginal return on investment for an IPF at the FCS level of play.

 

[Jon99]

jon .... they're sure not a fan of you .. they seem to know who you are from outher posting names and said you're a troll ?? Are you even a Redbird Fan .. what is your connection to ISUr and for how long ? Your profile indicates you jouned this forum in Sep 2017 ... but you've only got 64 posts and most are on this thread and ripping NIU.

So how do you plead to the charge of being a troll ?? Why do you hate NIU do so much ?

LOL, just like to mess around with them..a few years ago on the conference realignment board I mentioned ISU as a possible MAC school and a few of them started to bash ISU and calling it their little brother school.. then I got involved on a thread on their board and made the statement that NIU athletics were in trouble if their enrollment continued to decline and their basketball kept drawing 800 fans a game(which has turned out to be accurate), and they blew a gasket.. They just take themselves way too serious

And yes, I am an ISU fan. A rare breed that likes both the Illini and ISU because I have a degree from both..

 

[MadBird]

Good article from Minneapolis paper about football attendance. Gophers have their own challenges competing in the big city vs. pro teams, but mentions a number of issues faced by many.

http://www.startribune.com/dropping...ndance-is-not-just-a-gophers-thing/558388532/

With the Gophers set to open a new season at home Thursday, combating declining attendance is paramount for the athletics department. But the Gophers aren’t alone in their concern. Florida State experienced its smallest crowds since 1992 last season. Ohio State began offering flexible season-ticket packages for the first time, a sign that even Buckeyes fans want options. And Clemson failed to sell out any of its games — despite making an undefeated run to the national championship. “It’s not just a Minnesota thing,” Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle said. “It’s across the country.”

 

[BirdGrad2011]

I can’t see this actually happening, but I would love a hybrid MAC MVFC league. NDSU, SDSU, ISU, UNI, MSU, NIU, WMU, CMU, Bowling Green. Or some mixture. Think you could make a decent basketball league with that as well.

 

[Jon99]

MAC needs more exposure in Illinois, less in Ohio... Illinois has 12 million people and their only exposure is NIU, which is a dying school with no fanbase, though a quality football program.. NIU needs a rival and ISU is the obvious addition that brings that, but how happy will NIU be bringing in a rival that they realize will surpass them in even football in very short order??? And then dominate them in basketball from the word go..

 

[fourthandshort]

jon .... they're sure not a fan of you .. they seem to know who you are from outher posting names and said you're a troll ?? Are you even a Redbird Fan .. what is your connection to ISUr and for how long ? Your profile indicates you jouned this forum in Sep 2017 ... but you've only got 64 posts and most are on this thread and ripping NIU.

So how do you plead to the charge of being a troll ?? Why do you hate NIU do so much ?

LOL, just like to mess around with them..a few years ago on the conference realignment board I mentioned ISU as a possible MAC school and a few of them started to bash ISU and calling it their little brother school.. then I got involved on a thread on their board and made the statement that NIU athletics were in trouble if their enrollment continued to decline and their basketball kept drawing 800 fans a game(which has turned out to be accurate), and they blew a gasket.. They just take themselves way too serious

And yes, I am an ISU fan. A rare breed that likes both the Illini and ISU because I have a degree from both..

so when they pay us 335k to come play at their place, I think that makes them the big brother .. in football anyways. A year ago, our "sell" game ?? We settled for paying NAIA St Xavier to take a bus from southwest side of Chicago .. not sure what we paid, but you know budget minded AD Lyons saved some money while putting our playoff hopes in jeopardy. So yeah, NIU gets to be the "big brother" in this football relationship.

 

[Jon99]

jon .... they're sure not a fan of you .. they seem to know who you are from outher posting names and said you're a troll ?? Are you even a Redbird Fan .. what is your connection to ISUr and for how long ? Your profile indicates you jouned this forum in Sep 2017 ... but you've only got 64 posts and most are on this thread and ripping NIU.

So how do you plead to the charge of being a troll ?? Why do you hate NIU do so much ?

LOL, just like to mess around with them..a few years ago on the conference realignment board I mentioned ISU as a possible MAC school and a few of them started to bash ISU and calling it their little brother school.. then I got involved on a thread on their board and made the statement that NIU athletics were in trouble if their enrollment continued to decline and their basketball kept drawing 800 fans a game(which has turned out to be accurate), and they blew a gasket.. They just take themselves way too serious

And yes, I am an ISU fan. A rare breed that likes both the Illini and ISU because I have a degree from both..

so when they pay us 335k to come play at their place, I think that makes them the big brother .. in football anyways. A year ago, our "sell" game ?? We settled for paying NAIA St Xavier to take a bus from southwest side of Chicago .. not sure what we paid, but you know budget minded AD Lyons saved some money while putting our playoff hopes in jeopardy. So yeah, NIU gets to be the "big brother" in this football relationship.

They are certainly the better football program, which they should be since they have thrown all of their eggs into one basket and went FBS, while the rest of their athletics are awful and academics and enrollment are sliding.. Overall, we are Big Brother and they are a directional, they just happen to have one program that's better than us, we will see this weekend how much better.. My guess its not nearly as much have they have claimed over the last few years..

Ironic that they are paying us $335K when our athletic department is in much better financial shape than theirs is...