WWW.PANTHERNATION.COM
GO PANTHERS!
welcome

Welcome to the best UNI Panther forum on the net!

Become a PN Supporting Member! Get exclusive access to the Panther Den forum and more. Click here for info.

30-minute show exclusively highlighting UNI Athletics. Click here for info.

  • You need to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
  • To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
  • If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the help page by clicking this link.
  • If you have any questions please use the Contact Us form.
This website is not affiliated with the University of Northern Iowa or the UNI Panther Athletic Program.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

UNI can’t afford “buy games”?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • UNI can’t afford “buy games”?

    saw this in the Gazette. Harris didn’t talk a lot about scheduling and bringing teams the Dome, but said this “For us, (a buy game) is a significant financial commitment,” Harris said. “When I look at us bringing in Hampton (in 2018) that was probably a $200,000 expense to be able to bring them in.”

    so maybe in his mind (and perhaps the reality) that it’s more financially sound to go on the road or sign home and home games with premier FCS schools than to bring a guaranteed win to the Dome and lose money. But wasn’t Hampton a late scheduling move because UNI was scrambling to fill a spot? So they could name their price.

    https://www.thegazette.com/subject/s...ittee-20191129

  • #2
    The only thing I can see that as is Harris is saying it cost $200K NET, not $200K just to pay for Hampton show up. Honestly, I don't know if that is really what he is saying or not.

    I would really like to have a full on public discussion of entire scheduling strategy. Quite a few other schools seem to have figured out this problem. Why is UNI unique in this area?

    Comment


    • #3
      Harris appears to have started the wining portion of his tenure

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by DownGoesKansas View Post
        Harris appears to have started the wining portion of his tenure
        wonder if he prefers red or white.

        Comment


        • #5
          That interview was not a good look for him

          Comment


          • #6
            Tbf, if he's accurate, and buy games are such a drain on the school financially, I'm not entirely sure if he's wrong. While yes, getting a more winnable football game would be nice, it's hard to argue that it's needed when the cost is $200k and the school is a decade away from becoming University of Iowa-Cedar Falls. Especially since the athletic department isn't profitable in the first place, and we already lose money on the playoff game.

            A buy game is arguably a better football decision, but an unarguably worse financial decision. And UNI is not in a place where the term "cost be dammed" gets thrown around.

            This is going under the assumption that he's not just covering for himself. If he is, then that's crap.
            Last edited by sevelev711; 12-01-2019, 09:25 PM.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by DownGoesKansas View Post
              Harris appears to have started the wining portion of his tenure
              Please explain. I am out of the loop. Thanks.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by '70 Grad View Post

                Please explain. I am out of the loop. Thanks.
                Appears to be a political take..I'd just leave it alone.

                Comment


                • #9
                  But it still costs money to get a traveling party of 100+ across the country. That's where the disconnect is for me. It's not as though flying all these people to Pocatello, Idaho plus lodging and food is somehow free.

                  If it HAS to be Home-and-Homes, there are leagues other than the Big Sky that exist.
                  #MACtion

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by sevelev711 View Post
                    Tbf, if he's accurate, and buy games are such a drain on the school financially, I'm not entirely sure if he's wrong. While yes, getting a more winnable football game would be nice, it's hard to argue that it's needed when the cost is $200k and the school is a decade away from becoming University of Iowa-Cedar Falls. Especially since the athletic department isn't profitable in the first place, and we already lose money on the playoff game.

                    A buy game is arguably a better football decision, but an unarguably worse financial decision. And UNI is not in a place where the term "cost be dammed" gets thrown around.

                    This is going under the assumption that he's not just covering for himself. If he is, then that's crap.
                    Again, as we've discussed before on this forum it's a short term vs long term thinking.

                    You want to draw fans to games? You need them playing at home and winning games. Going on the road to Weber State, taking the L, getting banged the hell up, and coming home and finishing OOC 2-2 isn't going to draw fans.

                    Not only that, playing Weber State cost UNI a seed this year, meaning we had a money losing playoff game. Replace Weber State with Hampton again and UNI is 9-3, not losing money hand over fist this last weekend, have an extra week to get guys healthy (AKA Weston has an extra week and Kolarevic doesn't end up on crutches). Playing EWU, Montana, Weber State, Southern Utah, etc. ends up costing FAR more money once you look past the day of game, than playing a home game.

                    So we lost casual fans because they see UNI is 2-2 and "disappointing" OOC, YET AGAIN, and go "Well, don't need to see that". Going 3-1 OOC in 12 game years and 2-1 in 11 game season does far more to build excitement, position for the playoffs, etc. Turns out when the program gets seen as disappointing (7 or 8 wins) donations fall. Ticket sales fall. Media coverage falls. Money goes away real fast.

                    Adding another game worth of money to season tickets. Call it another $25 per season ticket package (that's what it broke out too this year). Shockingly, that eats up a hell of a lot of that $200k up front. We get 500-600k+ from Iowa State and Iowa every single season. Give what Harris wants to charge per game we eat up another chunk of that 200K pretty quick as well. Plus concessions, parking, etc.

                    The difference that's left can't be all that different than flying the entire program to Idaho, Washington, Montana, California, Utah, etc for 2.5-3 days.

                    Right after the selection show Farley held a press conference. Jim Nelson asked Mark directly about scheduling mentality and if it needs to change given how the committee has now shown many times that OOC SoS doesn't matter, especially when you play in a conference like the MVFC (remember SIU played 2 FBS games this year and won one of them and got left home). Mark was protected in his answer but it was pretty clear he's pissed about our scheduling style and mentioned that was a discussion that needs to happen behind closed doors.


                    This interview is not a good look for David - "I just signed a new deal so now I'm going to go guns blazing at our fans.". If he showed half the emotion he showed in that interview being pissed at fans and donors at promoting UNI rather than just monotone reading of a cue card in interviews we'd have an AD with some personality. I don't know how someone that worked under Jamie Pollard for a decade can be so Ben Stein personality wise. He attacks fans that are wondering where his promised facility upgrades were saying it takes money and fans aren't doing enough to make it happen, thus questioning it is horrible and we are not true fans for it.

                    Um, David. The fans that care enough to question it. The fans that care enough to want status updates on it. The fans that care enough to want to see it happen are the fans that are already donating. Already buying tickets. Already going to games. Going out of your way to talk down to/about those fans is a real bad look. We are the ones that promised 3 shovel ready projects 20 months ago and then have done nothing on them. You promised that in the days after last season a new team room/suites were to be built and ready for this year and then never mentioned it again. That's not on us as fans.

                    The wrestling mats? Entirely crowd funded and led by Schwab.
                    The basketball court? Cheapest thing he could have gotten done and needed to be done. It was a decade old.
                    The football turf? He didn't have a choice. I've been told by some well connected people that he was told, by Patty V, to replace the turf or they'd pull home games from UNI because of how bad our turf was. He didn't have a choice.

                    Hell, it's not even replacing/upgrading facilities at this point. Where I was Saturday I saw no less than 3 broken seat backs of existing seats. I watched someone lean back and fall through the seat as the back popped off. We aren't even spending money on maintenance at this point.

                    For him to go after the donors like that is not smart.
                    Last edited by clenz; 12-02-2019, 07:49 AM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by '70 Grad View Post

                      Please explain. I am out of the loop. Thanks.
                      Just an article that came out by Cole Blair. Some quotes that seemed a little out of place based on prior quotes. I'm not saying he's wrong it just has a different vibe than 3 years ago.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by DownGoesKansas View Post

                        Just an article that came out by Cole Blair. Some quotes that seemed a little out of place based on prior quotes. I'm not saying he's wrong it just has a different vibe than 3 years ago.
                        He certainly seems much more embolden to go after fans. I really think the pressure from fans to actually see results on things he promised is much warmer than he assumed it would be.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Home and home with Eastern Illinois possible ? Be cheaper than flying out west.

                          i know football isn’t a money maker but I think it drives enthusiasm more than any sport. It’s the sport that brings people to town and campus. When football is down everything suffers.

                          I would drop ticket prices and hope to get the money back via more fans buying more beer and more concessions.

                          I think if football goes away UNI will eventually drop to DII.
                          Last edited by run&blade; 12-02-2019, 07:56 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by run&blade View Post
                            Home and home with Eastern Illinois possible ? Be cheaper than flying out west.
                            They are pretty locked into the ISUr and ISUb rivalry games

                            That's right thinking though.
                            Murray State, Valpo, SEMO, etc.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              So Drake will not do a 2 for 1?

                              i would think one hone game against UNI would draw more fans than 2 or 3 games against anybody else Drake could schedule.

                              might as well bend over and play two power 5 games a year vs flying out west.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X