 Ford Field: Site of Western Michigan's "home" game vs. Illinois
We received the highest volume of e-mail we have ever had in response to any previous article or editorial at MAC Report Online.
By about a 5-1 margin you agreed with our position that these scheduling arrangements, while financially may have some benefit, are overall a "bad deal" for the fans and the teams.
But it wasn't all that cut and dried and not everyone agreed.
Below we present a representative sample of the responses we received. Thanks to everyone who responded and we also appreciated the many kind comments we received regarding our MAC coverage.
An "Asinine" Idea
I liked the report and it was very informative, thank you.
I just want to comment that I think it's asinine for a MAC team to constantly give up real home games to play the big boys. Especially when there really doesn't seem to be a benefit; a la raised ticket prices. Neutral sites tend to favor the bigger school, no "real" promise of a paycheck, etc.
In regards to Fresno State they have earned it. They have regularly beaten the bigger schools at home and away. For a Nebraska to go to Fresno and win can only help their strength of schedule. I view it as a school-to-school basis. For example, Idaho most certainly won't get any one to come play them. The team stinks and for Oregon to go there and win probably hurts their strength of schedule. But teams like a Miami or a Bowling Green over the years I believe have earned the right to play these teams and should stand their ground. It almost needs to be a conference wide stand. Every AD and coach agrees to not bend over for these schools and hope that some will stick it out and come to Toledo, or Oxford, or Athens.
Damian Quinter
MAC - "A Cheap Prostitute"
From a CMU 38 year ticket holder-
I say that the MAC schools have to accept what they can because they are at the bottom of Div IA as a conference and in team capability - as a matter of fact most of the teams would struggle in Div 1AA. I have run a spreadsheet on CMU since 1974; CMU does not beat teams from the major conferences. Why? We don't have the money in our alumni base, we don't have the athletic funds and we can not draw top level talent.
Do I think it is a rotten deal that CMU accepts games with top tiered teams; such as, Florida, Georgia, or U of M? Yes I do. There is no dignity in losing by 40 or 50 points.
However our Athletic Director Dave Heeke has said it is about money. CMU can not get the money it needs from it core base and he will continue to do it. CMU has been one of the most underfunded programs in the MAC since we joined in 1975.
It's a raw deal for the dedicated fan and ticket holder. We buy a ticket, but the game may be on at night on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or at a "neutral site". The stands do not fill up and at half time they are empty. We are on TV but the ticket holders are not getting the benefits of a Season Ticket package.
ESPN and major conference dollars are more valued by Athletic Directors than the years of commitment by season ticket holders. The MAC has become a cheap prostitute.
My position has been the same since the mid 80s, CMU is a Div 1AA team and so is the conference. My family would hit the road just to be at a Big Ten school or an SEC school but not anymore. Why? Its one blow out after another- and we'll never go the Canada for a Bowl Game, what a stupid deal.
The NCAA should be embarrassed that Div II, Div 1AA and lowered bracketed Div 1A teams are put on a schedule to "cook the books" in team income and wins. The BCS is the worst thing the NCAA and the big conferences ever invented.
Michael Conant, CMU '68
Hurts Hometown BusinessesIf NIU moves its Wisconsin game to Soldier field they will only hurt the DeKalb business community that could have a big weekend with Wisconsin in town. NIU would only hurt the people that it is trying to have support them.
If they move this game I would not be surprised if they ever get more than 1,200 people at any basketball game. The DeKalb business leaders should organize a boycott against any future NIU athletic contests. NIU and the MAC schools just need to pay the fat salaries of new athletic directors and coaches which so far has not translated into wins.
Thomas Robak
Location, Location, Location
I don't think all of these games you mentioned should have been scheduled, but a few were and are good ideas in my opinion.
EMU vs Northwestern in Detroit, not such a good idea for two reasons: Northwestern does not draw well on the road and EMU does not draw well period. Where was the revenue expected to be from, BG and Toledo fans? Second, both schools are within driving distance so few if any overnight stays for Detroit local business so the host city is discouraged from future attempts.
Toledo vs Ohio State at Cleveland Browns Stadium: Great idea. I'd love to consistently get OSU to play even slightly away from home vs in-state MAC schools. It's an instant sellout and Toledo will make more money then a payday game at the Horseshoe. Plenty of potential Toledo Alumni in the area. I'm a BG alumnus and I would love BG to have this opportunity.
Those two examples are the extreme examples.
Two key ingredients must be present for these to work well financially for the MAC.
1. Location: It must be located in a big alumni center for a very high profile opponent. Schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame & Penn State could work well in CBS or Ford Field. However, Pitt, Cincy, Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana, no thanks. They simply do not travel well enough to make this work. Northern Illinois vs Iowa seemed to work well in Chicago but I do not think Iowa would be the right opponent in Cleveland. Also it needs to be in a city many MAC fans can get to. It must be a situation where we are nearly guaranteed a sellout.
2. Marketing: Somehow it needs to encourage attendees to stay overnight at the host city. It needs to be billed as a pre-conference bowl game and get the host city involved. Northern cities can't seem to get good bowl games so maybe this is worth a try with better weather. I'd combine more than one game for the weekend. Maybe a Friday night and Saturday afternoon game. MAC vs an academy and MAC vs huge alumni base in one city for the same weekend. We need to leverage our opponents' fan base for our financial benefit. Maybe we could get MAC fans motivated to see other MAC team games, Cleveland Browns Stadium and Ford Field may be good locations for that.
I don't mind five home games and maybe one neutral site game within a short driving distance. Maybe do that every other year but it must be financially lucrative. I'd love OSU to rotate through the northern Ohio MAC teams in the CBT. I'd prefer that over IAA home games.
I know, I know, its all about money. Sadly that's the reality of D1A football. CFA and now the BCS have brought us to this point. Either we split from the BCS, or we keep trying to innovate both on and off the field.
Jim
Don't Make It a Habit
Essentially, I agree that MAC teams should require that BCS teams agree to play at the home field of the host school. As you pointed out, there is much more to be gained for the school's fans if the game is played on their own turf --a better chance to win, more "memories," essentially, fairness.
However, there are many state schools that play in pro or municipal, stadiums, i.e. Rutgers, who attract their fans and can build a program by "selling" the facility they play in to recruits.
Further, the increase in revenue, or the possibility/probability of increased revenue, is essential to maintain MAC programs. Miami could never bring in 70,000 to Oxford against Ohio State but they might if it were at Paul Brown Stadium. Granted, there would be more OSU fans, but the extra several hundred thousands of dollars would compensate for the disparity of numbers of fans. Plus, who's to say the team can't win at a neutral site as much as they could at their home field? Is home field advantage worth that many points when one is, presumably, a decided underdog? I don't think so. Either you have the personnel or you don't.
In ending, I would not want to make it a habit to play at neutral sites. Occasionally, OK. But I would rather play a "lesser" BCS school at home or bring in a BYU, ECU, etc. than bend over every time to the "big boys" for their benefit as much as our schools.
Fred Sofen
Big Time Atmosphere
Great atmosphere at Cleveland for Bowling green vs Wisconsin -. 30,000 plus, a chance for Clevelanders to see a MAC team in action, great trip for the fans, recruits too, mothers and fathers to see their kids in a big stadium.
I went to Bowling Green to see them play Minnesota. Thousands of people at two gates, no programs, horrible scoreboard, terrible PA announcer that got most names wrong, people coming in at the second quarter, they put four scores up at halftime and they left them up for minutes.
That would never happen at a big league stadium. I'm for Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit!
Freddyfalcon81 |
