Tickets v.s. UW-Madison

[coacheinerson]

I need to be in the Kohl Center this year for when we beat up on the Badgers. Do any of you know what the best way is to get tickets for that game? I looked online at uwbadgers.com and found very little.

BTW, if it's true that UW-Madison is making us go back there in 2006-2007... I'd say screw them. Take them off the schedule. Not only do they keep us from having a football program and take credit for all of our good academic programs, they make us play them in the Kohl Center every single year. The worst part is that there is no way for our fans to get in there in force... basically making it the most unfriendly road game on the schedule every year.

Forget it Bo, be a man and bring it to Milwaukee.

[uwm6thman]

from what I heard Tickets against us last year were pretty easy to come by. The place didn't sell out and there are plenty of students selling their tickets for our game. I have a friend that goes to Madison and he will be on the lookout for tickets for me so thats the route I'm going

[pnthr97]

UWM's contract with UW, I believe, is 4 for 1 (4 games at UW, 1 at UWM). I also believe the contract expires after the 07-08 season, when UW comes here.

More importantly, do you really want us to not be playing BOTH Marquette and Wisconsin? It is absolutely essential for the UW/UWM series to continue. This is one of the VERY FEW credible non-conference games we get each year.

Gotta say, this year's schedule is incredibly disappointing. I know Jeter was in a tough spot, but still, the schedule is a joke.

[Kingsbury]

The schedule is disappointing, however part of the blame has to fall on Pearl and his liking to play 2 non-D1 schools each year and the contracts he signed. But in all honesty, who would want to play us this year? Even mediocre Big 6 schools would shy away from a senior laced mid major team. As for Madison, it think the deal was just extended and unfortunately Madison has all the power and UWM has to take what they offer. If UWM continues to have success, then we should look at breaking the contract, until then we have to deal with the "homer" calls that seam to happen quite frequently at the Kohl Center .

As for Jeter, I am happy that he worked out a contract with a Norther Iowa, that is a step in the right direction. I know the badgers played Pepperdine and Rutgers on the road and I for one would hope that Jeter built up a good relation with the schools because I wouldn't mind seeing either one of those schools on the future schedule.

[Kroener3535]

games at the Kohl Center are always sold out, this will be the fourth year in a row the season is sold out before the season even starts, however, last year there were many open seats in the 3rd deck and some in the second...so my advice....there are more people selling than buying...you will be able to get tickets for below face value....it doesnt pay to go through their athletic dept or our because they are all gobbled up....just go without tickets and wait until game time or a little before and offer 20 bucks at the most and u will be in...

[NeedMoreFans]

jd, UW is NOT the reason UWM doesn't have a football team. There are a lot of tangibles involved with us not having a football team...for instance, a stadium. Plus, it doesn't help that our athletics budget is miniscule in comparison to UW's. If everyone who wants varsity football to return to UWM would come out to support the football team we do have, UWM would have a team a lot sooner. I'm sorry to go off topic here, but anytime anyone bashes UW, it strikes a chord in me since I am an alumnus of UW and I worked in their athletic department for 3 years.

Back to the subject at hand...just show up day of game and you'll find tickets. Talk to our ticket office too...UW has to allot so many tickets to UWM for that game. As for the playing UW in the first place, yeah, UWM comes out of there with a loss, but it does pretty good financially, I'm sure.

[fan]

The way I've heard it countless times from multiple sources is that UW was a major part in cutting that funding to the low budget you find it to be. They wanted to be the only 1-A team in the state for obvious reasons and Title 9's adoption further cemented this decision. Considering the loss of funding, UWM was financially forced to end the team's rein with Mr. Klotsche casting the final and deciding vote. Again, I could be way off base here but this is what I've come across in my countless inquiries. Sources range from the Athletic Board members to past alumnus to past players. If you know a different story please enlighten me (us). Don't hide behind the cloak of "a lot of intangibles." What have you heard or what do you feel occurred?

I played on said club football team in year 1 when our only incentive was a scrimmage against Marquette.

[coacheinerson]

Wouldn't you say that it's curious that our athletic budget is low considering that we are only 12,000 behind UW-Madison in enrollment? I am very happy that we have a solid club football program... I've been searching for "Milwaukee Football" shirts for months to support them. But the bottom line is, money talks. I don't think fans are going to change anything... I strongly doubt UW would ever allow it.

I want to see a list of how many schools in the nation have a D-1 football program with an enrollment under 15,000. After that, I'd love to see how many do not have a program with an enrollment of at least 28,000.

It's time... and Harker, I'm behind you. But I don't think fans are going to make a huge difference in our football program-- UW already denied our voice in the past.

[CowboyButz]

I have done some research in the past on the subject of why UWM lost its football team, and from reading the UWM Post from that time it seemed the main opponent of the football team was the SA President, who had a vote on the athletic board and felt that the Athletics program was a waste of money.

The basic scenario seemed to be that there was only enough funding for either basketball or football.
Most of the other board members were Prof. who were very indifferent to the whole situation, and basically it was a crap shoot of which way they would choose to vote. I don't think Klotsche had much to do with it, but he may have been in support of the basketball program. The deciding vote was a Prof. who was quoted in the Post as saying she really didn't know much about the issues.

An interesting note on this subject was that an Alumni offered to donate enough money to keep the football team going for at least a couple more years, but the University rejected the offer(not sure why).

In the end the reason we lost the football had little to do with UW, other then for the fact that at time in history UW was putting a lot of pressure on the regents to make sure UWM growth was stunted.

If anyone is interested in the development of UWM I suggest reading J. Martin Klotsche's book about the founding of UWM(can be found in the library). Its a quick read and really helps explain why UWM is the way it is.

[NeedMoreFans]

Don't hide behind the cloak of "a lot of intangibles." What have you heard or what do you feel occurred?

Here's what I know...

The UW Board of Regents would have to approve a team.

UW's athletic department is does not receive any funds from anywhere other than revenues they generate and donations. UWM's athletic department, on the other hand, relies on the university for part of its funding. Right now, the funding is not there for football.

Title IX issues...how would UWM handle that? (I'm not sure if this is an issue for UWM or not)

And the biggest issue to getting a I-AA team...A place to play!!! Where would UWM play?

Whether UW had any impact on UWM losing football is up in the air. But, I think UW is big enough now that it probably wouldn't feel threatened by a UWM football team. Remember, when UWM lost football, UW was horrible...and another football team might have taken away fans. Such is no longer the case.

I sort of feel bad about taking this thread to a discussion about UW vs. UWM and football...but people seem to blame UW for all of UWM's woes, for a lack of a better word, and I take that to heart due to my connections with UW.

[pnthr97]

NeedMore brings up the two most important issues UWM is faced with for football. First, there's no stadium to play in and zero funding or land to build one. Second, UWM would be faced with a HUGE Title IX issue. Football, if I remember correctly, has 85 scholarships at the D-1 level and teams normally have about 100 players (including walk-ons). UWM would either have to add equivalently sized women's sports (lacrosse, softball, bowling, golf) or cut men's programs.

Due to these issues, I wouldn't recommend anyone hold their breath for a football team. This is just the unfortunate reality of things.

[uwmfootball]

I guess I will chime in and set things straight...

Football at UWM will not happen unless 3 issues are taken care of:

1. Stadium/practice facility
2. Title 9
3. Community/Sponsorship Cooperation

First, the stadium issue. The NFL has offered Riverside HS (where we practice) $500,000 to help put in a field-turf stadium as long as someone comes up with a matching grant. UWM should jump on this opportunity (and they know full well about it), but they are moving ahead with an Estabrook practice facility for soccer, so there is no need for UWM to put money into what would be the main practice facility for their soccer (or football or women's field hockey/lacrosse) teams.

Second, To be I-AA, you need 65 scholarships. That would mean women's golf (relativley easy), field hockey/lacrosse (also easier, since facilities will be there), but the big one would be softball. That would cost a ton, but it is a sponsored sport in the HL, so that would help a touch.

Finally, and probably most importantly, is the community/sponsorship support that is needed for the AD to be successful. Not just football needs to be taken care of for football to come back. Someone would have to feel very stronly about donating a lot of money to building a softball complex, and not just building a football stadium. Look at the jewler Goodmans, who sponsored the field for UW's softball team. Also, there is not a big psuh right now from the students to add football, and while I am in the vocal minority, it would be nice for someone to step up and activley push the idea forward to administration, so at least there looks like there is some interest.

It can be done, but there are a ton of hurdles to go throught. My 2 cents.

P.S. we play sunday at 1pm. Come buy our new football shirts, and don't forget about UWM-MU on Saturday, October 15 at 1pm at the Valley Fields. Thanks!

[NeedMoreFans]

It can be done, but there are a ton of hurdles to go throught. My 2 cents

Hence my tangibles that are involved with getting a football team, and none of them have anything to do with UW. Thanks Harker for backing me up.

[Hack]

uwmfootball said:

Second, To be I-AA, you need 65 scholarships. That would mean women's golf (relativley easy), field hockey/lacrosse (also easier, since facilities will be there), but the big one would be softball. That would cost a ton, but it is a sponsored sport in the HL, so that would help a touch.

Bowling would be easy too since UWM has the facilities for that as well.

[BBFran]

Guys, I was a sports reporter for the Post not long before UWM dropped football, and covered a few of the games. The home games were held at Shorewood field. Almost nobody came. The UW has nothing to do with why UWM doesn't have football. It was an era when a lot of schools were giving up on it. And remember, it was only a D2/3 level program in the first place. The only way UWM would have had a chance to keep footbal would have been to stay, long ago, in the state university conference with Oshkosh and Platteville and Point, etc. That's not where a doctoral University belonged, and be glad everyone recognized that.

I would love to see UWM have a football team. I'd even love to see Marquette bring it back. I think it would be great if one or both of Milwaukee's universities played football, even though it would certainly be 1-AA. But it is almost certainly never going to happen for the economic reasons mentioned, none of which have anything to do with the Badgers.

UWM has carved out a high level program in men's soccer, and is achieving the same status in men's basketball. Let's enjoy and support what we have. Football ain't coming back.