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Post by formerseasonticketholder on Mar 9, 2013 17:21:51 GMT -6
I would think the broadcast partnership with Time Warner would be attractive. MVC schools have done well with WI recruits, being on TV here more would only help that.
According to Time Warner's website they serve 28 other states in addition to Wisconsin. I don't know anything about how this works. Does anyone know how easy it would be for TW to expand the coverage to other areas beyond WI?
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Post by Pantherholic on Mar 9, 2013 17:32:32 GMT -6
Does anyone know how easy it would be for TW to expand the coverage to other areas beyond WI? From what I heard when I worked for TWC it pretty much won't happen. I was told the "big" cable companies, i.e., Comcast, Cox, TWC, Charter, etc don't step on each other's toes. One would have to go out of business (please let Charter be first) in order for one (or more) to step into these territories. A deal would have to be cut with satellite companies, U-verse, etc. |
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Post by gman2 on Mar 9, 2013 17:33:35 GMT -6
I would say UIC has a better chance than Milwaukee. The MVC is a big baseball conference, and the recent announcement about the new baseball stadium is plus for UIC.
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Post by PantherU on Mar 9, 2013 18:15:17 GMT -6
I would say UIC has a better chance than Milwaukee. The MVC is a big baseball conference, and the recent announcement about the new baseball stadium is plus for UIC. I think UIC has the best chance of any school in the Horizon, provided they continue to improve in basketball. Losing on occasion is one thing. UIC hasn't won a title in ten years. It's been 7 since they were relevant in the discussion. Still, the Flames have the facilities. And they're beginning to recruit Chicago again. My guy in STL says the big bonus for either UIC or Loyola is the ability to extend recruiting into Chicago; despite the proximity, neither Valpo or Milwaukee offer that. Although Milwaukee does have a decent recruiting base that is only getting better. I'm not going to cut and run just yet because UIC is a better candidate today; if there's something about our plan that makes us more attractive than the others, we jump to the front of the line. If we start a capital campaign to drive our group's plan to reality, then we'd undoubtedly be the best option for the MVC. The question is this: is it a smart move for Milwaukee? It's not as obvious as you'd think. The Panthers are all over Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Green Bay; if we were to go to the MVC, our Alumni base in conference cities would be extremely small - our alumni stronghold in Iowa is a couple hours from UNI, in Missouri it's clear on the other side of the state from MSU, in Illinois it's all over Urbana-Champaign and Chicago, and in Indiana it's on the wrong side of Indy from Evansville and ISU. Of course, if we wanted to build a conference that would really play to our alumni bases, we'd be looking for teams in NYC, DC, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, LA, San Diego, Denver, Orlando, Tampa and Atlanta. Our current conference is perfect for our Alumni. Still makes me wonder why our Alumni Association isn't pressuring us to schedule in those cities more. Anyways, the point is we are vastly underrepresented in MVC country because MVC country is country. Those schools don't really fit in with us and our mission. At the end of the day, if the MVC is taking three schools to jump to 12, I'm going to guess the three from HL would be MKE, Valpo and UIC. But I don't think it'll be all from one conference. Either way, the next two months are extremely important. I am extremely crestfallen to see that our new AD won't be here until May 1st. I don't think it's on Andy's list of priorities. |
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Post by The Green Gull on Mar 9, 2013 18:22:04 GMT -6
The Athletics program at UW-Milwaukee has significant problems. - Brand Equity and perception of the program is weak
- Arguably the worse facilities in the horizon league
- Meager donation base and alumni support
- Poor school spirit
I've seen very little evidence of these problems being addressed. Perhaps the new A.D. will address these. But without these problems being addressed I don't know how in the world they would realistically garner an invitation to an "upgraded" conference. By the way their only revenue sport , men's basketball, just went 7-24 against Division 1 competition this season. One year's success/failures is a blip on the radar and isn't a determining factor. Colorado football didn't have a winning record their last 5 years in the Big 12. By your logic there's no chance they're getting into the Pac-12. Branding has been an issue but if you could show me some articles that state the national perception of our program being weak by other universities. Would you say GB's brand known moreso for their men's bball team or women's? I'd say the latter. Don't see how that helps them. No one goes "Duke, yeah they've got a real underrated football team" or "Penn State, do you think they'll contend in hoops this year?" Solid fan base? Given we're their biggest rival they drew only 3890 for the reg season game & 1950 for the tourney game. As been stated numerous times before, the Valley cares about baseball. How did GB do last season? What research has been done to show that hyphenated schools have a negative impact come conference expansion/realignment? Please post the links you obviously have bookmarked. Please also include the OUT OF STATE perception we're a commuter school. None of my bullets had to do with UWM's past season. It was merely a to illustrate that the basketball program is in poor shape. Comparing the Colorado Buffalo's and the PAC 12 and UWM and the MVC is ludicrous. The perception is that UWM is a commuter school. Perception is the key word here. Here are the main reasons why UWM wouldn't be seriously considered: - Facilities
- Fan Support (Attendance at men's basketball games)
- Brand Value
You can argue as much as you would like against these bullet points, but it won't change the reality of the situation. |
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Post by The Green Gull on Mar 9, 2013 18:23:41 GMT -6
Why would a non-revenue generating sport, baseball, be dictating conference expansion? Pleas explain.
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Post by The Green Gull on Mar 9, 2013 18:35:57 GMT -6
One would have to think that before UWM was able to move to a "better" conference they would have to get their ducks in a row first.
At this point UWM is not a final candidate unfortunately. But if they address their: facilities, fan support, and their brand they can potentially be at that point.
One thing is for sure, there's a lot of potential here, but will it be realized and fulfilled that is the true question.
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Post by gman2 on Mar 9, 2013 20:39:35 GMT -6
Why would a non-revenue generating sport, baseball, be dictating conference expansion? Pleas explain. All things being equal, UIC Baseball gives them an advantage over other schools. To match UIC facility wise, Milwaukee would need to add an on campus arena and on campus baseball facility. Within the next several years, Milwaukee will NOT add both to match what UIC has. |
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Post by gman2 on Mar 9, 2013 20:44:05 GMT -6
One would have to think that before UWM was able to move to a "better" conference they would have to get their ducks in a row first. At this point UWM is not a final candidate unfortunately. But if they address their: facilities, fan support, and their brand they can potentially be at that point. One thing is for sure, there's a lot of potential here, but will it be realized and fulfilled that is the true question. And from a facilities standpoint, a school like UIC has their ducks in a row. So the question, would you go for a school that has it's ducks in a row or a school that has the potential to have it's ducks in a row if all the pieces fall in place? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2013 20:51:59 GMT -6
Why would a non-revenue generating sport, baseball, be dictating conference expansion? Pleas explain. All things being equal, UIC Baseball gives them an advantage over other schools. To match UIC facility wise, Milwaukee would need to add an on campus arena and on campus baseball facility. Within the next several years, Milwaukee will NOT add both to match what UIC has. Except baseball has already gotten a 7 figure donation for their new baseball stadium. This will happen much sooner than people want to think. |
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Post by gman2 on Mar 9, 2013 22:03:31 GMT -6
All things being equal, UIC Baseball gives them an advantage over other schools. To match UIC facility wise, Milwaukee would need to add an on campus arena and on campus baseball facility. Within the next several years, Milwaukee will NOT add both to match what UIC has. Except baseball has already gotten a 7 figure donation for their new baseball stadium. This will happen much sooner than people want to think. I'm not saying Milwaukee will not have a facility, I know Milwaukee will eventually have a new baseball facility. But you have to remember, UIC has Curtis Granderson personally contributing the bulk of their new stadium which already has a location and timetable: Construction on the new stadium, which doesn't have a final price tag and will have a turf field, will start in the fall with a two-year timetable.
Read more: www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130206/university-village/curtis-granderson-fund-multi-million-dollar-uic-baseball-stadium#ixzz2N6cvavse Can you say the same about Milwaukee? Maybe Milwaukee already has these things in place, and the university is simply keeping it from the public. UIC certainly isn't keeping anything from the public. |
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Post by PantherU on Mar 10, 2013 10:46:46 GMT -6
The MVC will not make a decision this spring. Creighton isn't even guaranteed to be in the new conference this fall. It would be to our benefit that Creighton plays next year in the MVC.
If that's the case, we've got time. Especially if Creighton doesn't announce departure until after next season.
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Post by Pantherholic on Mar 10, 2013 14:26:30 GMT -6
Per a beat writer for SDSU on Twitter, the Summit League's commissioner has said Denver will stick with the Summit League.
I have my doubts but time will tell.
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Post by uwmfansince1997 on Mar 10, 2013 15:21:18 GMT -6
Let's get out of this high school gym, that's more realistic, then joining an elite conference. The Valley is not an elite conference. Fair enough. Then we should stay put in the HL, since it isn't a step up. Sounds more like a lateral move from your pov. |
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Post by Pantherholic on Mar 10, 2013 15:54:36 GMT -6
Fair enough. Then we should stay put in the HL, since it isn't a step up. Sounds more like a lateral move from your pov. This is laughably stupid considering I've been a vocal proponent of moving to the Valley for some time now but at least you tried. Elite conferences are ones like the SEC, B 12, Pac-12 or the prototypical "BCS conferences". If you think the Valley is on par with them, that says more about you than anything else. BTW in the last 5 NCAA tourneys the Valley has taken ONE team each time. That doesn't happen in ACTUAL elite conferences. |
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