Faison Press Conference 4PM

[SiouxVolley]

Just now, UNDBIZ said:

If nobody knows your associated with them because it's a sport nobody watches or pays any attention to, then it's not going to be accomplishing much. It certainly is not a reason to throw away $1 million + per year. 

The series with the goofs draws well, although this board won't admit it.

[UNDBIZ]

1 minute ago, SiouxVolley said:

The series with the goofs draws well, although this board won't admit it.

REA and UND spend more promoting it than they make off it.

[UND-1]

Just now, SiouxVolley said:

The series with the goofs draws well, although this board won't admit it.

1 series.  $1 a ticket.  REA keeps concessions.

All for a 2+ million dollar per year sport.  Only at UND.

[UNDBIZ]

1 minute ago, UND-1 said:

1 series.  $1 a ticket.  REA keeps concessions.

All for a 2+ million dollar per year sport.  Only at UND.

$2 million?! I've been underestimating. 

[UND-1]

1 minute ago, UNDBIZ said:

$2 million?! I've been underestimating. 

Quick math.  Gotta be near there.  Volley?

[Cratter]

Womens National Hockey Championship was on CBS (the uno). Taped of course, but no one knew that. Still cool to see. 

I believe Easter Sunday morning so they got pretty dang good ratings IIRC.

It's hard to deny there is a lot more positives for womens hockey than baseball at UND. 

[SiouxVolley]

7 minutes ago, UND-1 said:

Quick math.  Gotta be near there.  Volley?

That's all a part of Title IX.  One has to spend money on women's sports.  You cant go cheap for women if you lavish the men's programs.

UND would be in big trouble if it made Purpur Arena headquarters for the women's team, even though it may save cost.

Would argue that the only additional costs for the women's team are scholarships and staff salaries.  Otherwise, all the REA costs would only fall on the men's team.

The Engelstad's endowed a good portion of the women's scholarships.  Should we cross the Engelstads just to satisfy posters here?

[nodakhoops]

13 minutes ago, Cratter said:

Womens National Hockey Championship was on CBS (the uno). Taped of course, but no one knew that. Still cool to see. 

I believe Easter Sunday morning so they got pretty dang good ratings IIRC.

It's hard to deny there is a lot more positives for womens hockey than baseball at UND. 

Have to disagree big time with your last statement. College baseball is probably the 3rd most popular sport nationally in college. All NCAA tourney games are broadcasted live on ESPN LIVE and hundreds of games are broadcasted weekly throughout the season. The College World Series is a big fricking deal (way bigger than frozen four). Last year alone UND had 3 guys sign pro deals and had a 2 hour free infomercial on ESPNthanks to Jeff Campbell. They were also the talk of the country in college baseball after taking it to USC this year. Lots of exposure for UND at a very low price and plenty of upside for exposure long term.

Women's hockey nationally meanwhile has 25-30 schools in the country that play it, hardly any games on tv, awful attendance, and really high budget costs. UND had 3 of the top players in the WORLD a few years back and not many people seemed to care.

im not a women's hockey hater I just don't see a whole lot of upside with it. Baseball didn't cost UND much and provided great exposure and exposure potential.

 

 

[gfhockey]

I'd fire faison for letting his ballen

 

this is in gim

 

him legacy 

 

wgyreees lurp

[UNDBIZ]

4 minutes ago, gfhockey said:

I'd fire faison for letting his ballen

 

this is in gim

 

him legacy 

 

wgyreees lurp

Agreed. Wait, no, maybe?

[NoiseInsideMyHead]

4 minutes ago, gfhockey said:

I'd fire faison for letting his ballen

 

this is in gim

 

him legacy 

 

wgyreees lurp

Have they awarded this year's Pulitzers yet? God, I hope not.

[Cratter]

4 minutes ago, nodakhoops said:

Have to disagree big time with your last statement. College baseball is probably the 3rd most popular sport nationally in college. All NCAA tourney games are broadcasted live on ESPN LIVE and hundreds of games are broadcasted weekly throughout the season. The College World Series is a big fricking deal (way bigger than frozen four). Last year alone UND had 3 guys sign pro deals and had a 2 hour free infomercial on ESPNthanks to Jeff Campbell. They were also the talk of the country in college baseball after taking it to USC this year. Lots of exposure for UND at a very low price and plenty of upside for exposure long term.

Women's hockey nationally meanwhile has 25-30 schools in the country that play it, hardly any games on tv, awful attendance, and really high budget costs. UND had 3 of the top players in the WORLD a few years back and not many people seemed to care.

im not a women's hockey hater I just don't see a whole lot of upside with it. Baseball didn't cost UND much and provided great exposure and exposure potential.

Wasn't comparing Baseball vs Hockey nationally. I was comparing UND baseball vs UND womens hockey. Big Difference. 

UND women playing for a national championship on CBS will get the UND name out there than those who are die hard sports fans who watch ESPN constantly (and are bombarded with every athletic teams name constantly).

"More positives" are much more than people watching on TV. It's also about giving the students at UND what they want ("promotions" aside), students want to watch womens hockey more than UND baseball. 

More people seemed at UND to care about having those three players than anything baseball related and that's what matters most. 

UND womens hockey has much more upside than UND baseball in Grand Forks, North Dakota. 

[SiouxVolley]

Men's golf was 1.5 scholarships and seven athletes.

Men's baseball was 5 scholarships and 29 athletes.

 

Very tough situation for the players and coaches and alumni.

[SiouxVolley]

Many posters were begging UND to drop baseball and concentrate on other sports.  They don't seem to post today.

[82SiouxGuy]

1 minute ago, SiouxVolley said:

Men's golf was 1.5 scholarships and seven athletes.

Men's baseball was 5 scholarships and 29 athletes.

 

Very tough situation for the players and coaches and alumni.

The last sentence is true for any sport or program that gets cut, male or female.

[Cratter]

If UND had a "Redhawks" style stadium on campus, preferably nicer weather in the spring, the university promoted it and more people went, UND was winning a bunch of games,  ....UND wouldnt' be in this situation. 

People in GF barely know UND has a baseball team. Nobody goes, nobody talks about it. 

[Cratter]

1 minute ago, SiouxVolley said:

Many posters were begging UND to drop baseball and concentrate on other sports.  They don't seem to post today.

as part of adding Lacrosse. 

[nodakhoops]

33 minutes ago, Cratter said:

Wasn't comparing Baseball vs Hockey nationally. I was comparing UND baseball vs UND womens hockey. Big Difference. 

UND women playing for a national championship on CBS will get the UND name out there than those who are die hard sports fans who watch ESPN constantly (and are bombarded with every athletic teams name constantly).

"More positives" are much more than people watching on TV. It's also about giving the students at UND what they want ("promotions" aside), students want to watch womens hockey more than UND baseball. 

More people seemed at UND to care about having those three players than anything baseball related and that's what matters most. 

UND womens hockey has much more upside than UND baseball in Grand Forks, North Dakota. 

I agree locally whky has a little bigger following but I don't think it's much and they also get promoted and covered WAY more. I'd rank UNDspirts following as such.

1.Mhockey 2. FB 3. MBB 4. WBB 5. volleyball 6. Women's hockey 7. Baseball pretty much everything else after.

when you think about all the exposure potential out there for baseball and the low cost it had on the department I don't see why it should've been cut. UND has played baseball for a very long time and there are a lot of proud alums of that program. I 100% don't think the right decision was made cutting that program.

 

 

 

 

[The Sicatoka]

Here are some realities I see:

• No one believed UND should be maintaining 21 Division I athletics programs. We wanted some pruning. 
• Non-revenue sports will always get the skeptical eye first.
• This region is not great for "summer sports" as NCAA sports. Face it, baseball and golf are summer activities and those seasons, the climate, and the academic calendar do not align at UND. 
• We live in a world of Title IX and people willing to bring lawsuits just to watch the wheels turn. 
• The State of ND is in a budget mess right now. (Argue the why and the politics elsewhere.) 
• This move set the stage for who knows what later. If the State stays a mess, expect M/W S&D to be in trouble, and maybe even more (women's hockey). If not, this could open opportunities for men in other areas.
• Brian Faison has made some unpopular, but turned out right, decisions; and he's accomplished some big things (see: HPC, NCHC). I think he's earned a little bit of trust in making a call for UND Athletics.
• I trust Ed Schafer. 

Is today what I expected? Yes and no. I expected cuts, but not what was cut.

Not having the information that the decision makers had, I'll trust them (Faison, Schafer). 

[gfhockey]

Undproud eh hajdu

[Siouxphan27]

I miss the days when Sewing & Baking counted as women's activities.  

[The Sicatoka]

25 minutes ago, Siouxphan27 said:

I miss the days when Sewing & Baking counted as women's activities.  

Uh-huh, uh-huh, go on ...

[The Sicatoka]

Here's another not so popular spin from me, but I've said it before. 

Public funds for public education institutions should be for curricular activities.

Extra-curriculars are just that: extras. I'd extend that through all levels (JHS, HS, college). 

There's no reason why football, basketball, soccer, < insert other sports here > couldn't be done as privately run, independent from the schools, club organizations. Here's where folks will blather about "opportunity" and "under privileged*", but guess what, a private club program with private funding will find the talent and support it. If your kid can play, the club will support them because they want to win. Better? The players would be without the additional constraints that organizations like the NCAA and the HSAAs put onto "student athletes". 

Don't get me wrong. We're too far down the rabbit hole for that to ever happen. But if I could go back in time and change it, I would. 

 

*I've always chuckled at the phrase "under privileged". A privilege is a special right, something above and beyond the usual. Under privileged means "normal". 

[UND-1]

9 hours ago, Cratter said:

Wasn't comparing Baseball vs Hockey nationally. I was comparing UND baseball vs UND womens hockey. Big Difference. 

UND women playing for a national championship on CBS will get the UND name out there than those who are die hard sports fans who watch ESPN constantly (and are bombarded with every athletic teams name constantly).

"More positives" are much more than people watching on TV. It's also about giving the students at UND what they want ("promotions" aside), students want to watch womens hockey more than UND baseball. 

More people seemed at UND to care about having those three players than anything baseball related and that's what matters most. 

UND womens hockey has much more upside than UND baseball in Grand Forks, North Dakota. 

So it's worth the (roughly) 2 million dollars a year they spend on Women's Hockey for that one remote chance that they might end up on a tape-delay broadcast?  

Lets keep adding up the TENS of Millions until we reach that pinnacle.....

[The Sicatoka]

One more rant: 

I'm against the NCAA's approach at division levels.

Making a school have n programs (x women's  and y men's) to claim a "division level" reeks of elitism.

If UND wanted to play men's ice hockey at the top collegiate tier and no other sport, so what? If Johns Hopkins wanted to play lacrosse at the top collegiate level and nothing else, so what? If NDSU wanted to play football and nothing else, so what? 

Instead we have a system designed to force creation of and then subsidize athletics programs (bankrupt their host institutions?) that are of little to no interest to the general public or even to the vast majority of folks that should be constituents. Tell me, honestly, does anyone besides friends and family attend collegiate golf events? How about rowing? Fencing? Skiing? But you have to have those to make your "magic number" to claim a division level. 

It's time for a Cafeteria Plan in the NCAA.