ECU as 5th behind WF and Duke during football season is a complete joke and discredits everything "West is Best" has to say about the subject. I spent 29 years in North Carolina (Triangle Area) and I've met MAYBE 5 true WF fans in my entire life. As far as Duke is concerned they're the biggest joke in the state regarding football. Duke fans care about one thing and one thing only, basketball. Even then they're a small minority comparatively speaking. Most of their students are from the NE or another country. I will admit that ECU is behind UNC and NC State in fan support but we're not far behind NC St. I've always wanted to see an actual poll that would illustrate the real numbers.

(05-31-2011 02:01 PM)TOGC Wrote:  

(05-29-2011 09:31 PM)PirateNation Wrote:  Yea, we only averaged 49,665 in a year with low expectations (many said we would only win 2 games), losing the most players in the nation and finishing with 6 wins. Says a lot about the state of our program.

It says every fan ECU has in the country shows up in Greenville on game day. Not much of a market outside the area.

Yeah, if you just sit and think about what you said...it makes zero sense. Either that or ECU has found (where no one else could) the key to tapping it's entire fanbase. Sorry, but that just isn't possible. The fact is, for us to draw what we do, we have to pull from other more populous portions of the state. It speaks volumes about the distance people travel to come see the Pirates play. That loyalty so far outside the Greenville market is what legitimately extends our market into others. You may not agree but it appears that some folks, like the CBS guy, understand it quite well.

(05-30-2011 07:37 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 06:03 PM)NashvillePirate Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 03:52 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 02:23 PM)Nola Gator Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 02:14 PM)NashvillePirate Wrote:  Wow. That is a laughable post. This is the reason why I say that this market conversation, at least in the way it is discussed on this board, is a joke. Vandy is no better than 4th in their own market. UT, 'Bama and Kentucky all have more fans in Nashville than Vanderbilt.

Don't waste your breath. He only believes what he wants to believe and anything else is not even debatable. Proof that market is over rated runs counter to his world-view (which is formed by sunshine and lollipops coming from Providence) so its useless to debate otherwise.

NP is right about Tennessee and Alabama having more fans around Nashville than Vandy. Go to a UT-Vandy game on the Vandy campus if you doubt it. Tennessee fans outnumber Vandy fans in their own stadium. Same with Alabama...

Kentucky I'll debate...

I don't even think it's close w/ Kentucky....Nashville is a huge destination town for UK grads plus we're only about a 30 min drive from the KY state border.

That may be true. But IMO there are as many Gator fans in Nashville as there are UK fans...

Not really relevant to this thread, but I believe you are incorrect with this last statement.

(05-30-2011 07:37 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 06:03 PM)NashvillePirate Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 03:52 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 02:23 PM)Nola Gator Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 02:14 PM)NashvillePirate Wrote:  Wow. That is a laughable post. This is the reason why I say that this market conversation, at least in the way it is discussed on this board, is a joke. Vandy is no better than 4th in their own market. UT, 'Bama and Kentucky all have more fans in Nashville than Vanderbilt.

Don't waste your breath. He only believes what he wants to believe and anything else is not even debatable. Proof that market is over rated runs counter to his world-view (which is formed by sunshine and lollipops coming from Providence) so its useless to debate otherwise.

NP is right about Tennessee and Alabama having more fans around Nashville than Vandy. Go to a UT-Vandy game on the Vandy campus if you doubt it. Tennessee fans outnumber Vandy fans in their own stadium. Same with Alabama...

Kentucky I'll debate...

I don't even think it's close w/ Kentucky....Nashville is a huge destination town for UK grads plus we're only about a 30 min drive from the KY state border.

That may be true. But IMO there are as many Gator fans in Nashville as there are UK fans...

I have heard that there is a lot of Gator support in Nashville. However, a few people have told me that a lot of those Nashville Gator fans are just anti-Tennessee and would jump to Georgia or South Carolina if those teams became the dominant SEC East program.

(05-31-2011 03:12 PM)Nola Gator Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 07:37 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 06:03 PM)NashvillePirate Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 03:52 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 02:23 PM)Nola Gator Wrote:  Don't waste your breath. He only believes what he wants to believe and anything else is not even debatable. Proof that market is over rated runs counter to his world-view (which is formed by sunshine and lollipops coming from Providence) so its useless to debate otherwise.

NP is right about Tennessee and Alabama having more fans around Nashville than Vandy. Go to a UT-Vandy game on the Vandy campus if you doubt it. Tennessee fans outnumber Vandy fans in their own stadium. Same with Alabama...

Kentucky I'll debate...

I don't even think it's close w/ Kentucky....Nashville is a huge destination town for UK grads plus we're only about a 30 min drive from the KY state border.

That may be true. But IMO there are as many Gator fans in Nashville as there are UK fans...

I have heard that there is a lot of Gator support in Nashville. However, a few people have told me that a lot of those Nashville Gator fans are just anti-Tennessee and would jump to Georgia or South Carolina if those teams became the dominant SEC East program.

That is probably pretty accurate. In the state of TN, you either LOVE or HATE the Vols. There is really no in between. Those who hate the Vols generally become Bama, Florida, UGA, etc fans. All you have to do to determine how many fans of each school are in Nashville is drive around. They all have some sort of sticker, liscense plate, or some type of team logo somewhere on their vehicle. SEC fans leave no doubt who their team is. I'd say it is something like this...

1. Vols
2. Bama
3. Kentucky
4. Ole Miss -or- Vanderbilt
5. Florida
6. Auburn
7. The rest with a few MTSU & WKU mixed in...

Glad to see that CBS and ESPN are willing to count the Greenville and Raleigh tv markets as one through their research and publications. That along with BE officials saying BE needs to follow PAC 12 model of expanding into new states means ecu is gaining speed.

(05-31-2011 02:01 PM)TOGC Wrote:  

(05-29-2011 09:31 PM)PirateNation Wrote:  Yea, we only averaged 49,665 in a year with low expectations (many said we would only win 2 games), losing the most players in the nation and finishing with 6 wins. Says a lot about the state of our program.

It says every fan ECU has in the country shows up in Greenville on game day. Not much of a market outside the area.

Okay, if that's what you think, then it also shows strong brand-loyalty, which is exactly what made NASCAR a cash cow for advertisers.

(05-31-2011 01:41 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(05-31-2011 12:18 PM)West Is the Best Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 06:11 PM)ECU-DMB Fanatic Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 11:34 AM)West Is the Best Wrote:  

(05-29-2011 04:12 PM)Brick City Pirate Wrote:  Hard to pass up a school that already puts 50k in the seats each saturday with plans to expand to 60k within 5 years. Can any of the other non-bcs candidates besides BYU make that claim?

Combine this with a small TV market, low ratings against other NC and insignificant numbers across the nation.

It is a shame for ECU as the Pirates have a strong program with rabid fans.

Copied my post from another thread as it appears appropriate here as well:


Do you have any proof to support your TV ratings statement????? I would love to have a link to these TV ratings so I could see for myself!!!! I suspect as usual you are just making assumptions and have no proof or data to back this statement. Also even if it were the case how would that be any different than Houston
and SMU in the state if Texas???? How would it be any different from UCF in Florida???? I suspect but
have no proof that ECU performs just as well if not better in TV ratings against the BCS programs in our state as SMU, Houston, and UCF. I am not sure why you love to try and discredit ECU in the subtle way that you do but it gets a little annoying. While you have a right to your opinion on matters I do not understand why in the world you have to try and act like you actually know something for fact when all you are doing is giving people your opinion. You spent all last year on the CUSA board making statements saying that the Big East was not going to expand and if they did it would not include any CUSA teams. Now when it
appears your team may have a chance to move on to the Big East your attitude on the subject has really
changed. Quit trying to act like you know things as fact and just admit anything you post is your opinion or just rumor you made up in your own mind.

I can tell you this, the adults at your school all accept the fact that ECU is in a small TV market, and little name recognition outside of NC. They are well aware that this one issue will most likely prevent ECU from moving to a BCS conference. They are also well aware that in NC, ECU comes in 5th behind UNC, NCSU, Duke and WF with fan interest. There have been many studies over the years that support these facts.

Throughout this thread I have present information about television markets (showing that ECU is in the 25th largest), fan support (ECU had over a 10 share in N.C. for the Liberty Bowl); and merchandising sales (ECU is 51st nationally; even ahead of your beloved Cougars). Despite the information provided that shows that your points were incorrect, you continue to make invalid statements.

http://www.ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?ti...pid6548983

ECU is NOT 5th behind WF and Dook. Dook is a national basketball brand. Most Dook fans are basketball fans and dont have one iota of interest in football, baseball, etc. These are the folks that are bandwagon. Sort of like a lot of Yankees and Red Sox fans. Wake Forest is a small private school that virtually has no fans whatsoever. 99% of WF fans are alums and they are the 3rd smallest university in the US. WF has no TV market, no widespread fanbase, nor is it relevant on Saturdays in the fall or any day in the winter. ECU is a CLOSE 3rd to NCSU as it is the 2nd largest school in the state of NC. Market goes from Tidewater VA to Charlotte Metro Area. This was proven as indicated above in the market rating during the '10 Liberty Bowl.

Alright my fellow pirates, please stop feeding the trolls. The west is best=TOGC. "Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience." Or in this cases, idiots.

We have presented facts where they present opinion. Lets leave them be until they can prove otherwise.

(05-31-2011 08:10 PM)beacherpirate Wrote:  Alright my fellow pirates, please stop feeding the trolls. The west is best=TOGC. "Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience." Or in this cases, idiots.

We have presented facts where they present opinion. Lets leave them be until they can prove otherwise.

AGREED! case in point the thought that Duke has a better fallowing then ECU

(05-31-2011 12:59 PM)West Is the Best Wrote:  

(05-31-2011 12:52 PM)apex_pirate Wrote:  

(05-31-2011 12:18 PM)West Is the Best Wrote:  I can tell you this, the adults at your school all accept the fact that ECU is in a small TV market, and little name recognition outside of NC. They are well aware that this one issue will most likely prevent ECU from moving to a BCS conference. They are also well aware that in NC, ECU comes in 5th behind UNC, NCSU, Duke and WF with fan interest. There have been many studies over the years that support these facts.

So you are basically say that if sonmeone doesn't agree with your opinion they aren't an adult???

This paragraph is opinion at best. Greenville may be a small market. No one disgrees with that. But
many people, including some not associated with ECU, believe ECU's market stretches far beyond Greenville. While many believe that ECU hasn't been looked at fairly when it comes to market place, they only believe
an myopic look at the 'Greenville only' market may cost them a shot...not a well investigated look into what ECU truly delivers on (yes, an opinion but just as valid as yours). We also believe the Big East is doing a better job at seeing what ECU delivers. That may or may not equate to an invite. But I can tell you without a doubt, there aren't too many people at East Carolina who would believe for one
second that ECU falls 5th in line in fan support behind the other four schools you mentioned. Mind you, we're talking football only. The other sport matters nothing at all during football season or with what people with watch during the fall. There haven't been any studies over the years that support what you say about football interest in the state of NC.

It is the way a person responds that reflects as them being a child.

The studies are performed by experts, not internet banter and wishes of 20 somethingyear old ECU fans who ignore the facts and attack posters they do not
agree with. An adult deals with info they do not care for by addressing the issue. A child will attack the issues and discredit it.

Come on West, quit with the spin....Get back on topic. You are the one that made the statements about TV ratings. Where is the proof of your statements. You keep referencing studies and such but you do not tell us where to read this information for ourselves...All we are asking is that you provide proof to back-up your statements. How hard is that to understand??? You are just trying to spin this and get people off topic because you do not have any proof to back-up your statements about TV ratings. We all understand
ECU physically is not located in one of the larger TV markets and no one is disputing that...What we are trying to get our hands on is the TV rating information you are talking about. TV ratings and TV markets are two distinctly different animals. And regarding your post saying the "Adults" at ECU know our market I understand the point you are trying to make here...Our Chancellor said that if expansion merely came down to TV markets being the determining factor then ECU would probably not be at the top of the list and that is true....Now the real question is how will the Big East proceed??? If they decide to expand how will they evaluate the candidates??? Will they just look at the market where a school is physically located???
If they do then I would agree that ECU has no chance. One would hope that if they do decide to expand that they would look into things a little deeper than that....I think just looking at the market where a school is located does not give you complete picture and I am sure that the Big East is aware of this as well. Realistically in the end I think all this bickering back and forth will turn out to be a huge waste of time anyway as I feel it is unlikely that the Big East will go to 12 and I would not be at all surprised if CUSA's membership 5 years from now looks very similar to what it is today.

(05-31-2011 12:18 PM)West Is the Best Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 06:11 PM)ECU-DMB Fanatic Wrote:  

(05-30-2011 11:34 AM)West Is the Best Wrote:  

(05-29-2011 04:12 PM)Brick City Pirate Wrote:  Hard to pass up a school that already puts 50k in the seats each saturday with plans to expand to 60k within 5 years. Can any of the other non-bcs candidates besides BYU make that claim?

Combine this with a small TV market, low ratings against other NC and insignificant numbers across the nation.

It is a shame for ECU as the Pirates have a strong program with rabid fans.

Copied my post from another thread as it appears appropriate here as well:


Do you have any proof to support your TV ratings statement????? I would love to have a link to these TV ratings so I could see for myself!!!! I suspect as usual you are just making assumptions and have no proof or data to back this statement.
Also even if it were the case how would that be any different than Houston
and SMU in the state if Texas???? How would it be any different from UCF in Florida???? I suspect but
have no proof that ECU performs just as well if not better in TV ratings against the BCS programs in our state as SMU, Houston, and UCF. I am not sure why you love to try and discredit ECU in the subtle way that you do but it gets a little annoying. While you have a right to your opinion on matters I do not understand why in the
world you have to try and act like you actually know something for fact when all
you are doing is giving people your opinion. You spent all last year on the CUSA board making statements saying that the Big East was not going to expand and if they did it would not include any CUSA teams. Now when it
appears your team may have a chance to move on to the Big East your attitude on the subject has really
changed. Quit trying to act like you know things as fact and just admit anything
you post is your opinion or just rumor you made up in your own mind.

It's easy to determine the kids on this board from the adults by the childish attacks if they don't agree with a post. Again, you prove you are one of the kids because you clearly have ignored the positive posts I've made in reference to ECU. Further, I have seen reports pertaining to TV markets, projected revenues,
school
budgets, schools reputations in regard to broadcast and revenues etc. And no, they are not on the internet for obvious reasons. I deal with the facts of the stuation.

I can tell you this, the adults at your school all accept the fact that ECU is in a small TV market, and little name recognition outside of NC. They are well aware
that this one issue will most likely prevent ECU from moving to a BCS conference.
They are also well aware that in NC, ECU comes in 5th behind UNC, NCSU, Duke and WF with fan interest. There have been many studies over the years that
support these facts.

Not buying this for a second West.....Where did these magical reports come from
and how did you see them???? Man, you are really reaching here, you mean to tell me people have actually sat down and done studies on where ECU ranks in regards to the other schools in North Carolina, now that is some of the funniest BS I have ever read on this board....You are a trip West, I am not sure how you even had the guts to post such pure nonsense... Man I have dealt with some BS spewing people over the years but this is a little over the top. I mean if all this information was readily available out there to you West then why in the heck did the Big East have to hire someone to help them out with this entire TV deal??? Seems like a waste of money to me with all these reports and studies out there that you are privy to....

Jeez, take a breath guys.

(05-31-2011 10:35 PM)Knightsweat Wrote:  Jeez, take a breath guys.

If it upsets or bothers you the just ignore it and move on....

Wow, you told me. You're right, you have a right to act like a feminine hygiene wash. Take advantage, oh wait that ship has sailed. Carry on.

(05-31-2011 10:47 PM)Knightsweat Wrote:  Wow, you told me. You're right, you have a right to act like a feminine hygiene wash. Take advantage, oh wait that ship has sailed. Carry on.

Oh, how cute...It seems like you may be a little too sensitive to be on the message boards. I mean really, you jump straight to the childish douche comment, that really hurt my feelings.....I think I may cry.

I did not attack you in anyway and I did not call you any names. It just bugs the heck out of me when someone interjects with obligatory "everyone calm down post" in a thread in which they have had no involvement whatsoever. All I was saying is if the comments and debates in this thread bothered you then just ignore it...what else do you expect to see on this board???? Everyone holding hands and singing Kumbaya???? If so then I think you may be in the wrong place.

Responding just so I can have the last word. I'm betting you can't abide that. Prove me wrong.

(05-31-2011 02:32 PM)apex_pirate Wrote:  

(05-31-2011 02:01 PM)TOGC Wrote:  

(05-29-2011 09:31 PM)PirateNation Wrote:  Yea, we only averaged 49,665 in a year with low expectations (many said we would only win 2 games), losing the most players in the nation and finishing with 6 wins. Says a lot about the state of our program.

It says every fan ECU has in the country shows up in Greenville on game day. Not much of a market outside the area.

Yeah, if you just sit and think about what you said...it makes zero sense. Either that or ECU has found (where no one else could) the key to tapping it's entire fanbase. Sorry, but that just isn't possible. The fact is, for us to draw what we do, we have to pull from other more populous portions of the state. It speaks volumes about the distance people travel to come see the Pirates play. That loyalty so far outside the Greenville market is what legitimately extends our market into others. You may not agree but it appears that some folks, like the CBS guy, understand it quite well.

I've been all across the state of North Carolina. I've flown there and driven across it many times. Other than just a few in Greenville, I've never seen one ECU sticker on a car. The airports in Charlotte and Raleigh sell UNC-Chapel Hill, NCSU, Duke, WF, and even Clemson gear but nothing from ECU. Even the WalMarts don't carry your gear outside of Greenville. Just because there isn't anything else to do on the weekend in Greenville doesn't mean that your market extends much further than your tiny MSA of 189,510.

You drove across NC stopping at all the Wal-Marts to see who carries ECU gear?

Talk about nothing to do...

(05-31-2011 02:01 PM)TOGC Wrote:  

(05-29-2011 09:31 PM)PirateNation Wrote:  Yea, we only averaged 49,665 in a year with low expectations (many said we would only win 2 games), losing the most players in the nation and finishing with 6 wins. Says a lot about the state of our program.

It says every fan ECU has in the country shows up in Greenville on game day. Not much of a market outside the area.

ah, forget it.... it's not worth the time anymore to bother with a league who's AD's won't even stick around long enough to discuss expansion, much less initiate one.