Not trying to impede on your grandstanding, but aren't you Charlotte guys already 0-2 in CUSA play?
[/quote]


We haven't been good in 10 years and we're still near the top of the league in attendance. We averaged over 6,000 until we moved to CUSA.

The move to CUSA was the final straw for a lot of our basketball fans and our season ticket sales are less than half what they used to be.

We would easily average over 6,000 again if we had a good record like ODU does. If we would actually make it to the tournament, we'd probably be up to 7000ish again.


[/quote]


Let me understand your post. You say that you lost fans because the school moved to cusa? Why was that, was it because those fans thought the move was below them in basketball? If that's the case why are you 0-2 if cusa basketball was so inferior? Shouldn't you be in the same level as odu is right now since your basketball was superior in your old conference.
Is that what you're trying to imply?

(01-10-2015 03:30 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Not trying to impede on your grandstanding, but aren't you Charlotte guys already 0-2 in CUSA play?

We haven't been good in 10 years and we're still near the top of the league in attendance. We averaged over 6,000 until we moved to CUSA.

The move to CUSA was the final straw for a lot of our basketball fans and our season ticket sales are less than half what they used to be.

We would easily average over 6,000 again if we had a good record like ODU does. If we would actually make it to the tournament, we'd probably be up to 7000ish again.


[/quote]

Quote:Let me understand your post. You say that you lost fans because the school moved to cusa? Why was that, was it because those fans thought the move was below them in basketball? If that's the case why are you 0-2 if cusa basketball was so inferior? Shouldn't you be in the same level as odu is right now since your basketball was superior in your old conference.
Is that what you're trying to imply?

Our fans saw the move to the A10 as a downgrade and then the move back to CUSA as an even bigger downgrade.

We went from playing top 10 teams on ESPN in primetime as the marquee game--and winning--to barely ever being on TV. The A10 had some major programs with history and national recognition, some some fans were okay with the move to the A10 (though not excited). The move back to CUSA was seen by some as us finally ceding that we'd never be nationally relevant in basketball again.

I'm not implying anything. Just explaining the situation.

It is tough for some people to accept once being in a conference with national championship contenders and sold out 10,000+ seat arenas to teams being excited about getting an NIT bid.

I personally wasn't around until after we were out of CUSA 1.0, so I don't have that emotional attachment to it that others do, but we've steadily seen our presence in the basketball landscape decline. The last two rounds of realignment have been seen as a step back for our basketball program by our fans, especially the older fans that had always seen realignment be a step up for our program.

You can't argue that fans don't care about the programs they play. UTEP's attendance would be better too if you guys were playing in a conference with nationally ranked programs. If you were in the MWC with ranked SDSU, UNM, and UNLV programs coming into your arena, it'd draw a lot more interest than the schools in CUSA. Playing ranked opponents attracts the casual fan to the games.

SBNation wrote an article about us this week called "The Vanishing Charlotte 49ers Basketball Program" that touches on this.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketba...tlantic-10

There are some factual errors in it, like us being seen as winners by moving to the A10, but overall, it sums up the last decade of Charlotte basketball pretty well.

(01-09-2015 12:34 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Excellent points by GoodOwl. The comparison with UCF is apt.

The Turner Field project is still up in the air, but from everything I'm hearing the City of Atlanta and Fulton County are "pro-Georgia State" and will be as helpful as they can be to enable the plan to move forward. We shall see.

In.The.Bag.



But of course I was never here.

(01-09-2015 02:51 AM)Saint Greg Wrote:  

(01-09-2015 01:56 AM)Rojogrande Wrote:  Ga State basketball facilities are horrendous though. You all that think FIU and FAU are bad haven't seen anything. Their court is literally on the 3rd floor of the sports complex with the 3rd and 4th stories being where seating is located. Yes you read that right.

Make it a requirement they get a new basketball facility.

http://www.philipsarena.com/

lol

Hope you're right, Panama

(01-10-2015 08:00 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Hope you're right, Panama

Have heard that from multiple people, including people who work for the Mayor.

(01-10-2015 09:15 PM)panama Wrote:  Have heard that from multiple people, including people who work for the Mayor.

I admire the way Kasim Reed handled the Braves' situation. Some people would've groveled and begged them to stay. Reed wisely avoided that and, basically, took a "Let the Braves do their thing, and let us do our thing" approach. Good for him, good for Atlanta, and -- hopefully -- good for Georgia State.

(01-10-2015 09:29 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(01-10-2015 09:15 PM)panama Wrote:  Have heard that from multiple people, including people who work for the Mayor.

I admire the way Kasim Reed handled the Braves' situation. Some people would've groveled and begged them to stay. Reed wisely avoided that and, basically, took a "Let the Braves do their thing, and let us do our thing" approach. Good for him, good for Atlanta, and -- hopefully -- good for Georgia State.

I was at the rejuvenated Sweet Auburn Curb Market today and watched at Atlanta Streetcars went by. Great time to live in the city.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

(01-10-2015 03:49 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(01-10-2015 03:30 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Not trying to impede on your grandstanding, but aren't you Charlotte guys already 0-2 in CUSA play?

We haven't been good in 10 years and we're still near the top of the league in attendance. We averaged over 6,000 until we moved to CUSA.

The move to CUSA was the final straw for a lot of our basketball fans and our season ticket sales are less than half what they used to be.

We would easily average over 6,000 again if we had a good record like ODU does. If we would actually make it to the tournament, we'd probably be up to 7000ish again.

Quote:Let me understand your post. You say that you lost fans because the school moved to cusa? Why was that, was it because those fans thought the move was below them in basketball? If that's the case why are you 0-2 if cusa basketball was so inferior? Shouldn't you be in the same level as odu is right now since your basketball was superior in your old conference.
Is that what you're trying to imply?

Our fans saw the move to the A10 as a downgrade and then the move back to CUSA as an even bigger downgrade.

We went from playing top 10 teams on ESPN in primetime as the marquee game--and winning--to barely ever being on TV. The A10 had some major programs with history and national recognition, some some fans were okay with the move to the A10 (though not excited). The move back to CUSA was seen by some as us finally ceding that we'd never be nationally relevant in basketball again.

I'm not implying anything. Just explaining the situation.

It is tough for some people to accept once being in a conference with national championship contenders and sold out 10,000+ seat arenas to teams being excited about getting an NIT bid.

I personally wasn't around until after we were out of CUSA 1.0, so I don't have that emotional attachment to it that others do, but we've steadily seen our presence in the basketball landscape decline. The last two rounds of realignment have been seen as a step back for our basketball program by our fans, especially the older fans that had always seen realignment be a step up for our program.

You can't argue that fans don't care about the programs they play. UTEP's attendance would be better too if you guys were playing in a conference with nationally ranked programs. If you were in the MWC with ranked SDSU, UNM, and UNLV programs coming into your arena, it'd draw a lot more interest than the schools in CUSA. Playing ranked opponents attracts the casual fan to the games.

SBNation wrote an article about us this week called "The Vanishing Charlotte 49ers Basketball Program" that touches on this.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketba...tlantic-10

There are some factual errors in it, like us being seen as winners by moving to the A10, but overall, it sums up the last decade of Charlotte basketball pretty well.

ESPN has lost interest in non-P5 schools. They loved to put on CUSA 1.0 and A10 games mid week. The Temple program had a ton of exposure on ESPN at one point and the Memphis program was built on it.

Big East was Syracuse, Connecticut and Georgetown. Villanova wasn't much of a factor even back then. Now the Big East is still relevant though on Fox with a set of Midwestern basketball schools.

I feel bad for Charlotte being forced into the A10 to lose its rivalries and then head back to a depleted CUSA. That is more upheaval than what a program that relies on competitive scheduling can take. Going back a few years when the decision was made it sounded like a good idea with fortunes trending up for non-BCS conferences but with the stipend discussion the trend is heading in reverse.

Would Charlotte be interested in a move to the MAC? The MAC doesn't charge an entrance fee and has a small exit fee of 500k. The MAC might be easier in football and more compelling in basketball.

(01-11-2015 02:22 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(01-10-2015 03:49 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(01-10-2015 03:30 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Not trying to impede on your grandstanding, but aren't you Charlotte guys already 0-2 in CUSA play?

We haven't been good in 10 years and we're still near the top of the league in attendance. We averaged over 6,000 until we moved to CUSA.

The move to CUSA was the final straw for a lot of our basketball fans and our season ticket sales are less than half what they used to be.

We would easily average over 6,000 again if we had a good record like ODU does. If we would actually make it to the tournament, we'd probably be up to 7000ish again.

Quote:Let me understand your post. You say that you lost fans because the school moved to cusa? Why was that, was it because those fans thought the move was below them in basketball? If that's the case why are you 0-2 if cusa basketball was so inferior? Shouldn't you be in the same level as odu is right now since your basketball was superior in your old conference.
Is that what you're trying to imply?

Our fans saw the move to the A10 as a downgrade and then the move back to CUSA as an even bigger downgrade.

We went from playing top 10 teams on ESPN in primetime as the marquee game--and winning--to barely ever being on TV. The A10 had some major programs with history and national recognition, some some fans were okay with the move to the A10 (though not excited). The move back to CUSA was seen by some as us finally ceding that we'd never be nationally relevant in basketball again.

I'm not implying anything. Just explaining the situation.

It is tough for some people to accept once being in a conference with national championship contenders and sold out 10,000+ seat arenas to teams being excited about getting an NIT bid.

I personally wasn't around until after we were out of CUSA 1.0, so I don't have that emotional attachment to it that others do, but we've steadily seen our presence in the basketball landscape decline. The last two rounds of realignment have been seen as a step back for our basketball program by our fans, especially the older fans that had always seen realignment be a step up for our program.

You can't argue that fans don't care about the programs they play. UTEP's attendance would be better too if you guys were playing in a conference with nationally ranked programs. If you were in the MWC with ranked SDSU, UNM, and UNLV programs coming into your arena, it'd draw a lot more interest than the schools in CUSA. Playing ranked opponents attracts the casual fan to the games.

SBNation wrote an article about us this week called "The Vanishing Charlotte 49ers Basketball Program" that touches on this.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketba...tlantic-10

There are some factual errors in it, like us being seen as winners by moving to the A10, but overall, it sums up the last decade of Charlotte basketball pretty well.

ESPN has lost interest in non-P5 schools. They loved to put on CUSA 1.0 and A10 games mid week. The Temple program had a ton of exposure on ESPN at one point and the Memphis program was built on it.

Big East was Syracuse, Connecticut and Georgetown. Villanova wasn't much of a factor even back then. Now the Big East is still relevant though on Fox with a set of Midwestern basketball schools.

I feel bad for Charlotte being forced into the A10 to lose its rivalries and then head back to a depleted CUSA. That is more upheaval than what a program that relies on competitive scheduling can take. Going back a few years when the decision was made it sounded like a good idea with fortunes trending up for non-BCS conferences but with the stipend discussion the trend is heading in reverse.

Would Charlotte be interested in a move to the MAC? The MAC doesn't charge an entrance fee and has a small exit fee of 500k. The MAC might be easier in football and more compelling in basketball.

To be honest, our previous coach saw the move to the A10 as a big downgrade in bball and, as a result, recruiting dropped off and we have been in a decade long funk. However, we've changed conferences twice in the past decade so that can't be easy on any coach.

As far as the MAC, I wouldn't be interested in a move to the MAC. Pretty sure most our fans don't know the teams in that league. We're back in CUSA for one reason, and that's football. Hopefully it was the right move, but only time will tell.

(01-11-2015 02:22 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(01-10-2015 03:49 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(01-10-2015 03:30 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Not trying to impede on your grandstanding, but aren't you Charlotte guys already 0-2 in CUSA play?

We haven't been good in 10 years and we're still near the top of the league in attendance. We averaged over 6,000 until we moved to CUSA.

The move to CUSA was the final straw for a lot of our basketball fans and our season ticket sales are less than half what they used to be.

We would easily average over 6,000 again if we had a good record like ODU does. If we would actually make it to the tournament, we'd probably be up to 7000ish again.

Quote:Let me understand your post. You say that you lost fans because the school moved to cusa? Why was that, was it because those fans thought the move was below them in basketball? If that's the case why are you 0-2 if cusa basketball was so inferior? Shouldn't you be in the same level as odu is right now since your basketball was superior in your old conference.
Is that what you're trying to imply?

Our fans saw the move to the A10 as a downgrade and then the move back to CUSA as an even bigger downgrade.

We went from playing top 10 teams on ESPN in primetime as the marquee game--and winning--to barely ever being on TV. The A10 had some major programs with history and national recognition, some some fans were okay with the move to the A10 (though not excited). The move back to CUSA was seen by some as us finally ceding that we'd never be nationally relevant in basketball again.

I'm not implying anything. Just explaining the situation.

It is tough for some people to accept once being in a conference with national championship contenders and sold out 10,000+ seat arenas to teams being excited about getting an NIT bid.

I personally wasn't around until after we were out of CUSA 1.0, so I don't have that emotional attachment to it that others do, but we've steadily seen our presence in the basketball landscape decline. The last two rounds of realignment have been seen as a step back for our basketball program by our fans, especially the older fans that had always seen realignment be a step up for our program.

You can't argue that fans don't care about the programs they play. UTEP's attendance would be better too if you guys were playing in a conference with nationally ranked programs. If you were in the MWC with ranked SDSU, UNM, and UNLV programs coming into your arena, it'd draw a lot more interest than the schools in CUSA. Playing ranked opponents attracts the casual fan to the games.

SBNation wrote an article about us this week called "The Vanishing Charlotte 49ers Basketball Program" that touches on this.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketba...tlantic-10

There are some factual errors in it, like us being seen as winners by moving to the A10, but overall, it sums up the last decade of Charlotte basketball pretty well.

ESPN has lost interest in non-P5 schools. They loved to put on CUSA 1.0 and A10 games mid week. The Temple program had a ton of exposure on ESPN at one point and the Memphis program was built on it.

Big East was Syracuse, Connecticut and Georgetown. Villanova wasn't much of a factor even back then. Now the Big East is still relevant though on Fox with a set of Midwestern basketball schools.

I feel bad for Charlotte being forced into the A10 to lose its rivalries and then head back to a depleted CUSA. That is more upheaval than what a program that relies on competitive scheduling can take. Going back a few years when the decision was made it sounded like a good idea with fortunes trending up for non-BCS conferences but with the stipend discussion the trend is heading in reverse.

Would Charlotte be interested in a move to the MAC? The MAC doesn't charge an entrance fee and has a small exit fee of 500k. The MAC might be easier in football and more compelling in basketball.

I wouldn't have much interest in it personally. We'd be on an island big time. For football, I like that we have Marshall in the conference. They have a large local fanbase, so those games should generate a good bit of excitement in the community. I see ODU bringing a fair number of fans to the stadium too. WKU and MT could bring a fair number of fans in a good season as well, although I don't know enough about their fanbases, so I could be wrong there.

For basketball, I like being in a conference with ODU, WKU, and UAB (although that might be short lived). I think Marshall gets things on track and MT has been good for several years now (this year an exception, but it looks like things are starting to click for the new team).

There is a lot I like about CUSA, but like I said before, I wasn't around for the "glory days" of CUSA 1.0. The fans that didn't like the move to the A10 and didn't like the move back to CUSA aren't going to reappear to see us play MAC schools either.

Winning will bring some of those fans back and I'm confident that a good season would lead to 6500+ in average attendance again, but many of the casual fans that just wanted to see us play the primetime games will never be season ticket holders again. CUSA gave us a lot of big time games, but now we'll face maybe 1 or 2 major programs at home in a season. The casual fans will just buy tickets to those games and maybe to another game or two instead of buying season tickets.

(01-10-2015 09:15 PM)panama Wrote:  

(01-10-2015 08:00 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Hope you're right, Panama

Have heard that from multiple people, including people who work for the Mayor.

The Turner field property is a home run for GaSt on the academic side. I just have my doubts if the actual stadium is an asset to GaSt. It's 20 years old, way too big for GaSt, the maintenance costs would be a nightmare and significant renovations would run in the tens of millions of dollars.

The ideal situation would be to move the campus to Turner and build a new stadium that is more appropriate. I just think the renovation and maintenance costs of Turner make it difficult financially.

(01-08-2015 01:05 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  The Top 25 television markets for college football
Posted on August 29, 2012 11:00 am by John Clay

ESPN’s public relations department has put out a release ranking the top 25 college football markets by viewership.

The top 25 college football markets for 2011:

No. 1 Birmingham: 5.9 rating
No. 2 Oklahoma City: 4.3 rating
No. 2 Columbus: 4.3 rating
No. 4 Greenville: 4.1 rating
No. 5 New Orleans: 3.4 rating
No. 5 Atlanta: 3.4 rating
No. 7 Jacksonville: 3.3 rating
No. 7 Tulsa: 3.3 rating
No. 9 Las Vegas: 3.2 rating
No. 10 Knoxville: 3.0 rating
No. 11 Dayton: 2.8 rating

I have to ask: has there been any talk of the Flyers moving up to FBS?

I was around for CUSA 1.0 and do have an attachment to those schools. Southern Miss is a traditional power in football, and should be good in basketball (obviously not so much this year). UAB has a great hoops tradition, although of course they have their issues that could cause them to be kicked out. It's just my opinion, but I felt we never belonged in the A-10. I see schools like ODU, Marshall, WKU, MT etc to be our peers, not the A-10 schools.

The issues with our basketball program, are our internal issues. I think given time, great basketball rivalries can develop between us and ODU, WKU, MT, and Southern Miss (not to mention La Tech and UTEP) It's just one fan's opinion, but C-USA feels like home to me. As those rivalries develop along with the familiarity with those teams I think attendance will rise, although of course the most important thing our basketball program can do is win if we want people to return.

I agree with Chi. I was around for CUSA 1.0 and even the Metro Conference. I like our new home. If we can keep it together, we can all grow together. Most Niner fans realize that. The A-10 was a great basketball conference but we never really fit. I like a lot of the schools in CUSA now a lot better than some of those same A-10 schools. Again, we need to stick together with our peers. Oh and we also need to get a new Athletic Director. But our internal problems have nothing to do with CUSA.

(01-08-2015 07:02 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Remember, $$ and TV markets are driving these decisions, not individual fan preferences.

TV markets don't automatically = $$, though. It's been proven time and again. The bonanza the original CUSA expected from its plethora of urban basketball schools never materialized. The AAC claims a who's who of TV markets, and it's ever-so-barely getting more from ESPN per school per year than the MWC does.

I'm not saying it's not *a* factor, but it's just one of many. If it were at the top of the list, Houston, Memphis, & Cincinnati would have all beaten West Virginia to the Big XII, and closer to home, Georgia State would've beaten out WKU for the last opening we had.

(01-11-2015 05:06 PM)Norm DaNiner Wrote:  I agree with Chi. I was around for CUSA 1.0 and even the Metro Conference. I like our new home. If we can keep it together, we can all grow together. Most Niner fans realize that. The A-10 was a great basketball conference but we never really fit. I like a lot of the schools in CUSA now a lot better than some of those same A-10 schools. Again, we need to stick together with our peers. Oh and we also need to get a new Athletic Director. But our internal problems have nothing to do with CUSA.

You are not alone. You gotta remember, a lot of current CUSA schools have moved around in recent years. Perhaps none more than my own LA Tech, who's membership in the far flung WAC is well documented. For 12 years, LA Tech was one of the two (along with Hawaii) most "well traveled" schools in the country. Weekly jaunts to such outposts as Boise St, San Jose St, Fresno St, Nevada-Reno, Utah St, Seattle, New Mexico St and the Univ of Idaho from remote Ruston, LA, took a toll on our athletic teams and our fans.

So CUSA is like a big breath if fresh air for LA Tech fans and it's' athletes. Needless to say, we Tech fans love CUSA and we hope you and your fellow fans find it just as welcoming.

(01-11-2015 04:30 PM)chidave Wrote:  I was around for CUSA 1.0 and do have an attachment to those schools. Southern Miss is a traditional power in football, and should be good in basketball (obviously not so much this year). UAB has a great hoops tradition, although of course they have their issues that could cause them to be kicked out. It's just my opinion, but I felt we never belonged in the A-10. I see schools like ODU, Marshall, WKU, MT etc to be our peers, not the A-10 schools.

The issues with our basketball program, are our internal issues. I think given time, great basketball rivalries can develop between us and ODU, WKU, MT, and Southern Miss (not to mention La Tech and UTEP) It's just one fan's opinion, but C-USA feels like home to me. As those rivalries develop along with the familiarity with those teams I think attendance will rise, although of course the most important thing our basketball program can do is win if we want people to return.

I was in college during the last of the Metro years, and our games vs. Charlotte were some of my favorites.

Y'all had a kid on the team named Odom at the time, and I have no idea why, but a buddy of mine and I just randomly picked him to harass one night. Apparently he was in the same class we were, because every year we'd go, there he was again. By my senior year, we had a whole corner of the gym chanting "OOOHHHH-DUUUMMM!" every time he touched the ball.

That son of gun got his revenge, though. He won that last game with a free throw at the very end.

(01-11-2015 04:15 PM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(01-08-2015 01:05 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  The Top 25 television markets for college football
Posted on August 29, 2012 11:00 am by John Clay

ESPN’s public relations department has put out a release ranking the top 25 college football markets by viewership.

The top 25 college football markets for 2011:

No. 1 Birmingham: 5.9 rating
No. 2 Oklahoma City: 4.3 rating
No. 2 Columbus: 4.3 rating
No. 4 Greenville: 4.1 rating
No. 5 New Orleans: 3.4 rating
No. 5 Atlanta: 3.4 rating
No. 7 Jacksonville: 3.3 rating
No. 7 Tulsa: 3.3 rating
No. 9 Las Vegas: 3.2 rating
No. 10 Knoxville: 3.0 rating
No. 11 Dayton: 2.8 rating

I have to ask: has there been any talk of the Flyers moving up to FBS?

No..... They are Division 2 non-scholarship, it would cost way to much money for that. The Priests who run the University will never spend that kind of money. Plus those ratings in Dayton are all Ohio State fans, just like Columbus.

(01-08-2015 11:21 AM)Niner National Wrote:  There is very likely no interest, but those credits don't last forever.

A BBall program that can hope to go dancing half of the time is still going to have whatever Conference bonus there is from 3+ units on an ongoing basis, even if they never win another NCAA tournament game. And in a BBall conference with a healthy bonus to the school making the appearance, that still adds up to an amount that is difficult to beat with a 20%-30% share of conference media revenues and no share of CFP revenues.

Quote: Realistically though, no self respecting basketball school would join this conference, especially not while there are schools in this conference with A-Sun level facilities and support.

This is the issue ... why leave what at this stage is projected by some as a two-bid conference (WSU & UNI) to what is at present clearly a one-bid conference?

The American might pull this off, given their multi-bid status, but then again they are likely perfectly happy with a 12/11 structure. Its a conference that "needs help in BBall" that would be looking at a move like this, and the only obvious reason an FBS conference that "needs help in BBall" would appeal to a strong BBall school is if that school wants to move up to FBS football.

(01-11-2015 01:30 PM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  The Turner field property is a home run for GaSt on the academic side. I just have my doubts if the actual stadium is an asset to GaSt. It's 20 years old, way too big for GaSt, the maintenance costs would be a nightmare and significant renovations would run in the tens of millions of dollars.

The ideal situation would be to move the campus to Turner and build a new stadium that is more appropriate. I just think the renovation and maintenance costs of Turner make it difficult financially.

If (1) the ideal is to move to Turner and build a new stadium that is more appropriate and (2) the chop up of Turner that they propose is cheaper than tearing all of Turner down and building a new stadium, and seems appropriate for GSU, then I don't see how the proposed chop up of Turner field is problematic.

(01-07-2015 06:21 PM)10miners Wrote:  Keep UAB in Basketball and then invite Florida Gulf Coast basketball only then invite Army for Football and Basketball.

Adding Army for BBall?? Why chase a program that is middle of the pack in a conference (the Patriot) that ranks below CUSA in BBall?

Army at around 205 RPI, 195 Sagarin is not the kind of program that would be a boost to CUSA BBall.