Supporting College Athletics versus Professional

[gbgreenie]

This gets me very mad. Our elected officials are so worried about the Professional Sports Franciseses that they give them huge tax breaks, incentives and now urging business support. This is fine and dandy because they do help the economy. But what about our local Universities. I am sorry but College Athletics is a big business today. How much money is LSU worth to Baton Rouge and the state in bringing revenue in. Well here is my point. We have two college sports programs dying from lack of support fan wise and financially. UNO going down to Division III and Tulane struggling with lack of support and money. I don't see our local and state officials trying to help out.
If Tulane was to be force out of Division I Athletics. New Orleans could no longer host Final Four Men or Women Tournements. To be host to such events you need a Division I Program in your City. A few years back Texas brought 30,000 fans to New Orleans to play Tulane. The city cashed in handily from the visitors. If Tulane was to become a solid BCS School in College Sports it would benefit the State and City. The Tourist commission could help promote Tulane Athletics and the State could help with the financing of Tulane's new on Campus Stadium. This Stadium could also host the New Orleans Bowl since the Dome is too big along with some High School football games or playoffs. This state needs to not only help our local colleges academically but with the competition of the professional francises they need help in athletic support also. If not New Orleans may lose its only Division 1 college program.

[RWR]

It's on Tulane not on the politicians. Unless the politicians want to start lambasting the administration for not trying to win.

[JTLiuzza]

What RWR said.

You are right about a successful Tulane football program being a benefit to the city. It would be nice if the politicians started publicly pressuring Tulane to do something in that direction. I don't understand why they don't.

[IM42lane]

Jindal and Landrieu did not graduate from Tulane. They could care less about what happens to Tulane athletics.

[gbgreenie]

That is my point. Imagine the economic impact a BCS Bowl Eligible University would have on New Orleans and the State. While not as big as the Saints or Hornets it would be huge. Imagine the impact if the Saints and Hornets decide to leave for greener pastures and Tulane is no longer Division 1. We would be a minor league City at best. That could happen one day. Yes, the university has made mistakes but the state and city should work with it because it would benefit the city and stat. They could begin by helping Tulane finance the stadium with state bonds. The tourist commission should treat Tulane as an asset promoting the University Athletic Program with Ticket Packages for Conventions. Tulane is one of the biggest employers in the state and city. Hell the state always gives incentives to business for expansion and growth. Treat the stadium and investment in the Athletic program as such. This would send a positive message to the University Administration that they are not in this alone. This may jumpstart them toward moving forward with future plans.

[RWR]

There is a BCS bowl eligible university that has an impact on New Orleans and the state. It's in Baton Rouge. It's there b/c Tulane has chosen for 60 years not to compete. Until Tulane decides to help itself no one else is going to. As for the largest employer argument it just doesn't work. It has nothing to do w/athletics. Is Tulane going to threaten to move to the northeast if people don't support Tulane athletics? What a joke. They wouldn't move to the N/E b/c agin they are afraid of competition. It's draw as the fall back school of choice for students from the N/E is it's location in New Orleans. As for the 25,000 seat boutique stadium have you not noticed that you are in a very small minority that favor it.25,000 is it. They are not going to tear down Turchin, the Wilson Center or Reilly. The state is certainly not going to help build a stadium that could offer competition to the dome. You can waste your time on something that would permanently stamp Tulane athletics as small time. Everyone else is focused on the true needed changes,i.e., academic changes, more money from the school(not the bookkeeping sham they pulled this year), and an IPF.

[sader24]

First off let me say that Tulane decided to pull itself out of the SEC, Tulane decided to relegate its athletic programs to secondary status, Tulane decides to not compete on an even level with everyone else, Tulane decides to put little or no money into its own athletic dept., Tulane keeps an Athletic Director employed who has yet to hire a successful coach, Tulane's President has done everything in his power to shut down Tulane Athletics. The blame lies solely on Tulane. However, if Tulane did decide to get serious and get rid of Cowen and Dickson and invest in athletics then I totally agree with you as far as the economic effect Tulane football could have on New Orleans. If Tulane was in the SEC today and our home schedule read (Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Georgia) that's 4 weekends that Tulane would bring in 15-30K visitors to New Orleans for a weekend. We would be a valuable commodity to the city, more valuable than LSU because LSU home games are bad business for the New Orleans hospitality industry. If this were the case you could sell 10,000 season ticket packages to businesses around the city under the premise that our program is bringing them business during a traditionally slow time of year (Sept-Nov). This of course would be much more valuable if we were in the Dome because visitors would be within walking distance of their hotel, restaurants, bars, etc. This would be even more reason not to play at a small on campus stadium. Of course this is all just a pipe dream because to ever dream of being in the SEC again would likely be a 10 to 15 year commitment of putting a top 15 team on the field year in and year out and even that probably wouldn't be enough. Is Tulane football worth support from the business community in CUSA or even Sun Belt which is where we're heading? Nope. Rice, SMU, Houston, UTEP, Memphis, UAB, etc bring nobody to New Orleans. USM is the one exception, but many of them drive home postgame.

[JTLiuzza]

Of course this is all just a pipe dream because to ever dream of being in the SEC again would likely be a 10 to 15 year commitment of putting a top 15 team on the field year in and year out and even that probably wouldn't be enough.

I was thinking about this tonight as I was watching the Maaco bowl with Boise State and Utah. Boise State is heading to the BCS via the PAC 12. They are where they need to be and are a player in college football. Their university is reaping the benefits. Hats off to their leadership.

We are not even in their ballpark. Heck we are not even in the parking lot of their ballpark. We are not even on the interstate heading to the parking lot of their ballpark. We are not even backing out of the driveway to head to the interstate... you guys get the drift.

Their first year in D1A was 1996. I've got ties older than that. They went from D1AA to the BCS in fourteen years. That's two years longer than Cowen has been president of Tulane. In that time we have gone from 12-0 to oblivion. And Tulane is a far better school, in a much more attractive city, and a much more football friendly area of the country than Boise State.

A little vision, just a little, and some commitment, and it could be a radically different picture than the dismal, embarrassing nightmare we're living in now with no end in sight.

[RWR]

sader- We agree for the most part but not on lsu hurting N.O. hospitality industry. Most of the fans who come in from out of state for their games stay in N.O. . Also, local bars are packed w/their fans watching the games.

bag- I think it's Utah that's going into the BCS via the PAC-12 but I get your drift.

[JTLiuzza]

sader- We agree for the most part but not on lsu hurting N.O. hospitality industry. Most of the fans who come in from out of state for their games stay in N.O. . Also, local bars are packed w/their fans watching the games.

bag- I think it's Utah that's going into the BCS via the PAC-12 but I get your drift.

You're right RWR. My error. Utah got serious about football in the early 90's when, I believe, they joined the WAC so it took them almost 20 years.

[sader24]

I own a bar and I know alot of other bar and restaurant owners. LSU home games are not good for the New Orleans hospitality industry. LSU away games are good, but for the most part alot of New Orleanians head to B.R. for LSU home games, myself included once or twice a year. Most of your 20-30 yr olds head up on Friday night and come back either late Saturday night drunk or early SUnday am. Plus opposing teams don't bring more than 8-10K because Tiger Stadium is sold out. If we played BAMA in the Dome there would be 30K+ Alabama fans. Believe me, with the exception of a few bars, NOLA bars aren't packed for LSU home games. Also, whatever opposing fans do stay in NOLA are out early saturday am to B.R. and not back till late if at all Saturday night. Regardless, none of this matters, we give extensions to coaches with 4 wins in their 4th year, I doubt we're on the fast track to the SEC. Most of us here agree on what needs to be done with this program, unfortunately we have morons running the show and that idiot JTS spewing his ludicrous B.S. and banning "Real" fans for pointing out facts.

[sader24]

It's Utah, Boise St. has moved from WAC to Mountain West. A better example might be TCU who has moved from CUSA to Mountain West to Big East and BCS. It just shows the naysayers that if you make a serious commitment anything can happen. None of us know what college athletics will look like in 2020, you have to make the commitment and at the very least put yourself in a good position to move up when shifts do happen. In 98 we had a 12 win football team, a top 25 Baseball team, and a 20 win basketball team. We were in position to be TCU before they got it together. Unfortunately, Tulane is incompetent.

[Wavebacker]

Tulane is the largest employer in New Orleans correct? It only makes sense to support the school. What's good for Tulane is good for New Orleans. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

[RWR]

As I said in another thread that is the lamest argument out there. "Hey our team sucks but we are the largest employer so you better support them. BTW, as RD says if you don't like the model too bad". That argument won't sell a single ticket. Instead it just turns people off that much more. If Tulane wants support it has to support its program first. There is no chicken v. the egg argument. Tulane has to make the first move and it needs to be a huge move.

[Wavebacker]

As I said in another thread that is the lamest argument out there. "Hey our team sucks but we are the largest employer so you better support them. BTW, as RD says if you don't like the model too bad". That argument won't sell a single ticket. Instead it just turns people off that much more. If Tulane wants support it has to support its program first. There is no chicken v. the egg argument. Tulane has to make the first move and it needs to be a huge move.

It's hardly lame. Tulane struggles as a Non-BCS program. It's obvious that, historically, it has not invested in and tried to have top notch athletic programs on par with our peers. The City of New Orleans, on the other hand, would do well to invest in things that benefit the University and if that means making things easier for Tulane to flourish as a Div-1 program that shoulds occur. It's a win-win situation. I mean c'mon.....Tulane employs more people in the City than any other industry, why in the world would you NOT do everything in your power to see that they're successful?

[RWR]

Like I said it's lame and it's the type of excuse enablers make. There is nothing the city and state can do to overcome the obstacles that Tulane insist on putting in their own way. It is Rick Dickson that has said more than once that we do not judge by wins and losses. He has also said the Tulane Model is here to stay and if you don't like it too bad. It's not the city or the state's fault that our football team sucks. It is Tulane's fault. No one is going to help you if you are not willing to help yourself. Again, the above statements by Dickson have been made publicly more than once. He must be fired if we are going to have a successful program.

[gbgreenie]

Hey guys how many years did the Saints have mediocre teams and poor ownership but the state threw money their way. Same with the Hornets. Yes Tulane has made alot of mistakes but so did the Saints and Hornets in their early years. But things have changed with help from the state. I think Tulane is in too big a hole to dig itself out of. It needs some business committment like the Hornets, along with state and local help. Guys you can say Tulane can do it on their own, I say the hole is too deep and they will die slowly but surely without out side help and committment. 2003 will come back without a show of support.

[RWR]

Difference w/the pro teams is that they didn't put obstacles in their own way that clearly gave them no chance to win. Our failures have nothing to do w/lack of support from the city or state. Until Tulane very publicly takes those obstacles down no one is going to support them.

[JTLiuzza]

I don't know what anyone expects the city and state officials to actually do at this point. Should they get in the media and implore everyone to buy tickets and donate money to TAF? Even if they did it wouldn't work. Tulane has no support because the product on the field stinks and has stunk for too long. And worse than that, the community can clearly see that the University doesn't care about that. That might be an acceptable state of mind where Cowen comes from but down here it definitely isn't.

As has been said elsewhere on this board, the best thing that the city could do would be to go pay Scottie boy a visit and ask him why he has his head up his arse with regards to Tulane's football program. Putting aside the fact that it is an incredibly neglected asset for the University. It could also be an economic boon to the city, which would give the Mayor and his tourism gurus legitimate cause to at least ask some questions (and I'm no fan of gov't butting in on private enterprise).

Beyond that what can they do until Tulane actually demonstrates clearly, without any ambiguity, that they are finally serious about putting together a first class football program?

[sader24]

The best thing the State can do is not allow us to play in the Dome unless we get serious. We'd either have to get serious or quit which is exactly what needs to happen. Although I don't think we can sell out Jefferson Playground at this point.