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da_bears wrote:

Wufan wrote:I think it's great that you put 18000 in the stands, and I sincerely hope you are able to repeat that.

Who'd you play and did you win?

North Dakota of the Big Sky Conf. Bears won big 38-0.

Also, it'd be nice if you guys would bring back football.(I'm assuming your a WSU fan) Seriously, you guys can afford it now and I'd love the rivalry with you guys.

It would be absolutely fantastic if we were able to compete in big boy football, but we can't, and we can't afford it either. To do it right would cost well north of 100 million up front, and if we don't compete for a title, it's not worth even the slightest fall off in basketball.

Also, it's easy to say we can't so you can't either. That's not true. Everyone needs to find their own formula for success, but I have to agree that in the Mo Valley (or the sunbelt) the odds of dual success are stacked against you.

I'm not one of those who has generally been in favor of maintaining football. I've always felt that if we took those resources and spread them among mbb, wbb, vb, baseball, and perhaps even a hockey program[ where we've been very good at the club level] we could be a consistent top 50 program in all of them given past success. But that's not the decision we've made, so I'm also one of those who says if you're gonna do it, do it the best you can, and so I again appreciate that our administration seems to be going for it. What they have done in a little over a year given the obvious financial constraints, to dramatically change the appearance of the University from an athletics facility standpoint and in so doing also gave our football game day atmosphere a new face to start with is remarkable. It maybe an uphill or even futile battle, but that's only if you think in terms of a specific outcome as the only acceptable end. The campus looks great with lighting and Bear Heads everywhere and everything highly visible to the public and accessible to the students.

I think the level of pride about the campus is at a high and growing, and now if we can tack a highly successful overall sport year on top we will have some real momentum building. I don't have any idea what other Universities should do to navigate and find success during these times; but I know what we're doing, and right now it looks and feels right for MSU.

Championz wrote:If Missouri State is striving to be the next Arkansas State, then more power to them. But Arkansas State is a nobody and I'm sure anybody outside of a 50 mile radius surrounding Hot Springs? (I don't know what city they hail from) even knows Arkansas State (I don't even know their nickname) exists.

This part is crazy. I can name more current Arkansas State football players and am much more educated on the current state of affairs of just about every Sun Belt football program than I can do with the entire Missouri Valley Conference in basketball. Especially outside of MSU and WSU.

They are the Red Wolves and are located in Jonesboro for what it is worth. And this weekend they played the University of Miami from the ACC. That is part of a home and home they have. In other words Miami is coming to Jonesboro and so is Mizzou in the coming years. That is a huge deal for ASU and the whole Jonesboro community. If that means that they are a "nobody" then I really cannot rationalize with you. I just can't.

da_bears wrote:

Snaggletooth wrote:

da_bears wrote:
Seriously, you guys can afford it now and I'd love the rivalry with you guys.

WSU is not going to add football. It is a useless distraction and wastes resources. All you have to do and look around the MVC and see how it destroying athletic programs. It just came out that ISUB can't even afford basketball uniforms and are trying crowdsourcing to fund the purchase.

useless distraction? Its by far the biggest sport in the US and draws the biggest crowds. MSU football today drew roughly 8,000 more than what your basketball games draw.

Of course football is useless distraction for MVC schools. There is no money in it, drain resources that could be used in sports where they might be able to compete on a national level. You would be better served just rooting for Missouri.

Reality is when it is all said and done, MoST football attendance will likely average less than WSU does for basketball.

Coming from somebody who is a huge college football fan, Arkansas State is irrelevant to anyone that is not a fan of the team or who lives near there. I couldnt tell you one important game they or anyone in the sunbelt ever played. MVC basketball is more relevant and always has been.

That being said I am one of the people who believes that the valley would be better off with no football. D1-AA football is decent quality, but doesn't get the attention or money worth the funds it takes to run it. Our schools would be better off pouring that money into basketball.

SWOMO will NEVER average 25k fans per game. SWOMO can only aspire to be half of what Arkansas State is.

AndShock wrote:SWOMO will NEVER average 25k fans per game. SWOMO can only aspire to be half of what Arkansas State is.

They got 18000 fans yesterday. Unless they win big, they won't average 18000 fans.

I had never heard of Arkansas State until the discussion of MSU to the SunBelt came up. Another school I didn't know existed until the current discussion is North Dakota. I suppose I probably knew there was a North Dakota, but I never heard of them.

Right now may be the worst time possible for any FB decisions other than dropping FB. The P5 have the ability to make any other college FB irrelevant, other than to local fans. If a school has enough local fans to support a program in that situation, then that school can continue supporting a FB program.

That school is likely to become irrelevant in all sports because of the financial and human resources that have to be dedicated to an irrelevant FB program.

Aargh wrote:I had never heard of Arkansas State until the discussion of MSU to the SunBelt came up. Another school I didn't know existed until the current discussion is North Dakota. I suppose I probably knew there was a North Dakota, but I never heard of them.

Right now may be the worst time possible for any FB decisions other than dropping FB. The P5 have the ability to make any other college FB irrelevant, other than to local fans. If a school has enough local fans to support a program in that situation, then that school can continue supporting a FB program.

That school is likely to become irrelevant in all sports because of the financial and human resources that have to be dedicated to an irrelevant FB program.

I think that I heard of ASU when Ron Baker turned down a full scholarship to play basketball there in favor of walking on at Wichita State.