Memphis Blazer
Nambie Pambie
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RE: Auburn Game Thread
(12-09-2016 03:10 AM)Dragonz Lair Wrote: (12-05-2016 02:00 PM)dfarr Wrote: (12-04-2016 10:06 PM)Dragonz Lair Wrote: (12-04-2016 08:25 PM)hooverblazer Wrote: We don't need to reduce the size of Bartow. Just last season we had the following attendance in CUSA games:
6835 vs North Texas
6664 vs FIU
6211 vs FAU
7190 vs Marshall
7510 vs WKU
Those are strong crowds against teams most people in Birmingham don't care about. The only capacity reduction I'd be ok with would be removing ~500 seats by adding suites.
The problem is we still are a young university in comparison to UA, AU, and most colleges out there. It takes time to build a fan base and we just have to keep adding to it year by year with more graduates and more new students. Also, because of our relative youth and the dominance of UA and AU in this state, we have a lot of fans in the "I support UAB unless they're playing AU/UA" camp and last night was one of those instances.
We can have solid attendance like last year, but we have to win regularly (see 26 win season) and make the NCAA tournament. However, making the tournament now is much harder than it was in the days of Mike Anderson because of the weakening of our conference.
BINGO...people were coming last season to see UAB play...regardless of the opponent because we were piling up the wins...and I agree overall CUSA is way too big and watered down...but we still have quality programs that have won before...UAB, Old Dominion, Charlotte and Western Kentucky - these teams were with us in the old Sun Belt and bring familiarity...just win baby
I'm sorry, but touting old Sunbelt teams as a draw due to familiarity won't fly much anymore, particularly with young alumni. It's been how long since we were in the Sunbelt?
The teams named are basketball schools and have a basketball history...Charlotte and WKU have both been to Final 4's...many times in the 1980's the BJCC was packed with 16,000+ fans to watch other Sun Belt teams/etc...sure, I'd much rather be in the MWC or A-10 but here we sit in the dumpster fire known as C-USA (due to football)...just curious, how many times have you and your millennial friends packed 8,500 seat Bartow Arena?
Dfarr is right. None of that means nothing nationally. Going to the final four almost 50 years ago and only once is irrelevant today. I love UAB's history more than anyone but those old Sun Belt schools tradition is nothing to hang your hat on today.
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12-09-2016 07:45 AM |
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Dragonz Lair
Special Teams
Posts: 603
Joined: Feb 2006
Reputation: 7
I Root For: UAB BLAZERS
Location: Bartow Arena
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RE: Auburn Game Thread
(12-09-2016 07:45 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: (12-09-2016 03:10 AM)Dragonz Lair Wrote: (12-05-2016 02:00 PM)dfarr Wrote: (12-04-2016 10:06 PM)Dragonz Lair Wrote: (12-04-2016 08:25 PM)hooverblazer Wrote: We don't need to reduce the size of Bartow. Just last season we had the following attendance in CUSA games:
6835 vs North Texas
6664 vs FIU
6211 vs FAU
7190 vs Marshall
7510 vs WKU
Those are strong crowds against teams most people in Birmingham don't care about. The only capacity reduction I'd be ok with would be removing ~500 seats by adding suites.
The problem is we still are a young university in comparison to UA, AU, and most colleges out there. It takes time to build a fan base and we just have to keep adding to it year by year with more graduates and more new students. Also, because of our relative youth and the dominance of UA and AU in this state, we have a lot of fans in the "I support UAB unless they're playing AU/UA" camp and last night was one of those instances.
We can have solid attendance like last year, but we have to win regularly (see 26 win season) and make the NCAA tournament. However, making the tournament now is much harder than it was in the days of Mike Anderson because of the weakening of our conference.
BINGO...people were coming last season to see UAB play...regardless of the opponent because we were piling up the wins...and I agree overall CUSA is way too big and watered down...but we still have quality programs that have won before...UAB, Old Dominion, Charlotte and Western Kentucky - these teams were with us in the old Sun Belt and bring familiarity...just win baby
I'm sorry, but touting old Sunbelt teams as a draw due to familiarity won't fly much anymore, particularly with young alumni. It's been how long since we were in the Sunbelt?
The teams named are basketball schools and have a basketball history...Charlotte and WKU have both been to Final 4's...many times in the 1980's the BJCC was packed with 16,000+ fans to watch other Sun Belt teams/etc...sure, I'd much rather be in the MWC or A-10 but here we sit in the dumpster fire known as C-USA (due to football)...just curious, how many times have you and your millennial friends packed 8,500 seat Bartow Arena?
Dfarr is right. None of that means nothing nationally. Going to the final four almost 50 years ago and only once is irrelevant today. I love UAB's history more than anyone but those old Sun Belt schools tradition is nothing to hang your hat on today.
Hooverblazer said even when we played the dregs of c-usa we still had several good crowds last season - all because we were winning...I agreed and also pointed out even in this GARBAGE league there's a few teams that we have a history with and COMPARED (stay with me here) to playing FIU, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UTSA/etc they are like playing an ACC team (Note: Those teams aren't really in the ACC so there's no need to point that out)...yes our league blows - I was simply saying if we win enough games ppl will come to see US play...finis
(This post was last modified: 12-10-2016 06:39 PM by Dragonz Lair.)
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12-09-2016 10:24 AM |
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BAMANBLAZERFAN
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17,221
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation: 57
I Root For: UAB & Bama
Location: Cropwell, AL
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RE: Auburn Game Thread
I look at the current unhappiness with C-USA membership as something we can see in other leagues. Right now there are SEC folks unhappy with the FB play in the East division and complaints are heard about teams in the Pac 12 and Big 12. Like those other leagues, there are less than desirable teams in C-USA but none of them are weak on purpose. Does anyone believe there are no malcontents about various teams in those other leagues?
They strive every year to build their programs toward respectability just as UAB is trying to do for the 2017 season. Due to concerns over such factors as APR, the G5 schools are more likely to have to take risks on many more players (and their skill set) than the greatly more affluent P5 schools where the top rated players generally congregate. (It is not by accident that the same small group of generously supported schools appear every year in the National Championship games in revenue sports.)
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12-09-2016 01:22 PM |
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BAMANBLAZERFAN
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17,221
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I Root For: UAB & Bama
Location: Cropwell, AL
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RE: Auburn Game Thread
(12-09-2016 01:56 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote: There are programs that are crappy on purpose due to lack of commitment
Using that as a standard, UAB FB since 1990 was "crappy on purpose due to a lack of commitment".
Programs, including UAB Blazers, must try to improve within a financial support reality. That can determine their hire of coaches, building of competitive facilities and attracting the better players they go after each season. UAB did not purposely wait until 2017 to have any new facility built for its FB program. Those other schools have some of the same constraints as well.
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12-12-2016 12:22 PM |
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randy22263
1st String
Posts: 1,041
Joined: Nov 2007
Reputation: 14
I Root For: uab
Location:
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RE: Auburn Game Thread
This is the thread that will not die. Maybe we can keep it going all the way up to next year's game.
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12-12-2016 03:21 PM |
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