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Lose Lose for WMU Staff...

With a high of 44 degrees and a 95% chance of rain, if they had any type of an outdoor spring event (spring game, scrimmage, practice) fans would not show due to weather anyway, injury risks go up with live practice, WMU has put a emphasis on Passing game this spring - that would be limited due to rain or just look sloppy leaving a bad taste in mouth, and you would have to rely on 2 RB's to make 30+ runs each to complete the scrimmage format.

Moving inside - fan space is limited so people will be upset they cannot attend, coaches and players are now able to get a crisp practice in and leave the spring season feeling good about the work they have put in these last few, injury risk is way down.

Bottom line is Lester and Co are doing what is best for the team. Everything is calculated in college football and if you don't think hours of discussions went into this decision you don't understand the business. Others saying to push the game back to Sunday also dont understand that I assume WMU will start their Spring lifting development // plan starting Monday. Moving spring up this far in advance gives guys a huge advantage in the weight room getting an extra month of heavy lifting in.

Yes - It sucks we are banged up, and the fans cant get what they want. But whatever helps us win come August is what matters the most.

(03-29-2018 12:24 PM)BJBCM Wrote:  Lose Lose for WMU Staff...

With a high of 44 degrees and a 95% chance of rain, if they had any type of an outdoor spring event (spring game, scrimmage, practice) fans would not show due to weather anyway, injury risks go up with live practice, WMU has put a emphasis on Passing game this spring - that would be limited due to rain or just look sloppy leaving a bad taste in mouth, and you would have to rely on 2 RB's to make 30+ runs each to complete the scrimmage format.

Moving inside - fan space is limited so people will be upset they cannot attend, coaches and players are now able to get a crisp practice in and leave the spring season feeling good about the work they have put in these last few, injury risk is way down.

Bottom line is Lester and Co are doing what is best for the team. Everything is calculated in college football and if you don't think hours of discussions went into this decision you don't understand the business. Others saying to push the game back to Sunday also dont understand that I assume WMU will start their Spring lifting development // plan starting Monday. Moving spring up this far in advance gives guys a huge advantage in the weight room getting an extra month of heavy lifting in.

Yes - It sucks we are banged up, and the fans cant get what they want. But whatever helps us win come August is what matters the most.

When we win the MAC next fall nobody will remember about the cancelled Spring Game. Keep it in perspective, fans.

(03-29-2018 12:30 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(03-29-2018 12:24 PM)BJBCM Wrote:  Lose Lose for WMU Staff...

With a high of 44 degrees and a 95% chance of rain, if they had any type of an outdoor spring event (spring game, scrimmage, practice) fans would not show due to weather anyway, injury risks go up with live practice, WMU has put a emphasis on Passing game this spring - that would be limited due to rain or just look sloppy leaving a bad taste in mouth, and you would have to rely on 2 RB's to make 30+ runs each to complete the scrimmage format.

Moving inside - fan space is limited so people will be upset they cannot attend, coaches and players are now able to get a crisp practice in and leave the spring season feeling good about the work they have put in these last few, injury risk is way down.

Bottom line is Lester and Co are doing what is best for the team. Everything is calculated in college football and if you don't think hours of discussions went into this decision you don't understand the business. Others saying to push the game back to Sunday also dont understand that I assume WMU will start their Spring lifting development // plan starting Monday. Moving spring up this far in advance gives guys a huge advantage in the weight room getting an extra month of heavy lifting in.

Yes - It sucks we are banged up, and the fans cant get what they want. But whatever helps us win come August is what matters the most.

When we win the MAC next fall nobody will remember about the cancelled Spring Game. Keep it in perspective, fans.

PREACHHHH!

I'd rather have healthy players than worry about a spring game. How many of you attended last years "spring" game. It was a practice and the last 30 mins Lester let them run two dozen plays. All this WMU marketing talk is comical. Only one guy controls the direction this program takes in the spring, his name is Tim Lester.

(03-29-2018 01:22 PM)BuickBronco Wrote:  I'd rather have healthy players than worry about a spring game. How many of you attended last years "spring" game. It was a practice and the last 30 mins Lester let them run two dozen plays. All this WMU marketing talk is comical. Only one guy controls the direction this program takes in the spring, his name is Tim Lester.

I went and it was boring and weird, and I thought it was a missed opportunity.

Michigan draws 60,000 for their Spring Game, we can't draw 3,000?

I'm not asking for a bonanza here, just some decent marketing effort, even just some clever "free" guerrilla marketing. A lot of other teams have figure out how to really profit from it (literally selling tickets to them), there's no good reason in my mind that we have to go in the opposite direction and abolish it.

I remember seeing an article about the Arizona spring game a year or so back. They invited fans onto the field to try field goals, catch a pass from the QB, go one on one with an O-linemen, stuff like that....all in good fun, lots of people laughing and smiling and goofing around. That's the kind of engagement you need. Looked like a blast.

Our spring game last year was boring as heck.

(03-29-2018 01:22 PM)BuickBronco Wrote:  I'd rather have healthy players than worry about a spring game. How many of you attended last years "spring" game. It was a practice and the last 30 mins Lester let them run two dozen plays. All this WMU marketing talk is comical. Only one guy controls the direction this program takes in the spring, his name is Tim Lester.

And last season was a.....

(03-29-2018 05:24 PM)Doo Wrote:  

(03-29-2018 01:22 PM)BuickBronco Wrote:  I'd rather have healthy players than worry about a spring game. How many of you attended last years "spring" game. It was a practice and the last 30 mins Lester let them run two dozen plays. All this WMU marketing talk is comical. Only one guy controls the direction this program takes in the spring, his name is Tim Lester.

And last season was a.....

WMU marketing is useless. I know a couple who do corporate event planning. They’re very creative. It would be great to get rid of our marketing department and privatize it. Couldn’t possibly be worse.

(03-29-2018 06:33 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(03-29-2018 05:24 PM)Doo Wrote:  

(03-29-2018 01:22 PM)BuickBronco Wrote:  I'd rather have healthy players than worry about a spring game. How many of you attended last years "spring" game. It was a practice and the last 30 mins Lester let them run two dozen plays. All this WMU marketing talk is comical. Only one guy controls the direction this program takes in the spring, his name is Tim Lester.

And last season was a.....

WMU marketing is useless. I know a couple who do corporate event planning. They’re very creative. It would be great to get rid of our marketing department and privatize it. Couldn’t possibly be worse.

I feel the same way about half of the bureaucracy in Washington DC.

We. Better. Win.

Ironically, WMU offers sports marketing classes. A "D" student in one of these classes would probably do a better job marketing WMU sports than whoever is in charge of it currently. I've pointed to this serious weakness for years. Its as embarrassing as the AV production for our hockey broadcasts is.
Class overviews

Eastern's Spring Game is scheduled for April 7, Central's April 21.

(03-30-2018 03:03 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  Ironically, WMU offers sports marketing classes. A "D" student in one of these classes would probably do a better job marketing WMU sports than whoever is in charge of it currently. I've pointed to this serious weakness for years. Its as embarrassing as the AV production for our hockey broadcasts is.
Class overviews

Western's Marketing Program (HCOB) is fantastic, and I know that they have had faculty reach out to WMU Admin about developing projects for their students to tackle. They (admin) haven't taken them up on it, which I find ridiculous.

(04-01-2018 12:45 PM)broncofan1 Wrote:  

(03-30-2018 03:03 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  Ironically, WMU offers sports marketing classes. A "D" student in one of these classes would probably do a better job marketing WMU sports than whoever is in charge of it currently. I've pointed to this serious weakness for years. Its as embarrassing as the AV production for our hockey broadcasts is.
Class overviews

Western's Marketing Program (HCOB) is fantastic, and I know that they have had faculty reach out to WMU Admin about developing projects for their students to tackle. They (admin) haven't taken them up on it, which I find ridiculous.

Understand, unlike private sector marketing where teams compete to sell their ideas, most college marketing departments get a budget, and rinse and repeat what they’ve done before. No one, particularly a new employee wants to show up another co-worker with a brilliant or innovative idea. They quickly learn to fly under the radar and work their way towards a pension.

The solution is to privatize marketing. If they don’t perform fire them and move on.

But no, same ol same ol. Comm U, ECCU Kids Day, Quick Change, Black out, white out, Brown out, Bronco Golf Outing GR.

They have a data base full of info they could target market, but that would require work.

(04-01-2018 01:58 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(04-01-2018 12:45 PM)broncofan1 Wrote:  

(03-30-2018 03:03 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  Ironically, WMU offers sports marketing classes. A "D" student in one of these classes would probably do a better job marketing WMU sports than whoever is in charge of it currently. I've pointed to this serious weakness for years. Its as embarrassing as the AV production for our hockey broadcasts is.
Class overviews

Western's Marketing Program (HCOB) is fantastic, and I know that they have had faculty reach out to WMU Admin about developing projects for their students to tackle. They (admin) haven't taken them up on it, which I find ridiculous.

Understand, unlike private sector marketing where teams compete to sell their ideas, most college marketing departments get a budget, and rinse and repeat what they’ve done before. No one, particularly a new employee wants to show up another co-worker with a brilliant or innovative idea. They quickly learn to fly under the radar and work their way towards a pension.

The solution is to privatize marketing. If they don’t perform fire them and move on.

But no, same ol same ol. Comm U, ECCU Kids Day, Quick Change, Black out, white out, Brown out, Bronco Golf Outing GR.

They have a data base full of info they could target market, but that would require work.

I wouldn't throw shade at the GR Golf Outing... Its been done very well the last few years I have been able to attend... Huge turnout... great course and a great chance to meet the coaching staff's of both MBB and Football... The time and effort donated by quite a few alumni shouldn't be put down. They do a fantastic job on that event.

Western does throw great parties.

That doesn't mean we know how to market anything.

Hopefully the new VP of Marketing and Communications will be able to change things. We are FINALLY making that transition, which is a decade overdue.

(03-30-2018 03:06 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  Eastern's Spring Game is scheduled for April 7, Central's April 21.

It was interesting to read in the MLive article about why the spring practices were so early.
"We moved Spring up because that's what the science taught us," Lester said. "Four months of healing, a 16-week training cycle, it's what is optimal in the NFL for growth.

(04-01-2018 12:45 PM)broncofan1 Wrote:  

(03-30-2018 03:03 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  Ironically, WMU offers sports marketing classes. A "D" student in one of these classes would probably do a better job marketing WMU sports than whoever is in charge of it currently. I've pointed to this serious weakness for years. Its as embarrassing as the AV production for our hockey broadcasts is.
Class overviews

Western's Marketing Program (HCOB) is fantastic, and I know that they have had faculty reach out to WMU Admin about developing projects for their students to tackle. They (admin) haven't taken them up on it, which I find ridiculous.

They don’t want some intern making them look lame. They’ll use them to make copies, sharpen pencils, and pick up lunch. Being a WMU sports administrator isn’t about developing strategies to market the product, it’s about staying within the budget, not showing up superiors, and keeping your job until a better one comes along.

(04-02-2018 02:21 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(04-01-2018 12:45 PM)broncofan1 Wrote:  

(03-30-2018 03:03 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  Ironically, WMU offers sports marketing classes. A "D" student in one of these classes would probably do a better job marketing WMU sports than whoever is in charge of it currently. I've pointed to this serious weakness for years. Its as embarrassing as the AV production for our hockey broadcasts is.
Class overviews

Western's Marketing Program (HCOB) is fantastic, and I know that they have had faculty reach out to WMU Admin about developing projects for their students to tackle. They (admin) haven't taken them up on it, which I find ridiculous.

They don’t want some intern making them look lame. They’ll use them to make copies, sharpen pencils, and pick up lunch. Being a WMU sports administrator isn’t about developing strategies to market the product, it’s about staying within the budget, not showing up superiors, and keeping your job until a better one comes along.

I'd love to disagree, but I can't.

(03-29-2018 12:24 PM)BJBCM Wrote:  Lose Lose for WMU Staff...

With a high of 44 degrees and a 95% chance of rain, if they had any type of an outdoor spring event (spring game, scrimmage, practice) fans would not show due to weather anyway,

Let me just take this opportunity to say that this is the worst spring I've seen in a long time, if ever. The calendar just got "stuck" on March 1. Even the couple days of 60s coming up Friday will be over quickly, then it's right back down to where we've been.

MLB games north of the Mason-Dixon line have had worse attendance than a mid-week November MACtion game.