Miller tells UConn to Stick It!

[Redwingtom]

No offense to everyone...but who's to say playing UConn here would pack Anderson Arena?

I was thinking the same thing. Where is the precedent that shows we will pack the joint? Maybe we could get that many but what would lead UConn to believe we could. We have been real good for five years now and have never sniffed 5,000.

It all depends upon timing. If the game was not during a student break and it was at a time when local high school girls teams could attend the game it would be a huge draw.

I bet we could get 4,000+ in attendance fairly easily. Especially if UConn was rated in the top 5 as they usually are.

[Falconboy]

Our prestige as a basketball program isn't quite at the level we need for us to going around telling top basketball programs no we won't play them.

We were perfectly willing to play them as long as the terms were fair. We still don't even know what those terms even were or who approached who.

The bottom line is that Curt is paid to look out for the interests of the Bowling Green Falcons, not the Connecticut Huskies. He's not going to go out prostituting his team to the highest bidder if he doesn't think it's the right move for the program.

I agree. Who am I to question what Coach Miller does? With his track record, I agree with everyone else that he and the staff know exactly what they're doing.FIVE PEAT

Thats why I'm not too worried about it too much even though I would still rather play them. Curt must be working something up his sleeve.

[Falconboy]

No offense to everyone...but who's to say playing UConn here would pack Anderson Arena? I love our team and think the support is growing, but I honestly don't believe we would get 3,000+ for a game yet (I know it definitely takes more than 3000 to "pack" Anderson). Losing in the MAC Tourney and not going to the dance is going to make a lot of people forget about how good the team really is.

Take a step out of being a BG fan that loves our women's team and tell me what you see. I see a program with a coach who's had a great last few years, just lost more seniors and a HUGE one in Kate, and isn't as good as they were in past years because they didn't win the MAC Tourney, and only made the NIT and lost in the 2nd round instead of making the NCAA and losing in the sweet sixteen.

Get upset with this, but I really think it's true. The media hype has gone down. For true fans like we all are, we pay attention. But for people who aren't, like the ones we would need to get Anderson packed, it's not dangling in their faces anymore. This is really why we're a mid-major.

I love this team and honestly think they are going to be better next year than this (not trying to take anything away from this years senior class!!). But besides people who follow women's bball or BGSU sports, who else will really know that we have the FOY player in Prochaska coming back, probably the best transfer pick-up in a long time with Nikki, and another solid recruiting class coming in?

It is really sad IMO, but I really don't see any team getting Anderson Arena above 3,000 for one event ever again. Unless of course our the women make the Final 4 in the NCAA tourney next year, or the men's team wins the MAC, MAC Tourney and maybe a first round NCAA tourney game.

Although I unfortunately agree with some of your post I disagree with others parts. Yeah playing UConn doesn't necessarily guarantee us packing AA with 5k and that unfortunately for us is sad given what this program has achieved lately. The students still don't come out in droves like they used to for men's games when they were good. Maybe they never came out ever even when Fran Voll was at his pinnacle but something has to change here. Anyone know Voll's best attendance figure(not dble-header) when he was coach? The BG locals and townies support seems to be there but the students disappointing.

What I don't agree with is that everyone will think we are no good now or that there will be no media hype. Believe me it will rachet up big time once the season looks near. I fully expect us to be picked by the Mac Media "know-it-alls" to win the Mac this year. I just can't imagine us not being the favorite next year.


As far as us not ever sniffing 3k in AA again , I hope to God thats not the case and shouldn't be if BG marketing ever gets a clue and starts marketing the hell out of BG's best program. Again , like I said before the key in these big games at Anderson is getting them while students are not on break and on Sat. afternoons. Weekdays or on break or both are just recipes for less tan stellar attendance for what should be an outstanding attendance figure. If we get ND on a Sat., while school is in we definitely do better than that 2200 or whatever it was we had for ND.

[Metz]

What I don't agree with is that everyone will think we are no good now or that there will be no media hype.

You misunderstood me here. Sure there will be articles in papers and spots on news channels, but people have to read them and/or watch them to know about it. Unless it's the front page story with a huge photo or the main story on the 6 o'clock news, more people than you realize won't have a clue and that's the sad part I was getting at.

I'd like to say I'm a fairly decent newspaper designer (I have proof if you'd like it) and I know how news stations work as well. There are many ways to get people interested in something and that stopped happening when we had the tournament losses. Media doesn't play favorites so they have to carry on and find more interesting things to cover. While it's interesting to us, we are not their entire audience.

We can have a bright outlook next year, and the word can get out, but until the team wins a bunch, outsiders of the program are going to be skeptical and not be as interested. It sucks, but it's truth. Consider this year 2 of proving time for the Falcons...they'll make it happen though!

If we get ND on a Sat., while school is in we definitely do better than that 2200 or whatever it was we had for ND.

I could see a couple hundred more, but I still don't see us packing the place. People hear Notre Dame and think football, not women's basketball. Advertising on campus is not that great anymore...I wouldn't expect you to know that though (not trying to offend you for once...anyone who doesn't visit campus daily will tell you this though).

[bgsufalcon24]

Advertising on campus is not that great anymore.

Ding ding ding! What do we have for him Johnny?!

[Metz]

Ding ding ding! What do we have for him Johnny?!

Hey, I am solid with no winnings here. I should say that I believe the advertising on campus has gone down to raise advertising to the general public and alumni though. It is a balance as they do have a budget.

[The Niz]

Ding ding ding! What do we have for him Johnny?!

Hey, I am solid with no winnings here. I should say that I believe the advertising on campus has gone down to raise advertising to the general public and alumni though. It is a balance as they do have a budget.

Thats why if fans who live on campus want other students to join them, its time to get out there and shake some things up. Do your own advertising. Be Proactive!

[56tbb]

Honestly the promotions were better when it was all in house. contracting out to Learfield was an absolute mistake. The media presence has gone down, they forbid the student groups that are involved such as the Radio sports group from making fliers and distributing them because they wanted tighter control of brand management.

Then the head of Falcon Sport properties (The Learfield arm) bolts the brand during the stretch run of winter sports.

If you want a strong turnout and a quality product sometimes it is necessary to keep it in house. Whoring ourselves to a third party company in the name of doing less work and making little more (if any more) than what we made before as a sports property is just awful. The quality of the fan experience goes down, the buildup and hype efforts trail off and as an entity we are not honest to ourselves.

We are a MAC School, a pretty good MAC school, but we'll never have the brand recognition that the NFL, NBA, Big Ten schools have and we will have to hustle to make money, it won't just come pouring in because of the history and tradition of the franchise. We need to dump our "big" school management mentality.......

Greg Christopher... We are not Purdue.


Also, back to topic... Good for Miller turning down UConn. When this Freshman class are seniors we'll probably see 3-4 perennial top 20 teams on the OCC.

If Sue is right about a V.I. Thanksgiving tourney we'll probably see 1-2 top 15 schools in that tourney.

[Falconboy]

Honestly the promotions were better when it was all in house. contracting out to Learfield was an absolute mistake. The media presence has gone down, they forbid the student groups that are involved such as the Radio sports group from making fliers and distributing them because they wanted tighter control of brand management.

Then the head of Falcon Sport properties (The Learfield arm) bolts the brand during the stretch run of winter sports.

If you want a strong turnout and a quality product sometimes it is necessary to keep it in house. Whoring ourselves to a third party company in the name of doing less work and making little more (if any more) than what we made before as a sports property is just awful. The quality of the fan experience goes down, the buildup and hype efforts trail off and as an entity we are not honest to ourselves.

We are a MAC School, a pretty good MAC school, but we'll never have the brand recognition that the NFL, NBA, Big Ten schools have and we will have to hustle to make money, it won't just come pouring in because of the history and tradition of the franchise. We need to dump our "big" school management mentality.......

Greg Christopher... We are not Purdue.


Also, back to topic... Good for Miller turning down UConn. When this Freshman class are seniors we'll probably see 3-4 perennial top 20 teams on the OCC.

If Sue is right about a V.I. Thanksgiving tourney we'll probably see 1-2 top 15 schools in that tourney.

This mentioning of Learfield got me thinking. I remember that name bantied about way back for supposeldy upping our marketing strategy , well I have to say that they suck and we should go back to way things were. Why pay for mediocrity when the student groups probably did a better job anyway. I'm not sure when this Learfield took over but its seems a rather odd coincidence that our student support has gone down across the board since they took over. If this what we are to expect from marketing from a big company , I say drop em.

[56tbb]

They came in end of last year (I think February) with "BIG" plans to greatly enhance the presence and tighten the brand control.

They were the ones behind the push to implement Stretch Internet (which absolutely sucks, the Free WBGU stream was much higher quality for the same announcers (WBB and Hockey)) and streaming of contests exclusively through BGSUFalcons.com.

They enhanced the graphics department, with modestly edgy print media but its nothing revolutionary that you couldn't have contracted with the VCT department to create it for 1/2 as much or several intern credits.

Back to Stretch Internet for a second...thinking they could make enough money by installing a subscription model for webcasting...... Please, the product is not good enough to pay for. Especially an astronomical figure like $60+ for a year.

You can get MLB for like $15 a season!

[JoeFalcon]

Honestly the promotions were better when it was all in house. contracting out to Learfield was an absolute mistake. The media presence has gone down, they forbid the student groups that are involved such as the Radio sports group from making fliers and distributing them because they wanted tighter control of brand management.

We are a MAC School, a pretty good MAC school, but we'll never have the brand recognition that the NFL, NBA, Big Ten schools have and we will have to hustle to make money, it won't just come pouring in because of the history and tradition of the franchise. We need to dump our "big" school management mentality.......

That is an excellent point and a message our athletic department needs to understand. BG is not an institution that needs to be obsessing over "brand management" and other grandiose marketing concepts. We just need to get more than a couple thousand people out to the freakin' games.

If student groups running their own promotions gets the job done more effectively, so be it. We shouldn't be stifling or discouraging anything (except maybe donkey basketball) that promotes attendence.

[Metz]

I believe we have more of a problem than where we advertise to be honest. I believe it comes from a smaller community in which the school resides. A lot of alumni have to move far away to get jobs as NW Ohio sucks for that. Add that to not having many local fans, and it kills attendance. I know a lot more people on here that would be to every game if they didn't have to drive 2 hours to make a basketball game after work during weeknights.

The community that we do have has family needs to attend to first I'm sure. I am no where near having kids, but after seeing everything my brother and I were involved in and how much my mom and dad helped, I sometimes wonder how they stayed awake for weekend games much less making it to ones during the week!

The rest of the schools Learfield works with...Alabama, Army, Clemson, Fresno State, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Maine, Memphis, Miami (Florida), Minnesota, Missouri, Montana State, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Penn State, Purdue, San Diego State, San Jose State, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas A&M, Toledo, Tulsa, Utah State, Wyoming and Wisconsin.

If you really have a complaint, I'd talk to the Falcon Sports Properties GM Todd Kucinski...
Tel: 419-372-4000
Email: [email protected]

[bgmaggot00]

A lot of alumni have to move far away to get jobs as NW Ohio sucks for that. I know a lot more people on here that would be to every game if they didn't have to drive 2 hours to make a basketball game after work during weeknights.

Ding ding ding! ... even if it's more like 12 hours, but the point is the same

[Falconboy]

I believe we have more of a problem than where we advertise to be honest. I believe it comes from a smaller community in which the school resides. A lot of alumni have to move far away to get jobs as NW Ohio sucks for that. Add that to not having many local fans, and it kills attendance. I know a lot more people on here that would be to every game if they didn't have to drive 2 hours to make a basketball game after work during weeknights.

The community that we do have has family needs to attend to first I'm sure. I am no where near having kids, but after seeing everything my brother and I were involved in and how much my mom and dad helped, I sometimes wonder how they stayed awake for weekend games much less making it to ones during the week!

Well , unfortunately thats problem we face for being located in such a small city. Its a problem or a reality that I've realized for some time now but there's really nothing you can do about that.The city of BG just doesn't have jobs for a majority of BGSU graduates and usually a huge proportion of them must move to find the jobs for the degree that they have.