Conference Realignment Sucks

[AppleCornCy]

It isn’t just about who might get left out. The destruction of regional conferences that were together for almost a century is brutal to watch. How can anybody look at this and feel like it’s a good thing for college sports?

It just feels like this is the “late stage” for college sports, for lack of a better term. The golden age is over and now we’re destroying all the institutions that made it so great.

 

[KneeGusto]

I could not agree more.

That said - the people who conjecture about future alignments and whatnot - I will not discount. Everybody is allowed an opinion in the crazy days ahead.

I will sit by the sidelines and conjecture about UCLA playing Rutgers at Piscataway at Noon Eastern and OU playing at Nashville at the same time.

This is going to be crazy.

For the B12, if they want sanity and stable conditions, the 2 AZ schools and Utah and welcome back Colorado makes the most sense.

Of course this will not happen... because it makes sense.

 

[HawaiiClone]

Was watching a YouTube video that talked about how USC fans will start showing up more when the team does better. It made me wonder how loyal those fans are if they only show up when their team reaches a certain level of success.

 

[madguy30]

It's been happening for decades.

Not as drastically or as frequent as now I don't think but conference memberships have always ebbed and flowed.

 

[Cloneon]

It's been happening for decades.

Not as drastically or as frequent as now I don't think but conference memberships have always ebbed and flowed.

Bingo. And it will happen again. Unfortunately, I'm in what people would call the later stage of life, so I'm hoping for the best for ISU now.

 

[madguy30]

Was watching a YouTube video that talked about how USC fans will start showing up more when the team does better. It made me wonder how loyal those fans are if they only show up when their team reaches a certain level of success.

ISU basketball and football (albeit there were pretty good crowds during CPR's bad years) and a whole bunch of places are similar.

 

[NWICY]

Was watching a YouTube video that talked about how USC fans will start showing up more when the team does better. It made me wonder how loyal those fans are if they only show up when their team reaches a certain level of success.

All schools are sort of that way but ISU has a lot higher floor than most schools. It seems to me even when bad we sell 30,000 FB tickets, 10,000MBB, 9,000WBB. This is especially telling in WBB where butts in the seats only equals tickets sold maybe 3-5 games per yr.

The ISU fan base is way more loyal than most IMO, it will be interesting to see if it remains that way with all the changes and the convenience of more platforms to watch them on.

 

[2122]

It is all so weird. It occurs to me that these days universities have their own pro sports teams. But no, it is the other way around. Pro sports teams have universities. Evidence? Who gets paid more, the guy who runs the pro sports team, or the guy who runs the university? Circa 2022, society values entertainment more than education.

 

[HawaiiClone]

ISU basketball and football (albeit there were pretty good crowds during CPR's bad years) and a whole bunch of places are similar.

It's a matter of degree. And as you said ISU football fans were loyal during CPR's down years. Loyal fans don't like to see their team lose, but they still show up to support them when they aren't doing as well.

For USC, people have the option to do a lot of other things in LA, but then you wonder are fair weather fans bummed when their team is winning more because they are compelled to go to the games instead of doing something else they enjoy?

 

[Dopey]

I don’t even understand the end goal. Create one super league of blue bloods. Half will have losing records they aren’t used to and their fan base will lose interest. I certainly won’t watch if it doesn’t affect ISU. If I want high end football, I’ll watch the NFL.

I guess I don’t see how this money pot doesn’t dwindle.

 

[HawaiiClone]

All schools are sort of that way but ISU has a lot higher floor than most schools. It seems to me even when bad we sell 30,000 FB tickets, 10,000MBB, 9,000WBB. This is especially telling in WBB where butts in the seats only equals tickets sold maybe 3-5 games per yr.

The ISU fan base is way more loyal than most IMO, it will be interesting to see if it remains that way with all the changes and the convenience of more platforms to watch them on

I look at Cubs fans and the Wrigley Field experience as an example of fans who were disappointed that it took so long for them to win a World Series, but they still showed up for the experience.

 

[theshadow]

It's been happening for decades.

Not as drastically or as frequent as now I don't think but conference memberships have always ebbed and flowed.

From 1960-90, there were essentially only 6 total moves in the "major" conferences:
Big Eight - none
Big Ten - none
SEC - Georgia Tech (1964) and Tulane (1966) left
ACC - South Carolina left (1971), added Georgia Tech (1979)
Pac 10 - re-added* WSU in 1962, re-added* UO/ORST in 1964, added AZ/ASU in 1978

*WSU and the Oregon schools were part of the previous iteration (PCC), which disbanded and reformed as AAWU in 1959

Then the **** started hitting the fan in 1990.

 

[Cloneon]

I look at Cubs fans and the Wrigley Field experience as an example of fans who were disappointed that it took so long for them to win a World Series, but they still showed up for the experience.

Population 2.7 million, luxury tax, draft offer 'balance' which in turn encourages fan hope.

 

[2122]

I look at Cubs fans and the Wrigley Field experience as an example of fans who were disappointed that it took so long for them to win a World Series, but they still showed up for the experience.

I once live on Sheffield Ave., which several blocks north ran past Wrigley's right field. Could hear the roar of the crowd from my apt. Could stroll up the street, scalp a ticket for $5, and soak up a baseball game. THAT was nice!

 

[HawaiiClone]

Population 2.7 million, luxury tax, draft offer 'balance' which in turn encourages fan hope.

True, but I got the sense that the fans still showed up even when the team was not in very realistic pennant contention.

 

[Cloneon]

True, but I got the sense that the fans still showed up even when the team was not in very realistic pennant contention.

Friendly confines, smaller stadium, tradition, bleachers, 'consistent players', identity, loyalty. These are the reasons I went. But, as you can see, much of those have or will be changed. The population and the size of the stadium are the stabilizing factors. I'm so much less interested than I was 30 years ago. But, back then you couldn't tear me away. Oddly, and I'm not sure what others think, but I see far more 'bandwagon' fans these days. No one stays loyal to the team they grew up with. Times have changed.

 

[CoachHines3]

The overall concept sucks, for sure. I still find it fascinating to watch it all play out, though.

 

[madguy30]

It's a matter of degree. And as you said ISU football fans were loyal during CPR's down years. Loyal fans don't like to see their team lose, but they still show up to support them when they aren't doing as well.

For USC, people have the option to do a lot of other things in LA, but then you wonder are fair weather fans bummed when their team is winning more because they are compelled to go to the games instead of doing something else they enjoy?

I didn't say ISU fans were loyal during CPR's last few years. They just showed up. Perhaps they had a glimmer of hope left.

 

[madguy30]

Friendly confines, smaller stadium, tradition, bleachers, 'consistent players', identity, loyalty. These are the reasons I went. But, as you can see, much of those have or will be changed. The population and the size of the stadium are the stabilizing factors. I'm so much less interested than I was 30 years ago. But, back then you couldn't tear me away. Oddly, and I'm not sure what others think, but I see far more 'bandwagon' fans these days. No one stays loyal to the team they grew up with. Times have changed.

I've been to a couple of Cubs games over the last 15 yearsish and it seemed like everyone was going just to be there and spent most of their time Facebooking.

 

[JP4CY]

I don’t even understand the end goal. Create one super league of blue bloods. Half will have losing records they aren’t used to and their fan base will lose interest. I certainly won’t watch if it doesn’t affect ISU. If I want high end football, I’ll watch the NFL.

I guess I don’t see how this money pot doesn’t dwindle.

Your half will have losing records has brought me to a point where I believe the B1G will just put their champion against the SEC's champion.
This realignment will make it more difficult to ask if a 2 loss Penn State is more deserving of a playoff berth than a single loss Oklahoma State.
So I'm think now each conference will have their own playoffs and then a Super Bowl.