[Vision2020] 17,000 average!

[Tom Hansen]

I agree 100%, Debbie.

Playing division 1A football means playing division 1A opponents.  These
opponents draw larger crowds than the lesser divisions.

If you had been following the NCAA these past few years (with all of their
realignments and all) you would realize that division 1AA will more than
likely dissolve in the next few years.  When that happens, that leaves its
member with one choice:  Do they move up to 1A (which will simply be
division 1) or do they drop down to division 2?  If we were to drop down to
1AA, the likelihood that we would return to division 1 is extremely remote.
This puts us in the Kibbie Dome on Saturdays against opponents like Montana
Tech and North Dakota State trying to draw crowds (that simply will not show
up).  Also, ultimately ending up in division 2 would kill the old rivalry we
have with Boise State, which means we can kiss that money good-bye, too.

Right off the top of my head I know of three home games that I am looking
forward to next season; Utah State, Louisiana Tech, and Hawaii.  I am
certain that there are thousands of others looking forward to those games as
well.  And in 2006 when Boise State takes the field in the Dome (or more
likely Martin stadium), it is going to be packed (translation: $$).

Tom Hansen
UI '96

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are
dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all
exist very nicely in the same box. 

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Debbie Gray
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 6:08 PM
To: Donovan Arnold
Cc: Vision 2020
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] 17,000 average!

As Shrek would say 'Hold the Phone!'

I never said we should go AI, I was just talking about people that attend.
Didn't mention that I was confident 17,000 would travel to every game.
Nope. But more people attend from out of town than it seems you identify.
And if a few people on this list know a few people that travel, doesn't it
translate into quite a few people in Moscow know quite a few people that
do travel. It's not like Tom and I have the only 6 people that travel to a
vandal game in our circle of friendship.

I think we _should_ hop back down to a more manageable league. However,
there are monetary gains to being in a 'bigger league' though we lose lots
of games to irrelevant teams. And I am not saying I 'get' that. I am not a
football economist by any means... I think sports, and esp football, is
just too big of an emphasis in college. But that is where
money/prestige/je ne sais whatever comes into play.


But I just don't seem to have that "skill" to see things in stark black
and white contrast as you seem to possess.

Debbie

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004, Donovan Arnold wrote:

> Debbie,
>
> Like I say. All of you that think that going AI will be such a bang for
the
> buck, ought to invest in it yourself if you are so confident that 17,000
> paying fans will drive to every game. I for one don't think it will happen
> and don't think it is evidence that it will be successful because you know
a
> family or two that comes up from Boise, or flies over from Honolulu. This
> sounds like someone saying, I asked ten people I know which candidate they
> liked best and 7 said candidate B so I extrapolated from this data that
> candidate B will win with 70% of the vote.
>
> There is a big difference between a bus full of people and 17,000. I also
> know dozens of Alumni that don't go to UI games, including some that even
> played football. Gambling a huge amount of resources into football when we
> don't have enough money for classrooms and teachers seems like an awfully
> bad idea and smells more like a Hoover program than one of future
> prosperity.
>
> Take Care,
>
> Donovan J Arnold
>

Debbie

%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%
  Debbie Gray      dgray at uidaho.edu
  We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
  so as to have the life that is waiting for us." --Joseph Campbell
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