FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[BDB]

It's also about the TV markets being picked up. Why UCLA and USC? Part of it is selling the Big 10 Network to a zillion homes out there. Why Rutgers? To pick up the New York/New Jersey TV markets. Maryland? Baltimore and the Washington DC area. Why not Iowa State? Because every TV in Iowa already has the Big 10 Network.

Variety of reasons why the expansions happen as they do, but TV revenue is at the heart of it.

And while I have voiced opinion on why CSS should have stayed where they were at in the UMAC, adding them was a nice score for the MIAC to open up the whole Duluth/Superior/Iron Range market to regular sports reporting on the MIAC conference. A D3 version of the same concept.

[SagatagSam]

People in NY/NJ actually watch Rutgers?

Rutgers looks like a program that just wants to drop to FCS. I mean, for homecoming a few years ago, they announced attendance of 32K, but  the local newspaper made an Open Public Records Act request that showed the scanned-attendance total was barely 16K.

[jknezek]

People in NY/NJ actually watch Rutgers?

Rutgers looks like a program that just wants to drop to FCS. I mean, for homecoming a few years ago, they announced attendance of 32K, but  the local newspaper made an Open Public Records Act request that showed the scanned-attendance total was barely 16K.

Having grown up in NJ in the 90s, I can say no one I knew cared about Rutgers athletics at the time. Back when there was a Big East football conference, after college I had a couple roommates from Va Tech and Miami who worked in the city. They always went to the Rutgers games. Stadium would be more full of visiting fans.

Kind of like going to a Miami Dolphins game against the Jets in November/December... also an experience I had living in FL in my later 20s.

I will say, those very few seasons when Rutgers was rolling in the mid 2000s, it was a tough ticket. Same with Rutgers basketball. When they are occasionally decent, all the alums come out. And there are lots of alums. It's just hard to watch a dog year after year. Hard to know if they would stick around and actually make a good atmosphere if Rutgers was consistently good since it never happens....

[SagatagSam]

People in NY/NJ actually watch Rutgers?

Rutgers looks like a program that just wants to drop to FCS. I mean, for homecoming a few years ago, they announced attendance of 32K, but  the local newspaper made an Open Public Records Act request that showed the scanned-attendance total was barely 16K.

Having grown up in NJ in the 90s, I can say no one I knew cared about Rutgers athletics at the time. Back when there was a Big East football conference, after college I had a couple roommates from Va Tech and Miami who worked in the city. They always went to the Rutgers games. Stadium would be more full of visiting fans.

Kind of like going to a Miami Dolphins game against the Jets in November/December... also an experience I had living in FL in my later 20s.

I will say, those very few seasons when Rutgers was rolling in the mid 2000s, it was a tough ticket. Same with Rutgers basketball. When they are occasionally decent, all the alums come out. And there are lots of alums. It's just hard to watch a dog year after year. Hard to know if they would stick around and actually make a good atmosphere if Rutgers was consistently good since it never happens....

I'm thinking that by the time this is all said and done, Rutgers will find themselves to be a school without a conference.

[Retired Old Rat]

Minneapolis/St. Paul market is the 14th largest in the country.  Were it not for that I think the Big16 would be looking to push the Gophers out.  They're certainly not drawing television eyeballs outside this area.  Given the competitiveness of the "major" sports I'm not sure it wouldn't be a good idea to drop down to a lesser conference.  I'm tired of mostly getting beaten up in the Big for most of my life.  And I don't see a lot of SoCal kids rowing the boat so they'll be on TV at home..

[jknezek]

People in NY/NJ actually watch Rutgers?

Rutgers looks like a program that just wants to drop to FCS. I mean, for homecoming a few years ago, they announced attendance of 32K, but  the local newspaper made an Open Public Records Act request that showed the scanned-attendance total was barely 16K.

Having grown up in NJ in the 90s, I can say no one I knew cared about Rutgers athletics at the time. Back when there was a Big East football conference, after college I had a couple roommates from Va Tech and Miami who worked in the city. They always went to the Rutgers games. Stadium would be more full of visiting fans.

Kind of like going to a Miami Dolphins game against the Jets in November/December... also an experience I had living in FL in my later 20s.

I will say, those very few seasons when Rutgers was rolling in the mid 2000s, it was a tough ticket. Same with Rutgers basketball. When they are occasionally decent, all the alums come out. And there are lots of alums. It's just hard to watch a dog year after year. Hard to know if they would stick around and actually make a good atmosphere if Rutgers was consistently good since it never happens....

I'm thinking that by the time this is all said and done, Rutgers will find themselves to be a school without a conference.

I tend to agree except there simply isn't another major college program near NYC. So if you want your alums in the area to have a shot at a local game, and every school has piles of alumns in the NYC area, Rutgers is your patsy. Not sure that will end up being a good enough reason, but it's all Rutgers can hope for...

[SagatagSam]

People in NY/NJ actually watch Rutgers?

Rutgers looks like a program that just wants to drop to FCS. I mean, for homecoming a few years ago, they announced attendance of 32K, but  the local newspaper made an Open Public Records Act request that showed the scanned-attendance total was barely 16K.

Having grown up in NJ in the 90s, I can say no one I knew cared about Rutgers athletics at the time. Back when there was a Big East football conference, after college I had a couple roommates from Va Tech and Miami who worked in the city. They always went to the Rutgers games. Stadium would be more full of visiting fans.

Kind of like going to a Miami Dolphins game against the Jets in November/December... also an experience I had living in FL in my later 20s.

I will say, those very few seasons when Rutgers was rolling in the mid 2000s, it was a tough ticket. Same with Rutgers basketball. When they are occasionally decent, all the alums come out. And there are lots of alums. It's just hard to watch a dog year after year. Hard to know if they would stick around and actually make a good atmosphere if Rutgers was consistently good since it never happens....

I'm thinking that by the time this is all said and done, Rutgers will find themselves to be a school without a conference.

I tend to agree except there simply isn't another major college program near NYC. So if you want your alums in the area to have a shot at a local game, and every school has piles of alumns in the NYC area, Rutgers is your patsy. Not sure that will end up being a good enough reason, but it's all Rutgers can hope for...

Yep. Because football drives the TV bus, Rutgers is as good as the B1G could have in the NYC market. Syracuse would be the best choice, but they went to the ACC almost a decade ago.

[SagatagSam]

Minneapolis/St. Paul market is the 14th largest in the country.  Were it not for that I think the Big16 would be looking to push the Gophers out.  They're certainly not drawing television eyeballs outside this area.  Given the competitiveness of the "major" sports I'm not sure it wouldn't be a good idea to drop down to a lesser conference.  I'm tired of mostly getting beaten up in the Big for most of my life.  And I don't see a lot of SoCal kids rowing the boat so they'll be on TV at home..

You're right about Minnesota having the MSP TV market to prop them up. Makes me wonder if the Fighting Illini could be left without a dance partner when this big shift is all done? I'm guessing having Illinois gives a conference Chicago to a certain degree?

[jknezek]

People in NY/NJ actually watch Rutgers?

Rutgers looks like a program that just wants to drop to FCS. I mean, for homecoming a few years ago, they announced attendance of 32K, but  the local newspaper made an Open Public Records Act request that showed the scanned-attendance total was barely 16K.

Having grown up in NJ in the 90s, I can say no one I knew cared about Rutgers athletics at the time. Back when there was a Big East football conference, after college I had a couple roommates from Va Tech and Miami who worked in the city. They always went to the Rutgers games. Stadium would be more full of visiting fans.

Kind of like going to a Miami Dolphins game against the Jets in November/December... also an experience I had living in FL in my later 20s.

I will say, those very few seasons when Rutgers was rolling in the mid 2000s, it was a tough ticket. Same with Rutgers basketball. When they are occasionally decent, all the alums come out. And there are lots of alums. It's just hard to watch a dog year after year. Hard to know if they would stick around and actually make a good atmosphere if Rutgers was consistently good since it never happens....

I'm thinking that by the time this is all said and done, Rutgers will find themselves to be a school without a conference.

I tend to agree except there simply isn't another major college program near NYC. So if you want your alums in the area to have a shot at a local game, and every school has piles of alumns in the NYC area, Rutgers is your patsy. Not sure that will end up being a good enough reason, but it's all Rutgers can hope for...

Yep. Because football drives the TV bus, Rutgers is as good as the B1G could have in the NYC market. Syracuse would be the best choice, but they went to the ACC almost a decade ago.

NYC to Syracuse is a 4.5 hour drive or about 6 hours by Amtrak once or twice a day. NYC to New Brunswick (Rutgers) is either a 1 hour drive or a 1 hour train ride and 15 minute Uber on a commuter train line that leaves every 30-60 minutes. Syracuse just isn't that convenient to the NYC metro area. 

Frankly, UConn is half the distance to Syracuse, but that's an even worse option than Rutgers for football (basketball is a different story of course).

[BDB]

Northwestern bills itself as "Chicago's Big 10 Team" fwiw.

OK TV revenue. A mixed bag from the broadcast networks, ESPN and such. Certainly substantial revenue from rights to show those games.

I believe though that the main media revenue to the conference comes from the Big 10 Network. Cable/satellite subscribers result in a monthly fee paid to the Big 10 Network. And the value isn't just from the metro area involved, but from the whole region or state. More homes that the network is in equals more monthly subscriptions (built into your cable/satellite bill) and also more advertising revenue.

Besides what any particular school can offer in homes paying subscriptions is what they can offer in programming. The Big 10 Network needs programming 365, not just on Saturdays in the fall and winter. While any Big 10 school will offer football and basketball, Wisconsin for example doesn't have baseball. Only certain schools offer hockey programming, a few have La Crosse, etc. It takes a lot program up a sports network which is why ESPN shows cornhole sometimes.

[AO]

When's the last time a team has been kicked out of a conference for not being good enough/bad media market?  As far as I know you can only be kicked out for winning too much.   

[stanbob]

Adios, Texas Ole!

https://www.newsweek.com/texas-secede-us-2023-gop-pushes-referendum-1717254

Would UMHB and the "American" Southwest Conference continue to compete in NCAA athletics?  Originally this was a satirical question but as I wrote it decided it was a serious question. Maybe they could play in the Successionist Southwest Conference?

Ugh!  Not another one of these.  I lean to the right, and this is just ridiculous.  I have Texas pride, but I will always be an American first!  I am far more proud of my ancestral heritage.  Texas secedes, and I will have to figure out what to do.  There is a secessionist party in Texas that seems to nominate a few people to state offices every year.  Basically this is just a memo sent to members of the party to vote on (think primary) that if it passes means it might go before the state legislature.  Then you have the bill to become a law.  In all likelihood it isn't happening.  I feel like this is whining about a lost election.  I also wonder if it makes financial sense to start a new country!

I do believe there is trademark on the Southwest Conference name that basically prevents anyone from ever using it again.

I'm a little bit confused ... wasn't this all settled 157 years ago?

You would have thought give or take a few years. Rejoined in 1870. California is another state that likes to threaten to secede.

They should be allowed to.

[OzJohnnie]

I feared I had cursed Erdmann by remembering to look up his performance last week.  This week his Vikings were trailing 20-8 entering the fourth quarter away at the other undefeated team in Europe, the Barcelona Dragons.  Erdmann went prime time in the 4th and threw for at least 200 yards and had three TD's, including a 90 yard bomb, and the Dragons learned how the Tommies felt.

Highlights are on youtube.

https://youtu.be/G6gFN82K5k0

[repete]

And the Barcelona QB .... Scholastica guy.

[OzJohnnie]

And the Barcelona QB .... Scholastica guy.

Aha!  What a small world.  And this wasn't the first time Edwards lined up against Erdmann.  Edwards took most of CSS's snaps in the 98-0 debacle of '17.  So close this time but pipped by the Magic^(tm) that never leaves a Johnnie.  [Heh.  I continue to chuckle at how unfair it is that a MIAC rival is again subjected to last-minute Johnnie Magic.  The Vienna Vikings have no idea what sort of karmic power they have tapped into.  Go Johnnies!]


EDIT:  They play each other again in the last game of the regular season and, I would guess, in the championship game if all goes as it currently is.  Who knew there would be a reason to call upon Johnnie Magic in Europe?  I thought I would just take a passing interest in the games over there but this now has me emotionally vested.


EDIT II: The Jags will win the SuperBowl before it's done if they stay plugged into the Magic.  57 should get royalties for his popcorn.


EDIT III: I don't know what Ayrton Scott is doing nowadays, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him show up in Europe somewhere as MIAC slingers seems to be the rage on the Danube.