FB: USA South Athletic Conference

Pat Coleman · July 14, 2009, 10:32:06 AM

Also, too, let's be honest -- it is the conference's media day, not the individual school's media day. If it's held in a place distant from USA South media outlets that might attend, what good is it? What if they held a media day and only Marcus Fitzsimmons attended? (I mean, we love Marcus but there are other people who usually attend.) It's not like there's a large surplus in many newspaper budgets these days, either.

Just some food for thought.

ProudFightingScot · July 14, 2009, 10:57:36 AM

It is the conference's media day that has its location rotated among the conference schools. It also has been held at every school but Maryville. Even in those places that is furthest for Maryville to travel such as Shenandoah and Christopher Newport. I believe the media covered it in those places too. We still had coverage when it was held there. That is the issue here. The right to have done here would have been let us host it this time and since all conference members have hosted after that say they are making one central location for the event going forward.

Pat Coleman · July 14, 2009, 11:13:18 AM

Quote from: ProudFightingScot on July 14, 2009, 10:57:36 AM
It is the conference's media day that has its location rotated among the conference schools. It also has been held at every school but Maryville.

I actually don't believe this is true, either. Don't know where you're getting your information, but the conference has been in existence for football for eight years and I know of at least three years it was held off-campus. So that makes it mathematically impossible that it has been held at every conference school except Maryville.

ProudFightingScot · July 14, 2009, 12:36:32 PM

My mistake assuming it has been at all conference schools. All I know it has been at different locations since Maryville joined the conference and the head coaches have a better understanding for doing the right thing for the conference. Gas is around $2.30 right now compared to $4.00+ from a year ago and the college you mentioned that is in financial difficulties just saved over $400,000 because their president just resigned.... They can probably afford the trip now...

HSCTiger74 · July 14, 2009, 01:38:25 PM

Quote from: ProudFightingScot on July 14, 2009, 12:36:32 PM
My mistake assuming it has been at all conference schools. All I know it has been at different locations since Maryville joined the conference and the head coaches have a better understanding for doing the right thing for the conference. Gas is around $2.30 right now compared to $4.00+ from a year ago and the college you mentioned that is in financial difficulties just saved over $400,000 because their president just resigned.... They can probably afford the trip now...

$400,000 is a lot of money to you and me (and, I suspect, most of the rest of the contributors to these boards) but given that particular college's financial position it's a drop in the bucket. As far as media coverage at previous locations, Shenandoah is within the D.C. media market and an easy day trip from Richmond, and CNU is part of the Tidewater media market and also an easy drive from Richmond or even the N.C. schools and media. Maryville, on the other hand, is an overnight trip for all the other conference schools (except Ferrum) and the media that cover them. As Pat has pointed out, the current economy makes holding Media Day in eastern Tn. a tough sell.

Pat Coleman · July 14, 2009, 02:14:43 PM

Quote from: ProudFightingScot on July 14, 2009, 12:36:32 PM
My mistake assuming it has been at all conference schools. All I know it has been at different locations since Maryville joined the conference and the head coaches have a better understanding for doing the right thing for the conference. Gas is around $2.30 right now compared to $4.00+ from a year ago and the college you mentioned that is in financial difficulties just saved over $400,000 because their president just resigned.... They can probably afford the trip now...

How much of a media day will it be if the MDT is there and nobody else is? I don't know how many newspapers are going to send someone eight hours each way, incurring 16 hours of driving and an overnight hotel stay, for a Division III media day.

I also don't agree with your assertion that the head coaches have a better understanding which media outlets will send their reporters on a 16-hour drive for a media day. I suspect the SIDs actually know better since they deal with the newspapers all the time. Is the right thing for the conference holding a media day with one school's outlet represented or multiple outlets?

moshergc9 · July 14, 2009, 05:55:56 PM

media day is a useless piece of press. everybody says something like this is going to be a great year, blah blah blah.

my vote would be to give it to maryville every year just because the want it.

Ryan Tipps · July 14, 2009, 11:48:56 PM

Quote from: moshergc9 on July 14, 2009, 05:55:56 PM
media day is a useless piece of press. everybody says something like this is going to be a great year, blah blah blah.

As someone who has done the Kickoff capsules for several years now, I love having all the coaches together at once. Makes the one-on-one reporting all that much easier

narch · July 15, 2009, 09:50:29 PM

Quote from: moshergc9 on July 14, 2009, 05:55:56 PM
media day is a useless piece of press. everybody says something like this is going to be a great year, blah blah blah.

you've obviously never heard jim sypult at media day

CNU85 · July 16, 2009, 03:50:53 PM

good stuff

http://cnusports.com/news/2009/7/14/FB_0714095638.aspx

hasanova · July 16, 2009, 05:15:09 PM

Quote from: CNU85 on July 16, 2009, 03:50:53 PM
good stuff

http://cnusports.com/news/2009/7/14/FB_0714095638.aspx

Thanks for posting. +1

blitzer1 · July 16, 2009, 11:12:23 PM

Quote from: Pat Coleman on July 14, 2009, 10:32:06 AM
Also, too, let's be honest -- it is the conference's media day, not the individual school's media day. If it's held in a place distant from USA South media outlets that might attend, what good is it? What if they held a media day and only Marcus Fitzsimmons attended? (I mean, we love Marcus but there are other people who usually attend.) It's not like there's a large surplus in many newspaper budgets these days, either.

From what I hear, Fitzsimmons has been the only consistant sports writer attending Media Day except for maybe the host school's newpaper.

I guess Fitzsimmons is sitting this argument out by not posting his comments about Media Day. He's been at the last 3 or 4 Media Days and he would probably give you the best view about whether or not Maryville is getting "dumped on" by the conference. I believe he would agree with MC's point of view.

Pat Coleman · July 17, 2009, 02:12:36 PM

Perhaps he considers it good from a professionalism point of view to stay out of the argument. It's fairly personal for PFS, clearly. Not much to gain in my view from continuing it either.

blitzer1 · July 17, 2009, 05:34:39 PM

I agree with you Pat. You've had 7 posts on the subject and you need to move on..... Good job PFS....

Pat Coleman · July 17, 2009, 05:45:31 PM

Yes, that's true. And 24,000 not on the subject. So, what's your percentage?

Quote from: blitzer1 on July 17, 2009, 05:34:39 PM
Good job PFS....

No need to congratulate yourself. All of your posts come from the same IP addresses as PFS posts. If it were just one IP address I could write it off as them all coming from one Maryville campus proxy but they're both from two unrelated IPs, as if one were at work and one at home.