Football at UWM. [Dead Horse Alert]

[muball]

what if UWM and MU both contributed to a stadium and started football sharing the costs of a stadium

[StillAWarrior]

I think it is more sustainable because they have a larger financial base from which to work. 

And i guess what is interesting about the attendance figures I posted, is that you don't have to draw 40,000 a game.  What if they drew 15,000 as an FCS school?  And only filled say 50 of their scholarships?  If they could get someone to pony up for a stadium (where I don't know), and screw the students a little bit more, they could make a go of it.  If things break OK they could be in the Missouri Valley football conference with the likes of Youngstown, Northern Iowa, Indiana State, Illnois State, etc.

But they still face huge hurdles.  No stadium.  Very little money.  Dispassionate fan base.

My question is:  why?  It's a sincere question, and not intended to be critical of what you said...I'm just trying to understand.  What is the goal of having such a football program?

If the goal is to provide another activity to students (attending football games in the fall), to provide another program for alumni to enjoy and support, and to build further name recognition and good will in the community, then I think that's fine.  If I lived in or around Milwaukee, I'd like to think that I'd support the team and go to the games.  With those goals in mind, if the cost is justified, then go for it.

If the goal is to try to better position ourselves because "football is king" or to make money, then I think it's a waste of time.  I just don't believe those are realistic goals for Marquette in creating a football program.

[GGGG]

Are you asking "why" for MU or for UWM? 

Because I think the answers are different.  To be honest, I don't know why MU should do it.  We have alumni who are very keyed into our basketball success.  It already binds alumni together and gives them a point of pride in the institution.  Football at MU would only marginally add to that.

For UWM, they don't have any of that right now.  Since they will always be a second rate basketball program, maybe they feel that this would be the way to differentiate their product and generate such feelings amongst their alumni. 

So honestly it makes much more sense for UWM to consider football than it does MU.  However, I still think it is a big uphill battle.

[StillAWarrior]

Are you asking "why" for MU or for UWM? 

Because I think the answers are different.  To be honest, I don't know why MU should do it.  We have alumni who are very keyed into our basketball success.  It already binds alumni together and gives them a point of pride in the institution.  Football at MU would only marginally add to that.

For UWM, they don't have any of that right now.  Since they will always be a second rate basketball program, maybe they feel that this would be the way to differentiate their product and generate such feelings amongst their alumni. 

So honestly it makes much more sense for UWM to consider football than it does MU.  However, I still think it is a big uphill battle.

I wasn't really directing the "why" at any particular school -- just a general question to a school contemplating adding football.  I agree with the rest of your post.

[T-Bone]

what if UWM and MU both contributed to a stadium and started football sharing the costs of a stadium

Think of the political wrangling that would need for that to occur.  Public/Private partnership.  

However, I'm sure there are a lot of well connected folk that would love Milwaukee to have a legitimate football stadium and open the discussion of getting a Packer game there once a year.

It is an interesting idea, just something that would not happen in the current economic/political state.

[Brewtown Andy]

Think of the political wrangling that would need for that to occur.  Public/Private partnership.  

However, I'm sure there are a lot of well connected folk that would love Milwaukee to have a legitimate football stadium and open the discussion of getting a Packer game there once a year.

How big of a stadium are you going to build where it makes sense to take the Packers out of 73K+ seat Lambeau?

[Chili]

Think of the political wrangling that would need for that to occur.  Public/Private partnership.  

However, I'm sure there are a lot of well connected folk that would love Milwaukee to have a legitimate football stadium and open the discussion of getting a Packer game there once a year.

It is an interesting idea, just something that would not happen in the current economic/political state.

Ship has sailed. After the new Lambeau expansion it will be the 4th largest stadium in the NFL at over 79,000 people.

[T-Bone]

Ship has sailed. After the new Lambeau expansion it will be the 4th largest stadium in the NFL at over 79,000 people.

How big of a stadium are you going to build where it makes sense to take the Packers out of 73K+ seat Lambeau?

I didn't realize that Lambeau was that big. 

Yeah, I know.  But I think it could be interesting *if* Milwaukee's deep pocketed folk were interested in pushing that agenda.  Clearly, building something on that scale would be ridiculous in terms of MU or UWM support. 

Slightly OT: "On November 26, 1989, a County Stadium record crowd of 55,892 saw the Packers beat the Vikings, 20–19." - Wikipedia.  The economic incentive to bring the team down for a stadium of even that capacity doesn't make sense anymore. 

[GGGG]

The best thing the Packers ever did was stop coming to Milwaukee and improve the revenue generation at Lambeau.  They most certainly are not going to give up Lambeau games at this point.  Furthermore, they know Milwaukee fans have no problem driving up to Green Bay for games.  They've been doing it for 15+ years now.

[MUMac]

The best thing the Packers ever did was stop coming to Milwaukee and improve the revenue generation at Lambeau.  They most certainly are not going to give up Lambeau games at this point.  Furthermore, they know Milwaukee fans have no problem driving up to Green Bay for games.  They've been doing it for 15+ years now.

Correct.

The Packers made the decision to play all games at Lambeau well before the decision to renovate.  Those ideas were floating around back then, but in it's infancy.  What Lambeau has become, though, there is no way the Packers could afford to play a game in Milwaukee any longer. 

The Packers used the excuse of County Stadium and Miller Park to move all games to Green Bay.  They had really wanted to make that move much earlier.  In fact, when Miller Park was being floated around, they were emphatic not to include football as part of the design.

The Packers, and fans, are more than happy to have all the games at Lambeau.