Kolek planning to go pro
I'm not sure FSI - or whoever holds the TV rights next - would be cool about throwing away the Chicago market, regardless of how poorly DePaul performs (on the court or in the ratings).The Big East probably is slightly better off with a good DePaul than a bad DePaul, but I think the benefits are likely marginal. A bad to middling St. John's program didn't exactly kill the old Big East, after all.
Its the markets they are in. Big East needs them.
TAMUI do know, Newsie is right on you knowing ball.
I certainly don't want to lose the Chicago market. Definitely agree with that. But the amount of investment Depaul has put in is laughable. I honestly think Loyola has invested more in athletics in recent years. Again, don't think we are at the point of actually pulling an old switcheroo, but I feel like there should be a point at which a conference can say "either invest or get out."
if you really think the new arena and Rosemont are a wash in terms of accessibility you have no clue.
I certainly don't want to lose the Chicago market. Definitely agree with that. B
Ill raise you one: there are more B10 fans in chicago than BE fans.
I assume you are being sarcastic, because that is not exactly a bold assertion.
Who cares. Seton Hall and DePaul do not hurt us. Every conference has lower tier teams. What we need to break through is to have upper tier teams become elite. If your best can beat the others best, then you're golden.St. John's & Georgetown are original Big East Powers (Nova was never, IMO, considered a power*). Having St John's and GTown as Final Four teams / Top 10 mainstays would solidify the conference lot more than De Paul or Seton Hall routinely making the NCAAs. Marquette / Nova could help greatly too but I don't think we hold the same cache.*They were an 8 Seed in 1985 and throughout the 80's their seed was: 8,9,3,3,7,8, 10,NIT,7,NIT.
Down 1 w 5 seconds left. Doable.
Question: What is the point of having the Chicago market if no one follows the Chicago team? I would bet that as a total, there are more people living in the Chicago market who are fans of the other Big East teams than there are DePaul fans. Hell, I would bet there are more Marquette fans in Chicago than there are DePaul fans.
Exactly. I would venture to guess that the majority of DePaul's suburbanite alums live within a few of miles of either I-90(west of Downtown), I-294, or I-94(north of Downtown). Getting to Rosemont is a breeze from any of those places. When you move the arena to McCormick Place, you will be forcing nearly all of these people to drive significantly farther, and through downtown, where traffic is almost always jammed. Maybe it's worth it to see the Bears. Totally not worth it to see a sucky DePaul.My prediction: Once the novelty of a new venue wears off, attendance will drop even further.
"No one" follows DePaul is a bit of a stretch. I know plenty of DePaul alums who care quite a bit, but just don't go to the games because the product is terrible and has been for a long time. They still managed to average 6,200 fans last year, which is better than the likes of Oregon, Arizona State, Georgia Tech and mighty Virginia Tech, among others. They obviously could do a lot better, but it's not as bad as is being portrayed here.
My prediction: Once the novelty of a new venue wears off, attendance will drop even further.
The Big 10 has over 4 million living alumni. They are the largest fan base in just about every TV market in the country (including NYC and LA)
For the same reason the Big 10 wanted to get into the NY/NJ market even though no one follows Rutgers. It establishes the conference in the market. It helps if the team is good, of course, but the team being bad doesn't entirely eliminate the benefit. Fact is, DePaul is the biggest BE school, with the biggest alumni base and in the second-biggest market. Their presence is good for the conference."No one" follows DePaul is a bit of a stretch. I know plenty of DePaul alums who care quite a bit, but just don't go to the games because the product is terrible and has been for a long time. They still managed to average 6,200 fans last year, which is better than the likes of Oregon, Arizona State, Georgia Tech and mighty Virginia Tech, among others. They obviously could do a lot better, but it's not as bad as is being portrayed here.
Pick any single team from the B10, and it probably has more fans in chicago than BE fans.
This is why DePaul was important to FS1. They used it as leverage to ensure every cable operator in Chicago carried FS1 and FS2. Ditto St. Johns and Seton Hall in NYC, Nova in Philly, GU is DC, MU in Milwaukee and so on. The BE was important to a new FS1 as they needed "big city" programming to get on those cable systems lower tiers (or basic bundles).
Rutgers
But really, the idea that the BE is going to jettison members is fun to talk about but it simply isn't going to happen. This is why the examples of schools getting booted out of conferences are so rare - one example based on poor performance that I can think of, and even in that case it was a single sport membership. (Temple in BE)Furthermore, you are taking programming away from Fox unless you add new members. But then you are right back to where you started. Who are you going to add?
Any and all A-10 or MWC teams that put together back-to-back solid seasons and/or make it to at least the Sweet 16!