Athletic facility upgrades

[Mestengo]

[Bergermeister]

This sophmoric response is so tempting to respond to.

sophomoric (10th grade word)

[East Coast Mustang]

I don't really know where to begin, either. I would think that athletic facility upgrades should be aimed at where the biggest need is coupled with where the best opportunity for return on investment lies. Moody is a dump right now, and the benefits of a competitive basketball program to the university itself are significant. Look at when Georgetown went to all those Final Fours in the 80's with Ewing, Zo, and Mutumbo- their applications increased significantly and the university became more prestigious as a result- everybody wins. I'm not saying that SMU will ever reach that level of competitiveness, but even a one year run can have a very positive effect for the university as a whole. Here's an excerpt from an article about the effect that Butler's improbable run has had:

"Butler University officials said both the number of applicants and university donations are up. That's with the recession and before the huge public relations impact of playing in a national championship game. Those in charge of the applications and giving are preparing themselves for the impact."

http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-butler-b ... 6428.story

If Butler can do it, I think we can too. Now obviously some other things (firing Doh, recruiting DFW, not sucking) need to be done as well, but I would put revamping Moody and an indoor practice facility for football far ahead of a new swimming facility. A competitive basketball program that competes for the CUSA championship and a berth in the Tournament would really put SMU on the map nationwide, along with what JJ has done with the football program. And while this may seem unfortunate, we could win back-to-back swimming national titles, and most people wouldn't even know besides current SMU fans and diehard followers of a college swimming (not a very large target audience).

Better basketball program = more applications + more donations.
Better swimming program = neither of those things.

Also, can we get a baseball program while we're at it? No one cares about college soccer, either. Hell, Americans don't even care about professional soccer.

[Water Pony]

So, the university exists to serve FB and BB. At least we are clear on that point. Further, since Title IX doesn't serve the these interests either, we can hire the lawyers and tell the women that their programs don't serve the university very well, just like non-revenue men's sports. I wish we had Baseball back, as well as Men's Track & Field and Cross Country.

However, since baseball/T&F/CC aren't meaningful either, I would put the new indoor FB training facility on Bishop, after we demolish Perkins Natatorum (it may happen on its own, btw). While we are at it, build a new BB Arena on the Intramural fields, since they don't add to our "national reputation". Converting Westcott to a outdoor FB practice seems like a great idea too.

Fund raising is now focused on the only two things that matter to our national reputation, FB and BB. Developing students, expanding their horizons and growing them as future leaders can be summarized in two strategies: Paid the high costs of tuitions and board (while giving free rides to FB and BB players) and attend the FB/BB games, so the color red (blue) are prominent on the tube.

Quality education and extra-cirricular activities might interfere with FB and BB support services, but it's worth it, don't you think?

[Diamond Girl]

How important is it for an indoor football practice facility to be located on campus? Right now, SMU is almost wall-to-wall georgian architecture from Mockingbird to University and Hillcrest to Central. Why not put something up along SMU Blvd. east of Central? There seems to be a lot of undeveloped space on the south side of the street between the SMU tower and the rail track and east of Barley House.

[East Coast Mustang]

So, the university exists to serve FB and BB. At least we are clear on that point.

No, but FB and BB serve the university best in the long run. SMU barely escaped getting left in the cold in conference realignment this time around. A viable hoops program would certainly help us when those wheels get put into motion again (which could be sooner than you think). Also, it will be very important that we sustain our success in football and continue to attract the talent necessary to compete for the CUSA championship, unless you want to be in a conference with Louisiana Tech, North Texas, and Rice for the next twenty years after the cards get shuffled again. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure the MWC won't give a flying F whether or not our natatorium has been renovated. Better FB and BB facilities = better conference = more money for the school = better natatorium. I don't see why that order of priorities is so out of whack to you.

[Water Pony]

What is out of whack is the altar that only FB and BB deserve the support, donations and regard of alums, fans and students. My priorities are not the same as others, but to dismiss them reinforces the stereo types associated with a FB (BB) factory, where only these sports are meaningful. I guess I am a sucker, who shouldn't waste his time and contributions to the Mustang Club, Capital Campaign, Lettermen's Association, and FB (I forgot, that is OK) and Swimming season tickets from 1K away.

I just have a different value system.

[East Coast Mustang]

What is out of whack is the altar that only FB and BB deserve the support, donations and regard of alums, fans and students. My priorities are not the same as others, but to dismiss them reinforces the stereo types associated with a FB (BB) factory, where only these sports are meaningful. I guess I am a sucker, who shouldn't waste his time and contributions to the Mustang Club, Capital Campaign, Lettermen's Association, and FB (I forgot, that is OK) and Swimming season tickets from 1K away.

I just have a different value system.

Can you at least concede that this is a very perilous time in terms of conference realignment, and if the Big Ten begins talking about expanding to 14 or 16 within the next year, everything could go nuts again? And if that's the case, SMU, not as a football program or as an athletic program but as a UNIVERSITY needs to put itself in the best possible position to be attractive to more lucrative conferences with national exposure?

TV markets matter the most, then football, then basketball (although not nearly as much as football) and then academics and all the other stuff . Now if you look at our success in football and basketball over the past 20 or so years, there hasn't been a whole lot of it. Fortunately, we're in a very attractive TV market and have a good academic record relative to schools we'll be competing with for conference spots (UH, Tulsa, UTEP, etc). But yet at the minimum, we need to show conferences like the Mtn. West (who could very likely be expanding again in the near future) that we're committed to success in revenue sports, as this translates into increased exposure, TV dollars, etc. An indoor practice facility for football will do this. MUCH needed renovations to Moody will do this, and no, I'm not talking about a Jumbotron that looks like a relic from the mid-90's.

The line of reasoning you wish to employ will only guarantee that we'll be competing with the likes of Rice, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech for the forseeable future while the Frogs compete in BCS bowls. I, for one, don't want to see that happen. And if you care about SMU, not as an athletic program but as a university, you shouldn't either.

Time is of the essence, folks. The dominos didn't stop with the Big 10 and Pac 10 going to 12. Both Delaney and Larry Scott are ambitious conference commissioners who are very proactive about increasing their revenue streams. And don't think that Slive and the SEC are going to get left behind, either. I'm not saying SMU will EVER have a shot at the SEC or Pac-10 (at least not in my lifetime, and I'm 27), but we need to be thinking about possible destinations, because C-USA is not very stable right now. UCF, Memphis, and ECU would all bolt in a second if the Big East came calling today.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. We had an administration who has oblivious to big-time college athletics when the SWC folded, and look what that got us- 15 years of mediocrity. Let's not make the same mistake again, okay?

[Water Pony]

OK?

[East Coast Mustang]

Speaking of sophomoric...

OK?

But, that picture you posted is a pretty accurate representation of the future of our athletic program if we invest in a new swimming facility rather than FB & BB at a time when the conference alignment structure is so unstable, and we have so much to prove.

[Water Pony]

Gee, I thought your previous post was fence building, emphasizing the importance of investing now, but you went back to your anti-non-revenue POV. I have never believed in zero sum games. Grow the pie, not shrink it.

[PK]

I think all the sports are important to the over all scheme of things at a university, but should we ever get to the point where we become part of a BCS conference (or whatever it might be called in the future) the increase in total revenue from conference income sharing will allow us to improve many athletic facilities. Obviously that means the FB and BB programs have got to be much improved over what they have been in the past to have any hope of joining a better conference. I loved it when we were ranked much higher in the Sears Directors' Cup standings and that was, for the most part, due to our non revenue sports alone. We could have been even higher had FB and BB not been such disasters. It is a shame that the current athletics administration has let our non revenue sports deteriorate from what it was in the past. Some of it is due to not investing in the facilities, but I think a lot of it is just plain neglect in general.

[Water Pony]

I think all the sports are important to the over all scheme of things at a university, but should we ever get to the point where we become part of a BCS conference (or whatever it might be called in the future) the increase in total revenue from conference income sharing will allow us to improve many athletic facilities. Obviously that means the FB and BB programs have got to be much improved over what they have been in the past to have any hope of joining a better conference. I loved it when we were ranked much higher in the Sears Directors' Cup standings and that was, for the most part, due to our non revenue sports alone. We could have been even higher had FB and BB not been such disasters. It is a shame that the current athletics administration has let our non revenue sports deteriorate from what it was in the past. Some of it is due to not investing in the facilities, but I think a lot of it is just plain neglect in general.

Good summary, PK. Parallel with our recent progress with FB, our non-revenue sports have been heading the other way, starting with the very unfortunate cancellation of Men's Track & Field/Cross-Country. Men's Soccer is good, but not as dominant as it was. Our Women's sports in general are competitive, but have much more upside. Golf and tennis are strong but not widely appreciated. Swimming & Diving is a national program, but no longer a Top Ten (as women were a couple of years ago) programs.

I too took pride in our Sears Cup performance, which reflects a commitment to student athletes across the sporting spectrum. I know FB, and to a lesser degree BB, are the horses (no pun intended) we need to ride to national recognition, but non-revenue sports should not be ignored.

As Orsini claimed, we aspire to be Top 25 in all we do. It was more credible, when he made that commitment than it is now. Our path back will be longer, as a result of this neglect.

[Charleston Pony]

pony up