KRAM1

John...this is fantastic! What you guys do to support UNT and the Denton Community as a whole is above and beyond what anyone could expect. You guys are setting the bar extremely high for other civic minded folks and businesses in Denton. Thanks to all the Oak Street, East Side and Silo on 7th folks for all you do. You are making the communities in which you live and work better places for a lot if people. Well done...well done. Cannot thank you enough.

Silly boy...he knew exactly what he was reading and posting. God bless him, he does try so hard. And, sometimes, like this one, they are pretty funny.

The difference is determined by level of Mean Green Club donation I am told. The more you donate, the closer in lot you get....sounds about right to me. And, agree 100%...the walk won't kill you and will actually help. That being said, parking at Apogee in any of the lots would be considered VERY close in parking compared to many many D1 stadiums around the country. To get this close at Okie State you have to donate many many more $$$$ than that minimum MGC level at UNT. Just another item to digest when some folks who will remain nameless decide to fire up the bitch fest wagon train. Ever checked Ohio State, OU, Alabama, Okie State, Iowa, UCLA, Oregon, etc., etc. for parking location vs. athletic dept. donation levels? Some are pretty shocking considering the great deal at Apogee. That Big Time stuff comes with a cost. Based on the whine levels here when any costs increase, I am highly doubtful that many are ready for the costs fans incur for that Big Time stuff. Have some fun sometime and check out a few programs booster programs and see what $250 gets you, or $500 or even $2500.00. And, this last part about costs isn't in any way aimed at oldguystudent. The first part of the post refers to his post....the rest is simply a plug for what a bargain watching D1 football at UNT and Apogee is these days. And a plea for folks to check it out for themselves. Last time I checked the Southern Miss booster club thing, I think you had to donate at the $500 level, or something like that, just to get your name in the football program. Less than that you get the undying thanks of the athletic department it appears.

probably both at the moment.

And bitch less! It's unbecoming of an adult male.

And, I will stop countering your bitch and whine fest when you stop. So...get used to it. Unless of course you stop the high constant whine. You find everything to bitch about and I'll keep trying to shed a bit of positive light on things you refuse to acknowledge through your broken record bitch fest. Man, you sound more like an SMU or Texas grad every day. Fair enough?

Jesus, Mike, just stop. Stop talking trash about everything that is UNT. You want change? Fine. Work for it. Just bitching about everything and withdrawing support is not getting you very far, is it? You think that way over-hyped team Benford inherited was so great...fine. You think Mitchell was the next coming of Michael Jordan...fine. But, that doesn't make everything at UNT bad and worthy of your constant bitch-fest. As to September 19th...beer yes, and if you stop whining and bitching so much I might bring you a Yuengling or two!

Did not compare anyone to anyone. Just stating the facts folks now seem to want to ignore. As I recall you were not there for the early JJ years. But you know this. It just doesn't fit your narrative of all bad all the time. Facts are facts. As much as you would like to change history you just can't do it....even to fit your narrative.

You obviously we're not around during the first few years of JJ's tenure when we were not winning much and going to the post season. Like lots of folks here, memories are short. Some of us sat through those early years until JJ built the team and program the way he wanted and started winning fairly consistently. However, he always loaded up the early out if conference schedule with a bunch of lower division and easy mark teams. Folks seem fine with JJ doing this, and contrary to some folks, he did not always win those games in the early years either. So, yes, I know that, but some seem OK, like you, with this strategy in BB, but not in football. Bill Snyder at K State made a career out of playing these "patty cake" teams as has Baylor and others the last few years. This idea about wanting to get your butt handed to you at home by big powerhouse schools is, in my opinion, just plain nutty. While there are more games in a BB season as opposed to football, getting your butt handed to you at home is not my idea of having fun watching your team. Nor, in my opinion, does it build a fan base. Wins seem to help build crowds more than losses to anyone. But, again...just my opinion.

So...it is all peachy keen to schedule "patty cakes" in basketball as long as you beat them, but the same isn't true in football? Seems many here would rather see UNT get their rear ends handed to them at home in Apogee in front of a visiting team crowd as long as the butt whipping came from some big time program team. But, not so much in BB, huh?

excellent news! Thanks for getting this info for us Brett. Looks like a good pick-up for the Mean Green! Way to go Coach Patrick. Welcome to the Mean Green. Here's hoping the late rush won't throw this kid off his game or studies.

Or fans who cared enough to buy season or single game tickets and show up instead of just talk a good game, and frats and sororities who saw it as an obligation, not just a great Saturday being Mean Green, like we used to, to attend home games in force, and a super active Letterman's Association who put together a must attend game day event for Lettermen making it a must attend to support the current team and players, or Alums who cared enough to come fill the Game Day Pavilion before games, or a local community that realized how much of its bread is buttered by the economic engine that is UNT and would show up on game days in force, etc., etc. I really do not see how raising the student fee would work to increase attendance levels. We need more folks who, just like you DallasGreen, care and who understand why it is important to fill Apogee for every home game. I am open to hearing how raising the student fee helps any of the issues I mention above relating to attendance. Now, I certainly understand what increased revenues from the increased fee could do for the overall athletic program, but I am puzzled on how it might help increase attendance.

Well...thank you Ryan. "Dumbest"? Honestly, I doubt that...confused as to the campus I was referring to in the post perhaps so now that it has been pointed out to me by those much more experienced with the locations of the two campuses. I am sure now that Rice is a CUSA mate that I will become much more knowledgeable about that location and probably will not make this same locational boo boo in the future. But, thanks again.

The location of the Rice campus is horrible! And, anyone who thinks the Houston campus is anything more than an urban university campus is blind. Now, are there some pretty spots on each campus, absolutely! But, overall, both leave lots and lots to be desired. My opinion, of course. I would expect Houston folks to have a different opinion...and they well should. Local pride and all....

Yes, and those schools are right around the corner from Norfolk. And, did you see the rest of the ODU scheduling? Lots of home game "patty cakes" from lower divisions as well that UNT90 and others would blast the AD for scheduling. So, props for the UNC game at home...and I think a VA Tech deal as well...but lots of "patty cakes" filling in the ODU schedule as well. Me, if I were an ODU fan, I would not like to get my butt whipped big time at home just to say..."Gee, look, we scheduled UNC at home". Home wins are more important to me than getting to say my AD scheduled a butt whipping for us. Give me Navy, Air Force, Army, etc. They bring great crowds, the games are exciting affairs filled with pageantry (hint to SilverEagle) and the home team has a shot at a win. But, that's just my opinion. Those that advocate for a butt whipping at an Apogee stadium filled with opposing team fans with higher premium ticket and parking pricing press on. Opinions all around.

Oh, I get that...I think we all enjoy your visits here. Just making a point in trying to burst that old bogus stereotype if the rich SMU crowd. I hired lots of SMU grads...well, relatively speaking "lots" as the total really isn't that great, and none were from what I would consider "rich families". Just hard working middle class folks who usually worked as hard as anyone else and were a credit to their university and families, just like the UNT grads I hired. I will admit to giving UNT (and Okie State) grads preferential hiring treatment however...not officially you understand, right?

You know what's really funny? I would hazard a guess that there are way more millionaire + fathers who graduated from UNT than from SMU. Just by sheer numbers of grads alone if for no other reason. But, I do give you props for a great post. Got to keep that stereotype going. Makes for great rivals.

Nope. That's just passing the buck ... You know ... "Let someone else do it", rather than those who advocate for these stipends manning up and paying for them. Where I might be a tad more interested is if the NFL, who uses college athletics as a farm system, would step up and pay the costs of the scholarships or a goodly portion thereof for all schools thus allowing the fans and schools to come up with the stipends. Interesting that no one advocating for these entitlements has never mentioned the NFL who gets a free ride in all of this...all the while allowing colleges to fund the development of their players. Wonder why no one advocating for this crap has mentioned that? Talk about letting the rich get richer. And, how about the players who sign these multi-million dollar contracts actually manning up and paying their schools back for their scholarships? You know...rich guys and all that because they played college ball. No end to where this "let someone else do it" might lead. All because folks feel entitled. Here's an interesting little factoid as well....next time you see a list of Mean Green Club members, check out how many scholarship athlete parents you see in that list and how many of our ex-athletes you see. The ones you see there are the ones who get it, and we all owe them as we do all our Mean Green Club members a big THANK YOU. Sadly, the percentage is very low. It is also interesting to check those numbers out by sport played. Add....as to the last paragraph above...it is not unique to UNT as I have a friend who researches this sort of stuff at OSU (Okie State), and UNT is far from alone. In fact, I check my son's school all the time...where he played college soccer...he graduated in 2001, and he remains the largest annual donor to the Academy and the soccer program from his class. Sad. Many of these graduates are pulling in well over six figure incomes annually driving and engineering those big merchant ships you see floating around among other job categories. And, my wife and I remain one of the few sets of parents still donating to the Academy and the soccer program from that Class of 2001. So, no, UNT is far from alone. Doesn't make it any better to be in such company, but company UNT has is droves.

Sure. The Alumni Association is not contemplating sponsoring a bus. SMU is way to close to Denton for that and there is already an alternative...the train and/or the busses that John Williams has set up from East Side I believe. Several of us are already banding together to ride the train. It really is no hassle if you plan your time properly, and we hope to fill a car or two or three with Mean Green Green. But, we are not starting in Denton. We will board in Carrollton. Come join us on the train. No, this is not an organized ride....come board when we do, buy your own ticket and just enjoy the trip on the way to beating SMU on their home turf. The ride back will be super fun after that Mean Green win.

could we start by banding together to rid our society of this entitlement mentality? How about we start there, and I am not just talking about within college athletics.

Yep...and the other big difference was that I had to PAY FOR IT! And, these players can transfer as well. They are not locked in to UNT. And, they can work as you mention if they can't budget well enough to eat! As far as academics...they also get special academic tutoring that wasn't available to me and they get preferential treatment when setting academic schedules....all around practice time, etc. interesting that I see players on dates all the time around Denton and even run into them in Ft Worth and Dallas and Lewisville and Carrollton, etc. when I am out and about...sometimes with "the guys", sometimes alone and sometimes with what appears to be a date. How did they get there, how did they pay...where did that money come from? This idea that scholarship athletes have no free time and no money is just crap-ola. Sure, maybe someone else was paying. Great...just like most every other college student I know and knew. OK, let me also say this....I HATE this "pay me I'm entitled" crap-ola that is all the rage in college athletics today. It is a concept built on entitlement and is a symptom of the sports society in which we live today all starting with the "everyone gets a trophy" and "let's not hurt anyone's feelings" crap. BUT, that's my opinion. If you think it is great to pay these scholarship players, well good for you. I hope you will at least man up to your opinion and increase your donation level to the Mean Green Club. I increase mine every year by a percentage, so don't go there with me. And, I do not intend to stop doing that just because I do not want any part of this entitlement attitude. So, if you are great with this concept and think these poor kids are being treated so unfairly, then man up, step up and start doing more to pay them what you think they deserve. It is past time to stop "letting someone else do it". You like this crap....help cover the cost because UNT sure doesn't have the money at this point. Don't be like the Texas Legislature that mandates things schools must do by law and then fails to fund those initiatives. You like this initiative, great...fund it! Put your Mean Green Club dollars where your opinion is and make it happen. I have no problems with anyone of a different mind in this issue. But, step up. We will all be stepping up, like it or not, with higher ticket prices, concession prices, higher parking fees and higher Mean Green Club benefit levels. But, fees and price hikes alone won't cover the cost of this crap-ola. So............get your checkbook so at the handy.

Yep...sure did weigh offers....just like college athletes with multiple scholarship offers. So, what's your point? If I didn't like it, I didn't take it. I didn't bitch about it after I took it. Folks like you seem to want to place these scholarship athletes in the catagory of employees and fail to see the vast differences between scholarships and employment pay. You want them to be equal? Great! Then tax the scholarship like my pay was taxed and take that FICA out as well. Hey, they can pay for their own health insurance too, and that tuition can come out of their "pay" as well. You are mixing apples and organ gets when you attempt to base your argument on an employment premise when the individuals are not subject to employment rules and conditions.

And, those said players are getting an paid for education....don't like the deal? Great don't take it...don't play. No one will care. Fund your own college education like the majority have to find a way to do. This entitlement crap-loa is just pure bunk. No one forces these folks to play. You want them to be employees? Then treat them like employees...scholarships taxable...pay that FICA as well. Pay for your medical coverage as well. You like that deal instead of being college ball players getting a paid for education? Super...take it! Oh, and when you fumble or throw that pick or miss that tackle, let's see how you like the docked pay. And...let's see...you want to be paid? Great...your tuition will be X dollars per semester and let's not forget those fees...oh, you food costs will be taken out of your funds as well...you know...since you are an employee. Of course, going this far is nutty...about as nutty as folks whining over a free education and complaining that they don't have food to eat. Crap-ola pure and simple. This crap is going to change they way some folks feel about donating to college athletics going forward. It will also cause a rise in ticket prices, parking fees and concession prices. The game for fans changes completely if college players are seen as being paid. It's a game changer. Nope...no problem with that altogether as it is a different pot of money and a different situation altogether.

Jesse...that is a bunch of crap-ola. No, not your post, just the fact that they want you to believe they can't eat and pay rent. They choose to live off campus, they know the funds they have, and they can choose what they want. High priced rent eats into available funds. Tattoos and cell phones and cars eat into available funds as well. It is more a matter of budgeting than it is is starving or choosing between rent or food. Pure hyperbole. Too poor? Live on campus and eat in the dorms and learn to budget...get a roommate, eat at home not out...party less...study more. Gee, it sounds like the choices most any college student will make from time to time without that scholarship helping with tuition, fees and books. If you are too dumb to be able to budget you might just be too dumb to learn the playbook.

ODU is opting out of paying stipends for the first couple of years. The President said no current athlete nor recruited athlete coming in this year was recruited with stipends. Interesting. He also said that when they do start paying the extra funds must come from increased ticket prices and/or donations....not increases in student fees. They will use the $450K provided by CUSA to stockpile funds for when they do pay the stipends. Also saw that schools can determine to not pay some sports the stipends, but looks like football and basketball must be paid. At least that is what I got from the article I read today in the Norfolk, VA paper. Let the games begin and the lawsuits flow! This stipend stuff is simply crazy. A symptom of our entitlement society. Sad state of affairs...but, that's just my opinion.