DRC: UNT notes, a look at Texas lockers with HDTV name plates

Brett Vito · April 17, 2017

DRC:

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/mean-green/2017/04/16/sunday-leftovers-notes

GrandGreen · April 17, 2017

Anyone looking at UT's locker room not think this is all getting totally out of hand?

MeanGreen13 · April 17, 2017

Yeah... it has honestly been way out of hand... But trust UT to always push everything further. Honestly, UT's money is their only advantage right now so they should absolutely leverage that to help the program get back on top!

ColoradoEagle · April 17, 2017

The HDTV idea is just dumb. It looks ok by itself, but with 40 or 50 of them next to each other on each wall it will be obnoxious and a waste of money/electricity. The rest of the locker is nice.

Edited April 17, 2017 by ColoradoEagle

Mean Green 93-98 · April 17, 2017

It's all about wowing recruits with bells and whistles. And of course it's out of hand. But as the ante rises, kids get more and more jaded, so everybody has to keep topping everybody else. Unless the NCAA does something to cap expenditures, it's going to get even sillier.

edcollopy · April 17, 2017

I'm glad Peter King in his SI.com had to mention the absurdity in his NFL column. Entitled and spoiled = kids that don't work hard enough. It's very difficult to not get that way with all of these bells and whistles. Are we there to learn and play a sport or just show we have more money to waste on frivolous nonsense???

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 17, 2017

1 hour ago, GrandGreen said:

Anyone looking at UT's locker room not think this is all getting totally out of hand?

Hasn't helped them. OU still goes down to Dallas and regularly kicks the sh*t out of them...along with several other schools per season.

This will only add to the 'Horns players' feelings of self-importance. I mean, you are watching highlights of yourself before you've really even won/done anything.

Harry · April 17, 2017

The money is getting ridiculous but I have to admit that it looks really cool.

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 17, 2017

29 minutes ago, edcollopy said:

I'm glad Peter King in his SI.com had to mention the absurdity in his NFL column. Entitled and spoiled = kids that don't work hard enough. It's very difficult to not get that way with all of these bells and whistles. Are we there to learn and play a sport or just show we have more money to waste on frivolous nonsense???

Practicing outside becomes an endangered species in all of this. Got to do away with that. God forbid these snowflake footballers let a drop of rain touch their skin during practice...or, go more than 15 minutes without air conditioning and water.

Edited April 17, 2017 by MeanGreenMailbox

Ryan Munthe · April 17, 2017

Omg that is hilarious

letsgiveacheer · April 17, 2017

I feel badly for the benchwarmers. I can only imagine what their videos will look like.

untjim1995 · April 17, 2017

More power to them--they make the money, they should spend it how they want. It certainly isn't helping them win anything of major note.

I cannot wait for the day when the Power Giants split off. They are about as much of a "college" team, in its traditional meaning, as Tony Benford was a head basketball coach. Maybe both have had those titles, but they don't really convey the truth. Let Texas keep building and rewarding their powder-puff kids without merit and have to see them lose to the Kansas's of the world, but play in a world where they cannot buy wins because the system lets them.

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 17, 2017

I guess here is the reality: if everyone is coddled, we're back at square one - need to win consistently with our coddled versus their coddled. So, coddle away!

UNTLifer · April 17, 2017

36 minutes ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Practicing outside becomes an endangered species in all of this. Got to do away with that. God forbid these snowflake footballers let a drop of rain touch their skin during practice...or, go more than 15 minutes without air conditioning and water.

Easy. I stated an IPF was ridiculous and got told I was old by the youngsters on here. Same with the Rangers wanting a new stadium when the current one is fine.

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 17, 2017

1 minute ago, untjim1995 said:

More power to them--they make the money, they should spend it how they want. It certainly isn't helping them win anything of major note.

I cannot wait for the day when the Power Giants split off. They are about as much of a "college" team, in its traditional meaning, as Tony Benford was a head basketball coach. Maybe both have had those titles, but they don't really convey the truth. Let Texas keep building and rewarding their powder-puff kids without merit and have to see them lose to the Kansas's of the world, but play in a world where they cannot buy wins because the system lets them.

It's basically semi-pro now that they've legalized what they put SMU on probation for. It's the "who can pay more in stipend." The Bamas, OUs, and Texas' of the world are like the Yankees and Dodgers. Sad that it's gone to that, but....

HoustonEagle · April 17, 2017

Correct me if I am wrong but the TV idea is not that expensive. I guesstimate the screens cost about 50k for 100 lockers. Not sure what you need to drive it but I will assume it is not over 5k. LED lighting is dirt cheap now. Its a lot of bang for the buck. In the end its the stainless steel that really does it for me.

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 17, 2017

3 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Easy. I stated an IPF was ridiculous and got told I was old by the youngsters on here. Same with the Rangers wanting a new stadium when the current one is fine.

Right there with you on the IPF, and the Rangers as well.

Baseball is my favorite sport, but MLB is on the verge of losing me with their threat to to put a clock on pitchers. Can't imagine anything more sports-sacred than the pitcher versus the batter, individual versus individual, nine times per go round, wrapped inside a team game. And, especially in late innings with the way relief pitchers are used, and when the game is on the line.

Can't fathom an umpire warning Goose Gossage or Lee Smith or Bruce Sutter to hurry it up when they were facing the heart of a lineup in the eighth and ninth inning - from back in the days when your closer was expected get you the last six as often as the last three.

Crazy.

untjim1995 · April 17, 2017

Just now, MeanGreenMailbox said:

It's basically semi-pro now that they've legalized what they put SMU on probation for. It's the "who can pay more in stipend." The Bamas, OUs, and Texas' of the world are like the Yankees and Dodgers. Sad that it's gone to that, but....

And that's fine. That's what they get for the money and control they wield. I wish we had the same issue, but there are plenty of music majors and arts majors at UT and OU that wish they had the same advantages and resources that UNT provides their musicians and artists. Its all in what you place value in.

I never imagined being at a point where I wanted to see these NFL-lite and NBA-lite programs separate, but its not right calling North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, or Western Kentucky the same level as Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana State, Arkansas, or Kentucky. The latter gets their prestige from being the main school(s) in the state, filling their legislative houses with their alumni, as well as their journalists. They have gamed the system for full control, but then use the former to buy easy wins. Its like watching a Varsity HS team play a Freshmen Team in the strong majority of games. Sure, Appy State beat Michigan and others have pulled off these kinds of upsets, but they are the exceptions, not the rule. These games shouldn't get played and when they don't, the Texas Tech's of the world can go and be the piñata to these monster programs just to say they are playing at the top level, even though they will never have the resources to stay up with them.

MeanGreen_MBA · April 17, 2017

2 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

Anyone looking at UT's locker room not think this is all getting totally out of hand?

this for sure...

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 17, 2017

2 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

And that's fine. That's what they get for the money and control they wield. I wish we had the same issue, but there are plenty of music majors and arts majors at UT and OU that wish they had the same advantages and resources that UNT provides their musicians and artists. Its all in what you place value in.

I never imagined being at a point where I wanted to see these NFL-lite and NBA-lite programs separate, but its not right calling North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, or Western Kentucky the same level as Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana State, Arkansas, or Kentucky. The latter gets their prestige from being the main school(s) in the state, filling their legislative houses with their alumni, as well as their journalists. They have gamed the system for full control, but then use the former to buy easy wins. Its like watching a Varsity HS team play a Freshmen Team in the strong majority of games. Sure, Appy State beat Michigan and others have pulled off these kinds of upsets, but they are the exceptions, not the rule. These games shouldn't get played and when they don't, the Texas Tech's of the world can go and be the piñata to these monster programs just to say they are playing at the top level, even though they will never have the resources to stay up with them.

Agree. It's catching lightning in a bottle: strong, veteran FCS school playing a name FBS that is simply going base offense and defense for Game One.

Doesn't ever change the balance of competition overall; you can't with as much money as was being shoveled to even losing BCS programs back in the day.

UNTLifer · April 17, 2017

Personally, it looks ridiculous, but I am now considered an old man so what do I know.

MeanGreen_MBA · April 17, 2017

4 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

And that's fine. That's what they get for the money and control they wield. I wish we had the same issue, but there are plenty of music majors and arts majors at UT and OU that wish they had the same advantages and resources that UNT provides their musicians and artists. Its all in what you place value in.

I never imagined being at a point where I wanted to see these NFL-lite and NBA-lite programs separate, but its not right calling North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, or Western Kentucky the same level as Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana State, Arkansas, or Kentucky. The latter gets their prestige from being the main school(s) in the state, filling their legislative houses with their alumni, as well as their journalists. They have gamed the system for full control, but then use the former to buy easy wins. Its like watching a Varsity HS team play a Freshmen Team in the strong majority of games. Sure, Appy State beat Michigan and others have pulled off these kinds of upsets, but they are the exceptions, not the rule. These games shouldn't get played and when they don't, the Texas Tech's of the world can go and be the piñata to these monster programs just to say they are playing at the top level, even though they will never have the resources to stay up with them.

What if....we let the "BIG" players spin-off, then the left-overs refuse to play them at all. That would put, what 50 of the money schools to simply play with each other. over a period of time, that will wear thin. We take the remaining 75 or so school, move up 30 -40 from lower divisions and make our own league....soon, the big boys will want to play in our sandbox. More variety in scheduling.....I think we may have something here....

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 17, 2017

1 minute ago, UNTLifer said:

Personally, it looks ridiculous, but I am now considered an old man so what do I know.

Agree. I'm a few ticks shy of 50, but old enough to think back to when you were assigned a locker, given a lock, and sent on your way - to change, then usually outside to run your ass off in the hot Texas sun before the coaches sauntered out with their clipboard to start practice.

It's a different kind of "tough" these days, I suppose. Instead of Barry Switzer, Jackie Sherrill, Jimmy Johnson, and Darrell Royal hiding out in gas station and restaurant bathrooms the night before signing day, you've got twitter and shit like these HD lockers to butter up and entice kids year round.

UNTFan23 · April 17, 2017

It's not just the cost of the individual lockers that is shocking, it's the manpower to create each and every single video for each monitor in the locker room plus other hardware to serve the video off of. I would presume they'd use IPTV, so you looking at several servers along with networking hardware likely putting the price tag over 100k total just for the cool HD "nameplates". I guess UT would use their existing film/graphics team during the late spring/summer to make these 30 to 60 second videos?

untjim1995 · April 17, 2017

21 minutes ago, MeanGreen_MBA said:

What if....we let the "BIG" players spin-off, then the left-overs refuse to play them at all. That would put, what 50 of the money schools to simply play with each other. over a period of time, that will wear thin. We take the remaining 75 or so school, move up 30 -40 from lower divisions and make our own league....soon, the big boys will want to play in our sandbox. More variety in scheduling.....I think we may have something here....

What really sucks about us playing the bodybag games that RV scheduled--except for Iowa, which I believe was scheduled correctly if you need a bodybag game (and we do)--is that we chose to play Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, and other regional powerhouses who our own alums and students follow and cheer for because they grew up following them or because we have never given them a reason to care for us. So, when we lose 79-10 to OU, 65-0 to UT, 56-3 to LSU, and whatever Ark and Bama beat us by, all it does is reinforce to those alumni and students that we aren't any good compared to these behemoths. The same goes for the DFW media around here.

If you play these games, playing Iowa and Wisconsin is the way to go. Big, slow teams from far away--you might be able to compete with them, but even losing to them doesn't hurt you like it does losing to the Southern Powerhouses we schedule. Playing at Texas A&M and Arkansas in the future just kills momentum you might be building when we get lose to them, usually very badly.