We Need A Baseball Team!!!

[Mean Green 93-98]

6 hours ago, wardly said:

The argument is not about gate revenue, but about interest and attendance. If UTA averages only 100 fans per game, what makes you think we would do better? Also, just because a someone offers an opinion different from yours does not make it dumb, but rather you for not at least accepting that there are points of view other that your own.

I didn't say anything about anyone's opinion or point of view.  I didn't say anything about UTA's attendance.  As far as your comment, "The argument is not about gate revenue"...

On 6/30/2018 at 8:18 PM, wardly said:

The last thing we need is another non revenue producing sport 

 

On 7/1/2018 at 9:39 AM, wardly said:

Please list the universities whose baseball/softball programs break even.

 

On 7/3/2018 at 3:20 PM, wardly said:

Take a look at gate revenues and you will see why.

Personally, I agree that we're probably not ready for baseball.  But the argument going on here about ticket revenue is not that relevant to UNT sports.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Mean Green 93-98

[wardly]

WE are in violent agreement.However, as CUSA's t.v. money becomes less of a positive, and coaches salaries continue to escalate, gate revenue, or lack there of, should become relevant. What do we want , what do we need, and what are we willing to pay for? We may baseball, but we don't need [in my opinion] baseball, and I don't see us wanting to pay for baseball.I just don't see what baseball brings to the table.

[UNTFan23]

On 7/1/2018 at 9:39 AM, wardly said:

Please list the universities whose baseball/softball programs break even. Impossible when you factor in the cost of a venue.

The top 5 schools (for baseball) for attendance for the 2016-17 season were all SEC schools. 6th was an SBC school. Southern Miss made the Top 25.

With this line of thought, I have to wonder if you would ever encourage someone to buy a house.

[greenjoe]

I think baseball says, "big time."  Without looking, I would guess that every P5 program plays baseball.  Further, the only DFW schools I can think of are that play baseball are TCU, UTA, and Dallas Baptist.  Baseball would give us another opportunity to be mentioned on local TV sports.  

I would hope that NT fans would come out especially if the stands were covered to give us a chance against the spring sun.  Advertising would help offset expenses.  I don't know if that would come close to covering the cost. 

And, if nothing else, it would provide something else to talk about from March to September besides helmet stickers, uniform talk and coaching changes.

[wardly]

Wisconsin,Syracuse,Iowa St., and Colorado are only P5 schools without a baseball program.If memory serves, SMU dropped baseball in 60's, and if they can't afford it we certainly can't. Estimated cost and lack of attendance should mirror UTA, which is a lot of money just to have something to talk about.Just an old man's opinion.

[Salsa_Verde]

1 hour ago, wardly said:

Wisconsin,Syracuse,Iowa St., and Colorado are only P5 schools without a baseball program.If memory serves, SMU dropped baseball in 60's, and if they can't afford it we certainly can't. Estimated cost and lack of attendance should mirror UTA, which is a lot of money just to have something to talk about.Just an old man's opinion.

Those are bad examples as they all play up north where the weather isn’t exactly ideal for baseball. Excluding Colorado because no one cares about baseball in Colorado, but the rest of those programs I would say is a big reason why they don’t play baseball. SMU discontinued baseball in 1980, they couldn’t afford to pay for a baseball program while also paying the salaries of it’s football players. 

[wardly]

GEE, alot of other schools in the North play baseball, so cold weather is not the reason.

 

[Salsa_Verde]

47 minutes ago, wardly said:

GEE, alot of other schools in the North play baseball, so cold weather is not the reason.

 

I said conditions weren’t ideal not that it was the only reason these schools don’t have baseball. I see your a sensitive person so I’ll leave it be. 

 

[Salsa_Verde]

On 6/30/2018 at 8:35 PM, UNTLifer said:

I would argue that baseball could easily become a revenue producing sport, as could softball, with success and the proper marketing.  

I agree. The softball game against Oklahoma was sold out but was cancelled due to bad weather. I think softball is the most popular or is rapidly becoming the most popular women’s sport. 

[wardly]

NCAA projects only 10% of college baseball programs turn a profit, and that the number is closer to 5%. I don't know what kind of magic dust you have that would change that number,but I suspect like most of us we don't care what it cost as long as we don't have to pay for it.

 

[meangreenJW]

This is being made a complicated debate when to me it is quite simple. Should UNT have baseball at some point? Yes. Will it cost money? Of course. Every single sport at UNT loses money (and at most non power 5s). We lose a crap ton on football. But there should be ZERO hurry to add baseball right now. we've spent the last 5 decades not investing in athletics. To dilute resources after only two years of being serious about competing would be really foolish in my humble opinion. Spend another 3-5 years getting current programs shored up. Then talk about baseball. And for the record I'm a huge baseball fan and will buy season tickets. I just don't think doing it today makes any sense. We are on our way as a dept, but we dang sure haven't arrived.

[Damonfinley12]

I personally would love to see a Mean Green baseball team. There is so much young talent in this area that I think we could bring our way. Obviously it will take time to build a dominant program, but I think it would benefit UNT as well as the whole city of Denton.

[Coach Andy Mac]

It would be great to have baseball.  Most are in agreement with this.  CUSA is also a good baseball league already so that helps.

[oldguystudent]

1 hour ago, Coach Andy Mac said:

CUSA is also a good baseball league already so that helps.

CUSA has lost a lot of its luster since the creation of the American with departures of Houston, Tulane, and East Carolina combined with the now 82-year-old Wayne Graham of Rice being put out to pasture.  The league got two bids this year -- Southern Miss and Fla. Atlantic.  That's not bad, but they've dropped from being one of the "big six" down to 11th out of 31 in RPI as a conference.  

Meanwhile, the Sunbelt has risen to 7 (no doubt with help from Coastal Carolina). 

The SEC and B1G are aggressively taking over baseball at the expense of the Big Wests and CUSAs of the world.  It's a slower pace than football because of scholarship limitations, but it's happening.  

Nonetheless, this is most certainly a geographic area that can put together a good, competitive team in a short period of time -- until the B1G and SEC get rid of that pesky, parity causing scholarship limit.   

But as far as I know, all the former plans for baseball a couple three years ago have been completely abandoned and forgotten, and it doesn't seem like a priority at all in the current situation.  

I'd like to see it, but I'm done holding my breath.