Rice getting inflatable practice facility

[Coach Bill Lewis]

Rice announced they are building an inflatable practice bubble on the west side of Rice Stadium. The total cost will be $3 million and will be ready by August 2019.

http://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/02/inflatable-field-to-occupy-bike-track-infield-host-sports-teams

[NorthTexasWeLove]

Wow. Very retro of them. 

Have we knocked on the MWC door yet? 

[MeanGreenTexan]

I really don't understand Rice.   They have the funds to invest in athletics... they just don't.   They don't necessarily need athletics to be their "front porch" since their academics are renowned, but they appear to be almost letting athletics rot on the vine.   

This school was in the SWC!!  Now, outside of baseball (and now women's b-ball?), they're a bottom-dwelling, also-ran in C-USA.

If they wanted to, they could build one of the nicest IPF's in the country.  Instead... something is better than nothing, I suppose.

[greenjoe]

I like the fact that when they don't need it, it can be deflated and then quickly aired up again when needed. 

Sort of an "Instant Rice" facility.

[southsideguy]

Does it come with a foot pump? 

Edited February 22, 2019 by southsideguy

[meangreenlax]

Why does Rice even try at this point? They have a $6.2 billion endowment and still don't give a crap.  

[Withers940]

So dumb. I feel like this is such a waste of money but what do I care, build two

[Cr1028]

Does it come with a hand pump, foot pump, or do you blow it by mouth? I’m sure the inflatable spectators prefer by mouth.

 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

The soft backdrop white noise of the pumps running also doubles as their "home in-game noise generator." 

[NorthTexan95]

1 hour ago, greenjoe said:

I like the fact that when they don't need it, it can be deflated and then quickly aired up again when needed. 

Sort of an "Instant Rice" facility.

This is so good I had to post it on the CUSA board giving you credit. 

[Matt from A700]

$3 million for a bouncy house? Did I read that title correctly?

[MeanGreenTexan]

9 minutes ago, Matt from A700 said:

$3 million for a bouncy house? Did I read that title correctly?

To be fair, I think this is the same kind of IPF the Longhorns have.

[EagleMBA]

More like a $3 million whoopie cushion that can be deflated quickly for effect at the end of every loss. As the clock winds down to 0:00, the crowd will chant "Pull my finger!".

[greenminer]

they get to spend 6+ months/year in this facility?

 

 

[untjim1995]

2 hours ago, meangreenlax said:

Why does Rice even try at this point? They have a $6.2 billion endowment and still don't give a crap.  

I feel like Rice is what SMU will become one day when it finally sinks in for them that they don't really matter anymore in the grand scheme of college athletics. Rice alumni have gone from watching them play in the preeminent conference of the day from the 50's thru the early 80's, only to see it finally fall apart when everybody realized a conference with that many small private schools will never grab major media attention. Then, Rice loses its connection to the other SWC leftovers, only to get stuck behind in a conference with the Texas schools that have always been looked down at from the media and fans.

Rice is basically just running out the clock here...

[MeanGreenTexan]

3 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

I feel like Rice is what SMU will become one day when it finally sinks in for them that they don't really matter anymore in the grand scheme of college athletics. Rice alumni have gone from watching them play in the preeminent conference of the day from the 50's thru the early 80's, only to see it finally fall apart when everybody realized a conference with that many small private schools will never grab major media attention. Then, Rice loses its connection to the other SWC leftovers, only to get stuck behind in a conference with the Texas schools that have always been looked down at from the media and fans.

Rice is basically just running out the clock here...

No way.

Rice doesn't need athletics to be seen as a premier school.  Their academics do the talking.   Same for all the Ivy league schools piddling around in D1AA.    Now, why they chose to let Athletics wither instead of thrive like, say, Stanford or Northwestern, I don't know.

SMU however, is not even remotely close to Rice in terms of academic prestige.   So they NEED athletics to be seen.  Like Baylor, like Miami, etc...  No way SMU lets what has happened to Rice, happen to them.

[UNTFan23]

1 hour ago, Matt from A700 said:

$3 million for a bouncy house? Did I read that title correctly?

Let's hope they anchor it down correctly:

[UNTLifer]

There is nothing wrong with inflatable practice babes,  umm bubbles.

[untjim1995]

1 hour ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

No way.

Rice doesn't need athletics to be seen as a premier school.  Their academics do the talking.   Same for all the Ivy league schools piddling around in D1AA.    Now, why they chose to let Athletics wither instead of thrive like, say, Stanford or Northwestern, I don't know.

SMU however, is not even remotely close to Rice in terms of academic prestige.   So they NEED athletics to be seen.  Like Baylor, like Miami, etc...  No way SMU lets what has happened to Rice, happen to them.

Maybe I should’ve said that this will be athletics only. BTW, Rice is 16 in the US News and World Report rankings and SMU is 59. Baylor is 78th and TCU is 80th. Just wanted to put it all in perspective. UT and A&M are also ranked in the top 100.

[risinggreen]

9 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I really don't understand Rice.   They have the funds to invest in athletics... they just don't.   They don't necessarily need athletics to be their "front porch" since their academics are renowned, but they appear to be almost letting athletics rot on the vine.   

This school was in the SWC!!  Now, outside of baseball (and now women's b-ball?), they're a bottom-dwelling, also-ran in C-USA.

If they wanted to, they could build one of the nicest IPF's in the country.  Instead... something is better than nothing, I suppose.

A lot of it probably has to do with the fact that many of their old glory day boosters from the 50's and early 60's have passed on. The new power brokers don't quite have the enthusiasm that the older guys had of even keeping the program going. At least that's what I've been told by someone close to the program.

[Aquila_Viridis]

Rice does not appeal to the kind of students who want a big sports program etc., and even if it did, many of them couldn't get in. They are in rare air academically. When I was a student, NT certainly did not appeal to most students who wanted all that, but for different reasons. The art and music programs were much more relatively prominent then. Of course those are still excellent programs, but other programs have risen and grown.  Growing the sports program has been a serious uphill battle externally and internally.  It wasn't that long ago Rice was kicking us all around. May that never happen again!

[GrandGreen]

Most endowments are restricted use. Even unrestricted amounts are likely to fund annual operating athletic costs.  You don't see NT drawing down their endowment either for athletes unless those funds were designated for that use.  

Rice is a private school, therefore not even the very limited information provided in athletic budgets is known.   Rice may prop up their athletics with endowment funds, but they have so much it wouldn't be noticed.  

Rice is never going to have a lot of support for their athletics.  The rise of UH and the high entrance requirements have substantially limited Rice's athletic ceiling.