UNT AD List of Priorities

[Jonnyeagle]

14 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

Something to consider about adding baseball as well are Title IX implications.

Does that tip the scales in favor of Male sports? If so, what female sport do we add to compensate?

I’ve heard it would be sand volleyball.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

27 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

Something to consider about adding baseball as well are Title IX implications.

Does that tip the scales in favor of Male sports? If so, what female sport do we add to compensate?

No one adheres to Tile IX, no one. That's just an old excuse that anti-baseball people throw around. 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

55 minutes ago, ColoradoEagle said:

Hard to track "media attention", but the WBB championship game draws 3-4x as many viewers as the CWS. The 25th ranked attendance in 2019 for WBB (Wisconsin - 3886) dwarfed all but the top 14 baseball attendance in the same year.

March Madness Daily: Could the Women’s Tournament Make More TV Money? – Sportico.com

Ratings: College World Series, MLB, Euros - Sports Media Watch

 

 

Maybe, but I will tell you this... The average attendance per game in the CWS just this past season would be the 13th most attended women's basketball game, ever. 

Edited March 1, 2022 by NorthTexasWeLove

[ColoradoEagle]

11 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Maybe, but I will tell you this... The average attendance per game in the CWS just this past season would be the 13th most attended women's basketball game, ever. 

Our game against Houston in 2019 had more fans than the season average of every team in the NBA!

[wardly]

On 2/28/2022 at 11:32 AM, Tom McKrackin said:

I am stealing this topic from another poster, namely @NT80 but I thought it would be interesting to see where our fanbase stands.

If you were to compile a listing of the top 5 items needing to be addressed with UNT athletics what would it be. 

1). Football - underperformance given the resources and salaries/facilities

2).  Baseball - The next time I have someone tell me that we can't afford baseball I think I will puke.  How does La. Tech and nUTSAck?

3).  Athletic Center - It is too small and too hidden away.  Needs a major expansion asap.

4).  Basketball facility - This could be either a new facility on the Eagle Point side or perhaps a revamp of the Super Pit which BTW looked absolutely fantastic with 8500 peeps in it.

5).  Academic/Career support staff and building -  we need to have a place for all of the athletes to get tutoring and academic/career advice.   SMU is a good example as they tell their recruits we will be there to help you navigate your career path for life.

The AAC is a huge step up, especially in terms of budgets, facilities, academic reputation and support.  Wren has to formulate a new 10 year capital plan to address the future of UNT athletics.

We can't afford baseball. In fact, very few athletic programs can. My question is not that La. Tech can, but why SMU can not?

[NT80]

I sense some gender inequity here!  We have fans that praise the upgrades and expenditures for softball but dismiss any notion of a baseball program.  Baseball is a major sport in the U.S. and sponsored by most schools at every level from middle school up.  

As for the other sports.....Football needs some serious work Wren! 

The SuperPit is still Great!   No need to waste $100 mil on a new smaller place.  Hire Nick Saban instead!

Edited March 2, 2022 by NT80

[UNTFan23]

On 3/2/2022 at 12:56 AM, NT80 said:

The SuperPit is still Great!   No need to waste $100 mil on a new smaller place.  Hire Nick Saban instead!

The SP on the outside looks good but we're at a point where we can't do much more than cosmetic enhancements without a significant amount of money being dumped into an almost 50 year old facility.

[NT80]

7 hours ago, UNTFan23 said:

The SP on the outside looks good but we're at a point where we can't do much more than cosmetic enhancements without a significant amount of money being dumped into an almost 50 year old facility.

8500 fans just had a GREAT time in it.  The VIPs even looked happy!  I can't think of anything a new arena could provide for the common fan that the SP doesn't.  Maybe suites for the rich guys, but 99% of college arenas don't have them.  What else does it need?  The students and regular fans seemed VERY happy too.  Maybe a faster and better ticket/entry system.

Edited March 4, 2022 by NT80

[UNTLifer]

Baker wants suites. The SP has asbestos. A major renovation would require removal, etc. 

I love the SP, always have, but the department wants to own their own facility, with practice courts attached and the previously mentioned suites and other amenities. Plus, it would also provide needed facilities for our volleyball team. They can’t do that with the current situation. 

[NT80]

6 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Baker wants suites. The SP has asbestos. A major renovation would require removal, etc. 

I love the SP, always have, but the department wants to own their own facility, with practice courts attached and the previously mentioned suites and other amenities. Plus, it would also provide needed facilities for our volleyball team. They can’t do that with the current situation. 

Do we know if it even has asbestos?  It was banned in construction in Texas in 1977.  Not everything built before that has asbestos.  Plus, it's not even an issue unless you tear down something and breathe dust for several hours.  Otherwise, a small area, like for suites, can be dust-contained, and rebuilt, no problem.  Do we really needs suites?   Everyone mentions other amenities, like what??  An arena is to sit and watch a game....which is what it does great now!!  Why spend $100 mil just to get suites and less seats??

[greenminer]

Just want everyone in this thread to know, I'm cool cool with whatever.
 

I love baseball.  I also love the idea of a new bball arena.

I think I will see both in my lifetime

[GrandGreen]

2 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

Baker wants suites. The SP has asbestos. A major renovation would require removal, etc. 

I love the SP, always have, but the department wants to own their own facility, with practice courts attached and the previously mentioned suites and other amenities. Plus, it would also provide needed facilities for our volleyball team. They can’t do that with the current situation. 

Yeah, let NT spend north of $100m were the basketball teams won't suffer the great indignity of playing in a University owned facility.

The ownership does not matter one iota, the same people will control the facility no matter what name is on the official title. 

 

[greenminer]

2 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

Yeah, let NT spend north of $100m were the basketball teams won't suffer the great indignity of playing in a University owned facility.

The ownership does not matter one iota, the same people will control the facility no matter what name is on the official title. 

 

You mean the people the AD have to coordinate with for the Super Pit schedule will also want to coordinate with the new venue? Even when they still have the Super Pit? Can you explain what you mean?

[DentonLurker]

I think the word ownership here is what’s confusing. At the end of the day everything, including athletics facilities, is owned by the university. The issue people are referring to is management. There’s an entire staff responsible for managing the Super Pit that does not roll up to Wren. The other athletic facilities on campus are managed by a staff that rolls up to Wren. So a dedicated arena managed by Wren’s team would obviously be ideal vs coordinating with another university department to make things happen at the Super Pit.

[GrandGreen]

6 hours ago, greenminer said:

You mean the people the AD have to coordinate with for the Super Pit schedule will also want to coordinate with the new venue? Even when they still have the Super Pit? Can you explain what you mean?

I don't know why anyone thinks that the management of the Super Pit will change because of what name is on the title. 

Yes, the management of a new arena will be the same as it is now with the SUperpit.

Do you really think that Baker reporting relationship with the Administration will change.   Yeah, I can see it now;  Baker to his boss,  Mr. President I am sorry I am going to schedule the SPit anyway I like.

I don't know why this Red Herring keeps surfacing.  First, there is no financial rationale for building a new basketball arena.  Second, there is no need for a new basketball area,  

There is a reason that this is away a way in the future project.  

[NorthTexan95]

On 2/28/2022 at 4:21 PM, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

Delong doesn’t want a new stadium unless it’s gonna be standing on the exact same ground

Is this true?  It seems weird that a university would base major long term plans on the desires of a current coach.  Plus, I'd expect he would prefer a modern facility that faces away from the afternoon sun.  

I think it's more likely that building a new stadium is far in the future unless a big money donor comes forward. But if they have changed their long term plans to leave softball were it currently is, then that would be very interesting. 

[UNTcrazy727]

22 hours ago, UNTFan23 said:

The SP on the outside looks good but we're at a point where we can't do much more than cosmetic enhancements without a significant amount of money being dumped into an almost 50 year old facility.

Man, hard disagree. The Super Pit is ugly as sin from the outside. They've tried to put lipstick on it the past few years, but she's still a big ole pig. 

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

27 minutes ago, NorthTexan95 said:

Is this true?  It seems weird that a university would base major long term plans on the desires of a current coach.  Plus, I'd expect he would prefer a modern facility that faces away from the afternoon sun.  

I think it's more likely that building a new stadium is far in the future unless a big money donor comes forward. But if they have changed their long term plans to leave softball were it currently is, then that would be very interesting. 

Delong has expressed that in person and on social media.

[ntmeangreen11]

I would much rather see a mens soccer team than baseball. It will cost a whole lot less and the two sports are basically on even footing in terms of popularity now.

[meangreen11]

1 hour ago, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

Delong has expressed that in person and on social media.

You do realize that the biggest obstacle we have in softball recruiting is other competing coaches tell prospects that DeLong won’t be at UNT for “Long”…

[Clinetort]

1 hour ago, ntmeangreen11 said:

I would much rather see a mens soccer team than baseball. It will cost a whole lot less and the two sports are basically on even footing in terms of popularity now.

Yep, everyone is familiar with the College Soccer World Series!

[Censored by Laurie]

8 minutes ago, Clinetort said:

Yep, everyone is familiar with the College Soccer World Series!

this dude clearly loves baseball..162 posts that just kinda keep dragging on without really doing or saying anything interesting. 

[Jonnyeagle]

2 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

this dude clearly loves baseball..162 posts that just kinda keep dragging on without really doing or saying anything interesting. 

We actually had a very good mens soccer team back in the 80s and early 90s I believe.

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

1 hour ago, ntmeangreen11 said:

I would much rather see a mens soccer team than baseball. It will cost a whole lot less and the two sports are basically on even footing in terms of popularity now.

We are also in a hotbed of soccer recruiting. The Men's National Team is full of players from the DFW area that went to the FC Dallas academy. If we could get even the guys that barely miss out on the academy or would rather go to college than an academy, we would have a stacked team because the academy is that good, arguably one of the best in the world. Doesn't cost much to fund a soccer team and it is the fastest growing sport in this country. We are now in a World Cup year and the sport's popularity takes a massive jump in this country every World Cup year. I seriously think a Men's Soccer team could hit the ground running from the onset with the right resources and support. 

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

18 minutes ago, Clinetort said:

Yep, everyone is familiar with the College Soccer World Series!

Baseball is a dying sport. The sports popularity tanks every year and they keep shooting themselves in the foot with these lockouts almost every other year.