U N O Students Vot Against Sports Funding Increase

MeanGreen61 · May 1, 2009

The results of the vote leave the athletic department with an uncertain future

http://blog.nola.com/tpsports/2009/05/uno_...ainst_athl.html

Stan R · May 1, 2009

We were so close to being in this same situation. In fact it scared the fiddlesticks out of me to think what would have happened had that vote failed. Thanks to so many who put their time and energy into making that vote a success. Of course thanks specifically to our very own UNTflyer.

MeanGreen61 · May 1, 2009

Post buy Arkstfan on the belt board.

"Chancellor says Division I athletics are out unless the legislature reverses budget cuts." http://tinyurl.com/chuulp

NT80 · May 1, 2009

"The school asked students if they wanted to pay an extra $8 per class hour to fund athletics."

If I read that right they were asking for $8 more per hour on top of whatever the current funding is? And all UNT was asking was $7 per hour to run the whole show plus new stadium? Sounds like UNT students are getting a great deal compared to athletic fees at some schools.

As far as UNO, they have suffered a lot since the hurricane mess. I don't know if they ever had decent attendance for basketball or ever would. Tulane and LSU get the bulk of New Orleans' fans (population now only around 300,000). Perhaps they should drop down for a while and regroup and think about what they want. That noted, I would like to see the SBC become an all-sports conference (ie all members play 1-A football). It would strengthen the conference's image. Sorry Denver and UALR.

Edited May 1, 2009 by NT80

oldguystudent · May 1, 2009

That noted, I would like to see the SBC become an all-sports conference (ie all members play 1-A football). It would strengthen the conference's image. Sorry Denver and UALR.

I actually agree with you on that one, but coming from the other side of the coin. The Big West held on for about five too many years trying to keep football around. Those were the years of bringing in UNT and maybe Ark St as a football only school. All the original BW football schools had long since left for the WAC or Mountain West. Finally, the BW realized that it was not going to be a football conference anymore. It dropped football as a sport and focused on basketball and baseball. The basketball has been pretty stagnant, but the baseball has just absolutely blasted off from top to bottom. Now you can't be a member of the conference unless you've got baseball, and you've got to show that your baseball is going to be good. It's not just Fullerton and everybody else now. It's a 3-4 bid conference every year with sights set on 5-6 in the not too distant future.

So why is OSG waxing poetic on all things Irvine and Big West again? Because the model makes sense. Pick a sport, make it a conference priority, get rid of the schools that don't have it, and that sport will take off. Other than the Big East with its 3,426 member schools, is there any other D1A football conference that allows non-football schools anymore?

NT80 · May 2, 2009

Other than the Big East with its 3,426 member schools, is there any other D1A football conference that allows non-football schools anymore?

I believe the Big East will split someday along the lines of those with or without football. 1-A Football usually drives the revenue bus. This is the main reason most conferences form in the first place...football. The MWC didn't split off from the WAC beacuse of basketball or baseball. Likewise the Big12 didn't invite Rice, UH, Smut or TCU at the time because of their poor football and/or football attendance and/or football facilities.

There are several minor sports that have members from other conferences in them. The SBC has some single-sport members. Men's swimming consists of Denver, WKU, UNO, FAU, Sou. Illinois, Missouri St., and Evansville. CUSA men's soccer is made up of Tulsa, Smut, Memphis, Marshall, UAB, and UCF but also includes Kentucky, South Carolina, and our own FIU.

Edited May 2, 2009 by NT80

shaft · May 3, 2009

UNO is broke as a school. A little thing called Katrina did an number to the campus and budget.

Enrollment changes and cut in state funding and the school is facing fee hikes across the board. No wonder they said no to an extra fee.

CMJ · May 3, 2009

I don't suspect the BE will break apart anytime soon. They get so many NCAA shares from the basketball only schools. No way they want to give those up.