This is in response to this topic.
Football is not the task right now, but the goal.
I think I've demonstrated that I want football as much as anyone in Black and Gold. But I would be wrong if I suggested we need to drop the basketball arena to raise money for football.
The goal, whether we ultimately add football or not, should be this:
- Push forward the department to the point where football is entirely feasible -
That means, take care of the things that need to be taken care of before football can be realistically approached. I'm all in for football, but I think you'd do a major disservice to every other sport, specifically men's basketball, if you come out of your stance before the center snaps the ball.
The way you identify what needs to be done is imagine us with a football stadium on-or-near-campus (location is irrelevant for this exercise) and a football team that is appropriately supported financially. Then, look around at the rest of the program and see what needs to be done.
- Basketball still needs its on-campus arena.
- Most sports need to be competitive enough in coach's salaries and recruiting budget to avoid taking a step back (Moynihan and Nikolic to Northwestern stings immensely)
- Is baseball still viable?
- Track, Tennis, and Baseball all are limited as far as facilities are concerned.
So what's the point of pushing for football, or even hockey, if we're not going to address these concerns?
Were I the Athletic Director, I would strongly consider a "Milwaukee's Going Big Time" athletics fundraising campaign that would raise money for all of these together with the intent to push for eventual inclusion in a high-major conference for all sports. Football stadium, basketball/hockey arena, practice facility for basketball, hockey, as well as an indoor "barn" for football and track-and-field that would be much like YSU's WATTS facility. At that point you'd have to seriously consider whether or not baseball should continue in its current form, since it has become painfully obvious that baseball in the north is dying and we will never be allowed to play our entire schedule inside Miller Park, the university's only realistic option to continuing the program (an unrealistic option would be to construct a domed stadium for a non-revenue sport).
Currently, our donor base is small. But I think you grow it considerably when you make the fundraising campaign an all-encompassing thing. Hockey and lacrosse are niche sports (LAX more than hockey) that open you up to an extremely affluent donor base that doesn't currently have anything to do with the university. Pursuing football opens you up to all of the football fans in the area who find themselves on the outside looking in for season-tickets to the Packers and Badgers, as well as alumni who have always thought of their program as "small time."
The program really has an opportunity right here to make the right decisions. In my mind, this university has made four wrong moves that have hindered our program:
- In 1974, the university dropped football, instead of deciding to pursue making the athletics program a top university; if they continued to play football and increased their financial support of the program, they could be far past where they are now.
- In 1980, the decision was made to drop out of Division-I because of lack of financial stability (as well as a basketball scandal).
- In 1990, the program went D-I despite the wishes of the faculty. It wasn't that the faculty didn't want D-I - they overwhelmingly did - but they wanted to used a move to D-I to push for upgrades in facilities and possible new sports.
- In the early 2000's, the Klotsche Center Pavilion was built and finished in 2006. Instead of razing the entire building, they only made the Pavilion addition, losing a prime chance to build the on-campus basketball and volleyball game and practice facilities.