Conference Realignment, Naming Rights, Financing

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#376      
jhayton
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
Grand Canyon heading to the Mountain West in 2026. They will play in the WCC for one year, in 2025, having previously agreed to join the conference with Seattle.
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As a non-football member. Not really sure what the MWC sees here. Good basketball brand for being so new, but not sure how they add to anyone’s piece of the pie.

As much as I hate re-alignment, at least the B1G hasn’t added any hands to the table that don’t add value. Don’t get me wrong I hate the re-alignment machine as much as the next guy. But if it has to happen at least add to everyone’s cut at the end of the day.

In my mind the B1G and the Big Ten are two different conferences. If we have to be a part of this ever changing landscape I think the B1G is the place to be. Nostalgia is always gonna want the good ol’ days. The unfortunate reality is those days are gone.
 
#377      
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
jhayton said:
As a non-football member. Not really sure what the MWC sees here. Good basketball brand for being so new, but not sure how they add to anyone’s piece of the pie.
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The one positive is that it does get the MWC into the Phoenix TV market and expands the conference's footprint into the state of Arizona.
 
#378      
AZILL
IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
The one positive is that it does get the MWC into the Phoenix TV market and expands the conference's footprint into the state of Arizona.
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Been here 30 years, and I wasn't even aware of them until they moved up to Div 1 in sports. I've even been to some GCU games and they are a blast to attend. But I don't see this bringing any additional TV eyeballs...... at least not in a + sense.... very small school, with a very small fanbase (though dedicated) but I just don't see any advantage to the MWC to add them. Perhaps they are just a placeholder, so the conference can claim X membership until the conference grows and a better school comes along.
 
#381      
Illini in Italy
We'll, I've been asking the question regarding how long it would be before a player sued the NCAA over restrictions on the number of years a player is eligible - we have our answer. This one is a JUCO transfer suing because he doesn't want his JUCO years to count as NCAA years as it limits his ability to earn NIL . . .

https://www.espn.com/college-footba...t-qb-diego-pavia-suing-ncaa-eligibility-rules

Next up will be a lawsuit against the rule limiting how many years a player can play college ball.

Super Troopers Smh GIF by Searchlight Pictures
 
#383      
Ryllini
Illini IndyCar Fan said:
Look out for a bunch of real life Van Wilders if players can play as long as they're actively enrolled
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I mean, they are becoming employees of the school, at what point is it not in the best interest of the school to keep a guy as long as they can and keep milking? Why not directly compete with the pro leagues.
 
#384      
Illiniguy74
Illini IndyCar Fan said:
Look out for a bunch of real life Van Wilders if players can play as long as they're actively enrolled
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Why are they required to be students? Many interviews with coaches and players mention the many hours these athletes spend in their respective sport facility training, watching film, meeting with coaches and players, etc. or otherwise refining their craft. This leaves little to no time for academics. Time to have these programs reflect what they actually are...semi pro teams. I'm making no judgment, just an observation.
 
#385      
Illini in Italy
Ryllini said:
I mean, they are becoming employees of the school, at what point is it not in the best interest of the school to keep a guy as long as they can and keep milking? Why not directly compete with the pro leagues.
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Because as our friend Gritty eloquently put out last spring or so (and whom I happen to agree with), it then becomes a minor league team with a subpar product, which as we've seen from the various minor league/arena leagues in this country, are typically failures.
 
#386      
illiniE
AZILL said:
Been here 30 years, and I wasn't even aware of them until they moved up to Div 1 in sports. I've even been to some GCU games and they are a blast to attend. But I don't see this bringing any additional TV eyeballs...... at least not in a + sense.... very small school, with a very small fanbase (though dedicated) but I just don't see any advantage to the MWC to add them. Perhaps they are just a placeholder, so the conference can claim X membership until the conference grows and a better school comes along.
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GCU is not a very small school. They have 25k on campus and over 100k in total enrollment. It is a for profit school so I doubt it inspires much passion for sports.

We were at a party once and asked a couple where their daughter was going to college. They said she likes Stanford and GCU. Still the most random college answer I have got. She went to GCU.
 
#387      
RabidDawgClassic
Illini in Italy said:
Because as our friend Gritty eloquently put out last spring or so (and whom I happen to agree with), it then becomes a minor league team with a subpar product, which as we've seen from the various minor league/arena leagues in this country, are typically failures.
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Spoiler alert: College football and basketball have always been minor leagues for the NFL and NBA. They’ve just been disguised as amateur athletics for academics.
 
#388      
GrayGhost77
illiniE said:
GCU is not a very small school. They have 25k on campus and over 100k in total enrollment. It is a for profit school so I doubt it inspires much passion for sports.

We were at a party once and asked a couple where their daughter was going to college. They said she likes Stanford and GCU. Still the most random college answer I have got. She went to GCU.
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I went to the game 5 years ago when we played at GCU. They're fans are extremely passionate, at least for basketball. I was impressed.
 
#390      
Illini in Italy
RabidDawgClassic said:
Spoiler alert: College football and basketball have always been minor leagues for the NFL and NBA. They’ve just been disguised as amateur athletics for academics.
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Yeah, in truth a de facto minor league for both sports, but paid for by the universities and governed by the NCAA. As long there is an affiliation with universities and colleges, college sports have a path to viability. They certainly do not on their present path IMO.
 
#391      
the juiceman cometh
Illini in Italy said:
Yeah, in truth a de facto minor league for both sports, but paid for by the universities and governed by the NCAA. As long there is an affiliation with universities and colleges, college sports have a path to viability. They certainly do not on their present path IMO.
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I'm not in favor of doing away with the requirement that players are students, but I also don't buy that it would be the end of college sports fandom. I mean, do any of us think Will Riley is here for the academics? Does our fandom depend on it? If it turns out KJ is an employee of the school instead of a student, will people stop attending games?

I don't think there is much an analogy to be drawn between college sports and typical minor league teams. College campuses in the US are large communities and college sports serve as a bit of a monoculture within those communities. Major universities also have hundreds of thousands of alumni, many of whom have deeply personal connections with their school, which college sports serve as an outlet for. No G League team will ever have anything like that.
 
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