LOL.I think dablueraiders is that Tigerscane fellow from Memphis. Lord help us
Tigerscane is an online alias of one of the guys I run with down there. He definitely keeps the Memphis messageboard folks stirred up.
LOL.I think dablueraiders is that Tigerscane fellow from Memphis. Lord help us
Well said and accurate. They lost me after the Marshall debacle. Nix should have been fired on the spot.
This is going to be us.....
I've said my piece. And you know EXACTLY what I think about thingsJust read Part 4 of Peeking Up Massaro's Skirt. Guys, how in the heck does CM propose to raise an amount for Athletic Facilities construction / upgrades that is roughly equal to 85% of the current endowment value? Bonds? Institution/Auxillary Funds? "Other" Funds? What the heck is "Other"?
$47.7 Million dollars. That's right. $47.7 Million. In. New. Money.
We currently pay a .500 Head Football Coach more in annual salary than the cost of proposed Women's Softball Facilities upgrades.
Current annual salary, bonuses and benefits for the entire staff ($5.8MM) would pay for the proposed Women's Athletics Facility or the proposed Tennis Facility.
How does an endowment fund drop $3MM in value since 2011 during this bull market run? Until somebody over there can prove to me that they know how to run a business, I ain't opening my checkbook again. Bahamas trips, Hawaii trips, China trips? Blue Raider Dave is a smarter CFO than me. What say you my friend?
I know. I was late to the party as a 47-year old grad student but I gave it 9 years straight after becoming a MTSU grad in '05. Sponsored golf events, served on BRAA Advisory Board, made a decent donation to the new baseball stadium, season ticket holder for football, basketball and baseball, travelled to numerous road games, bowl games and NCAA tournament games. You reach your individual tipping point. Mine was the way CM and Stock spun the 8-year contract in exchange for the 3-year bonus forbearance, hiring of Tommy West, and watching the staff on the sideline during the blowout in Bowling Green, KY two years ago.I've said my piece. And you know EXACTLY what I think about things
Going 4-0 this year would impact the attendence for THIS year...what I am talking about is building a foundation of fans, a core group that give back to MT and support our athletic teams.
Let me give you an example. I work for a SW company, my boss'es brother is the GM of the Philadelphia 76'ers (Scott O'Neil); although the team has been pitiful, the fan base is growing and their revenues are growing. I know this is apples and oranges to MT, but I don't see a detailed approach to build our brand, our fans, etc. Like I said earlier, this doesn't have to cost a lot of money, it literally is learning who your target market is and making a personal appeal over and over and over. I have use the term "Guerrilla" marketing on this board for years - its what a start up business does, we need to do the same.
Personal Story, back in the early D1 days (2002ish), I was approached by Boots and one of his assistant AD's and shared this with them, they wanted to talk to me about joining the team and possible help raise money for the AD. I told them it could be done and shared some concepts with them. They struggled understanding what would be required because we were an established AD in a University that had been around for years. What I am talking about doing is hard work, its constant follow up, its one on one, its focused, its not sexy. They wanted to cast a big net - well, guess what we are no where since then. We are not growing liked we hoped....
Going 4-0 this year would impact the attendence for THIS year...what I am talking about is building a foundation of fans, a core group that give back to MT and support our athletic teams.
Let me give you an example. I work for a SW company, my boss'es brother is the GM of the Philadelphia 76'ers (Scott O'Neil); although the team has been pitiful, the fan base is growing and their revenues are growing. I know this is apples and oranges to MT, but I don't see a detailed approach to build our brand, our fans, etc. Like I said earlier, this doesn't have to cost a lot of money, it literally is learning who your target market is and making a personal appeal over and over and over. I have use the term "Guerrilla" marketing on this board for years - its what a start up business does, we need to do the same.
Personal Story, back in the early D1 days (2002ish), I was approached by Boots and one of his assistant AD's and shared this with them, they wanted to talk to me about joining the team and possible help raise money for the AD. I told them it could be done and shared some concepts with them. They struggled understanding what would be required because we were an established AD in a University that had been around for years. What I am talking about doing is hard work, its constant follow up, its one on one, its focused, its not sexy. They wanted to cast a big net - well, guess what we are no where since then. We are not growing liked we hoped....
I appreciate your willingness to work with the BRAA and try to improve our university. I still give but in no way should the folks that quit be shamed. There are many valid reasons why people drop support. You get to a point where enough is enough. I'm close to that.I don't think cutting off support is the answer either. Then not only are you not doing anything to help your school, the administration has no reason to listen to you if you don't give them money. Our issues cannot be solved in one single message board post, but the issue comes down to a number of things. Fear is the number 1 enemy of this athletic department. We are too afraid to take real chances and take real risks to tackle issues like fundraising, attendance, and general lack of interest in the program. To me it goes back to the administration, you have a football coach who came from an established school and an athletic director who came from an established school. Coming from a school where money and fan interest are more prevalent to me is a disadvantage. What works in the SEC and ACC probably doesn't work in the CUSA. It takes more creative thinking, which obviously we don't have. As other posters have said, sometimes its a matter of effort. I don't know how to solve it. I am working with the BRAA board this term and I am going to do my best to help, and I would welcome suggestions to pass along. I am just so tired of how everyone throws their hands up and says I'm done with the program or I'm not giving until anything changes. I understand most of you have careers and family lives and don't have the time and energy to put into the program to make it better, but you still shouldn't give up on it, because we are the only ones who are going to make it better. The people that take time to post on the message board, donate money, and attend games are the ones that build the program. We need more BRAA members, we need more season tickets sold, and we need to build this program before its too late to build it. One day the gap will be so wide that there will never be another Western Michigan or Boise State. We need to cross that line before the gap becomes to wide and we will be left on the other side with the Florida Internationals of the world. Great work on this Austin.
We have a huge percentage of alumni that don't begin to support MT. I don't understand it either. Speaking for myself my donations will continue for academics but may not for athletics.I guess you either support your university for the fact that it's your university and you realize that the mission of the school is so much more than the athletic program or you don't.
I can see sidewalk alumni (do we have any of those) who support because of the athletic program dropping all support because of the product on the field, or court, or course, or whatever. I just can't see actual alumni failing to support their school. Should the athletic program become so horrid (or even dropped completely) that I can't support it any longer then those donations will be transferred to another cause. It's my school.
IMO, the indoor facility should include a track, but it's about the $$$. With so many MT fans and supporters dropping financial support of the program, it's creating a steeper climb for the athletic departmentOn another subject: Just read part 4 of the series - I just can't see building a FB indoor facility W/0 an indoor track. Needed Murphy Ctr. upgrades can't be made until we have a different indoor track and we aren't Arkansas - we will never have a dedicated indoor track facility.
And for you DABLUERAIDERS: (BRAA True blue level - FB, AM & W's season tickets, minimum annual donation of $100 to The Foundation)
If Butch (FAU) and Lane (FIU) get their respective schools turned around, even for one year, they'll leave. Credit to the ADs at those two schools for getting serious about footballThe worst thing for Stock and Massarro is the quick emergence of WKU and ODU. The average fan is seeing it done on the field by other programs. It gets worse.....Butch Davis of FIU and whats his name at FAU is sitting in the middle of a pile of in-state talent. Just a matter of time.
I don't think cutting off support is the answer either. Then not only are you not doing anything to help your school, the administration has no reason to listen to you if you don't give them money. Our issues cannot be solved in one single message board post, but the issue comes down to a number of things. Fear is the number 1 enemy of this athletic department. We are too afraid to take real chances and take real risks to tackle issues like fundraising, attendance, and general lack of interest in the program. To me it goes back to the administration, you have a football coach who came from an established school and an athletic director who came from an established school. Coming from a school where money and fan interest are more prevalent to me is a disadvantage. What works in the SEC and ACC probably doesn't work in the CUSA. It takes more creative thinking, which obviously we don't have. As other posters have said, sometimes its a matter of effort. I don't know how to solve it. I am working with the BRAA board this term and I am going to do my best to help, and I would welcome suggestions to pass along. I am just so tired of how everyone throws their hands up and says I'm done with the program or I'm not giving until anything changes. I understand most of you have careers and family lives and don't have the time and energy to put into the program to make it better, but you still shouldn't give up on it, because we are the only ones who are going to make it better. The people that take time to post on the message board, donate money, and attend games are the ones that build the program. We need more BRAA members, we need more season tickets sold, and we need to build this program before its too late to build it. One day the gap will be so wide that there will never be another Western Michigan or Boise State. We need to cross that line before the gap becomes to wide and we will be left on the other side with the Florida Internationals of the world. Great work on this Austin.
I missed something dukewayne posted on McPhee about his spending his time reaching out to China. For many reasons (the accusations of sexual harassment and resulting mental problem and night in the Marion Co. jail, the announcement of "Pres Sidney McPhee and first lady Liz McPhee welcome you . . . " at every event - hear or see that at other schools?, along with he's just too interested in getting his picture taken at every opportunity) I'm obviously not a McPhee fan.
But as for promoting MT to the area: Can you imagine McPhee connecting to the audience at a mid-state civic (Rotary, Optimist, Lion, etc.) club? And IMHO the MT president (not to mention the AD, and various coaches out of season) should be speaking somewhere an average of at least twice a week to promote MT. McPhee would have a hard time connecting to an audience in Nashville or Chattanooga, harder still in Lebanon or Manchester, and impossible to a group in Huntland or Hohenwald. MT has had many people in a position of influence who were "people persons" and could relate to the average citizen in the mid-state. McPhee is not one of them.
Almost as sweet a gig as Stockstill's.McPhee has a sweet gig. I was thinking he might retire at some point, but why would he.
Almost as sweet a gig as Stockstill's.
It was simple with Andy - when he lost Fedora the team stopped winning.Is it really that much worse than the Andy Mac days? Neither coach has been able to win a championship, which is all that matters. It might be a cheesy comedic saying from a comedy movie, but the saying couldn't be more true. "If you ain't first, your last".
At least McCollum went 3-0 against Vanderbilt.
A further clarification on Pres McPhee sharing the blame for lack of growth and development of support from the Nashville area.
I'm not suggesting he is totally failing in all areas. Some of the MT depts and colleges seem to be doing a pretty good job of outreach, growth, and development outside of Murfreesboro. In most of those cases, McPhee seems to be there in support of those deans and depts. Maybe it's that he likes the photo opportunities. I don't pretend to know him that well.
I understand a lot of time and effort had to go into the capital bldg projects on campus from the state bldg funds. It's good McPhee has overseen a lot of that progress. I suspect some of that 100 yr anniv for the university helped support those efforts instead of expanding the endowment.
Regarding China, McPhee seemed to spend a couple of summers of travelling to China and hosting reps from China for some sort of program coordination and possible exchange of students. I'm not sure if all of that time and effort was really for the benefit of MT or more for the benefit of China's agenda in reaching into America's academic institutions just to name one.
Beyond the much discussed wishing McPhee would take charge on the univ name change and branding problems, it doesn't seem like McPhee is making much headway in connecting and developing the huge asset of MT alums in the region. This at a time when Nashville is one of the hottest cities on the rise in America. I'm just not seeing much of MT reaching into that huge resource and opportunity. An example that comes to mind is when Pres Walker would have outreach/fundraisers in Nashville. It seemed that Pres Walker was pooling the resources of the univ to pull in as many people and high profile people as possible for what ended up being an event in Nashville where MT raised good funds and MT ended up getting a bunch of positive media coverage. I just don't hear of or see Pres McPhee making those sort of outreach social events connecting with the alum of Nashville. MT desperately needs to connect with Nashville and the massive amount of alumni in the Nashville area.
Yes....completely agree with this. MT does not get the fanbase engaged. We are treated like mushrooms. Data about our sports programs is scarce. They refuse to treat our fanbase like family and tell us what is really going on with our programs. Heck we didn't even have a spring game this year.
I'm sorry guys but I simply cannot get excited. I still supported Stock in here after the 2011disaster but listening to him the last couple of years sounds almost word for word like the last four years of Tommy West at Memphis. That contract is going to be the undoing of CM if this season is not exceptional. Average and bowl eligible will not stimulate new money giving. Fact.Love the optimism for the upcoming season. I hope we have a breakout year.