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Post by res on Aug 14, 2014 8:55:03 GMT -5
Buffalo is now a hockey town in my mind though. Then, relax. This should be a good year to compete with the Sabres for the minds, if not the hearts, of WNY winter sportsfans.
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Post by kcSBU03 on Aug 14, 2014 8:56:50 GMT -5
Buffalo is now a hockey town in my mind though. Then, relax. This should be a good year to compete with the Sabres for the minds, if not the hearts, of WNY winter sportsfans. Ha, its been a good 7 years to compete with the Sabres!
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Post by kcSBU03 on Aug 14, 2014 9:05:52 GMT -5
JH, if anything your article just proves what we have been saying. Buffalo will draw for the NCAA but doesnt give a crap about the local teams. So the NCAA plays the tournament in some areas that arent "hot beds", what is the point here? If Buffalo was such a college basketball town, they would get behind the local teams and this event would sell out in no time. I never bashed Bonaventure for playing a game in Buffalo, im just not excited about it. The landscape was different back in the Lanier days. Today, Lanier would be prepping at Oak Hill or something and we would probably be an after thought. Players werent nationally recruited as much due to the lack or resources and money. Today that isnt a problem.
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Post by Pinnum on Aug 14, 2014 9:13:32 GMT -5
IMO, it is irrelevant is Buffalo is a college basketball town. The question is simply, will this event help to create a few more fans of SBU and will it help to further connect SBU to the Buffalo community?
I think the answer to both is yes.
It is that simple. Games have to be played and it does no good to play them all at the RC where the fan base isn't going to grow. It also does no good to play a lot of games on the road for pay dates. This is a good compromise.
I like the games in Buffalo and Rochester. Frankly, I think the expansion of these home games is long over due. There is no doubt, in my mind, that SBU can steal some fan territory from Syracuse with a few more NCAA appearances and an A10 that is regularly sending a handful of teams to the NCAAs. (Assuming Syracuse is only making the final four once every ten years as they have averaged.)
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Post by Pinnum on Aug 14, 2014 9:13:49 GMT -5
It is the novelty that should work in the favor. Yes, the NCAAs is a novelty event that attracts casual fans but so are many other events. This annual showcase of WNY basketball can also be a novel event.
Why does Michigan Stadium pack the stands with 100k fans for outdoor hockey games (and schedules one for Soldier Field in Chicago for this season) when they only attract 5k to their home games on average? The answer is simple: it is a novelty.
This event may not lead to future sell outs of SBU season tickets, just as the games in Rochester wouldn't. But it may lead to a few more donors, a few more prospective students, a few more apparel sales, a few more fans jumping on the bandwagon when the team makes the NCAAs and will certainly help recruiting.
I am a big fan of the games in Buffalo and Rochester. You have to start somewhere and any efforts to expand the geographic reach of SBU to include the largest cities within the region is a smart move that can pay off big in ten years.
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Post by class70 on Aug 14, 2014 10:48:34 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure this doubleheader will draw more than the combined total of last year's games at Niagara (1856) and the Canisius visit to the RC (4568). Let's add the attendance when we played at UB (4652) and I hope we can surpass the combined attendance at all three games.What we're paying for the arena and what the breakeven is would be interesting to know, but I agree with Pinnum that it's a useful foray to promote the University and expand the fan base. I know little about our sports information program, but I hope they team with the other schools in organizing a strong promotional program for this event. I'm hoping the Bonnies will be undefeated going into (and coming out of) this game and we've got a good story with Youssou, an African lad with a real chance to make the NBA. SBU has a great journalism school with strong media connections in the area. Leverage those contacts and get some ads on ESPN to promote Big Four basketball.
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Post by kcSBU03 on Aug 14, 2014 10:57:07 GMT -5
Pinnum, I agree on all of your points except I dont think this will be a WNY novelty. Its not a bad thing to play games in Buffalo and Rochester. Nobody here is saying its a bad idea, just that its not going to register a ton in Buffalo since the fans in the area wont come out unless its a big name school. If anything, the attendance will be indicative of how supportive Bona fans are. This event would draw crickets if we werent involved.
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Post by jh on Aug 14, 2014 20:53:50 GMT -5
IMO, it is irrelevant is Buffalo is a college basketball town. The question is simply, will this event help to create a few more fans of SBU and will it help to further connect SBU to the Buffalo community? I think the answer to both is yes. It is that simple. Games have to be played and it does no good to play them all at the RC where the fan base isn't going to grow. It also does no good to play a lot of games on the road for pay dates. This is a good compromise. I like the games in Buffalo and Rochester. Frankly, I think the expansion of these home games is long over due. There is no doubt, in my mind, that SBU can steal some fan territory from Syracuse with a few more NCAA appearances and an A10 that is regularly sending a handful of teams to the NCAAs. (Assuming Syracuse is only making the final four once every ten years as they have averaged.) You left out THE big factor Creating few more sbu fans is irrelevant Games in Buffalo in theory will attract kids from the hotbed of Toronto to play at St Bonas Buffalo is great and can support games but thats not what the entire talk is about - if we can offer toronto parents 3 saturdays where they can see their kids play in a great complex 1 hr from home - for a team that plays in a 6 bid conference - we can become their local option - and we get a pipeline into sbu - thats it Buffalo is much better than Rochester for 1 main reason - we are 1 hour closer to the target market - thats it As we all know - it only takes 1 player to make a difference... can you imagine 2 players at the level of AN playing for sbu? How does that add exposure to the school - increase applications.....increase enrollment...thats the game
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2014 6:34:58 GMT -5
Whose "theory" besides yours is it that playing 3 games in Buffalo is going to open a pipeline to Toronto? It is 2014 Toronto is not some outpost that no one knows about. I think you need a little reality check in your expectations. Playing 3 games in Buffalo is not going to sell any kid on playing at SBU. The coaches will sell the school and theA10. Taking a financial bath in a city that doesn't care about them is not going to sell recruits. This might impress A Barry Atkinson,but it is not going to work on a Barry Mungar!
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Post by Bona84 on Aug 15, 2014 6:52:29 GMT -5
Play good college basketball in Buffalo, and Buffalo can be a college basketball town again.
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Post by bjif on Aug 15, 2014 7:11:34 GMT -5
Wow Bona 87! Your analogy of Barry Atkinson to Barry Mungar was perplexing to me.
Does nobody see the attempt to expand the Bona blueprint from rural and limited Olean/Allegheny to a major city such as Buffalo, as signified by the Hilbert merger/acquisition. A two tier campus in a major city has quite a few benefits such as location, potential community support, potential drawing power for recruits, potential advertisers, potential business relationships for marketing opportunities, and a far greater potential applicant base.
We all know that the great people of Olean and Allegheny have done their absolute best to support the Bonaventure programs. It is just unfortunate that there is no accelerated economic growth in this area, and we need to be thankful to be able to draw 3600 fans per night in such a depressed economic area.
Please understand I am not advocating 2-4-6 games a year to Buffalo or Rochester, but the ability to offer more clearly rests within a bigger geographical footprint such as Buffalo. I was truly amazed to see the growth myself during a visit this past May. The powers to be seem to be strategic in the approach to Buffalo. I just wonder if both Canisius and Niagara were approached today would they jump at the chance to do what we are attempting with the merger/acquisition?
I know that there are many opinions, right or wrong, only time will tell. I will say that if we wait and not try something new, the possibility exists that we could lose what we all truly love.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2014 8:23:49 GMT -5
Wow Bona 87! Your analogy of Barry Atkinson to Barry Mungar was perplexing to me. Does nobody see the attempt to expand the Bona blueprint from rural and limited Olean/Allegheny to a major city such as Buffalo, as signified by the Hilbert merger/acquisition. A two tier campus in a major city has quite a few benefits such as location, potential community support, potential drawing power for recruits, potential advertisers, potential business relationships for marketing opportunities, and a far greater potential applicant base. We all know that the great people of Olean and Allegheny have done their absolute best to support the Bonaventure programs. It is just unfortunate that there is no accelerated economic growth in this area, and we need to be thankful to be able to draw 3600 fans per night in such a depressed economic area. Please understand I am not advocating 2-4-6 games a year to Buffalo or Rochester, but the ability to offer more clearly rests within a bigger geographical footprint such as Buffalo. I was truly amazed to see the growth myself during a visit this past May. The powers to be seem to be strategic in the approach to Buffalo. I just wonder if both Canisius and Niagara were approached today would they jump at the chance to do what we are attempting with the merger/acquisition? I know that there are many opinions, right or wrong, only time will tell. I will say that if we wait and not try something new, the possibility exists that we could lose what we all truly love. Sorry to perplex. I am sure some will get it. Expanding our footprint is one thing playing 3 games in an empty arena is another. The idea that this would open a pipeline to Toronto is preposterous. I am a huge fan of SBU and the basketball team, but as someone who works with students in the college choice process, I am always worried about the perception that the basketball team is our #1 selling point. It is part if the equation,but it is not the be all to end all. I am very supportive of our efforts with Hilbert, but that discussion is for another thread. Also the Olean/Allegany area may be depressed economically (as all of WNY may be), but please spell Allegany correctly!
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Post by Pinnum on Aug 15, 2014 9:18:07 GMT -5
I am a huge fan of SBU and the basketball team, but as someone who works with students in the college choice process, I am always worried about the perception that the basketball team is our #1 selling point. [/quote] I don't think anyone is saying that. But it is a differentiator. It is something that can be a strategic asset when students are comparing SBU to Niagara, Siena, Lemoyne, St John Fisher, St Francis, John Carroll and others. If SBU is going to operate a basketball program in the A10, then it needs to maximize it and use it as a strategic resource. That is what I believe people are advocating. (I hope) no one is saying kids only go to school there because there is basketball.
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Post by Pinnum on Aug 15, 2014 9:25:16 GMT -5
JH - Too bad the Spirit of Ontario is no longer in operation. I finally got to use it a few years ago for the first time--to get from Tangier to Tarifa.
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Post by jh on Aug 15, 2014 19:41:46 GMT -5
Whose "theory" besides yours is it that playing 3 games in Buffalo is going to open a pipeline to Toronto? It is 2014 Toronto is not some outpost that no one knows about. I think you need a little reality check in your expectations. Playing 3 games in Buffalo is not going to sell any kid on playing at SBU. The coaches will sell the school and theA10. Taking a financial bath in a city that doesn't care about them is not going to sell recruits. This might impress A Barry Atkinson,but it is not going to work on a Barry Mungar! Bona87 One nice feature about this board is it keeps history - we can check back here after thanksgiving weekend and see how close your prediction of a "near empty arena" is or my 12k figure. Playing games within an hour drive for parents to see their kids play D1 athletics would be a carrot to offer parents when they consider making the college choice for their child - I don't consider that some new theory invented by me. And you are in the field of kids/parents making college choices and you don't consider distance to be an important variable in the process? And it might be even more important when that child plays a D1 sport and the family can see them compete? You really don't think distance played a factor in Andrew's decision?
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