Bona Football

[mikenice]

Since they've been talking about it on the BANNEDwagon (edit: can we go back to this filter again?) for way too long, I figured we should address it ourselves.

I always figured a football team to be a double-edged sword for me as a student. On one hand it would be great to party, tailgate, etc for games (though if there was a huge REAL college game on at the same time, I'd probably watch that instead).

On the other hand, I always felt like a football team would just ruin the student body. You'd get a whole bunch of big Pennsylvania and WNY hicks that would probably try to start a fight every night out in massive numbers.

You could bet taht out of the 50 or so players, that 30 of them would be significantly joysticky, d-bags.

[wutang]

It would change the culture of the school for sure, and I think I agree with you onthe type of people it will attract. Most schools are large enough where that amount of people would just blend in but not Bonas. Wouldn't that be strange going out to the Burton on a weekend to find the entire football team there. And if they complain about the hoops players going around town causing touble, imagine what a football team could get into in townie bars. It is not worth it for me, I love and played football but I like the current type of student body Bonas attracts and I think a football team will change that quickly.

[bonafide]

Well I was a student when SBU fielded its last football team...and the whole club football program back then was a disaster. Now you have to remember that in the late 60's SBU had the largest student body and most visible, best funded and most highly regarded sports program as it has ever had. Even in that context football at SBU failed miserably.. Among other items leading to football's demise was very poor attendance....no one was interested in sashaying to Bradner Stadium to watch the team invariably lose.

HEY SBU ADMINISTRATION - This SBU/Football thing is a fucking dog! Steer way clear of it. You wanna increase enrollment? Build a new dorm, can Clare College, mightily beef up new student recruiting efforts and make a real commitment to the bball program. Don't start a motherfucking football team! That's something asswipe Wickenheiser would do.

[mikenice]

Everyone likes to point to other schools, even state schools as examples to why this would work. 1. we don't have the admissions influx that would cover initial costs to do this. 2. our Ca$h cow (bball) is dry right now, and draining more money from the athletic budget would not help get it restored.

3. People like to point to Uconn as an ideal school that implemented football. There's so much faulty logic here (state funds, enrollment), but the one thing you can't overlook is the money the athletic department rakes in from Men's AND Women's basketball. Those two bring in millions, enough to sink into and develop a top-notch football team.

In our situation, we'd have to be selling out every men's game AND getting money from other sports (charging for baseball or something).

As bonafide said, even during our highest athletic success it failed. With dwindling crowds for basketball, who would think the students and community would spend more time and money on a bad team?

And I'll reiterate how much I'd hate to have been in school with a bunch of a$$hole football players. Expounding upon Wu's thoughts.... it's not like with the bball team where you know you could see them at the OP. With 50 guys, they'll roll with ten or 12 to every bar. You wouldn't be able to escape them.

[wutang]

also if it were a bad team which it most likely would be when it got started I bet virtually no student would go down to Bradner to watch them. It's just too hard to get there when everyone wants to drink and nobody wants to drive. Even if they did a Bonabus thing it is just too much action for most students to watch a crappy game. If there was a stadium on campus and they allowed students to party before games I could see students going. But I doubt that would happen.

I went to see Georgetown vs Cuse here this year in the MCI center and Gtown had barely any students there because the game is off campus and hard to get to for most of them. I think students in general just have to be huge fans to travel for any normal game, and most can find other stuff to do.

[CosmonautLaunchPad]

I think it's a good point that football would mix badly with the social structure of St. Bonaventure students. St. Bonaventure is a school that doesn't have fraternities, and most students are happy not to have them. Just like they are happy not to have the kinda BS that would come from having 53 meatheads running around campus.

[bonafide]

Hey SBU Administration! Rather than football, put some bucks into the current sports program (which, with the exception of basketball, is doing super) so that the Athletic Director doesn't have to "retire" 'cause he's sick of nonsensical money battles. Renovate the RC too... including a new pool, bball flooring (particularly over the center court area where Donny dropped a major lob 40 years ago), new seating, etc. etc.. And fuck football!

[oleanron]

My question is, where would they play? I can't really imagine them building something in those empty fields beyond McGraw-Jennings...and they're building something on the site of the former Castle.

It'd cost a lot more money than it'd take it. This post brought to you by Bad Idea Jeans.

[wutang]

I like the idea of upgrading lax though to D1. It would be cheap, get potential recruits and not alter the social structure of the school either. I have never played lax, or ever even been to a high level of competition, but it seems like a better idea then football. Dorms should be first priority though, I remember looking for schools and that was a major factor for me. They have some below average dorms but townhouses are great, they should get more of those so more juniors get them.

[mikenice]

Yeah, bonafide, I'd like to see them invest and develop some of the other teams. A little touch-up to the court would be nice, the pool is essential, and we should try to develop some sort of seating/stadiums for the soccer/lax and baseball fields. It is convenient and fun to sit on the hill, but it seems like such a high school event, and not a legitimate D1 game atmosphere.

[bonafide]

Peddling the naming rights to the Reilly Center is a no-brainer which is why the Administration hasn't done it. Use the bucks to help bolster the athletic program while taking $2 million from the $90 million capital campaign to renovate the RC, erect seating, etc.. Do that stuff and combined with Richter SBU would have a neat sports complex. Add a modest practice facility (another $1 million) and the sports complex would be super. A good sports program combined with great athletic facilities WOULD help attract new students. Add a spanking new dorm with modern amenities and an academic program that's worth a shit and applications would begin pouring in. All this is very much doable..... but not by the present Administration. Very sad!

[bonniesfan]

bonafide said:

Peddling the naming rights to the Reilly Center is a no-brainer which is why the Administration hasn't done it. Use the bucks to help bolster the athletic program while taking $2 million from the $90 million capital campaign to renovate the RC, erect seating, etc.. Do that stuff and combined with Richter SBU would have a neat sports complex. Add a modest practice facility (another $1 million) and the sports complex would be super. A good sports program combined with great athletic facilities WOULD help attract new students. Add a spanking new dorm with modern amenities and an academic program that's worth a $hit and applications would begin pouring in. All this is very much doable..... but not by the present Administration. Very sad!

You said erect.

[bonafide]

[wutang]

If that would have been a real puppy I think I would have to delete it, but a puppet I think is ok. Unless he cut a real puppy in half before putting his cock in there....

[vinnypunditsheros]

How about a Wiggle Puppy, with this guy?