Doesn't CU still need to abide by the rules requiring the addtion of a women's sport first?
meh - college baseball doesn't do much for me, but I'd probably make a few games nonetheless. I'm really holding out hope to be the first one in line for D-1 hockey tickets.
I think it will be important for CU to bring back baseball at some point in the next 4-5 years, though. There are certain expectations that the Pac has for it's member organizations, and I think baseball is pretty important to them.
The nice thing is that there is a ton of local baseball talent. Once we have the team, we should be able to be reasonably competitive in a short time. Not going off to win any college world series, but competitive. Remember that Nebraska has a fantastic baseball team that is made up mostly of Colorado guys (or at least has been in recent years).
I think baseball would be better to add than hockey, especially in the Pac or Big 12. Hockey just isn't that big in college, who the **** watches it?
I think baseball would be better to add than hockey, especially in the Pac or Big 12. Hockey just isn't that big in college, who the **** watches it?
I think baseball would be better to add than hockey, especially in the Pac or Big 12. Hockey just isn't that big in college, who the **** watches it?
Team Dates Attendance Avg
1. LSU 41 394,068 9,611
2. Arkansas 31 245,092 7,906
3. Mississippi 39 273,111 7,003
4. South Carolina 34 231,360 6,805
5. Mississippi St. 25 157,530 6,301
6. Texas 35 217,637 6,218
7. Clemson 36 170,156 4,727
8. Florida St. 39 184,227 4,724
9. Texas A&M 35 142,660 4,076
10. Alabama 29 116,294 4,010
Remember that Nebraska has a fantastic baseball team that is made up mostly of Colorado guys (or at least has been in recent years).
Utah has a baseball team, which brings up two points: (1) CU is again the only team in their conference without a baseball team; and (2) don't give me lip about poor weather in the early spring. If they can play baseball in SLC, we sure as **** can play in Boulder.
Nebraska actually sucks and is on the verge of firing their coach.
**** baseball.
I don't know. I'd bet the majority of people find hockey more watchable than baseball. I'd be pleased with the addition of either one though.
Hopefully no sports are added until CU shores up their existing sports and their existing financial situation.
I love all the people who shout about bringing back baseball to CU, where were they when CU had a team and didn't draw flies.
C'mon now. CU has a pretty strong baseball heritage, believe it or not. The right coach and the right facilities and CU could be a very good baseball school. There aren't any minor league teams in the area anymore, so having a college team might be a solid alternative for a lot of folks who want to see some baseball, but can't afford to go to Rockies games.
I'm confident that it will happen, I just don't know when. My best guess is another 10 years.
Here are the attendance figures for last season (2010): http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2010/100222attendance.pdf.
To give you an idea of what CU would draw for baseball, we're looking at 500-1,000 people per game once we've built it up. We'd get around 25 home dates.
At $10 per ticket, we'd be looking at somewhere between $125k to $250k in ticket sales. Scholarships are at 11.7 (usually used as 1/3 scholarships). With concessions, merchandising and in-stadium advertising plus other third-tier media, we would likely cover our scholarship costs and stadium maintenance. We'd lose money due to travel, coaching salaries and other operating overhead, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.
Softball getting paired with it is what makes the finances difficult. 12 scholarships plus equal travel, virtually no attendance, and minimal revenue from merchandising and third-tier media.
We're going to need to find at least a few million dollars a year to make this happen (on top of the cost of the facilities).
GoBuffs,
That DirectTV stuff is part of the third-tier media I was referencing. In football, that can add up to a few million dollars a year. I'd think that in baseball it would be a few hundred thousand.
I highly doubt the city of Boulder would get involved. More likely they would require CU to spend extra money for road, highway exit and walk/bike path improvements to the Table Mesa Dr/ S Boulder Rd areas in order to get approval for the project. Maybe if there was a way to use the space for a Boulder Fairgrounds that could make money for the city. I wouldn't expect any assistance from the Republic, though.