Twin Cities Market: Good or Bad?

[imthewalrus]

nokomis...

The prexy b/bjm administration did NOT "get it..." During bjm's first five seasons here with Mason as coach, the program averaged 3.6 Big Ten wins per season. With the inceredibly stupid brewball era ushered in under prexy b/bjm, for 3.375 seasons, the Big Ten win per season average went down to 1.77 Big Ten wins per season. What on earth are you smoking nokomis?

We are all celebrating that prexy b, who hung around for the LONGEST lame duck session has been disposed of, thrown under the bus and left in the dust. However, prexy k appears to want a "throw away" year to start out his tenure at the U. He's kind of doing a "throw away/end of the lame duck administrator's bit to try to keep the bloated layers of administrators from getting the bends in transitioning from the lame duck prexy b era to his "throw away the first year..." prexy k style of management, what ever that may be???????? So far, prexy k doesn't do much to impress. Sounds like he wants a paid year to just "hang out and watch what happens around here..." honeymoon period.

And, with bjm running the athletic department, I really do feel sorry for Coach Kill. Coach Kill coaches football, a revenue producing sports and bjm lumps football right in there with all the non-revenue sports. Some other places in the Big Ten Conference don't take that approach. Those are some of the same places where they really have passion for their football programs. Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, wisky, iowa, PSU...those places take their football programs seriously.

nokomis, it is highly unlikely that the current administration has anything but a "director's cup" interest and the revenue sports will continue to suffer under badger joel macturi's director's cup mentality. To this administration, it doesn't matter if you have an ad who has a 9 year history of driving the football program further and further into the bottom levels of the Conference. And, this new prexy k jsut wants to come in...hang out...watch...wait and see what happensE some day he might make up his mind about what he wants from the athletic director in relation to the revenue sports programs, their coaches and the relationship with the season ticket buying public.

We will see what Coach Kill can do. He's on his own. I am wishing him the very best...but...I have seen this program chew up and spit out some pretty darn good coaches in the over half a centruy that I have been watching and cheering for Golden Gopher Football. Members of the current administration do have the ditching of prexy b to their credit... but, that was by default. The jury is out on this prexy k character, but, I fully expect him to evolve into another prexy b, malcolm Moos. nils hasselmoe type of non-event. Where is his passion? Where is his drive? Where is hs vision? Maybe he will do something other than just observe for the better part of a year, some day...I would hope so any way...

; 0 )

 

[Killjoy]

Mr. Obsession Is Off His Medicines Again

The prexy b/bjm administration did NOT "get it..." During bjm's first five seasons here with Mason as coach, the program averaged 3.6 Big Ten wins per season. With the inceredibly stupid brewball era ushered in under prexy b/bjm, for 3.375 seasons, the Big Ten win per season average went down to 1.77 Big Ten wins per season. What on earth are you smoking nokomis? Etc. Etc. Etc.)

This guy is trying to kill us by boring us to death. For some reason he thinks if you say the same thing a thousands time it makes it right. Wrong! It makes if boring!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

This is getting off-topic (no surprise), but..........

Walrus, I don't know what you expect from President Kaler. The guy was interviewed on his 1st day on the job, and he said he wants to learn more about the school and observe for a while before making any changes. That sounds like a rational approach to a new job.

What do you want the guy to do? Come in on his first day and fire a bunch of people to show he's the boss? Or maybe just fire Maturi?????

Back to the original point of the thread - there's no question that MN fans are bandwagon jumpers. They'll get excited if a team gets hot, or starts generating some buzz, but they'll jump off the bandwagon just as quick if a team starts to lose. I've seen it with the Twins, the North Stars, the Kicks (remember those days), and at the U, with Gopher Men's and Womens basketball and Men's Hockey.

It's hardly an original thought, but there's a lot to do in this market - music, the arts, the outdoor scene, etc. I don't know if Gopher FB will ever be able to be the #1 or #2 team in the market - but if they can win some games, and show some signs of positive movement, I certainly think they can generate enough interest to fill a 50,000 seat stadium.

What the U needs to do is pull out all the stops to try and create a true college game-day atmosphere - and that includes the Band marching up University!! I've been to games at Camp Randall in Madison, and that whole campus revolves around game day. Same with Iowa and Nebraska. I don't know if the U can ever reach that level, but at least they should try.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I would rather go to Iowa City, Madison, Columbus, Ann Arbor and just about any other Big 10 city than Minneapolis if I was a student or student/athlete. You are discounting the "college experience" and overplaying the "urban experience." Nearly all of a student's time will still be spent on campus and not downtown. I'm not a U grad, but I'm a Minnesota native and a Gopher fan. Nonetheless, I've never stepped foot on the U campus and felt a "collegiate" atmosphere that you feel and experience in a real college town, whether it be a Big 10, MIAC or any other level of collegiate town.

Seriously, have you ever been to Iowa City and on the Iowa campus? It is not nicer than the MN campus.

 

[50PoundHead]

I think the one item that the writer misses is that over the past 30 years (approximately), the Twin Cities has emerged as a regional center for a number of national and multinational corporations and there has been a massive in-migration of white collar and professional class workers who have no previous ties to the state. These are folks with disposable income who could easily afford Gopher tickets, but simply aren't making that expenditure. The only college football many of these folks follow is their alma mater and they aren't particularly interested in shelling out coin to see a team that isn't playing well and to which they owe no allegiance. It creates the conundrum that we have to raise prices to generate revenue but the people who can afford the higher prices aren't interested in showing up.

I think it's changed the flavor of the state in general and as a lifelong Minnesotan who is nearing 60, it's been a change for me to watch. It's changed who we are as a state and what we expect and it's made its way into the state fabric. Some of it has been good and some of it I could live without, but it's where we are at now.

Love the hipster posts. Laughed my butt off.

fourbyfour, I hope you aren't dissing my alma mater--Augburg College--with your post. We had a helluva college atmosphere there in the early 1970s. At least what I can remember.

 

[4four4]

I think the one item that the writer misses is that over the past 30 years (approximately), the Twin Cities has emerged as a regional center for a number of national and multinational corporations and there has been a massive in-migration of white collar and professional class workers who have no previous ties to the state. These are folks with disposable income who could easily afford Gopher tickets, but simply aren't making that expenditure. The only college football many of these folks follow is their alma mater and they aren't particularly interested in shelling out coin to see a team that isn't playing well and to which they owe no allegiance. It creates the conundrum that we have to raise prices to generate revenue but the people who can afford the higher prices aren't interested in showing up.

I think it's changed the flavor of the state in general and as a lifelong Minnesotan who is nearing 60, it's been a change for me to watch. It's changed who we are as a state and what we expect and it's made its way into the state fabric. Some of it has been good and some of it I could live without, but it's where we are at now.

Love the hipster posts. Laughed my butt off.

fourbyfour, I hope you aren't dissing my alma mater--Augburg College--with your post. We had a helluva college atmosphere there in the early 1970s. At least what I can remember.

Nope. I graduated from Augsburg during the early 90's when the school just started to care about sports. Maroon and Silver > Maroon and Gold.

 

[GopherHomer]

Blame the Hipsters..... Although I disagree with some things. 2nd link NSFW for Language

http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrismenning/the-most-hipster-state-in-the-us

http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrismenning/totally-genuine-non-ironic-minnesotans-react-to-be

I understand that you were being a little "tongue-in-cheek" here but I think if a hipster is into team sports, the Gophers are a perfect fit. I have been accused of having some hipster tendencies and my undying devotion to the Gopher football team is sometimes used as evidence. The typical, mainstream meathead (non-hipster) is more likely to just follow the crowd and is probably just a huge Vikings fan. The Gophers, being an under-the-radar type team, are right in the hipster's wheelhouse. Much like indie rock or underground hip-hop.