American Athletic Conference

[Rlh04d]

I guess I just don't see any sport that is going to be able to take it down. I think football greatly benefits from being one day a week, it makes it very easy for a casual fan to insert themselves into the the sport. I haven't been around long enough to see a sport rise and fall so maybe it really does happen unexpectedly. The only sport I see having potential to explode is soccer and even that is still a decade or two from even becoming mainstream in the US, let alone a future bus driver.

I think football greatly benefits from fantasy football, personally.

The one game a week was always the case for football, yet it still took decades to overtake baseball.

I definitely don't think football is going to be overtaken any day now, but I do think football is at or close to its peak. There's enough anti-football sentiment at this point to see a gradual decline in the sport's popularity coming. I'm not saying football's dead ... just that if it was a stock, it's one I'd be selling, not buying. Now whether any other sport is able to build popularity to overtake it, that's up for debate. Football could lose 40% of its viewers and still be the "king," just without the dominance it has now. The one thing that I definitely expect is that any change is one that is that you or I are unlikely to see it coming -- these kinds of shifts are historically done by the younger generation, rejecting what the older generation preferred. Which means we'll be the old timers wistfully remembering the great days of football while they're laughing at us and playing Fantasy Lacrosse or something.

[tropicalshox]

http://csnbbs.com/thread-733456.html

I think WSU is winning over some AAC fans.

[MadaboutWu]

I think the market share for the current big 3 in sports will all decline over the next decade to two and that several smaller sports will grow slowly--Lacrosse, soccer, Xgames, other stuff. Probably soccer will have the most growth but will remain distant.

[Rlh04d]

Anybody know if we've added UAB yet? or is the MVC really going to take a dump on this opportunity?

It's too early yet to know either way.

However, if the MVC fails to bring in UAB and another decent program with the MVC's joke of a TV contract up in October 2016, it will be ... damnit, it'll be exactly what this conference always does. I can't even act like that would surprise me.

Bring in UAB and one other program, preferably NMSU or Denver, and fight like hell for a contract equivalent to the A10's following next season. With WSU's brand, multi-bids for two consecutive years, and expansion with solid programs, The Valley could be in great shape next year for negotiations. Maybe we'll get lucky and FS1 will still be insane and get into a bidding war with ESPN for us.

[Heinro]

money has been moved from the basketball travel budget (team now flies mostly commercial instead of charter) to the football recruiting budget...the new basketball practice facility has been put on hold so Memphis can build it's football indoor practice facility.

Exactly why I am glad we don't have football. I would never want to sacrifice our basketball program for football.

[MadaboutWu]

Maybe we'll get lucky and FS1 will still be insane and get into a bidding war with ESPN for us.

That would only be lucky if ESPN wins.

[UABlazin]

Anybody know if we've added UAB yet? or is the MVC really going to take a dump on this opportunity?

I can promise the UAB President will do every thing he can to get us into the MVC. He's been remarkably resistant despite receiving no-confidence votes from every major constituency. Getting our basketball stuck in the A-SUN would mean the end of his tenure at UAB.

[Dave Stalwart]

I can promise the UAB President will do every thing he can to get us into the MVC. He's been remarkably resistant despite receiving no-confidence votes from every major constituency. Getting our basketball stuck in the A-SUN would mean the end of his tenure at UAB.

What I've heard is that UAB is in the process of deciding exactly what sports it wants to focus on as a university and that will help decide the issue of conference affiliation. I've even heard that there is an outside shot of not necessarily being completely done with football. Basically, the institution has to make some decisions about who they want to be going forward, and there are options in either direction.

I hope they decide they want to get fully behind basketball as their flagship and move to the MVC.

[WuDrWu]

I believe the Valley is looking hard at UAB.

Whether or not it's because they want to strengthen the Valley or are preparing for WSU's departure I have no idea. But they ARE moving on the idea.

[Dave Stalwart]

Sometimes it's nice to just look at a map. I found one on the Wikipedia page for the MVC, and I tossed in a few other schools in green. UAB is not really much of an outlier at all. WSU remains the one school that makes no sense :)

[shockmonster]

I believe the Valley is looking hard at UAB.

Whether or not it's because they want to strengthen the Valley or are preparing for WSU's departure I have no idea. But they ARE moving on the idea.

Or Missouri State go to the Sunbelt.

[pogo]

We have always been an outlier and thats the way I like it.

[Kung Wu]

Man, Memphis has REALLY downsized their stadium. What a shame.

[Cdizzle]

Man, Memphis has REALLY downsized their stadium. What a shame.

They literally just glued some fans to the wall to make it look like there are more people watching.

[UofMemphis]

Exactly why I am glad we don't have football. I would never want to sacrifice our basketball program for football.

and we would give it all up for a big time football program...that tends to be the uncrossable divide that will always exist between programs with football...and non-football programs, IMHO.

that said, Memphis hoops isn't going anywhere. 70s with Gene Bartow and Larry Finch, 80s with Dana Kirk and Keith Lee, 90s with Elliot Perry and Penny Hardaway, 2000s with Calipari and Rose...Memphis hoops is no 'flash in the pan'