BIG EAST Football??

[Hall2012]

Not THAT football, don't crucify me.

(Also, I know this thread belongs under "Big East Men's Sports" so admin- feel free to move it if you wish. I just wanted to initially post here to actually get some views and hopefully some other opinions.

My point is I think the Big East should put some serious effort into promoting men's soccer. I'm not under any delusion that it's going to become a revenue sport (at least anytime soon), so I'm not talking basketball level promotion. I'm just talking about getting it to a level above other major conferences.

The Big East is already a historically strong soccer conference and all 10 schools have a program, so I think that with a just little effort to step up and say "hey, soccer really matters here," the Big East could become the dominant force at the college level of the sport. While all the other major conferences are spending the fall sports season focusing on american football, the Big East has a chance to carve out its own little niche likely without a whole lot of competition. There's no denying that soccer's popularity is growing fast in the US, so it could be very beneficial to take advantage of that by being the first conference to put a serious investment into the sport.

How to do so?

Well for one, we've got that nice deal with Fox that includes the Big East Digital Network, which I believe appears on Fox Sports Go around the end of the month. Put games on the BE network regularly- as many as possible. On top of that, put a "game of the week" on FS1 every week. Then just really encourage the schools to put some time and money into their programs. Sell the "we don't have football, soccer is our fall sport" pitch to recruits. Get some coaches who can really develop talent- guys who have experience running the youth academies with professional organizations- we can give them that opportunity to prove themselves as a head coach.

I could go on, but I'll cut it off here to avoid rambling about the overhaul college soccer needs for US Soccer to improve.

Anyway, are there any other opinions on this? Would anyone like to see this happen or do you think I'm out of my mind? About prioritizing soccer as our distinct #2 sport behind basketball.

Is there another sport you think should be pushed as Big East's #2? Or should we just continue to pour 99% of our resources into basketball?

[billyjack]

Great idea Hall.
Definitely like giving it a higher priority, and having an FS1 game of the week.
The old Fox Soccer channel did a great job with the EPL, etc.

[gosports1]

I may be in the minority but i've thought for awhile there should be moe college sports on TV. I'd much rather watch that than some of the cra* , er "stuff" they air now. I wouldnt stop at soccer though. I'd include hockey, baseball, lacrosse and track and field(the big meets) maybe even consider the occasional swimming, volleyball and field hockey .(conference championships or tourneys)

[Omaha1]

I may be in the minority but i've thought for awhile there should be moe college sports on TV. I'd much rather watch that than some of the cra* , er "stuff" they air now. I wouldnt stop at soccer though. I'd include hockey, baseball, lacrosse and track and field(the big meets) maybe even consider the occasional swimming, volleyball and field hockey .(conference championships or tourneys)

While I agree I have to imagine the TV people know these events simply won't get any eyeballs to the TV sets. In many cases, they don't even get people to attend the live sporting event. Good in theory, but definitely a loss in the pocketbook for the TV folks.

[hoyahooligan]

I really am surprised that Fox Sports 1 has not had a Friday game of the week from the BE yet. Fox Soccer used to play a College Soccer game every Friday. I can't believe they haven't done this yet, seems like a no brainer. The BE has two top 10 teams in Men's soccer right now seems silly not to capitalize on our 2nd best sport, that has some national appeal. I'd argue BE is better at Cross Country, but that's harder to show on TV and probably has less appeal, but would love for them to put more of the BE sports on TV. The Big East Digital Network is a start, but would love some TV time for these sports as well.

[pirateguy80]

Not THAT football, don't crucify me.

(Also, I know this thread belongs under "Big East Men's Sports" so admin- feel free to move it if you wish. I just wanted to initially post here to actually get some views and hopefully some other opinions.

My point is I think the Big East should put some serious effort into promoting men's soccer. I'm not under any delusion that it's going to become a revenue sport (at least anytime soon), so I'm not talking basketball level promotion. I'm just talking about getting it to a level above other major conferences.

The Big East is already a historically strong soccer conference and all 10 schools have a program, so I think that with a just little effort to step up and say "hey, soccer really matters here," the Big East could become the dominant force at the college level of the sport. While all the other major conferences are spending the fall sports season focusing on american football, the Big East has a chance to carve out its own little niche likely without a whole lot of competition. There's no denying that soccer's popularity is growing fast in the US, so it could be very beneficial to take advantage of that by being the first conference to put a serious investment into the sport.

How to do so?

Well for one, we've got that nice deal with Fox that includes the Big East Digital Network, which I believe appears on Fox Sports Go around the end of the month. Put games on the BE network regularly- as many as possible. On top of that, put a "game of the week" on FS1 every week. Then just really encourage the schools to put some time and money into their programs. Sell the "we don't have football, soccer is our fall sport" pitch to recruits. Get some coaches who can really develop talent- guys who have experience running the youth academies with professional organizations- we can give them that opportunity to prove themselves as a head coach.

I could go on, but I'll cut it off here to avoid rambling about the overhaul college soccer needs for US Soccer to improve.

Anyway, are there any other opinions on this? Would anyone like to see this happen or do you think I'm out of my mind? About prioritizing soccer as our distinct #2 sport behind basketball.

Is there another sport you think should be pushed as Big East's #2? Or should we just continue to pour 99% of our resources into basketball?

The new Big East needs to establish itself as a power basketball conference. All available resources should go towards this end. We are in a crucial period right now and need to succeed with basketball. As ratings and revenues improve over time then maybe we can have a conversation to put more emphasis on "futbol". Believe me I would love to see this happen. Brasil 2014 was a huge coming out party for USA futbol. We already are having huge success with MLS, but the sport does not generate enough interest or revenue at the college level. For now the skunks are following the money trail...

[gosports1]

Im pretty sure i've seen B1G volleyball on TV before (andby seen i mean surfed by it ) I dont know if it was regular game or the championship series

[robinreed]

Hall,

I am sure many people are able to find something in soccer. I view it as slow, low scoring and sleep inducing. I have however seen indoor soccer played. It is played with 5 players and the rules are similar. The difference is that it is a lightning fast, even furious game whose pace is closer to basketball than field soccer. I do not know if it is NCAA sanctioned. If it is we might try it as a non-scholarship sport. I assure you it is a much more rewarding game experience than field soccer.

There is a problem with TV however. Indoor soccer has few fans (field soccer has few fans in large sections of the US as well.) Hence interest from Fox or any other TV network would be minimal or non existent.

I have a question for you or any other poster who has an interest in the sport. What is the average attendance at home soccer games on your campus? I have a friend who has a son who plays at a small college (enrollment about 6K) in KY. He told me they average only about 50 people per game. I expect we do better in the BE. But how much better. In my opinion Fox will not televise a game with only a few hundred fans in attendance.

Despite this and other problems with soccer I am all in favor of having any and all of our sports on Fox.

[muskienick]

Hall,

I am sure many people are able to find something in soccer. I view it as slow, low scoring and sleep inducing. I have however seen indoor soccer played. It is played with 5 players and the rules are similar. The difference is that it is a lightning fast, even furious game whose pace is closer to basketball than field soccer. I do not know if it is NCAA sanctioned. If it is we might try it as a non-scholarship sport. I assure you it is a much more rewarding game experience than field soccer.

There is a problem with TV however. Indoor soccer has few fans (field soccer has few fans in large sections of the US as well.) Hence interest from Fox or any other TV network would be minimal or non existent.

I have a question for you or any other poster who has an interest in the sport. What is the average attendance at home soccer games on your campus? I have a friend who has a son who plays at a small college (enrollment about 6K) in KY. He told me they average only about 50 people per game. I expect we do better in the BE. But how much better. In my opinion Fox will not televise a game with only a few hundred fans in attendance.

Despite this and other problems with soccer I am all in favor of having any and all of our sports on Fox.

Xavier just had a soccer match against rival, UC, and it drew well over 2,000 fans. However numbers like that are not typical or the regular attendance (which is closer to 1,000).

[robinreed]

Thanks muskienick.

Where did they play that game? On campus or at UC? I was not aware we had that kind of attendance for soccer. Pleased but surprised.