Why so much UCONN hate?

[hoops22]

If circumstances somehow evolved where UCONN rejoined the BE one day, nearly everyone here would be singing their praises in no time. I realize it's extremely unlikely to happen, but I for one, hope that someday they do wind up back home.

[CPJays]

I don't hate UCONN. Their situation just depresses me. A program like that is in a wasteland and it is a damn shame.

[notkirkcameron]

I don't feel sorry for UConn one bit. They got what they deserved chasing football fool's gold. UConn, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and to a lesser extent, Boston College. These were the classic Big East mainstays who sold their basketball souls, and the superconference era Big East for at-best, average AAC or ACC football.


YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! DAMN YOU. DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL.

[Bill Marsh]

Here's a link to the Godfather's post...

http://friarblog.com/2009/01/30/74319473/


That aside:

1) I wouldn't trust a football school in the BE conference, ever again. UConn would need to shed football in order to come back
2) Furthermore, UConn would need to split the shares that it accumulated when the BE split, with the so called Catholic 7 which surrendered them
3) UConn fans would need to accept a lifetime ban from chanting U-C-O-N-N...UConn...UConn...UConn within a 5-mile limit of any opposing BE arena
4) UConn fans would need to stop dropping the "NC" reference in any discussion where opposing opinions are being shared. We don't care at this point, as we're all about the future - which is brighter than prospects in the AAC

Friar 82, thanks for posting that link. As I write, the tears are still rolling down my cheeks. A laugh fest from one end to the other. I literally laughed out loud through the entire read. Can't remember when I laughed so loud for so long. I should pay you for making me a more cheerful person by just having read that.

Furthermore, it's all true. Every last word of it. I say that as someone who has lived in CT for 40+ years and who has followed the Huskies for that entire time because I'm a college basketball nut and they're the only game in town. There is no doubt that Calhoun is/was a first class douche bag, the Bob Knight of the East. Godfather nailed that one perfectly.

Thanks again. Thanks for getting my new year off to a flying start. Go Friars!

[Bill Marsh]

Several posters have mentioned that UConn is chasing the fool's gold of football money. In all fairness, it's not about that at all it only seems that way to us college sports fans.

You have to think like a university president to see what the end game is. UConn aspires toward academic excellence. It wants to be a top public research university. It's presidents and Boards of Trustees look at the formula to attain that. Excellence in college sports - including football - is part of the formula. Moreover, affiliation in a major sports legue can lead to associations with those same universities with whom UConn wants to be considered a peer and even a research partner. They would love to be in the Big Ten, but the Big XII or the ACC would do.

Without debating whether they're right or wrong, that's what it's all about as a university policy. My guess is that they could care less about the football dollars and would probably prefer to be without football. They actually lost a lot of money on their trip to the Fiesta Bowl 7 years ago.

[Noonzy]

Respectfully disagree MUboxer. Providence is a 45 minute drive from Storrs and they travel well. If they invade you arena you will see that the post by the Godfather is timeless.

Disagree with which part? That it ignores the fact that UConn was, by far, the most successful team in the Big East (say what you want about the 80s no other big east team had 4 titles) and did it over 15 years? I'm not arguing the fans suck, or that Calhoun was a Dbag but saying "they didn't play UMass" when they played plenty of other very tough teams and had loads of success, is just fishing for reasons to hate on them.

I can relate to the whole fans that believe basketball was started in the 90s thing, it rings true with Wisconsin fans that believe basketball was started in 94 or 99 pending on who you talk to. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna take away from the fact they've had enormous success since. Credit where credit is due.

The part about it being stuck in the 90's. The fans are still the same. No one can deny the incredible success that UConn has had-unbelievable and their runs to the FF were great. The godfather piece was strictly about their fans.
I used to have season tickets to PC before I retired to the south and I met many really great UConn fans at the dunk. It's a generalization about many of their fans-not all.

[BEhomer]

Several posters have mentioned that UConn is chasing the fool's gold of football money. In all fairness, it's not about that at all it only seems that way to us college sports fans.

You have to think like a university president to see what the end game is. UConn aspires toward academic excellence. It wants to be a top public research university. It's presidents and Boards of Trustees look at the formula to attain that. Excellence in college sports - including football - is part of the formula. Moreover, affiliation in a major sports legue can lead to associations with those same universities with whom UConn wants to be considered a peer and even a research partner. They would love to be in the Big Ten, but the Big XII or the ACC would do.

Without debating whether they're right or wrong, that's what it's all about as a university policy. My guess is that they could care less about the football dollars and would probably prefer to be without football. They actually lost a lot of money on their trip to the Fiesta Bowl 7 years ago.

Yes. We have to remember that athletics is only a small portion of what universities do and care about. and even the TV money it brings is nothing compared to their overall budget/endowment. lot of schools lose money playing football but they still fund it because it's proven to increase general admissions.

so for Uconn to abandon football and join BE, it would take a catastrophic downturn in athletics and perhaps academics as well. so the question becomes then, do we still want them at that point?

[Bill Marsh]

Several posters have mentioned that UConn is chasing the fool's gold of football money. In all fairness, it's not about that at all it only seems that way to us college sports fans.

You have to think like a university president to see what the end game is. UConn aspires toward academic excellence. It wants to be a top public research university. It's presidents and Boards of Trustees look at the formula to attain that. Excellence in college sports - including football - is part of the formula. Moreover, affiliation in a major sports legue can lead to associations with those same universities with whom UConn wants to be considered a peer and even a research partner. They would love to be in the Big Ten, but the Big XII or the ACC would do.

Without debating whether they're right or wrong, that's what it's all about as a university policy. My guess is that they could care less about the football dollars and would probably prefer to be without football. They actually lost a lot of money on their trip to the Fiesta Bowl 7 years ago.

Yes. We have to remember that athletics is only a small portion of what universities do and care about. and even the TV money it brings is nothing compared to their overall budget/endowment. lot of schools lose money playing football but they still fund it because it's proven to increase general admissions.

so for Uconn to abandon football and join BE, it would take a catastrophic downturn in athletics and perhaps academics as well. so the question becomes then, do we still want them at that point?

Exactly. And university presidents care far more about research dollars, which are far more abundant for top research universities, than they do about football dollars.

[NovaBall]

Uconn aspires to be a top academic university?

Wow, conference ofAmericans is definitely the wrong place for them!

Look at the nonsense they are affiliating with. Memphis, temple, Cincy, and a bunch of directional community colleges from the south.

If academic perception through athletic affiliation were important to uconn they would not be in conference of Americans. They also would have fired Jim Calhoun long before he created the reputation of uconn as a cess pool with a good hoops program.

[gosports1]

actually UConn's academic reputation has improved greatly. It is more difficult to be accepted to UConn today than it was 15-20 years ago. Make no mistake, they have a plan. There are enough quality BB programs in the AAC to keep UConn on track to achieve that plan. Add in the type of OOC schedule they are putting together and they should be well positioned for a P5 invite when and if comes