Yes, absolutely we need to be concerned with student interest. Students fee cover 46% of the athletics budget directly, and institutional support covers another 22%. It would be great to get more fans in from Cincinnati and Dayton but there’s no viable path to 3x revenues from other sources.
If you seriously think there’s no way to increase student engagement with athletics and it’s not even worth trying, then why should students be forced to pay for them?
I don’t really view the student/non-student perspectives as being in conflict here anyways. Everyone would benefit from a new arena with better atmosphere and amenities. I just think catering to non-students in any aspect isn’t worth it if it’s at the expense of students. If we think the SW Quad site is better for students (I do), then choosing Cook instead if the benefit is just pretty minimal traffic and parking improvements is silly.
Suppose you’re coming from out of town, which nearly all alumni would be. Realistically, you’re looking at a drive of at least an hour for most everyone, and in many cases much longer. If that’s the case, why does saving 10-15 minutes at the very end of the trip make a huge difference? Is someone driving from Columbus going to say “nah” if they have to wait in a little bit of bad traffic at the very end of a 2+ hour drive?
It’s too far if you are a “occasional fan “ walking alone or with a few people, but not if you are with a crowd of your fellow students who are excited about seeing their team in action. Get more students to attend and the distance seems magically shorter. Don’t have an answer to the obvious question.
This seems like a slightly silly debate as far as which location is better for students. Millet is on the edge of campus, but both Cook and the JohnnyMac have negligible distance differences to students.
Cook would be closer to North, East, and Western. SW would be closer to Central, South, and Heritage Commons. Neither is bad walk into uptown.
To me the defining question is whether it is better to place it near Goggin to have those two arenas share parking or put it on Cook and build that area into a new anchor of campus with arena, hotel, restaurant, conference center, etc.
Since it sounds like Cook is going to be developed eventually either way, I lean towards that as I think the opportunity for doing something really cool is higher there, but either will be a great win for Miami hoops.
Just tell me where I need to donate to get a brick with my name in the project and I’m ready to write the check.
The idea of attracting more fans from Dayton or Cincy depends on students falling in love with Miami basketball. If that happens and the product is good, those people will make the extra effort to come years later. I know plenty of people who fit that description. Otherwise, Dayton and Cincy both have two successful D1 programs much easier to get to. We have to get students involved to create future adult fans like us.
The saving of 10-15 minutes is often more like 15-20. Or 20+. After a near five hour drive, I detest sitting in traffic to get to Millett. This Saturday may be a great time to determine the time that one must deal with when going to the game. It may not be the determining factor if one goes to the game, but with ESPN+, some who drive longer than an hour, which ends up being much more, might be inclined to sit at home and watch it. If not, where are the fans (assuming that an improving product will motivate some to take the time to drive)?
Why deal with a solvable, or mitigated, issue if you don’t have to?
While our immediate interest is the basketball program, I’m sure many more students attended concerts than sporting events in their time in Oxford. I would imagine that would continue, and students would realize it’s an easier walk, therefore would give sporting events a try.
If you’re concerned about traffic and parking congestion this Saturday you can avoid it by coming for the women’s game at 1:00. If you’re not willing to support them against OU but plan to arrive at 3:00 to watch the men I hope you’re stuck in traffic when the men tip off.
I am. And thanks for hoping I’m stuck in traffic after driving from Detroit. I intend to get there no later than 1.
Stuck in traffic? According to some, that is not a problem or, more accurately, is my problem.
Does Miami run a shuttle throughout campus before, during and after games? If not, that could help. Coastal Carolina runs these all over campus to ferry students and fans from key pickup points.
Who comes to a game, especially if you think there’s going to be a good crowd, and expects to pull into the parking lot like they’re going to Kroger? If the SW site is going to take an extra 10-15 minutes to get parked after a two hour drive from Columbus or longer from other areas what’s the big deal? You’re not going to a little league game at the local elementary school, you expect a crowd and everything that comes with it.
I’m one of the old farts here (.‘79) and when I’ve been around campus and see the long gone green spaces we used to have it’s kind of sad. Paving over Cook Field, where I practiced football and threw the discus, to put up a frickin’ hotel and another place to eat just sucks out loud. Cook is the last big green space on campus. Moving intramurals to the Millet area just seems too far away. Put the hotel, restaurant and convention center at Millett.
For someone coming into Oxford and wanting to stay at a nice hotel, having it at Millett instead of Cook isn’t going to make one bit of difference.
Keep the last centrally located green space GREEN!
