Re: The end of leagues as we know?
This conference just makes no sense. Anyone with half a brain can see that revenue for the teams will not change in any significant way, and expenditures will be drastically increased.
Only Miami and Western could make an argument for *maybe* seeing an uptick in revenue due to a better attended conference tournament (pure speculation based upon the assumption that the CCHA is going to be in rough shape once the BT teams leave) and more loyal attendance to regular season home games. But, considering Miami's arena only holds 3,600 those gains would be modest at best. At any rate, it could be strongly argued that Miami would be just as well off, if not better off, by simply joining the existing WCHA. Then again, neither Miami nor Western are the ones pushing for this new conference.
As for UMD and UNO, you have to think they are risking the recent rise in success of their programs by joining a league where they could very realistically become perennial cellar-dwellers. CC is another team that could find itself repeatedly finishing bottom half and being on the outside of the NCAA bubble.
UMD will also be leaving a conference with 3 instate rivals and an additional, traditional and close-by Lake Superior rival.
It appears that these 3 programs would go along with DU and UND not because the want to split off, but because they more or less have a gun to their heads.
And the 2 teams that seem to really be pushing for this league, DU and UND...
- Increased attendance to games doesn't seem to be realistic. All of DU's rivals are already in the WCHA. Replacing numerous conference series for 1 conference series against Miami (2 at best if somehow Notre Dame agrees to join the league) and a bunch of non-conference series isn't going to increase gate revenue. Conference games nearly always draw better than non-conference games.
UND is going to have near sell-outs regardless of which league they play in.
- A pipe dream about putting together a lucrative national TV deal doesn't add up. None of the teams in this league (with the exception of the uncommitted Notre Dame) have the name recognition or the alumni base to make such a deal viable. Rather, working within the WCHA to broker a more regionally-based deal seems to be far more realistic. FSN-North will have a great deal of new air-time to fill on Friday and Saturday nights, and there are a number of local teams playing in the WCHA that would garner the local interest to justify putting those games on air (think NESN for Hockey East). As is the case now, those FSN broadcasts can be picked up by a variety of other FSN regional channels. Other regional outlets would also be possibilities for getting games on the air. Far more than trying to strike a deal with a national broadcaster. Even with rumors about Vs. being interested in adding college hockey, how much more money will be generated from a deal with a station that the vast majority of television viewers don't even know exists? Will it be enough for UND to cover all the additional airfare associated with this new league?
- Conference tournament revenue is not going to outpace what could be accrued for a WCHA tournament held in a location within reasonable driving distance to numerous teams within the league.
Ultimately, this push by DU and UND appears to be in reaction to a fear that they will not be able to continue attracting high-end recruits in a WCHA that does not include Minnesota and Wisconsin; and that they will eventually slip to become mediocre hockey programs inferior to the Hockey East and Big Ten powers.
Not only does that view seem far too reactionary to me, but it is incredibly petty for fans of these programs to trash the programs left behind for "not doing enough to be able stand on their own." DU and UND are worried about their own programs falling to the point where they will be in the same boat.
That fear seems highly unrealistic to me. So again, I say this league makes no sense.
This conference just makes no sense. Anyone with half a brain can see that revenue for the teams will not change in any significant way, and expenditures will be drastically increased.
Only Miami and Western could make an argument for *maybe* seeing an uptick in revenue due to a better attended conference tournament (pure speculation based upon the assumption that the CCHA is going to be in rough shape once the BT teams leave) and more loyal attendance to regular season home games. But, considering Miami's arena only holds 3,600 those gains would be modest at best. At any rate, it could be strongly argued that Miami would be just as well off, if not better off, by simply joining the existing WCHA. Then again, neither Miami nor Western are the ones pushing for this new conference.
As for UMD and UNO, you have to think they are risking the recent rise in success of their programs by joining a league where they could very realistically become perennial cellar-dwellers. CC is another team that could find itself repeatedly finishing bottom half and being on the outside of the NCAA bubble.
UMD will also be leaving a conference with 3 instate rivals and an additional, traditional and close-by Lake Superior rival.
It appears that these 3 programs would go along with DU and UND not because the want to split off, but because they more or less have a gun to their heads.
And the 2 teams that seem to really be pushing for this league, DU and UND...
- Increased attendance to games doesn't seem to be realistic. All of DU's rivals are already in the WCHA. Replacing numerous conference series for 1 conference series against Miami (2 at best if somehow Notre Dame agrees to join the league) and a bunch of non-conference series isn't going to increase gate revenue. Conference games nearly always draw better than non-conference games.
UND is going to have near sell-outs regardless of which league they play in.
- A pipe dream about putting together a lucrative national TV deal doesn't add up. None of the teams in this league (with the exception of the uncommitted Notre Dame) have the name recognition or the alumni base to make such a deal viable. Rather, working within the WCHA to broker a more regionally-based deal seems to be far more realistic. FSN-North will have a great deal of new air-time to fill on Friday and Saturday nights, and there are a number of local teams playing in the WCHA that would garner the local interest to justify putting those games on air (think NESN for Hockey East). As is the case now, those FSN broadcasts can be picked up by a variety of other FSN regional channels. Other regional outlets would also be possibilities for getting games on the air. Far more than trying to strike a deal with a national broadcaster. Even with rumors about Vs. being interested in adding college hockey, how much more money will be generated from a deal with a station that the vast majority of television viewers don't even know exists? Will it be enough for UND to cover all the additional airfare associated with this new league?
- Conference tournament revenue is not going to outpace what could be accrued for a WCHA tournament held in a location within reasonable driving distance to numerous teams within the league.
Ultimately, this push by DU and UND appears to be in reaction to a fear that they will not be able to continue attracting high-end recruits in a WCHA that does not include Minnesota and Wisconsin; and that they will eventually slip to become mediocre hockey programs inferior to the Hockey East and Big Ten powers.
Not only does that view seem far too reactionary to me, but it is incredibly petty for fans of these programs to trash the programs left behind for "not doing enough to be able stand on their own." DU and UND are worried about their own programs falling to the point where they will be in the same boat.
That fear seems highly unrealistic to me. So again, I say this league makes no sense.
