Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Ship

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

I'd be curious to know what marketing people think they can do about it. Are they concerned with general exposure of the program, or do they plan on trying to "improve" the appeal of going to games through some gimmickry?

I think we all know that the former is needed and important for the marketing team to look into (especially those of us who used to be able to see more home games on WPT than we can now). No doubt that the casual UW sports fan isn't terribly aware of UW hockey, and I'm sure that the twitter/facebook/instagram/whatever savvy folks in marketing might have some ways to engage the modern sportsfan.

But it'd be interesting to see what marketing thinks about the latter. I know I've made my thoughts on that subject known repeatedly in the past.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

The marketing people have certainly noticed and care a lot. In fact, I'll be meeting with one of the higher-ups in that department later this week to discuss it. Of course, those probably aren't the same people dealing with firing coaches and buying out contracts.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE point them to this board as just one example that illustrates how absolutely exasperated many long-term (and now ex-) ticket holders are...although...now that I think of it they probably won't care that myself or anyone else will spend their entertainment dollars on going to Blackhawks vs. Badgers now, they'll consider us a lost cause and move to see if they can get some of those "eat ****" "**** you" mensa candidate football fans in the KC...THAT WILL SHOW US

 

[NEWI Badger Fan]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Eaves has had one other time his contract was not renewed. Believe it was fours ago. Please verify. BA is happy to have a very bad year every four years. Badger hockey fans are not. Program deserves being a top notch program year in and year out. If we have the coach we need, and go to the NCAA tourney often, we will take care of Championships.....

 

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

I'll definitely talk about the what I've read on this board, but it's mainly focused on the student's perspective (and honestly, that's where I actually have something to offer). Based on the emails I received, it'll be pretty thorough - some big/broad things, some smaller things.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

The marketing people are 2 years too late. The decline started after the BC debacle and has been going on ever since. The marketing people want to put a band aid on a cut to the forehead, but Dr. Alvarez is ignoring the sucking chest wound after putting the tourniquet on the shot through the thigh. I guess I just channeled my inner Metaphor Mike, sorry about that.

 

[Almington]

You're not the first to use that term, and you won't be the last, but that phrase either needs an adjective saying how much (something like "major") or needs to be switched to "profit generating sports." You could sell one ticket to a sport all year, and that sport generated revenue. Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine.



The marketing people have certainly noticed and care a lot. In fact, I'll be meeting with one of the higher-ups in that department later this week to discuss it. Of course, those probably aren't the same people dealing with firing coaches and buying out contracts.

Tell them they don't have stand a chance as long as the product put on the ice is so terrible.

 

[gwhinwi]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Eaves has had one other time his contract was not renewed. Believe it was fours ago. Please verify. BA is happy to have a very bad year every four years. Badger hockey fans are not. Program deserves being a top notch program year in and year out. If we have the coach we need, and go to the NCAA tourney often, we will take care of Championships.....

The contract that he signed in 2012 indicates he was extended in 2011 and 2012.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/128411032/Contract-of-Badgers-Hockey-Head-Coach-Mike-Eaves

I had thought that he wasn't renewed at one point in the past as well, but I can't find a record of that.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

A friend of mine who is in some of the right circles (put it this way: he knew about the UnderArmor thing before that got reported... I guess his boss is a big donor), made an interesting point about the Eaves (and Kelsey) non-firing:

The summary: Gary Andersen leaving, and all the difficulties and hoopla that go into hiring the new football staff is enough of a hassle for the athletic department as it is. To add in more burden by having to do yet another head coaching search or two (in lieu of, say, the existing staff looking for new assistants) might've been too much for the AD board to bear in one offseason.

Thoughts?

 

[gwhinwi]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

A friend of mine who is in some of the right circles (put it this way: he knew about the UnderArmor thing before that got reported... I guess his boss is a big donor), made an interesting point about the Eaves (and Kelsey) non-firing:

The summary: Gary Andersen leaving, and all the difficulties and hoopla that go into hiring the new football staff is enough of a hassle for the athletic department as it is. To add in more burden by having to do yet another head coaching search or two (in lieu of, say, the existing staff looking for new assistants) might've been too much for the AD board to bear in one offseason.

Thoughts?

So their logic would be this? If your boat is taking on water it would be better to keep going and just hope that it doesn't sink, rather than to get a bucket to try and dump out the water, because that's less work than trying to fix the problem?

 

[GBBadger14]

A friend of mine who is in some of the right circles (put it this way: he knew about the UnderArmor thing before that got reported... I guess his boss is a big donor), made an interesting point about the Eaves (and Kelsey) non-firing:

The summary: Gary Andersen leaving, and all the difficulties and hoopla that go into hiring the new football staff is enough of a hassle for the athletic department as it is. To add in more burden by having to do yet another head coaching search or two (in lieu of, say, the existing staff looking for new assistants) might've been too much for the AD board to bear in one offseason.

Thoughts?

You mean Barry made a decision about the hockey program based on the state of the football program?!?

I don't believe it! /sarcasm

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

So their logic would be this? If your boat is taking on water it would be better to keep going and just hope that it doesn't sink, rather than to get a bucket to try and dump out the water, because that's less work than trying to fix the problem?

More that the athletic department is probably going to have to put a ton of resources/contract buyout money to assemble the football staff, and having to do the same to the hockey staff would be too much of a burden (despite the fact that we're already doing that to the assistant coaches).

I won't say that it's a sound reason for keeping Eaves around, but it might be a bit of perspective that most of us wouldn't think about.

 

[Badger Booster]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

More that the athletic department is probably going to have to put a ton of resources/contract buyout money to assemble the football staff, and having to do the same to the hockey staff would be too much of a burden (despite the fact that we're already doing that to the assistant coaches).

I won't say that it's a sound reason for keeping Eaves around, but it might be a bit of perspective that most of us wouldn't think about.

That may be very well the case, but the top associate ADs in charge of hockey and women's basketball (King & Gawlick, I believe) are relatively separate from football. So it's not like the same top staff is having to deal with multiple coaching issues.

 

[gwhinwi]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

More that the athletic department is probably going to have to put a ton of resources/contract buyout money to assemble the football staff, and having to do the same to the hockey staff would be too much of a burden (despite the fact that we're already doing that to the assistant coaches).

I won't say that it's a sound reason for keeping Eaves around, but it might be a bit of perspective that most of us wouldn't think about.

Yeah, I would say that's a pretty weak reason for keeping coaches that you don't want. Sure there is a cost involved and it would be hard to manage changing 2 or 3 staffs all at the same time, but when you look at what type of long term cost there is to the programs, I don't think it works as a solution.

Having said that, both the women's basketball and men's hockey programs are due for major struggles for the next few years as a result of delaying the decision, so they'll have to live with it either way. Seems like they decided to slowly pull the band-aid off rather than ripping it off and dealing with the short term pain.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

A friend of mine who is in some of the right circles (put it this way: he knew about the UnderArmor thing before that got reported... I guess his boss is a big donor), made an interesting point about the Eaves (and Kelsey) non-firing:

The summary: Gary Andersen leaving, and all the difficulties and hoopla that go into hiring the new football staff is enough of a hassle for the athletic department as it is. To add in more burden by having to do yet another head coaching search or two (in lieu of, say, the existing staff looking for new assistants) might've been too much for the AD board to bear in one offseason.

Thoughts?

Quick thoughts: If the Athletic Department cannot handle multiple sports they're not doing the only job they have. It doesn't matter what Barry's precious little football team is doing or not doing, other teams on campus that are not successful need to be scrutinized and changes made where needed. Upheaval with football to me is an excuse and a VERY poor one since it makes Alvarez look even more football centric than we all know that he is.

Maybe he should talk to hockey alumni for a ****ing change. What about women's basketball alumni? Wherever there is a problem he or his staff should be addressing it immediately.

This just ****es me off beyond belief and I'm beginning to shed my apathy toward UW football (I was a fan until Barry moved to the AD position) and actively despise UW football for the fact they siphon EVERYTHING out of the Athletic Department including 1000% of their attention and effort. It's exhausting and it's no way to run an Athletic Department.

EDIT: FIRE ALVAREZ with Eaves

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Bear in mind my initial comment brought up by my friend shouldn't necessarily be taken at face value. It's a friend of mine who's been right in the past about some stuff, but it's still just speculation and sports fan pontificating.

Take it all with the appropriate grain of salt.

 

[gwhinwi]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Bear in mind my initial comment brought up by my friend shouldn't necessarily be taken at face value. It's a friend of mine who's been right in the past about some stuff, but it's still just speculation and sports fan pontificating.

Take it all with the appropriate grain of salt.

Noted.

If their thoughts are true though, it suggests much bigger problems in the administration than we had previously thought. Again, only if his/her presumption is correct.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Someone needs to get a hold of the list of applicants and fill us in.

 

[bucky15]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

Someone needs to get a hold of the list of applicants and fill us in.

I wouldn't get overly excited about who the assistants are going to be. It will just be more of a letdown when they are announced. I have a feeling the assistants will require a google search after they are announced.

I am sure there are a number of elite coaches out there that are keeping a close eye on how everything plays out this year at UW.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

I wouldn't get overly excited about who the assistants are going to be. It will just be more of a letdown when they are announced. I have a feeling the assistants will require a google search after they are announced.

I am sure there are a number of elite coaches out there that are keeping a close eye on how everything plays out this year at UW.

Ouch! That's one tough prediction. I would agree it's a tough spot to put yourself in as an assistant, but they will be better next year, so it will be at least a 2 year stay of not 3. Not that a 3 yr stay in any job is ideal.

 

[MadCityRich]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXIII: A Fanbase Gets Smarter When All The Idiots Jump Shi

I wouldn't get overly excited about who the assistants are going to be. It will just be more of a letdown when they are announced. I have a feeling the assistants will require a google search after they are announced.

I agree.