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Pros & Cons of a Strong WBB Program at MU
Posted on: April 6, 2024 at 23:32:10 CT
GreatScott MU
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It's been clear for some time now, that the MU athletics administration cares little to nothing about the program. Maybe it hasn't had much of a reason to, given the historical lack of success.
My question is, since money drives everything in college sports nowadays... would a successful MU program (consistent top ten or SEC title contender) turn a profit, and maybe earn a bigger investment from MU? Would it generate enough fan interest to draw big crowds? Especially with the sport's recent rise in popularity?
I think back to the Joni Davis/Renee Kelly teams of the mid-1980s. They were in or around the top ten and dominated the Big 8 (although they never had a deep NCAA tournament run). They were good in the first seasons after the Stipo/Sunvold teams on the men's side. But while the men's team sent an attendance record while going from first to last in the conference, the women's team attracted only a few hundred fans at most.
To be sure, that was 40 years ago, in the early years of major conference WBB, and obviously the sport has come a long way since then. But even so, there were great programs and strong fan interest at schools such as Stanford, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech and USC.
Maybe what we need is one of MU's wealthy alums to donate a substantial sum to support the WBB program. I'm not sure how much we'd need, but as an example let's say $25 million for five years. Enough to hire a top coaching staff, pay for a better recruiting budget to scout and recruit better players, and provide attractive NIL opportunities. Would that be enough to turn the program around, make it a consistently-ranked SEC contender, and generate more fan interest and support from other donors and MU?
My question is, since money drives everything in college sports nowadays... would a successful MU program (consistent top ten or SEC title contender) turn a profit, and maybe earn a bigger investment from MU? Would it generate enough fan interest to draw big crowds? Especially with the sport's recent rise in popularity?
I think back to the Joni Davis/Renee Kelly teams of the mid-1980s. They were in or around the top ten and dominated the Big 8 (although they never had a deep NCAA tournament run). They were good in the first seasons after the Stipo/Sunvold teams on the men's side. But while the men's team sent an attendance record while going from first to last in the conference, the women's team attracted only a few hundred fans at most.
To be sure, that was 40 years ago, in the early years of major conference WBB, and obviously the sport has come a long way since then. But even so, there were great programs and strong fan interest at schools such as Stanford, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech and USC.
Maybe what we need is one of MU's wealthy alums to donate a substantial sum to support the WBB program. I'm not sure how much we'd need, but as an example let's say $25 million for five years. Enough to hire a top coaching staff, pay for a better recruiting budget to scout and recruit better players, and provide attractive NIL opportunities. Would that be enough to turn the program around, make it a consistently-ranked SEC contender, and generate more fan interest and support from other donors and MU?
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Pros & Cons of a Strong WBB Program at MU - GreatScott MU - 4/6 23:32:10