They’ve Given Up

Alden Report treated like a pick 3 menu is another USL’ing it move. Do the easy things.

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Originally Posted by mxpxfr690

MAT I tend to agree with you on many things, but giving up isn’t one… Can you explain what you mean by they are giving up, as apparently something just happened that really ____ed you off…. Also are you saying the new stadium will not be that good?

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No concrete info on the stadium.

It’s not just one thing. It’s several things over the course of the last 2 years that tell me loud and clear, they’ve given up.

Btw, I’m not politicking for anyone else to change how they support the program. I’m telling you guys where I’m at on it and why RR will go from 3 to 2 people.

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Originally Posted by ManAboutTown

Hell, only a few people know anything about that. If it even happens..

I’m talking about more reseating, more price hikes, more changing of RCAF benefit structures, etc. I expect continued alienation of older fans with the coming changes of tickets, parking, etc and more apathy in the younger fans, mostly due to lack of cultivation.

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And communication, aka messaging...

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Originally Posted by ZoomZoom

The trifecta screw up…failed the capitalize on the FB championship, failed to search for Napier’s replacement outside the parish line, and the biggest, failure to deliver the stadium as advertised on national tv in interviews during Napier’s last season.

Fans involved needed that championship celebrated, not even a banner. Coaching search, like CMD or not, want to know what USL’ing it is? The way it went down, followed with the “we’re broke” mantra, that’s USL’ing it. The feel of this decision was made by Martin Hall long, long before Napier and Florida was ever in the same sentence.

And the built expectations of the stadium start when the pre construction inspections and engineering surveys not even done yet announcing a start. That is not on Covid or supply chain. The project was not close to even starting this past fall…as announced to the upper deck ticket holders.

And I see zero to be excited about this FB season. I just don’t sense any energy out in public, other than 2 people walked up and asked where I got my Louisiana shirt Sunday. Hint, not on campus.

Been attending different games in multiple sports since high school days in early 70’s. This is the first season I can honestly say I don’t GAF.

There is another “W” word USL hates…winning. It brings expectations.

And I fear by mid October CF will be basically empty.

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Cajun Field won't be basically empty in mid October if the football team is winning. I for one, will not automatically assume they are incapable of doing so.

. . . seems like a select few have been watching too much news and now want to burn the whole place down . . . don’t take the bait . . . the weak strike when it is hot . . .

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Originally Posted by fanof71

The failure to recognize the 2021 Championship, not recognizing the Swamps 50th anniversary, not acknowledging bowl wins inside CF= Apathy in the athletic Dept...time for the the corner office guys to go...

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Ladies and gentlemen the best potential rcaf membership drive chairman emeritus

It was hard to keep this one in. This has been in the works for a while and I don't blame MAT as his family is way more important than UL or sports. Best of luck bud.

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Originally Posted by Cajunsmike

Cajun Field won't be basically empty in mid October if the football team is winning. I for one, will not automatically assume they are incapable of doing so.

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If is the key word.

Our visions tend to be vermilion hued. Nationality, the vast majority see UL will be average, at best.

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Originally Posted by BabbForHeisman

I wouldn't say I've given up, but I share the frustration. For me, the biggest thing is not the football stadium, or the baseball stadium, or attendance, or anything like that.

When I graduated from college 17 years ago, if you had told me that in 2023 there would be a conference shakeup of monumental proportions, I would say that my hope beyond wildest hope that we'd be in the mix to make a move to a power conference.

And yet here we are, still in the same position. A power conference is nothing more than a notional future plan. However, if we'd done the right thing all these years...we'd be the UCF or Houston right now. We would.

That's not a knock on the Sunbelt. The Belt is our best option at the moment. But the fact that all this shakeup is happening and we are still just in the Belt...that's disappointing.

And I'm not the only person that feels that way, I'm sure.

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I'm with you. My ideal dream was for Louisiana to be in the Big 12.
Lafayette is no Houston or Orlando, however.

As we search to secure financing for our stadium rebuild...
-Houston received anonymous donations of $15mil in the span of 3 months in 2022
http://thedailycougar.com/2022/07/22...opment-center/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/tex...n-17475344.php

-"According to the university’s funding interest application to the Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force it submitted last month, UCF requested $176.6 million over ten years. It would cover about two-thirds of the full $267.8 million cost of the projects."
https://www.blackandgoldbanneret.com...l-tennis-track

Do we have big money in Lafayette like that? Honestly asking.

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Originally Posted by BabbForHeisman

I wouldn't say I've given up, but I share the frustration. For me, the biggest thing is not the football stadium, or the baseball stadium, or attendance, or anything like that.

When I graduated from college 17 years ago, if you had told me that in 2023 there would be a conference shakeup of monumental proportions, I would say that my hope beyond wildest hope that we'd be in the mix to make a move to a power conference.

And yet here we are, still in the same position. A power conference is nothing more than a notional future plan. However, if we'd done the right thing all these years...we'd be the UCF or Houston right now. We would.

That's not a knock on the Sunbelt. The Belt is our best option at the moment. But the fact that all this shakeup is happening and we are still just in the Belt...that's disappointing.

And I'm not the only person that feels that way, I'm sure.

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There’s a lot more money and people in Houston and Orlando (and I think you could add Memphis and Cincy there). While I want to be seen as peers to those schools, it’s completely different situations.

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Originally Posted by 60swerethebest

Agree it played role. All research does. So you think since monkey Covid money is reduced we’re back to R2? Our research in other areas is actually growing faster. Number of PhDs will exceed 100 this coming year. No Covid there. And more importantly our research infrastructure is keeping pace. That is number one in retaining status.
You are correct that at one time the primate center was a large part of our research money. It will remain important and will increase in a few years, significantly. But Engineering and Technology will expand faster as will Nursing.
Hang on to what’s about to happen.

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I’ll be 70 by the time something else happens. I was 24 when we started talking about R1 status. “We’re very close” is what they always say. Well 19 years later we made it.

Spare me what we are accomplishing. We are a 4 year university in the only region of the state that is growing. The university is growing by default.

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Originally Posted by cajunjayhawk

I'm with you. My ideal dream was for Louisiana to be in the Big 12.
Lafayette is no Houston or Orlando, however.

As we search to secure financing for our stadium rebuild...
-Houston received anonymous donations of $15mil in the span of 3 months in 2022
http://thedailycougar.com/2022/07/22...opment-center/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/tex...n-17475344.php

-"According to the university’s funding interest application to the Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force it submitted last month, UCF requested $176.6 million over ten years. It would cover about two-thirds of the full $267.8 million cost of the projects."
https://www.blackandgoldbanneret.com...l-tennis-track

Do we have big money in Lafayette like that? Honestly asking.

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We do not.

We had a boatload of federal money, more than could be handled, dumped on LCG. And what we got? A bunch of retention ponds, which some engineers think won’t work as advertised. 20 mill would have gone a long way.

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Originally Posted by LouisianaB

There’s a lot more money and people in Houston and Orlando (and I think you could add Memphis and Cincy there). While I want to be seen as peers to those schools, it’s completely different situations.

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Yes and no.

In Houston, no one cares about UH. Not really. Other than Tillman, all the big money is funneled to UT or TAMU.

Same for Orlando. Orlando is more of a nomadic town because so much of Disney/Universal employment is transient. No big money in Orlando goes to UCF, it all goes to UF or FSU.

We're more alike those schools than most people would like to admit. The difference...leadership vision.

As a fan who has followed Cajun football since the 70’s I think the ragin review was a fantastic forum to get message out.
Discovered it at the end of football season last year and really enjoyed it
My older friends and I have been thru very lean years for Cajun football
We really need a push from this athletic dept to promote all Cajun sports to the highest level possible
Never to late
Years ago we got in the mail a media guide tickets and parking passes in mail
Now it is different and ok
Will always be a Cajun fan
Appreciate all the work our younger fans do
CC

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Originally Posted by ManAboutTown

Hell, only a few people know anything about that. If it even happens..

I’m talking about more reseating, more price hikes, more changing of RCAF benefit structures, etc. I expect continued alienation of older fans with the coming changes of tickets, parking, etc and more apathy in the younger fans, mostly due to lack of cultivation.

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What reseating and price hikes are changing? Nothing changed on my invoice from last year to this year.

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Originally Posted by BabbForHeisman

Yes and no.

In Houston, no one cares about UH. Not really. Other than Tillman, all the big money is funneled to UT or TAMU.

Same for Orlando. Orlando is more of a nomadic town because so much of Disney/Universal employment is transient. No big money in Orlando goes to UCF, it all goes to UF or FSU.

We're more alike those schools than most people would like to admit. The difference...leadership vision.

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More people in Lafayette are for LSU. Think we are equal there. The difference is the money.

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Originally Posted by BabbForHeisman

Yes and no.

In Houston, no one cares about UH. Not really. Other than Tillman, all the big money is funneled to UT or TAMU.

Same for Orlando. Orlando is more of a nomadic town because so much of Disney/Universal employment is transient. No big money in Orlando goes to UCF, it all goes to UF or FSU.

We're more alike those schools than most people would like to admit. The difference...leadership vision.

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I agree leadership and vision are a major difference, but there is plenty of big money at UH. The Cullen family and John Moore family are just a couple of other billionaire donors to the university. UH’s endowment is 4x UL’s and growing faster as well.

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Originally Posted by GeauxCajuns

What reseating and price hikes are changing? Nothing changed on my invoice from last year to this year.

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It won’t be announced for a while, but it is coming.

. . . we are very good at self identifying our peers at peer levels substantially higher than we are and who have specific attributes we just do not have and then complaining about our failure to compete at that peer level . . . then go to burning the place down . . . be careful because sometimes once the fire starts it goes scorched earth . . . we have done a lot to raise our stock in the past 10 years, let’s not let the few come here and ruin it . . .

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Originally Posted by JMV JustMyView

It was hard to keep this one in. This has been in the works for a while and I don't blame MAT as his family is way more important than UL or sports. Best of luck bud.

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. . . this is interesting . . .

Here’s a great example failing to grow LOUISIANA. Mixed messaging.

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Originally Posted by ZoomZoom

Here’s a great example failing to grow LOUISIANA. Mixed messaging.

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I mean that is our Academic Abbreviation.
The Office of University Housing & Residential Life is not within athletics.

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Originally Posted by cajunjayhawk

I mean that is our Academic Abbreviation.
The Office of University Housing & Residential Life is not within athletics.

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Absolutely don’t care. NOBODY in this state uses their full name contrary to athletics except UL. It’s a freaking tee shirt. There is no penalty in the legislation. What…the tee shirt police is coming?

That’s the mentality of MH in full display.

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Originally Posted by ZoomZoom

Absolutely don’t care. NOBODY in this state uses their full name contrary to athletics except UL. It’s a freaking tee shirt. There is no penalty in the legislation. What…the tee shirt police is coming?

That’s the mentality of MH in full display.

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Agree 100%. Force the issue. But we never will.