NO LIKE NEW SBC RULE ( Revenue Sharing )

[Hammer58]

I was reading some articals and found this:
"Last year, the Cajuns kept all of their bowl share of sold tickets. A new Sun Belt Conference regulation this year requires a 50-50 split with the league on bowl ticket revenues which cuts into the Cajuns' share, but UL will also share from ticket sales at the league's other three bowl teams -- Western Kentucky in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Dec. 26, UL Monroe in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Dec. 28 in Shreveport, and Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile Jan. 6."

Does anyone know how the ticket sales are going for the other three Sun Belt bowl games? Since we will most likely be putting in the majority of revenue sharing!

The Hoax have only sold about 7k of their 15k allotment.

[Hammer58]

In the past 10 years the programs that have moved up to a better conference were the ones that have had either the biggest media market or the biggest budget of all the schools available to choose from. And these schools were almost always selected in order of whose media market and budget were biggest. In his Advertiser interview Farmer straight up said that C-USA wasn't interested in us because our budget and media market were too small.

Sure there are other things conferences take into consideration: geography, on field success, academics, fan support, "vision," etc. but numero uno and numero dos is budget and media market. We absolutely, positively need to address either #1 and #2 if we want to be attractive to a better conference. Everything else is secondary.

You use the analogy of a resume so I'll use it too. If you want to work at an engineering firm you need an engineering degree. It doesn't matter how much want-to or ability you have. If you don't have that degree the engineering firm is not going to be interested. Right now UL wants to get a great job. But it doesn't have the degree (bigger budget) to get it yet. And that's why we haven't been interviewed by C-USA yet. We have the desire and the ability and all the intangibles to be a great employee but we've got to get that degree.


As to the rest of your statements, well I pretty much agree with them. I really do.

Tech's entry into CUSA disputes your argument. The difference between Tech's response from CUSA and ours is Tech's admin was aggressive and unrelenting in selling themselves to CUSA while our admin takes no for an answer.

[CajunRebel]

Tech's entry into CUSA disputes your argument. The difference between Tech's response from CUSA and ours is Tech's admin was aggressive and unrelenting in selling themselves to CUSA while our admin takes no for an answer.

They were able to get their budget to around 20 million. They got their degree. We need to get ours.

[Hammer58]

UL is inside the Lafayette media market which has a population of 462,300.
Because Tech is covered by the Shreveport and Monroe media markets they can claim both of them. 352,900+129,000=481,900
Tech's MEDIA MARKET is larger.

Their budget will also be rising to that 20 million dollar level thanks to donations from richer folks than you and I.

Once again you provide another example. If Tech, located in Ruston with no television statin, can claim both Shreveport and Monroe we can claim Lake Charles since NBC affiliate kplc reaches Lafayette and covers UL and Lafayette's kact and klfy broadcasts reach Lake Charles. Likewise we get BR stations and our stations reach westward into BR and down toward Houma. Once again it is a difference in the aggressiveness of the respective administrations and utilization/manipulation of data.

[Hammer58]

They were able to get their budget to around 20 million. They got their degree. We need to get ours.

They did not get their budget to $20 million. They played fast and loose with some numbers and made it look closer to $20 million and then promised to get it to $20 million within a few years. This info came directly from our alumnus on the UL board.

Don't you ever tire of defending mediocrity?

[Turbine]

Market Shmarket, this is all backwards.

Its like actual bowl saying we want the team with the most households not the team that will sell the most tickets.

According to Farmer CUSA is saying we want the schools with the most televisions, not the schools with the most televisions ON.

It's all backwards. Since there is no NBC affiliate in Lafayette, can UL claim Lake Charles and Baton Rouge as its media market?

[Turbine]

Once again you provide another example. If Tech, located in Ruston with no television statin, can claim both Shreveport and Monroe we can claim Lake Charles since NBC affiliate kplc reaches Lafayette and covers UL and Lafayette's kact and klfy broadcasts reach Lake Charles. Likewise we get BR stations and our stations reach westward into BR and down toward Houma. Once again it is a difference in the aggressiveness of the respective administrations and utilization/manipulation of data.

Brilliant . . . I should have kept reading.

[Just1More]

As to the rest of your statements, well I pretty much agree with them. I really do.

I think my resume analogy leans more toward all of us having the engineering degree. UL doesn't have a very good GPA. I don't disagree that numerous conference moves have appeared as budget/TV market based moves. Without us knowing about it, the school leadership among all of those moves was definitely active in all of these agreements. The original construciton of CUSA was all about TV market size. It was a southern conference that found programs, left out of the SEC. that at the very least had a sizable TV market. It wasn't a perfect application across the board. But, it was clear that CUSA made that the primary criteria. That was prior to the creation of the BCS and way before the automatic qualifier creation. With all of the politics to make sure that with TV and bowl (and other) revenues growing yearly... a large segment of universities are being left out. Even with the lesser AQ conferences, the battle to retain certain schools is changing the landscape on what constitutes member qualification.

UL is limited to very few realistic conference opportunities. As these conference alignments continue to alter, there will be more odd management of new member requirements. For instance, Tech was never truly a CUSA qualified candidate. Their recent success at membership was not because of the market, budget, prior success or status. They lobbied CUSA based on a promise of a larger budget and a claim of a medium large TV market.

Let's look at the "promise of a larger budget". What did they have to place in the form of a guarantee that they could achieve the budget they promised? Do you believe that CUSA will kick them out if they do not achieve that larger budget? The answer... no. UL management also knows this. Also, by leaving the WAC and joining CUSA, they will likely interest more Tech fans by virtue of regional matchups. Their attendance revenue will increase... because more Tech fans would rather watch Tech versus USM than they did Tech versus San Jose State.

In contrast to UL, Tech fans have been somewhat pleased with their WAC membership. In football, they've already been bowling via that conference. UL has only recently been bowling and had two pretty good resume bumps that other conferences have not paid attention to... unless it is pointed out by our administration. We had the single largest increase percentage-wise of any program in the country in home game attendance. We set an attendance record at the New Orleans Bowl and will do it again this year. That will have an effect on our revenues going forward. It also adds to a discussion with other CUSA members about the prior "talk of potential" into a "proof of some of that potential".

Now let's address this mystical thing called "TV market". There are SEC schools located in small towns out in the boonies. Those schools, obviously, can claim a statewide (or a portion of their state) market of their own (sort of, kind of). Most of those schools, however, do not have a local economy that allows their alumni to remain in that area... or grow their families and extended families right in the backyard of their alma mater. UL does. Tech does not. UL has a dense base of local alumni. We could easily, through data sampling, prove that we have a massive local alumni within a tight region of our area between Houston and New Orleans.

When you claim a "TV market"... how exactly and who exactly calculates that market? How, for instance, does Tech claim Shreveport? LSU probably "claims" Shreveport. They also claim Lafayette. UL could very likely, claim Acadiana and show how they have alumni concentrated in the majority of the entirety of south Louisiana (and Houston). If you are gifted with presentation skills, and you actually have it in your heart to achieve your targeted objectives... UL can provide a fairly good showing for a sizable (and don't underestimate the head room a seriously good UL football program can build beyond our current participating fanship) TV market.

There is only one way right now. We have to make the deals and borrow the money to begin construction, as quickly as possible, on Cajun Field. We have to immediately flange up with the key members of the best case conference affiliations. We cannot allow the SBC to force us into any "SBC saving rules". We need to consider going independent before we allow that. We must go into a football first (not only... first) build and grow phase with our turbo after-burners cherry hot. With every leg of our table pushing the table up, we have a shot. If we just coast in the currents... waiting on calmer waters... we are going to sink.

Our fanship is about to slam UL in an ugly way. T-Joe had better realize it. Our bubble is excessively thin. One more sharp object (and I won't explain what that means... use your imagination) pokes that athletic bubble... it will pop. They have to do as has been told them to do. The monthly payments will be taken care of. Go get the loan. Then start visiting every potential future hot shot conference member we'd like to be a partner with. The word will spread. And invites will come. If we sit by the old 1971 "Ray's Red Phone"... waiting on the call... we're toast.

I'm stoked about being in the New Orleans Bowl... again. I fear T-Joe and Scott think this is the pinnacle of success for UL.

[CajunRebel]

They did not get their budget to $20 million. They played fast and loose with some numbers and made it look closer to $20 million and then promised to get it to $20 million within a few years. This info came directly from our alumnus on the UL board.

Don't you ever tire of defending mediocrity?

They provided C-USA with tangible proof that they would get their donations to $20 million. We can't do that but that's what we need to do.

Where did I defend mediocrity?

[CajunRebel]

Once again you provide another example. If Tech, located in Ruston with no television statin, can claim both Shreveport and Monroe we can claim Lake Charles since NBC affiliate kplc reaches Lafayette and covers UL and Lafayette's kact and klfy broadcasts reach Lake Charles. Likewise we get BR stations and our stations reach westward into BR and down toward Houma. Once again it is a difference in the aggressiveness of the respective administrations and utilization/manipulation of data.

Tech can claim both markets because they are covered in both markets. They didn't use manipulation or "fancy talkin'" to prove it. They claim both because they CAN claim both.

You mind showing me where the UL articles and videos are on KPLC.com? Don't bother looking. There are none. UL isn't in their media market. Don't bother looking at any of the Baton Rouge stations either. We're not covered there either.

You can make up facts all you want. You are free to think UL is a part of any media market you want to. Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, hey why not throw Houston in for good measure.

But C-USA and the people who bid for their TV contracts don't make things up like you do. And it's their opinion that counts, not yours.

In the end it doesn't really matter. Media market didn't get Tech in. Their Budget did.
In the end media market won't get us in either. Our budget will.

[RedBug58]

Tech can claim both markets because they are covered in both markets. They didn't use manipulation or "fancy talkin'" to prove it. They claim both because they CAN claim both.

You mind showing me where the UL articles and videos are on KPLC.com? Don't bother looking. There are none. UL isn't in their media market. Don't bother looking at any of the Baton Rouge stations either. We're not covered there either.

You can make up facts all you want. You are free to think UL is a part of any media market you want to. Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, hey why not throw Houston in for good measure.

But C-USA and the people who bid for their TV contracts don't make things up like you do. And it's their opinion that counts, not yours.

In the end it doesn't really matter. Media market didn't get Tech in. Their Budget did.
In the end media market won't get us in either. Our budget will.

Athletic Fee

[Cajun90]

I'm going to declare the below the "no spin zone". These figures are current as of September 2012.

Nielsen is who is used by almost all when it comes to evaluationg various market issues. The market areas are defined as Designated Market Areas (DMA's).

Lincoln Parish (where Ruston is located) is part of the Monroe-El Dorado DMA which is ranked #137 in the country with 175,960 tv homes.

Lafayette Parish and thus UL is part of the Lafayette LA DMA which is ranked #124 in the country with 229,320 tv homes.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Missed the boat 12/20/11, should have been on the ballot when students get back from semester break. Since then budgets cut, and fees passed, no chance any time soon.

[HoustonCajun]

Tech can claim both markets because they are covered in both markets. They didn't use manipulation or "fancy talkin'" to prove it. They claim both because they CAN claim both.

You mind showing me where the UL articles and videos are on KPLC.com? Don't bother looking. There are none. UL isn't in their media market. Don't bother looking at any of the Baton Rouge stations either. We're not covered there either.

You can make up facts all you want. You are free to think UL is a part of any media market you want to. Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, hey why not throw Houston in for good measure.

But C-USA and the people who bid for their TV contracts don't make things up like you do. And it's their opinion that counts, not yours.

In the end it doesn't really matter. Media market didn't get Tech in. Their Budget did.
In the end media market won't get us in either. Our budget will.

Of the recent teams admitted to CUSA, those schools have the following budgets:

N. Texas - $20.4M
UTSA - $20.2 M
LA Tech - $17M
Charlotte - $14.3M

USM - $19.7M

UL - $15.3M + this year's bowl revenue

UL is ahead of Charlotte and not far from Tech. I don't think the budgets of those schools got them in. It was market, regardless of budget. Tech had neither budget nor market, but still got in based on financial promises. UL's budget will increase with a new stadium, suites, and new conference revenue if we get in. We can easily do like Tech and promise to be at $20M within 3 years. We will have facility upgrades and the financial backing to get there. It is my understanding that message is being sold to CUSA officials while in New Orleans this week. Combine that with our fans and performance at the bowl game, and UL is in prime shape for an invite when the next opening arises, which will likely be in the very near future.

[RedBug58]

Missed the boat 12/20/11, should have been on the ballot when students get back from semester break. Since then budgets cut, and fees passed, no chance any time soon.

I hear ya and agree. But maybe if it's sold correctly there may be a chance. At $100/semester we could instantly boost the athletic budget to over 19 million, putting us right in the thick of things, "even" with So. Miss and ahead of Tech (including their multi million dollar donor)