Big East conference does not need Blue Hens
by Brian Anderson
Issue date: 5/20/08 Section: Editorial
On May 10, my perception of university sports changed forever. It wasn't from watching a team or any individual player. It wasn't from hearing a coach speak or listening to fans.
It was a simple piece of paper.
On one side, the paper read, "Make A Difference. Real and Perceived. UD into Big East - Football and more. Strategically Plan for 2012!!"
The other side, "Big East Football. Rutgers = 1995. UConn = 2004. South Florida = 2005. Delaware 2012 - WHY NOT??? UD into Big East - football and more. Take the Next Step!!!"
These simple words, along with pictures of YoUDee slamming a basketball down a net and a Delaware football helmet, along with the Big East logo, all changed my opinion of the university's sporting life forever.
There's no way the university should move up a conference and fully into Division I. Forget the level of competition for a second. The money part of the equation really sticks out in my mind.
I love the Big East. Both Seton Hall University and Rutgers University are a few miles from my hometown, so I feel some local ties to the conference. I've also always enjoyed watching St. John's University basketball and the underdog story of the Southern Florida Bulls in football.
Still, this is no place for the university right now.
The Big East is made up of schools in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. Schools in the Big East include University of Connecticut, Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, Rutgers University and Syracuse University.
In some respects the university would fit right into the Big East. It has similar enrollment and
athletic experience to other
athletic teams in the conference.
A few championships here and there and the university fits in well with the other schools.
Still, problems arise. The university's facilities would need to be expanded and not just by a few seats. Delaware Stadium seats approximately 22,000 fans, the Bob Carpenter Center holds approximately 5,000 and Fred Rullo Stadium, home of the field hockey and lacrosse teams, seats 2,000.
Mountaineer Field, home of the West Virginia football team, holds 60,000 people. Rutgers is increasing the capacity of their football stadium to 56,000. This isn't even including some basketball arenas, which get as big as 50,000 with Syracuse's Carrier Dome.
In order to move up to the Big East, the university would need to expand its facilities, and sadly, there's little space to do this. A bigger football stadium or arena would result in more parking lots, bigger and more practice fields and bigger training facilities. With Newark already crunched for space, it'd be difficult to increase facilities by a lot and still keep that college-town feel.
It would also increase the one thing no one wants to raise - tuition. The money would have to come from somewhere, and grants and donations would not be enough at first. Other schools have higher tuitions than what the university charges for in-state and out-of-state students. South Florida has similar tuition figures, but almost twice as many undergraduates.
If we really want to see the university's athletic teams move up to a bigger conference, our pockets would be the first thing affected.
Additionally, scholarship money and the number of scholarships would need to be raised to help attract better recruits. But these recruits want big stadiums, the best workout facilities and state of the art equipment. Again, where is this money going to come from?
In theory, university athletics moving up to the Big East is a great idea. In reality, the plan falls short as of now.
The Big East is one of the most established basketball conferences in college athletics, dominated by teams like Connecticut, Syracuse, Villanova and Georgetown. Delaware can't compete against teams in the CAA and can't even sell out the basketball arena. How can we expect to compete against teams that win NCAA men's and women's tournaments?
Sports are a major part of this university. Football is a big draw and basketball still has a solid following. Unfortunately, moving to the Big East would mean we would be the laughing stock of a major conference for several years.
Moving up to the Big East would give Delaware athletics a national spotlight and a lot more media coverage. But at what expense are we willing to get our 15 minutes of fame or our spot in the sun?
Brian Anderson is the executive editor for The Review. His viewpoints do not necessarily
represent those of the Review staff. Please send comments to bland@udel.edu.
It was a simple piece of paper.
On one side, the paper read, "Make A Difference. Real and Perceived. UD into Big East - Football and more. Strategically Plan for 2012!!"
The other side, "Big East Football. Rutgers = 1995. UConn = 2004. South Florida = 2005. Delaware 2012 - WHY NOT??? UD into Big East - football and more. Take the Next Step!!!"
These simple words, along with pictures of YoUDee slamming a basketball down a net and a Delaware football helmet, along with the Big East logo, all changed my opinion of the university's sporting life forever.
There's no way the university should move up a conference and fully into Division I. Forget the level of competition for a second. The money part of the equation really sticks out in my mind.
I love the Big East. Both Seton Hall University and Rutgers University are a few miles from my hometown, so I feel some local ties to the conference. I've also always enjoyed watching St. John's University basketball and the underdog story of the Southern Florida Bulls in football.
Still, this is no place for the university right now.
The Big East is made up of schools in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. Schools in the Big East include University of Connecticut, Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, Rutgers University and Syracuse University.
In some respects the university would fit right into the Big East. It has similar enrollment and
athletic experience to other
athletic teams in the conference.
A few championships here and there and the university fits in well with the other schools.
Still, problems arise. The university's facilities would need to be expanded and not just by a few seats. Delaware Stadium seats approximately 22,000 fans, the Bob Carpenter Center holds approximately 5,000 and Fred Rullo Stadium, home of the field hockey and lacrosse teams, seats 2,000.
Mountaineer Field, home of the West Virginia football team, holds 60,000 people. Rutgers is increasing the capacity of their football stadium to 56,000. This isn't even including some basketball arenas, which get as big as 50,000 with Syracuse's Carrier Dome.
In order to move up to the Big East, the university would need to expand its facilities, and sadly, there's little space to do this. A bigger football stadium or arena would result in more parking lots, bigger and more practice fields and bigger training facilities. With Newark already crunched for space, it'd be difficult to increase facilities by a lot and still keep that college-town feel.
It would also increase the one thing no one wants to raise - tuition. The money would have to come from somewhere, and grants and donations would not be enough at first. Other schools have higher tuitions than what the university charges for in-state and out-of-state students. South Florida has similar tuition figures, but almost twice as many undergraduates.
If we really want to see the university's athletic teams move up to a bigger conference, our pockets would be the first thing affected.
Additionally, scholarship money and the number of scholarships would need to be raised to help attract better recruits. But these recruits want big stadiums, the best workout facilities and state of the art equipment. Again, where is this money going to come from?
In theory, university athletics moving up to the Big East is a great idea. In reality, the plan falls short as of now.
The Big East is one of the most established basketball conferences in college athletics, dominated by teams like Connecticut, Syracuse, Villanova and Georgetown. Delaware can't compete against teams in the CAA and can't even sell out the basketball arena. How can we expect to compete against teams that win NCAA men's and women's tournaments?
Sports are a major part of this university. Football is a big draw and basketball still has a solid following. Unfortunately, moving to the Big East would mean we would be the laughing stock of a major conference for several years.
Moving up to the Big East would give Delaware athletics a national spotlight and a lot more media coverage. But at what expense are we willing to get our 15 minutes of fame or our spot in the sun?
Brian Anderson is the executive editor for The Review. His viewpoints do not necessarily
represent those of the Review staff. Please send comments to bland@udel.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
DC Blue Hen
posted 5/20/08 @ 3:40 PM EST
I think that most readers will hate this view but here goes: With respect to athletic affiliations, I think that the most important factor is the quality of the schools that you associate with. (Continued…)
CollegeObserver
posted 5/20/08 @ 9:28 PM EST
Patriot League? Ridiculous, I say. That would be a major step backwards for a university which wants to consider itself something more than a small private, regional institution. (Continued…)
Free PSP Game Downloads
posted 7/28/08 @ 10:17 PM EST
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