That whole cold weather/baseball argument sure makes a lot of sense. After all, obviously schools like Creighton, Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan and Notre Dame can't possibly have successful teams with the exact same weather...
Upgrading the Hockey Program Makes More Sense Than Bringing Back Baseball
- Thread starter drednot57
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Oh, btw--what women's sport do you also propose adding to keep ISU in compliance with Title IX? Rowing?
I would love to see both baseball brought back and hockey upgraded. That being said, neither makes sense right now - we've gotta get ourselves independent of state funding first, and second the facilities for a lot of our existing programs need upgrading.
It has been said over and over again for many years that there would be no Title IX issues in reintroducing a men's sport into the lineup. You've been here long enough to know that.
It has been said over and over again for many years that there would be no Title IX issues in reintroducing a men's sport into the lineup. You've been here long enough to know that.
I honestly don't know so I'm wondering what level of success these teams have had? NC's lately? Conference championships? I see a lot of Clemson, FSU, AZ St., TCU lately. I'm ignorant of CBB so I'm just wondering...
I am torn on this subject. Hockey is my favorite sport, and I think ISU could actually be poised to compete fairly quickly considering the junior teams that are around Iowa. not sure the WCHA is going to want anymore teams, would probably have to be CCHA. Wasn't Herb Brooks working on this in the 90's?
Baseball is IMO more important because of our conference. If we start competing in Baseball it would get us a lot of exposure in Texas. JP has said unless we can do it right we won't do it so it seems like a long shot getting a new facility built.
Baseball is IMO more important because of our conference. If we start competing in Baseball it would get us a lot of exposure in Texas. JP has said unless we can do it right we won't do it so it seems like a long shot getting a new facility built.
Any surplus revenue the AD receives from the B12 should be put towards finishing the proposed Jack Trice renovations (including bowling in the South Endzone). That is the marquee venue (I love Hilton too, but football dwarfs basketball even when we were having success) at ISU for the biggest money making program. I don't want to see the University spreading itself any thinner until JTS looks like a BCS stadium.
I think some big donors would step up if we had 8 figures in the bank waiting to be matched for this project.
Are there any numbers available regarding participation by Iowa high school students in hockey versus baseball? It would seem that participation among high school athletes in the state should be a significant factor in deciding which sport to add.
If you take a look at page 30 from the latest NCAA Gender Equity report (which is now four years old), they have average sports budgets listed for the FBS schools. For the schools that reported, the average yearly hockey budget is significantly higher than the average yearly baseball budget. The same is true for FCS schools on page 44. Also notice that hockey recruiting expenses are higher. Is this because it is generally easier to recruit locally for baseball?
http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/GER06.pdf
If you take a look at page 30 from the latest NCAA Gender Equity report (which is now four years old), they have average sports budgets listed for the FBS schools. For the schools that reported, the average yearly hockey budget is significantly higher than the average yearly baseball budget. The same is true for FCS schools on page 44. Also notice that hockey recruiting expenses are higher. Is this because it is generally easier to recruit locally for baseball?
http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/GER06.pdf
Agree on hockey, but I think baseball is non-zero (although still small). If wrestling gets dropped as a conference sport we have to add something to meet the minimum number of sports. I'm not sure what is available and what the costs would be for each but I have to think if this happens baseball will at least get looked at.
If the Big 12 drops wrestling as a sport then we would likely join the wrestling only conference that UNI is a member of. Like hockey, wrestling can thrive without your typical conference affiliation.
We would get our ***** handed to us constantly..... I'd rather take baseball, because its more prevelant in the state and the midwest.
Quad Cities, Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Souix City, Mason City, Des Moines (2), Ames and Omaha (+Council Bluffs) all feild teams.
Midwest High School Hockey League
I realize that there are plenty more HS baseball teams but that is largely due to the fact that most 3A schools (like Waverly, Charles City, Decorah, Cresco, etc) don't have the facilities nearby for them to feild a team. It also requires larger teams and more equipment to be competitive. Now could they make there own arenas? Sure, MN does it. But you would need more schools to compete for that to be an option and most schools aren't going to build an ice arena banking on that. I know (at least in the Cedar Valley) Waterloo West, Waterloo East, Waterloo Columbus, and Cedar Falls all combine to play under the "Waterloo Warriors" banner and play at Young Arena which is the only major ice facility in town. Kids from Waverly- Shell Rock, Tripoli and Denver do play as well.
I think the better "boon" for a future Iowa State Cyclone hockey team would be the USHL. These are high school age kids who come to town to play hockey. The Waterloo Blackhawks see a good number of kids head to MN and WI after they are done playing. Dubuque (starting next year), Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Souix City and Omaha all feild teams (along with Sioux Falls, Chicago, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Lincolin, Ann Arbor, Kearney, Youngstown Fargo and Muskegon) all feild teams and would be fertile recruiting for the Cyclones. Plus, there is plenty of top high school prospects in MN, Wiscy and the Dakotas.
http://www.ushl.com/
I think hockey would be interesting because ISU wouldn't be competiting against our nearest rivals (Iowa and UNI) but would compete against UNO and MN- State.
I'm not saying that this would happen, but I do think that Iowa State would be better suited (and more competitive) if we brought in hockey over baseball.
Plus, don't we need hockey if we want to join the Big Ten in the future?
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Thats not neccesarily true. From what I've heard there is a plan that is being thought out to baseball being brought back in 10-15 years depending on how the donation levels come through.
Plus, don't we need hockey if we want to join the Big Ten in the future?
The Big Ten doesn't sponsor ice hockey, but they do sponsor baseball...
The obvious counter-argument is the possibility that in a few years we are talking about the Big XII breaking up again. At that point no one would give a rip what sports the Big XII fields. Having a hockey team, however, would make us a more attractive option to the Big Ten, who would be very interested in making hockey a conference sport, or at least they should be be, because Minnesota hockey and the like would be a ratings gold mine for the Big Ten network. I just think it's a program that will make us more attractive if the **** starts to hit the fan again. I also think it could end up being a new fan base draw if we played a lot of home games in Des Moines for a few years and were able to snag some of the Bucs/Chops crowd.
