AU trying to go All IN on Athletic facility upgrades across the board

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

7 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

I have to imagine what we see at Auburn is a microcosim of what we are going to experience as a country.  I leader with limited backing, and questionable qualifications, trying to get something done with very little support from those around him or backing from his constituents. 

I do wish the money people would analyze Jay's proposals for the value of the idea and not who it came from. If nothing else, the board could just require him to hire an outside project manager. In the long run it would be cheaper than all of this BS.

SACS. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

28 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

SACS. 

Are they sniffing around again?

[FoundationEagle 637]

1 hour ago, lionheartkc said:

I have to imagine what we see at Auburn is a microcosim of what we are going to experience as a country.  I leader with limited backing, and questionable qualifications, trying to get something done with very little support from those around him or backing from his constituents. 

I do wish the money people would analyze Jay's proposals for the value of the idea and not who it came from. If nothing else, the board could just require him to hire an outside project manager. In the long run it would be cheaper than all of this BS.

So you're saying it's the Russians fault?

[lionheartkc 6,150]

Just now, FoundationEagle said:

So you're saying it's the Russians fault?

Yea... let's go with that.

[FoundationEagle 637]

1 hour ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Could have been done a couple 100k less when done with the whole expansion project. 

So expansion is in the works, but you said not any time soon..and then say well, we could have started it cheaper...

Not calling you out because I know you usually get some decent info...but which is it?  Not coming anytime soon or already starting but not at a price point of your approval?

[lionheartkc 6,150]

18 minutes ago, FoundationEagle said:

So expansion is in the works, but you said not any time soon..and then say well, we could have started it cheaper...

Not calling you out because I know you usually get some decent info...but which is it?  Not coming anytime soon or already starting but not at a price point of your approval?

All of the above....

It's more like it's starting under the guise of something else, since the whole project isn't approved to move forward, which has caused it to be more expensive than it would be if they would have just gone ahead with the whole project.

[PatBoCamRob 30]

Just going to put this out there so everyone can pile on me.  

****We do not need to be pursuing upgrades to JHS at the moment.**** 

When we are all as old as Golf, we will look back on the 2010's and 2020's as a very dynamic and disruptive time in business and human habit.  Auburn is at the forefront of embracing that disruption.  And, that position is not in alignment with the statement released by the AD in OP.  In the end, what seems like desirable development would not be a good thing for the fan base, for the athletic department, or for the University.

Disruption is occurring in 2 notable ways:

Audio visual technology has advanced to the point that there is much less differentiation today in experience between live attendance and television viewing.  ESPN did a MegaCast for this years CFNCG.  How much longer until that is a common form of broadcast?  ...until the modes of subscription and viewing for networks like ESPN give us the opportunity to be all over the stadium, all day long, in 4K or better, with surround sound?  The infrastructure is already becoming fairly well developed.  "Watch ESPN" app, etc. 

Television contracts are very lucrative for the conference and the university.  But, at a certain point, they will become detrimental to ticket sales.  I think we have actually started to see that.  In my lifetime, these past couple of seasons are the first I had heard of students flaking out of their seats.  At what point will it become normal to see a 1/2 empty stadium?  By the way, what do you think that will do to TV viewership... to see a half empty stadium on TV?

StubHub has become the go-to marketplace for ticket resale.  Auburn has embraced that.  Nowadays, you had better scrutinize any tickets you get second hand from any other source because they may have already been voided.  

This is good for the University, because it has an outlet to sell unsold tickets under face value without fully admitting to the practice.  It also provides the athletic department with added income from profit sharing agreements.  But, it has vastly decreased buyer urgency.  

Season tickets are now $3,000 per sideline seat.  X2 is $6,000.  I would imagine $6,000 is a pretty generous Geek Squad budget; which brings me back to differentiation of experience.  

Why, when urgency of ticket purchase is decreasing along with the differentiation of experience between home viewing, would the University want to make a massive expenditure to expand seating?  It's not a discrete fact... one doesn't think of it immediately.  But, it is counterintuitive to have all these advancements in light of one another.

It's too much of a good thing.  If you want an example of where we might be heading, look at the NFL where online viewing and over-emphasis on fantasy football has collapsed their engagement and advertising revenue.  http://www.wsj.com/articles/nfl-problemor-tv-problem-1477091080 (pay wall)  http://nypost.com/2016/10/11/the-nfl-has-a-serious-ratings-problem/ (free)  

Nothing was wrong with what they were doing, each considered individually.  But, the combination of it all has had a corrosive effect which threatens to destroy a lot of value for the league's stake-holders.  

I've said it before.  If we consider anything right now, it should be to decrease capacity (by a lot) and increase comfort.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

13 minutes ago, PatBoCamRob said:

Just going to put this out there so everyone can pile on me.  

****We do not need to be pursuing upgrades to JHS at the moment.**** 

 

While I get what you are saying, and you are right in your analysis, you're missing one key point... recruiting.  Players like shiny things and playing in front of LOTS of people.  When they visit Auburn and see that they stadium is smaller, older, and less "wow" than others, it hurts us. It's an unfortunate part of the business of college football.

[ellitor 33,107]

55 minutes ago, PatBoCamRob said:

****We do not need to be pursuing upgrades to JHS at the moment.**** 

Umm. Yes we do. It's a recruiting arms race & we can't keep affording to fall behind. Heck the Mississippis have caught up to us in facilities.

And we are not talking about expanding. We are talking about a major face lift of what we have...and a dedicated nice football only facility.

[logan adams 333]

51 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Umm. Yes we do. It's a recruiting arms race & we can't keep affording to fall behind. Heck the Mississippis have caught up to us in facilities.

And we are not talking about expanding. We are talking about a major face lift of what we have...and a dedicated nice football only facility.

Exactly... You want a good football team? Appeal to them. You can think Auburn is great and all because it is the school that we have all come to love, but that isn't what's going to draw recruits. They want to have the best experience possible while playing football. 90% of their decision, if they're good enough, isn't on academics, but on the football program and the conditions of the program. This includes aesthetics. 

[IronMan70 3,277]

On ‎1‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 1:24 PM, PatBoCamRob said:

Just going to put this out there so everyone can pile on me.  

****We do not need to be pursuing upgrades to JHS at the moment.**** 

Disruption is occurring in 2 notable ways:

Audio visual technology.......

Television contracts.......    

 .......Why, when urgency of ticket purchase is decreasing along with the differentiation of experience between home viewing, would the University want to make a massive expenditure to expand seating? .......

.......I've said it before. If we consider anything right now, it should be to decrease capacity (by a lot) and increase comfort.

I don't think the plan calls for a large expansion of seating. Rather it proposes a multi-level structure in the North end-zone that includes luxury suites, premium seats, restaurants, observation decks and food courts. In addition the exterior of JHS would be bricked to give it a finished appearance. The overall stadium capacity would not change much, if at all. 

But based upon your "disruption" analysis, if you wanted to propose reducing the rest of the seating capacity to maybe 80K, get rid of the stadium bench seating to make room for larger chair-back cushioned seating, you might get a lot of support. Heck, I might even go for that. But the NEZ project as described and the exterior finish are long overdue imo.

[keesler 5,924]

2 hours ago, PatBoCamRob said:

Just going to put this out there so everyone can pile on me.  

****We do not need to be pursuing upgrades to JHS at the moment.**** 

 

JHS is in dire need of a face-lift.  The proposed plan does not include an excessive expansion in seating.  

The Auburn Administration better decide to piss or get off the pot, sack up and put a man in charge of the program that can get the wheels in motion.  

Auburn at minimum HAS to be able to compete in facilities with UGA/UT/LSU/UF and surpass the Mississippi schools & Arky.  I'm not saying massive expansion and spending money like UAT or aTm.  But we are getting left behind in the arms race while the Auburn Administration & BOT chooses to retain an Administrator they can't trust to manage a project they desperately need completed.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

19 hours ago, FoundationEagle said:

So expansion is in the works, but you said not any time soon..and then say well, we could have started it cheaper...

Not calling you out because I know you usually get some decent info...but which is it?  Not coming anytime soon or already starting but not at a price point of your approval?

The only thing that is going to be done is the project you stated. Everything else is on hold. And the only reason the concourse expansion is happening is Jay didn't have to go get the BOT's approval.  

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

18 hours ago, ellitor said:

Umm. Yes we do. It's a recruiting arms race & we can't keep affording to fall behind. Heck the Mississippis have caught up to us in facilities.

And we are not talking about expanding. We are talking about a major face lift of what we have...and a dedicated nice football only facility.

JHS and the football facilities are in dire need of updating and upgrading. AU is at best 10th in the SEC in football facilities, including JHS. And anyone with a pulse in the BOT & in the AD know this. I've stated several times why none of this is going to happen anytime soon. 

 

And a little edit............behind both Mississippi schools. 

[AU64 10,122]

17 hours ago, logan adams said:

Exactly... You want a good football team? Appeal to them. You can think Auburn is great and all because it is the school that we have all come to love, but that isn't what's going to draw recruits. They want to have the best experience possible while playing football. 90% of their decision, if they're good enough, isn't on academics, but on the football program and the conditions of the program. This includes aesthetics. 

We are spending fortunes on shiny toys for these guys and I have yet to read of a kid going to a competitive school because of stadium size or the jumbotron.

[ellitor 33,107]

12 minutes ago, AU64 said:

We are spending fortunes on shiny toys for these guys and I have yet to read of a kid going to a competitive school because of stadium size or the jumbotron.

It all adds up. You gotta have the flash now a days to compete long term in the SEC. The "shiny new toys" we have added is nothing compared to a lot of the SEC.

[AU64 10,122]

21 minutes ago, ellitor said:

It all adds up. You gotta have the flash now a days to compete long term in the SEC. The "shiny new toys" we have added is nothing compared to a lot of the SEC.

 I would not be surprised , just making a point that I think this stuff is totally out of hand .

Someone has to pay for this and there is probably a limit to  ticket prices that fans will pay when there are so many other options . I watch a fair amount of college football and other than the big rival  games, there are a lot of empty seats in SEC stadiums for many games.

[cole256 17,084]

NOTHING will ever measure up to being able to tell a kid, under my tutelage I've helped this guy, this guy, this guy, and that guy get to the NFL and I can do the same for you.....that will ALWAYS be the trump card

[AuburnNTexas 7,154]

27 minutes ago, cole256 said:

NOTHING will ever measure up to being able to tell a kid, under my tutelage I've helped this guy, this guy, this guy, and that guy get to the NFL and I can do the same for you.....that will ALWAYS be the trump card

That is one of the big reasons every year bama gets a number 1 recruiting class. It is why they can lose 2 or 3 DB's to injury and still be strong at the DB position same for most defensive positions.

[TheBeachTigger 7]

On ‎1‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 9:17 AM, lionheartkc said:

That's actually not true, WDE. The "widening of the concourse" is actually installing the support structure necessary for the additions to the end zone.  This is actually a classic example of selling part of the project as something else in order to get started on the larger project.

Like foundations...?

[lionheartkc 6,150]

2 minutes ago, TheBeachTigger said:

Like foundations...?

More like beams.  The structure that spans the widened concourse will be built with the necessary specs to support the boxes that will eventually be built on top.

 

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

2 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

That is one of the big reasons every year bama gets a number 1 recruiting class. It is why they can lose 2 or 3 DB's to injury and still be strong at the DB position same for most defensive positions.

Nick had lots of "help" to get him where he is at this point. Lots of "help". 

[autigeremt 6,646]

Just now, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Nick had lots of "help" to get him where he is at this point. Lots of "help". 

LOT$$$$$ of help.  

[cole256 17,084]

But we can't do it.....better yet we won't do it right???

[augolf1716 21,215]

1 hour ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

Nick had lots of "help" to get him where he is at this point. Lots of "help". 

yep