JU Athletic Department Plans Special Announcement for 8/28

[JBTripper]

I've been at virtually every home JU basketball game since 2013, so I've seen the arena crowds and the late Swisher crowds. In the past two years, crowds at Swisher have improved dramatically. It's only really bad over winter break or when classes are otherwise not in session... and if you follow college basketball you'll see that affect everywhere.

To your point about "triple" the crowds at the arena downtown, even if that is true it still makes zero economic sense for JU to rent the arena at $15,000 per game to sell 2,500 tickets at $5 a pop (and forfeit all concessions revenue!).

The solution is 100% a new on-campus facility, which they would never be able to build by spending all their money renting out the downtown arena.

[Bill Hoff]

IT'S HAPPENING!!!!!

http://judolphins.com/general/2018-19/releases/20180827zum7ty

[Captain Zissou]

Well that was a bust.

[Steve]

Agreed. No issue with the logo, but why the shots of downtown when teasing the announcement? Makes no sense.

[Bill Hoff]

JU's new hot hashtag is #daretobebold

Let's get it trending people!

[KenFSU]

First rule of launching a bold new brand:

Don't label it "Bold New Brand."

Optics aside, I quite like the intent and execution.

[copperfiend]

I like the new look, especially the JAX logo. But the tease just let to a big letdown.

I still don't get the shot of the stadium area and downtown.

[fieldafm]

I've been at virtually every home JU basketball game since 2013, so I've seen the arena crowds and the late Swisher crowds. In the past two years, crowds at Swisher have improved dramatically. It's only really bad over winter break or when classes are otherwise not in session... and if you follow college basketball you'll see that affect everywhere.

To your point about "triple" the crowds at the arena downtown, even if that is true it still makes zero economic sense for JU to rent the arena at $15,000 per game to sell 2,500 tickets at $5 a pop (and forfeit all concessions revenue!).

The solution is 100% a new on-campus facility, which they would never be able to build by spending all their money renting out the downtown arena.

Been going to JU basketball games since 1986. Growing up, my neighbor was the groundskeeper for John Sessions stadium (and Terry Alexander's father). I spent many summer days on the ballfield grading the infield and remember one particular summer where they spent a good month leveling the outfield. I was paid in peanut butter and banana sandwiches and tickets to basketball games. Later became a student athlete before transferring to another school, and became a basketball season ticket holder once I moved back to Jax as an adult. I have watched crowds of student, alumni and general basketball fans alike (and intimately knew the real ticket counts) at JU games over nearly three decades

Your numbers are off. Also important to note that sports isn't a revenue driver for JU. So whether they make $1,000 on basketball games or not wouldn't have anything to do with erecting a legitimate on-campus facility. You don't go into debt to build facilities at the mid-major level and expect the program to pay for a stadium over a normal amortization schedule. You raise money up front from private donors and foundations in order to pay for the facilities. President Cost has done a phenomenal job of raising money and upgrading the campus from top to bottom. He is also charging head first into supporting efforts to help the surrounding Arlington neighborhood (he has personally introduced developers to Arlington that have invested in building new apartments, commercial and single family homes). I hope that one day there is a huge statue of the man erected on campus. He is a phenomenal asset to JU. I personally admire him very much.

Swisher is worse than the majority of high school gyms around town... it is literally the worst facility in D1 basketball. We both agree on the need for a legitimate on campus stadium. The school is undergoing a capital raise to build a basketball-specific practice and office facility that should break ground next year. It doesn't appear that there is much of an appetite to launch a capital raise for an actual basketball stadium, however. Estimates have put the price tag at over $30mm. As good as Cost has been for JU (he and his wife personally paid for the video boards inside Swisher), he has made a business decision to not go all in on basketball.

JU has a proud basketball heritage, one that should be celebrated better by the entire community. It cannot be celebrated nor embraced in Swisher. It is an absolute shame that Swisher is the home for JU basketball, and I for one cannot support the cheapening of a basketball program I have loved since I was a kid. I gave up my season tickets, and aside from attending an occasional home game at that pathetic gym once or twice a season... I choose to watch the games now from my Ipad via ESPN3.

[fieldafm]

I like the new logo.

[JBTripper]

I've been at virtually every home JU basketball game since 2013, so I've seen the arena crowds and the late Swisher crowds. In the past two years, crowds at Swisher have improved dramatically. It's only really bad over winter break or when classes are otherwise not in session... and if you follow college basketball you'll see that affect everywhere.

To your point about "triple" the crowds at the arena downtown, even if that is true it still makes zero economic sense for JU to rent the arena at $15,000 per game to sell 2,500 tickets at $5 a pop (and forfeit all concessions revenue!).

The solution is 100% a new on-campus facility, which they would never be able to build by spending all their money renting out the downtown arena.

Been going to JU basketball games since 1986. Growing up, my neighbor was the groundskeeper for John Sessions stadium (and Terry Alexander's father). I spent many summer days on the ballfield grading the infield and remember one particular summer where they spent a good month leveling the outfield. I was paid in peanut butter and banana sandwiches and tickets to basketball games. Later became a student athlete before transferring to another school, and became a basketball season ticket holder once I moved back to Jax as an adult. I have watched crowds of student, alumni and general basketball fans alike (and intimately knew the real ticket counts) at JU games over nearly three decades

Your numbers are off. Also important to note that sports isn't a revenue driver for JU. So whether they make $1,000 on basketball games or not wouldn't have anything to do with erecting a legitimate on-campus facility. You don't go into debt to build facilities at the mid-major level and expect the program to pay for a stadium over a normal amortization schedule. You raise money up front from private donors and foundations in order to pay for the facilities. President Cost has done a phenomenal job of raising money and upgrading the campus from top to bottom. He is also charging head first into supporting efforts to help the surrounding Arlington neighborhood (he has personally introduced developers to Arlington that have invested in building new apartments, commercial and single family homes). I hope that one day there is a huge statue of the man erected on campus. He is a phenomenal asset to JU. I personally admire him very much.

Swisher is worse than the majority of high school gyms around town... it is literally the worst facility in D1 basketball. We both agree on the need for a legitimate on campus stadium. The school is undergoing a capital raise to build a basketball-specific practice and office facility that should break ground next year. It doesn't appear that there is much of an appetite to launch a capital raise for an actual basketball stadium, however. Estimates have put the price tag at over $30mm. As good as Cost has been for JU (he and his wife personally paid for the video boards inside Swisher), he has made a business decision to not go all in on basketball.

JU has a proud basketball heritage, one that should be celebrated better by the entire community. It cannot be celebrated nor embraced in Swisher. It is an absolute shame that Swisher is the home for JU basketball, and I for one cannot support the cheapening of a basketball program I have loved since I was a kid. I gave up my season tickets, and aside from attending an occasional home game at that pathetic gym once or twice a season... I choose to watch the games now from my Ipad via ESPN3.

Not supporting JU in their home gym is certainly your prerogative. It's a crappy place to watch a basketball game. My point was that JU essentially had no choice but to, as you say, cheapen, its basketball program because support was not there for JU basketball at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

I understand better than most how the financials of college athletics work, and that JU is never going to make money on its athletic program until it gets invited to join a power conference with a lucrative TV contract (never, ever). I also understand that you can spend upwards of $15,000 to play a basketball game in front of 1,000 people, or you can spend $0 to play a basketball game in front of 800 people. That's a no-brainer. With 8-10 home games a year, you can save enough cash for a couple of assistant coaches. Or maybe rent a practice facility since there is only one basketball court for two teams (and intramurals!) on campus.

Financials aside, the benefit to JU in playing downtown boiled down to recruiting. When the crowds got so bad downtown that playing there looked arguably worse than playing in Swisher, they had to make the move. Plus playing in that "historic" facility sort of highlights the need for an on-campus facility. So look at it as a fund-raising strategy if you choose to reject the cost savings.

I also like the new logos.

[Tacachale]

I like the logos. Full disclosure, I'm a UNF guy.

[tufsu1]

I like the logos. Full disclosure, I'm a UNF guy.

wait, really?