tm3308
Well-Known Member
You've offered no evidence that's any more convincing than the evidence against a school in Iowa having success in football or basketball. That's a long ways from the 1 in a billion BS that you're peddling right now.
WILL IOWA START A HOCKEY PROGRAM?
- Thread starter 1standgoalat1
- Start date
You've offered no evidence that's any more convincing than the evidence against a school in Iowa having success in football or basketball. That's a long ways from the 1 in a billion BS that you're peddling right now.
This thread got longer than I thought it was.
I really have no true interest in Hockey. I got to a couple CR games a year just because I am bored and it gives the girlfriend and I something to do on a Friday or Saturday night twice a year and it's cheap. I have no real idea what is going on other than when a goal scores. The environment is pretty good for a game, it's loud and they have a bunch of promotions always going on. It's OK entertainment.
CR has a 4,000 seat arena and the previous 3 years average 2849. I looked up Waterloo who averages 1250 per game.
I think people might have kids in Hockey or something and think Hockey is growing WAY more than it really is.
I see no reason to waste money on a mens and womens hockey team to have maybe 2849 fans at each game if you are EXTREMELY lucky.
NCAA hockey starts in October and looks to end in the first week of April. There is just not the population base to support a team. I mean why pay so much to start a program that will generate ZERO revenue.
Hockey is not popular despite what some people want to tell them selves or feel.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
All of that speaks to the fact that it's not economically feasible, which everyone here has accepted as true.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Define "success" in football or basketball. Much of the history of those sports at the intercollegiate level in the State of Iowa is nothing but a total house of pain, with very short reprieves interspersed. We can't keep great basketball players in state at all. The highly rated football recruits the past few years have wound up picking Oregon, Michigan and Alabama over in state schools. Iowa hockey would at best turn into something like Iowa State football in the long run - no conference championship for 100 years, a decent upset once every 3-4 years and maybe a meaningless postseason tease once every 10 years.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
I'd be okay with that for hockey. I just really enjoy the game, but don't have many opportunities to watch it live. Blackhawks tickets don't come cheap.
I do know where you are coming from. You enjoy hockey and would enjoy Iowa having a team you could follow religiously as a fan. Your pro fix being Chicago and Iowa is your college fix.
I think if Iowa thought they could long term fill seats and really market it they might pull the trigger. I just don't see any proof of any true hockey crazy fanbase to ever start a program.
If Iowa adds another mens sport it's soccer, rowing or Lacrosse probably. They would be cheaper. That would require another womens sport though. Probably best to not expand sports any further unless a billionaire is bored and wants to bankroll the sport.
sioux34
Well-Known Member
Here is all we need to make Hawkey happen.
1. A mysterious heretofore unknown T. Boone Pickens type booster has to pony up about $200 to $300 million to both build the arena and endow the program in perpetuity. (because the combination of mens and womens hawkey will never come close to breaking even, hell I bet mens hawkey would not carry it's own weight for that matter.)
2. We need to hire a known successful coach away from a prestigious hockey school for the opportunity to build a program from less than scratch in an area nearly totally apathetic to his sport.
3. Failing the grand slam hire mentioned above, we need to recruit a scrappy bunch of cast offs from distant hockey hot beds who were not quite good enough to get offers from real hockey schools. We then need them to through sheer spite beat those power schools who shunned them.
If we can do all that, I think we can have a moderately successful college hawkey program. By that I mean a team that would not challenge for a national title in what remains of my lifetime.
1. A mysterious heretofore unknown T. Boone Pickens type booster has to pony up about $200 to $300 million to both build the arena and endow the program in perpetuity. (because the combination of mens and womens hawkey will never come close to breaking even, hell I bet mens hawkey would not carry it's own weight for that matter.)
2. We need to hire a known successful coach away from a prestigious hockey school for the opportunity to build a program from less than scratch in an area nearly totally apathetic to his sport.
3. Failing the grand slam hire mentioned above, we need to recruit a scrappy bunch of cast offs from distant hockey hot beds who were not quite good enough to get offers from real hockey schools. We then need them to through sheer spite beat those power schools who shunned them.
If we can do all that, I think we can have a moderately successful college hawkey program. By that I mean a team that would not challenge for a national title in what remains of my lifetime.
Ever played the game scooter?
The big donor was the only reason "Should have gotten death penalty for entire program" State moved their club teams to NCAA.
There are 5 USHL teams in Iowa, and 2 more just across borders. There would be a recruiting base, and the kids from these teams would be at least somewhat comfortable with Iowa. Unless there is a big stash of cash out there to build a proper area along with endowing 2 teams worth of scholarships, it's not worth it.
Um there is no NCAA mens' rowing, so forget that. And that is the preference of the men's rowing programs, not an NCAA ban.
Lacrosse is the hot new sport to start. A couple of nets on an empty practice field, a thousand bucks for equipment, and you are ready to go. It's gotten hot in of all places, Florida, for DII.
But I'd much rather Iowa spend my donations on strengthening some of the weaker programs we already have (Women's volleyball and golf, both Tennis programs) or preserving men's gymnastics, which is only viable in the BIG now.
Maybe
LawVHawk
Well-Known Member
HawkinGoferLand
Well-Known Member
Lacrosse is catching fire up here in Minnesota now. It's a sanctioned HS sport with a bonifide state tourney. Lots of kids, especially hockey kids play it. My son played 12U last year. Fun sport, similar to hockey in that there is plenty of contact but maybe a little more scoring.
