Topic: Does being good in football trump being so-so (or worse) in everything else???..

[backontrack]

Noticing that baseball is finishing its season today I went looking at the schedules/results of all of the Herd sports during 2013-2014...and, aside from tennis (14-8) and track (hard to quantify W/L numbers), all sports ranged from mediocre (with golf looking much better than in the Feageans years) to lousy (did anyone burn their "Herrion Addict" T-Shirt yet???)...my question is this: does being 10-4 in football with even better prospects for the fall trump the rest of a below-par athletic program???...I'm not sure...Hamrick may have enhanced facilities (and I'm a fan), but it's not consistently reflected by overall results...

[goherd24]

Yes

[whf]

I think you missed the fact that the MU Women's softball team has played in three straight conference championship games. Right now they are the most noted non-football team; and the couple of excelling track and field woman athletes aren't bad either.  Then we just had a swimmer swim the Strait of Gibraltar.  One of our freshman golfers just qualified for the second level qualification of the US Amateur golf tourney.  So I think we do better than some others thing, or realize. 

And for me, a 10 - 4 football team isn't enough to ignore, or make up for lack of success elsewhere.  We may not have the strongest teams in other sports, but we have some outstanding athletes competing for this University outside of football.

[Dunk]

Football>>>>Basketball>>Baseball>>>>>>>>>Everything else


Baseball was my sport growing up, but that is just how it is.

Most college programs generate little to no revenue, and that is the driving factor for importance. All things in life are driven by what the general public cares about. Salaries of various professions are like this as well.

[Johnnyherd]

I actually think football is really all that matters for the most part....

The AAC has won the national championship in basketball twice in a row and the power football conferences could care less....

Nobody even makes a big deal when a non power conference wins it...

Basketball doesn't pay the money football does, either...

[svherd]

With all the cuts to other sports that's the message Hamrick and the AD are sending. Gawd help us if this season isn't as good as we think.

[Dunk]

With all the cuts to other sports that's the message Hamrick and the AD are sending. Gawd help us if this season isn't as good as we think.

What are all these cuts you are referring to? Not trying to argue. I really am just uninformed.

[MuTrackster]

I agree that Track and field is hard to quantify but last year, thanks to two outstanding female athletes,  Marshall had the 40th ranked women's track team in the Nation.  I don't recall ever when Marshall had two athletes qualify for the National Championships.   One for the US Championships....  Even though we don't have a track and field facility.  I give credit to the coaches and the dedication of those athletes.

[herd2win]

Yes...and as you can see by TV revenue that football is really what it is all about today.

[goherd24]

We could win national titles in every other sport minus basketball, and no one would care or even remember outside of maybe a few of us on this board as far as fans go. That being said, basketball also has a backseat to football, but I would rather havr a top 25 football program and be nationally relevant and go 10-20 in basketball every single year than 8-4 in football and 20-10 in basketball and win the track and field title or swimming or tennis titles combined.

Having a winning basketball team is a plus and I enjoy watching our basketball games, but its all about football, and most everyone doesn't follow anything else besides football and basketball.

[bbcard1]

We will probably always have to "choose one" given our resources. Football makes sense because it can be revenue positive. Basketball can also, any other sport for a mid-major doesn't make sense to be your play.

The exception is Rice. They are awesome in baseball...but they have an unimaginable treasure chest and can afford to make that their pretty pony.

A few schools...Florida, and Louisville, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan to an extent...have managed to have good programs in multiple sports, but, with the exception of Louisville, they are far from mid-majors. UVA has a great baseball and very, very good basketball program, but don't ask about football.  Virginia Tech has a very good football program but are pretty Marshallesqe in basketball in the ACC.

I think we are doing the right thing.

[banker]

To alarmed extent it is all about football, but if we want football to continue to be good we have to improve basketball.

Here's why I say that, we are leaving at least $1.5MM laying on the table with basketball. Huntington will support exciting, winning basketball. Just look at the Jones years playing UCF and the place rockin with the green glow sticks.  If we could pull 7,500 a game instead of 4,000 that's a lot of money.

[MUonium]

I wonder the answer if you polled only student-athletes  ;D

[MarshallGrad]

What is the context or meaning of "trump". If by trump is meant money or recognition, the debate is over before it begins.

[backontrack]

Trump: "outdo, top, cap, surpass"...

[MarshallHerdFan99]

Football and Softball are the only sports I really care about. I'll still go to every other sport this fall when I'm a freshmen.

[2xBison]

Wrong thread

[MarshallGrad]

Trump: "outdo, top, cap, surpass"...

If money and school recognition matters, then it matters that football "outdoes, tops, caps, and surpasses" all other sports.

[goherd24]

Football and Softball are the only sports I really care about. I'll still go to every other sport this fall when I'm a freshmen.

Better be at the swim meets as well. And tennis matches. And I sense a bit of a softball bandwagon lol. Those girls deserve it.

[svherd]

What are all these cuts you are referring to? Not trying to argue. I really am just uninformed.

An article last month in the HD said all sports except football had their budgets cut by 10% for the 2014-15 year. I think HI had an article about it as well.