Welcome Loyola

[ilstu2013]

UIC, Loyola and Valpo would be great for the Illinois schools. Many of Bradley, SIU, and ISUr alums live in Chicago. With UIC and Loyola right in the city and Valpo an hour from downtown Chicago, the many alums of those three schools from Chicago have a chance to see their team play three times right in their backyard.

[rlh04d]

You can say what you want about Loyola. I understand they are not a major player in the city of Chicago. However, they are IN the city of Chicago.

Many on here have complained about the MVC TV deal. If adding Loyola gets a better TV deal would it be considered a good move?

Its not the Loyla product that drives it...it is the guarantee that you are at least ON the chedule in all Chicago TV packages.

Look at the Big Ten. Did they add Rutgers because of their awesome football and basketball programs? No. But with Rutgers they now get their TV network on all NYC TV packages. Does anyone in NYC are about Rutgers? Of course not. But the #'s are what sell the TV package.

Loyola does bring that guaranteed market to the table on any negotiations with ESPN, Fox Sports 1, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, etc.

This is insane.

You do not get credit just for being IN a market. You actually have to have some relevance in that market.

Loyola does nothing for the Valley in terms of TV contracts by being in Chicago. Nothing. Because people who make TV contracts aren't interested in being IN TV markets just for the sake of being there. A TV market presents an opportunity ... and Chicago presents a BIG opportunity, but that is not an opportunity Loyola has proven it can capitalize on. In fact, the complete opposite, for decades now they have proven they cannot capitalize on it.

If TV markets were important, Horizon league teams wouldn't be looking to join the Valley, because they have multiple teams in Chicago, they've got a team in Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee. These are big markets, and NO ONE cares.

And you are incorrect regarding Rutgers on one front, and drawing a very inaccurate comparison on the other. On the one front, Rutgers DOES add viewers in New York City ... quite a bit in fact:

Some roll their eyes at the thought Rutgers would give the Big Ten the New York market, but numbers support it.

A New York Times study of the 210 television markets found New York has about 3 million college football fans, and 20.9 percent of those chose Rutgers as their favorite team. That’s almost equal to those naming Notre Dame (9.2 percent), Penn State (6.4) and UConn (5.2) combined.

And Friday night, the Rutgers-Louisville game on ESPN2 drew twice the number of New York City viewers as Syracuse’s upset of West Virginia, which ESPN televised.

http://www.ohio.com/sports/rutgers-tv-r ... r-1.242219

On the second point, you cannot compare the B1G to the Valley in terms of TV deals. The B1G has their own TV network, and they get major money from that network ... adding teams in new markets allows them to put that network on in those markets, and get it added to the cable package that charges money from all cable subscribers (I believe it's on the basic package in B1G states?). The point here is simple: It doesn't matter who WATCHES Rutgers in New York City. As long as enough do that they can get it onto the cable package in New York City, they can make EVERYONE in NYC that subscribes to cable pay them.

That is not a model the Valley can ever realistically consider. The Valley is looking at getting a national TV deal, and in doing so, viewers matter, not markets per se. Markets are important because they give you more potential viewers ... but potential doesn't equal anything if you can't get anyone to care. And no one in Chicago cares.

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

Look at the Big Ten. Did they add Rutgers because of their awesome football and basketball programs? No. But with Rutgers they now get their TV network on all NYC TV packages. Does anyone in NYC are about Rutgers? Of course not. But the #'s are what sell the TV package.

If Doug Elgin is set to announce that the Valley is creating its own 24 hour network on cable in conjunction with this move then I am all for it. But since that isn't happening, I am struggling to see the value. Does the Horizon League have an awesome TV deal or something? I honestly don't know.

[rlh04d]

UIC, Loyola and Valpo would be great for the Illinois schools. Many of Bradley, SIU, and ISUr alums live in Chicago. With UIC and Loyola right in the city and Valpo an hour from downtown Chicago, the many alums of those three schools from Chicago have a chance to see their team play three times right in their backyard.

Gee, five teams in Illinois would be great for the Illinois schools? You don't say.

[tribecalledquest]

Look at the Big Ten. Did they add Rutgers because of their awesome football and basketball programs? No. But with Rutgers they now get their TV network on all NYC TV packages. Does anyone in NYC are about Rutgers? Of course not. But the #'s are what sell the TV package.

If Doug Elgin is set to announce that the Valley is creating its own 24 hour network on cable in conjunction with this move then I am all for it. But since that isn't happening, I am struggling to see the value. Does the Horizon League have an awesome TV deal or something? I honestly don't know.

No. They don't. It would be a combo of Loyola+many Chicago MVC alums+money.

I don't suppose anyone wants to wait to hear the reasons for adding Loyola before jumping off a bridge?

Honestly..almost all of the schools mentioned are pretty much the same. Another Creighton just isn't out there.

[TNMSUFAN]

Some Loyola fans are complaining they can't get get admin approval to join our site...said they have sent several request. Just fyi for an admin

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

I don't suppose anyone wants to wait to hear the reasons for adding Loyola before jumping off a bridge?

The glossy press release that the Valley will release is really going to have to be special for it to convince me to not jump off of a bridge. Like there had better be pictures of Katherine Webb and coupons that you can cut out to get a discount at Golden Corral or something.

You can't put lipstick on a Rambler. You just can't.

[DUShock]

This sucks.

[IllinoisState]

Look at the Big Ten. Did they add Rutgers because of their awesome football and basketball programs? No. But with Rutgers they now get their TV network on all NYC TV packages. Does anyone in NYC are about Rutgers? Of course not. But the #'s are what sell the TV package.

If Doug Elgin is set to announce that the Valley is creating its own 24 hour network on cable in conjunction with this move then I am all for it. But since that isn't happening, I am struggling to see the value. Does the Horizon League have an awesome TV deal or something? I honestly don't know.

No. They don't. It would be a combo of Loyola+many Chicago MVC alums+money.

I don't suppose anyone wants to wait to hear the reasons for adding Loyola before jumping off a bridge?

Honestly..almost all of the schools mentioned are pretty much the same. Another Creighton just isn't out there.

Some people think that their programs are better than they are.

[ilstu2013]

UIC, Loyola and Valpo would be great for the Illinois schools. Many of Bradley, SIU, and ISUr alums live in Chicago. With UIC and Loyola right in the city and Valpo an hour from downtown Chicago, the many alums of those three schools from Chicago have a chance to see their team play three times right in their backyard.

Gee, five teams in Illinois would be great for the Illinois schools? You don't say.

Right, but to put it even more in perspective. Evansville, IN is about 45-50 mins. from Illinois towns just across the Indiana-Illinois border like Emma, IL; Mt. Carmel, IL; and Grayville, IL. Indiana State in Terre Haute, IN is about 25-30 mins. from towns just across the Illinois-Indiana border like Marshall, IL and Paris, IL. So if the league were to add Valpo, UIC, and Loyola, that would make eight schools out of 12 that are in Illinois or under an hour from the Illinois-Indiana border. That's great for us, but sorry that it would not be so great for Wichita, Northern Iowa, Drake, or Missouri State.