How long before the AAC implodes?

[NuncEstBibendum]

If I had more time, as a Loyola fan, I would be posting messages on the Horizon League board about how happy I am to be in a better conference. But I am not.

If you are a Shocker fan you should read this as advice. Move on, no one cares.

[uniguy]

Agree. I have turned into mostly a lurker, but I got back on to say lets stop talking about Wichita. All it does is feed the trolls. I understand it is a sort of sexy topic, and we all like to see them fail. But they aren't in Valley anymore. Lets focus on what we have and stop worrying about them.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

Some Shockers are fans of the sport and contribute to the discussion. Their presence is enjoyable and always welcome.

Few others maintain a marathon thread about Creighton for 5 years and focus on policing MVCfans and MVC team boards. Stark contrast to Creighton, Loyola, & Valpo. I actually feel for those folks as it’s clear their self-worth is driven by a basketball team. Why else would someone seek pleasure from punching down on those with less resources? That makes a shell of a person and why it’s so rare.

[uniguy]

Some Shockers are fans of the sport and contribute to the discussion. Their presence is enjoyable and always welcome.

Few others maintain a marathon thread about Creighton for 5 years and focus on policing MVCfans and MVC team boards. Stark contrast to Creighton, Loyola, & Valpo. I actually feel for those folks as it’s clear their self-worth is driven by a basketball team. Why else would someone seek pleasure from punching down on those with less resources? That makes a shell of a person and why it’s so rare.

I tend to agree. Feels like a larger percentage of Shox fans (compared to other fanbases) have their self worth tied in with the team. They practice that kind of condescending talk like you are less of a person because you support a lesser team. What's more, you saw it in person at Arch Madness (and I feel like it is much easier to be a douche online than in person). Kudos to to them for being their true selves I guess.

And just like that I have failed to take my own advice lol.

[glm38]

In the past i really enjoyed some of the shocker fans on this board. There were some really good fair minded and knowledgeable shocker fans on here. But also quite a number of self serving obsessed troll type shocker fans.

When Wichita left the valley the good ones left and moved on. They realized that was the right thing to do. And that there was no real reason for them to post here anymore. Now we are left with the trolls.

[MoneyPower]

First post - longtime lurker

MVC is much more likely to implode than the AAC imo. But in reality neither league is imploding. AAC has a media rights deal worth over 100 million and it could triple or quadruple when they re-sign it if the schools commit to stay - although I'm sure UCF would love to leave. For example, last year UCONN got 7 mil in conference distribution funds and another million from media rights. And they are STILL struggling to meet costs as an athletics program. Their women's team lost more money on basketball most MVC schools spend: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... ome-sports

The MVC's media rights deal is under 200K a school I believe, possibly a lot less (if anyone has the numbers please post them) The AAC schools play in larger media markets and have higher enrollments on average.

If anything, a school like SIU could become a big drag on the MVC eventually. I'm not sure what the numbers are now, but in 2015 the school spent the least on men's bball in the conference, and the political climate around higher ed in the state sure didn't help things in subsequent years I'm sure. If you don't play in a large market, you can still make up for it like the Big Ten schools do, by exporting tons of graduates. With enrollment at half of what it was at its peak SIU isn't doing that either (Last numbers I saw were a bit over 12K). Carbondale is a basketball town, so hopefully the program will turn around, but they have none of the resources (besides a nice arena) to do so.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

Edwardsville is soon to be the main campus and Carbondale will be a satellite campus of a direction school. Bye, bye.

[VUGrad1314]

Any chance this results in a merger between SIUE and SIUC with the amalgamated team joining the MVC?

[Dean Wormer]

Any chance this results in a merger between SIUE and SIUC with the amalgamated team joining the MVC?

Good grief...everything that gets posted on these boards isn't fact. Edwardsville we go independent before Carbondale becomes a satellite campus.

[MoneyPower]

Any chance this results in a merger between SIUE and SIUC with the amalgamated team joining the MVC?

Zero. The 2 schools hate each other and SIUE wants to split up from the Southern Illinois University System. SIUE is mad about the difference in funding allocation because of how close the enrollments are now. SIUE is not a research institution though and that should be taken into account. Although they do have graduate programs, the main cause of their influx of students was when more students decided to stay closer to home during the recession. Also their basketball team is hot garbage and they get funded somewhere along 320th in the nation. I doubt a merger would even have an effect on basketball except for getting rid of one of the teams.

None of this changes the fact that SIUC is in a death spiral, but they'll never merge. FWIW Carbondale is the smallest metropolitan statistical area in the Valley by a good amount, and that area cannot sustain the loss of SIUC economically.