E-Villan wrote:I think it really comes down to what is the so-called booster group and administration is willing to offer. The $300K is probably realistic, but hopefully incentives such as wins, real postseason appearances, attendance boosts, etc can be built in. Outside of WSU right now, I really don't see anyone in the league head and shoulders above what we should be able to do financially. Bradley was, but the shortfalls from the Geno debacle will hang over them for some time. The key is getting our fanbase back. Just getting back to $9K alone would generate an additional $1.2mm in ticket sale revenue annually. In the mid 80's, we were able to hire the top assistant at a very high major, and retain him for 17 years. I can't confirm what Crews salary was during those years, but I am pretty sure it wasn't the bottom of the MCC or MVC. I would hope we could find that type of commitment and resource again if we do make such a move.
I agree, if we aren't going to up the ante, then we might as well settle with our happy alumn.
Unfortunately, I think the sports world is phenomenally different now than it was then. Money is simply so much more prevalent in college athletics now.
It's almost impossible to compare today's world to the mid 80's, because there are ... what, 75 "BCS" teams right now? Add in the Big East as well, and the handful of major programs outside of those groups with significant financial advantages (WSU, VCU, Gonzaga, Dayton, Saint Louis, etc., etc., etc.), and you've got close to 100 college basketball teams capable of paying at LEAST five times the salary of Evansville for a coach. Ultimately, of the ~350 D1 college basketball teams, Evansville is likely in the bottom half or close to it in terms of financial resources.
This is a struggle for EVERY Valley team, and WSU is included. It's simply almost impossible to financially compete with the top 85-100 teams in the modern era because of the influx of television revenue, which the Valley is completely excluded from. In the mid-80's, TV revenue was a far, far smaller part of the puzzle, and attendance revenue was a far bigger part.
Basically, programs like Evansville were capable of being financially relevant relative to the pack in the 80's ... they're not even close now. Financially well over 100 teams can outbid Evansville for any coach they would want.
Ultimately that's why I still want WSU out of the Valley at any opportunity. I love the Valley, its history, and while the bottom half of this conference is killing WSU's RPI opportunities (and my sanity), I don't think it's a big hindrance to getting WSU to where we as fans want it to be. But the line of history is pretty clear right now: if you don't have financial revenue from television, you're being left in the dust. WSU has been able to stay financially relevant for this long largely because of great attendance, a strong donor base, and lack of football expenses, but as television contracts keep getting stronger and stronger, and this conference continues to simply sit here and stagnate with no forward momentum towards a financial win, eventually WSU won't be able to keep up, either.
