Study concludes shuttered football program at UAB made money

BamaMoon

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I don't live in Alabama anymore so I know very little about the whole UAB situation. That said, it looks like the only people "upset" about all this is a few fans that probably supported their football program. They ignore or fail to realize that nobody came to UAB's games. The other group that complains are the barners that really don't care but somehow blame Paul Bryant JR. for all of UAB's woes.
It seems simple to me that your income has to be larger than your outgo in order to survive.
UAB didn't make this happen.
Bingo, on the Barners. They are half the noise in all of this IMO. To them, Paul Bryant Jr. is the face of evil and he's solely responsible for this.

It's just leftover frustration of being a Barner and always being #2 in the state. So Barners that weren't even alive during Coach Bryant's life hate everything Bama and this UAB thing is a rallying point for them because of the connection to Coach Bryant.

It also allows them to perpetuate their "moral superiority" that has become a talking point with them over the last few years. It's literally sickening to me when a Barn fans acts like Auburn University is somehow "better" than Bama. It's just a brainwashing job of a few folks who started selling this lie that Bama is somehow immoral and that they are somehow morally superior.

It just proves that Barners would join any movement that they perceive is anti-Bama!
 

GP for Bama

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UAB's problem is that they think all of their problems are caused by Bama. They ignore the fact that they really don't have 10,000 PAYING fans per game. Hardly anyone cared about UAB football until it was gone.

On a side note....Paul Bryant Jr is not even on the Athletic Oversight Commitee of the Board of Trustees.
 

RollinTider1335

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UAB's problem is that they think all of their problems are caused by Bama. They ignore the fact that they really don't have 10,000 PAYING fans per game. Hardly anyone cared about UAB football until it was gone.

On a side note....Paul Bryant Jr is not even on the Athletic Oversight Commitee of the Board of Trustees.

Interestingly enough, they still could be in the black with<10000 fans.
 

bamaslammer

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In addition to the many holes you guys have already shot in this ridiculous report there is the fact that UAB's football team was vastly underfunded and to become competitive they needed a lot more money that they were already spending. They might be able to dream up a way that their operating expense was covered but no cooking of the books could account for what they actually NEEDED to make it competitive. All the whining isn't going to convince their alumni to cough up millions in cash to find this program. All Mal Moore ever needed to do to get money was pick up the phone. Who is UAB going to call? UAB has a school but they don't have a "nation" like Bama.
 

Rama Jama

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I suspect the PR people who prodcuced this report are from the "FreeUAB" crowd. Anyone who knows the politics understands that the UA board will likely never give up UAB because it has a medical school.

I can almost guarantee there weren't 5000 paying fans who went to the games. I have a friend who works for the city of B'ham. People in her office were given tickets and took only them for the coupon for free food on the back. As far as she knew no one in her office ever actually attended a UAB game with free tickets.
 

RollTideMang

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I will say that I do think UAB would have had significantly better attendance if they did not have to play at legion field and had an on campus stadium. I went to the USCe vs UConn bowl game back in 2010, and the place where I parked my car had a guy who wanted money to park the car and a tip to make sure it didn't get damaged. I felt like he was basically saying give me extra or I'm going to do something to your car. I chose not to go back after that. I imagine there are others who shared my feeling of discomfort being in that area.

I would have gone to some home games if the stadium was in a safer area on campus where I could park for free and walk to the stadium. It is football in person after all.
 
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CullmanTide

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I will say that I do think UAB would have had significantly better attendance if they did not have to play at legion field and had an on campus stadium. I went to the USCe vs UConn bowl game back in 2010, and the place where I parked my car had a guy who wanted money to park the car and a tip to make sure it didn't get damaged. I felt like he was basically saying give me extra or I'm going to do something to your car. I chose not to go back after that. I imagine there are others who shared my feeling of discomfort being in that area.

I would have gone to some home games if the stadium was in a safer area on campus where I could park for free and walk to the stadium. It is football in person after all.
They should have stayed D1-AA and used the Hoover Met.
 

81usaf92

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Bingo, on the Barners. They are half the noise in all of this IMO. To them, Paul Bryant Jr. is the face of evil and he's solely responsible for this.

!
The funny thing is that the satelite school for Auburn is AUM and Auburn hasnt allowed them a football team. I beleive that AUM has wanted a team before but got shut down by the parent school. IDK, but I think barners are more of the instigators with this than anyone else. FWIW I think the 2 biggest people that should be upset are the players and Bill Clark.
 

KrAzY3

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I will say that I do think UAB would have had significantly better attendance if they did not have to play at legion field and had an on campus stadium.
Yeah, totally worth the investment of over 75 million dollars on a program already losing money...

How many free tickets would they have to give away to pay for that?
 

mikeua69

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The funny thing is that the satelite school for Auburn is AUM and Auburn hasnt allowed them a football team. I beleive that AUM has wanted a team before but got shut down by the parent school. IDK, but I think barners are more of the instigators with this than anyone else. FWIW I think the 2 biggest people that should be upset are the players and Bill Clark.
Bingo - Scarbinsky and NBC 13 (aka Auburn news network)
 

bamahippie

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Every time these threads pop up, the first thought to mind is "We're bigger than this".

<sigh> Shows what I know.

Roll Tide and Go Blazers...

I wonder if other flagship state school fans grumble about the goings-on of their little brothers the way ours do. Makes no sense.

By the way, I'm not in the camp of the majority opinion here, nor am I in the UAB tin-foil-hat-wearing crowd.

If they want those teams, and it's not affecting my bottom line, well then go for it. Who in the heck cares? Why do so many on here care enough to post in these threads?

I'll never understand it. I guess it wasn't meant for me to get it.
 
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KrAzY3

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No where did I say it was a good idea or that it would make money for the school.
I didn't say you did, but it's a tired old line they used. Like their fans were just hiding until they wasted a ton of money on a stadium. Money that of course someone else would have provided, because their fans sure wouldn't pay for it...

If they want those teams, and it's not affecting my bottom line, well then go for it. Who in the heck cares? Why do so many on here care enough to post in these threads?
Last time I checked I was a taxpayer in the state. That university wasting money (at least I don't live in Birmingham, who was wasting money on it as well) ultimately impacts taxpayers.

I have long asserted that the state only has the support for 2, may be 3 FBS programs tops. The others operate without meaningful fan support, for the entertainment of a powerful few who want their "own" football program. This also degrades the FBS product as a whole, there's no need, there's no place for over 100 FBS programs, it waters things down, it allows programs to go all year without playing anyone and it does nothing good for college football.
 

81usaf92

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I have long asserted that the state only has the support for 2, may be 3 FBS programs tops. The others operate without meaningful fan support, for the entertainment of a powerful few who want their "own" football program. This also degrades the FBS product as a whole, there's no need, there's no place for over 100 FBS programs, it waters things down, it allows programs to go all year without playing anyone and it does nothing good for college football.
I agree with this to an extent. The reason I say that is that there is a decent size of a fan base up north to support UNA (espically when they were winning championships), Troy has a pretty big following even though its borderline Auburn country,and a decent size down south to support USA, but Birmingham is basically UA territory. UA and A* will always be the big dogs, and I think USA and Troy will always be 3rd in the state. I dont know if sending them to FCS status is the right or wrong thing to do because those two make money. UAB was a lost cause because more people care about the Magic City Classic than they do UAB football in Birmingham. Thats a huge problem. Bama,The Iron Bowl, and the Super Six moving out of Birmingham really hurt the city, but it was the right move. Atleast Bama gave UAB an oppurtunity to have a football team, unlike the barners who have yet to let AUM. It was an expirement that failed, but UAB still has basketball.
 

snake plissken

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For the love of christ, lets please quit bashing UAB. They were never a threat, just trying to fit into their niche. Never understood why Bama fans couldn't support both programs.
 

snake plissken

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Lets not forget, coaching is everything (see Bama before and after Saban.) UAB had Jimbo Fisher ready to come on board, but the BOT shot it down and forced Neil Callaway down UAB's throat. Had Jimbo been the coach, UAB would have won more games, which would have created more excitement and better fan attendance. BOT is responsible for the state of the program towards the end.
 

81usaf92

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Lets not forget, coaching is everything (see Bama before and after Saban.) UAB had Jimbo Fisher ready to come on board, but the BOT shot it down and forced Neil Callaway down UAB's throat. Had Jimbo been the coach, UAB would have won more games, which would have created more excitement and better fan attendance. BOT is responsible for the state of the program towards the end.
For arguements sake lets just say Jimbo goes to UAB in 2007. He probably wasnt going to stick around too long. Remember Auburn Fired Tubby at the conclusion in 08. So what is more likely them getting Cheezit or throwing top dollar at Fisher. Plus FSU was growing tired of Bowden towards the end so they probably would go for Jimbo then.

For reality's sake: Nothing was a done deal with Jimbo in 07. He had UAB calling for him to be their head coach and FSU and Bama calling for him to be their OC. So I really think all this Jimbo to UAB isnt as definitive as Blazers, Boogers, and the national media try to make it out to be.

I do agree some here are bashing UAB, but I really dont see how this is a huge issue when USA and Troy are beating them in attendence and revenue.
 

KrAzY3

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Troy has a pretty big following even though its borderline Auburn country,and a decent size down south to support USA, but Birmingham is basically UA territory.
One reason I said may be 3 was because of Troy. They seem to be conducting themselves in a more responsible manner. Their athletic department loses less money, their fans seem to be more supportive, their stadium is actually older but they don't whine constantly about it. South Alabama though, that's a perfect example. I attend South, that whole thing was stuffed down our throats. Their attendance is not very good, the support isn't really there (I honestly see more people at class wearing Alabama shirts), but they wanted their own team, and guess who is paying for it? I am, as a student, as a taxpayer in the city, I get to foot the bill to appease a marginal group of people.
For the love of christ, lets please quit bashing UAB. They were never a threat, just trying to fit into their niche. Never understood why Bama fans couldn't support both programs.
They were a threat to my wallet, and a threat to the sport I care about. They had no business existing, they were a waste from the start and they symbolize the excesses of government and athletic departments, along with the lowering of standards. Guess who ultimately foots the bill when a public university wastes money? Local, state, federal... it comes from taxpayers and programs like UAB were harmful to college football, by degrading the product. I don't think all non power 5 schools should be gone, but if the program didn't exist prior to the 1990s I think someone should take a hard look at them....

The idea that I should support them merely because they exist is ridiculous. So, I like Stephen King books. If some other author decides to write horror novels I'm just supposed to buy them to? That's not how it works, the product has to appeal to me.
 
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