Gross

[IthacaMatt]

I'll throw in my 2 cents as far as attendance goes. For the average "fairweather" fan who goes to a few games a year and says things like "It's just as good to watch the game from home in front of my 50+" TV." There needs to be a value add to going to the games and being in the crowd.

The 2nd part it restructuring the ticket prices, the Dome should be full between the 20's regardless of how many people are there, it looks horrible on TV and in the stands when the endzones are more full than the sidelines. .

For me, and a lot of people I know, the biggest issue is parking. If you don't hold a pass in one of the university lots, it's a real pain in the neck to get to the game. It deters me from going more often, although I always hit a football game or two and about 5 hoops games a year, since I dropped my basketball season tickets a few years ago.

 

[Cheriehoop]

USC was ready willing and able to play us in the Dome. Gross sold the game to MetLife for good money this is a fav. ND wouldn't play us at the Dome.

But ND is willing to play games at Pitt, Virginia and NC St in 2015 and 2016?

 

[Alsacs]

But ND is willing to play games at Pitt, Virginia and NC St in 2015 and 2016?

Don't get me started on ND I get ridiculously mad on here when people bury their heads in the sand with how we allow ND to treat us in football series.

 

[chakka3421]

Not sure what you trying to say with the above. Are you truly saying that Syverud has his own hand-picked people working on this bypassing Gross? What connection does Lou Marcoccia have in this process, if any?

Cheers,
Neil

One or two within SU worked with JMI sports and I expect them to be the new sports marketing company moving forward. SU wouldn't have broken its contract without an offer on the table from them.

However, the Orange club still sells the boxes, Dome operations run ticket & food sales, etc. Many Universities outsource all of that to these sports marketing companies (think Matt Park). They often prove that they can give an Athletic Dept a better "net bottom line" than what a University can do themselves internally (think University pay scales, benefits, retirement - it's not real world).

You cannot say "because this school gets this per year" so Syracuse should get X or more. It's not that simple. The issue is how much SU is willing to outsource - that's what will drive X for each University. Gross had a say in who got hired and could get people jobs as long as control remained with the Athletic Department - if everything gets outsourced - to a major extent he loses that control that's why I'm watching to see what happens in the new deal and why I think he eventually leaves - nuff said on my part.

 

[Bill Orange]

When you see a man with two cell phones up against his ears usually means he has the wife on one side and fill in the blank on the other side...who could it be?

For the record, if you look closely, he's holding the leather Berry case in his left hand, with his finger in his ear to buffer the noise on the field at the Northwestern game. So, just like there wasn't a second shooter on the grassy knoll, there wasn't a second phone in Evanston.

 

[72Cuse]

But ND is willing to play games at Pitt, Virginia and NC St in 2015 and 2016?

Hmm. Why is that?

 

[Todd Gack]

For the record, if you look closely, he's holding the leather Berry case in his left hand, with his finger in his ear to buffer the noise on the field at the Northwestern game. So, just like there wasn't a second shooter on the grassy knoll, there wasn't a second phone in Evanston.

Two birds, one reply.

 

[Chris02M]

in my 1 time riding the shuttle bus from skytop to dome drop off before kickoff it took 10 minutes, after game was more like 15-20 after standing in like for 5 or 10 mins

 

[Brian Orange]

I really hope Gross stays. Without starting WWIII on the board, sometimes Syracuse and the community can be a bit "old fashioned" to say the least. Gross was the opposite and it helped us. Someone before me said it best. Gross is a big thinker and we needed that. I hope he stays.

 

[kcsu]

Gross isnt going anyplace for a minimum of 3 years

 

[billsin01]

I like Gross and think he has done many good things, but that's from a fans perspective. From a business perspective, I think his world is going to change if he's going to stay. Every department is going to need to be a net positive and the University a net positive. We aren't a state school that can just ask the state for more money when we have a shortfall. Also, we didn't build the Melo Center. I know we are still short of it having been fully funded but it was built by donations as I'm sure you know.

Yeah, I do realize it's built by donations, but the point is it's a huge chunk of coin spent for no particular reason other than other programs were doing it and 16 year old kids like it. And that's only the beginning. I'd imagine coaching salaries (head coaches and assistants) are only going to go waaaaayyyy up with all this new TV money. The facilities race is only beginning. They'll need to replace or drastically re-vamp the dome at some point. I don't know - frugal and big-time athletics just seem to not be a match very often.

 

[CuseOnly]

If a shuttle bus only took 5 minutes from Skytop, it wouldn't be on game day. Colvin St. is only 2 lanes. Big bottleneck. It takes a half hour, easy. To walk it is about 1.5 miles, which is a little far for some people.

I take the shuttle from Skytop every game for forever, it only takes maybe 10 minutes Max to get to the dome. The busses run on Skytop road across Colvin to avoid the light then follow Skytop road through to Comstock, they are never on Colvin street, ever. There is no bottleneck at all anywhere. All of the streets are blocked off with police directing traffic while the busses are running.

Depending on the crowd you are on the bus with, like the folks I hang out with, the bus ride is a blast.