Nick Carparelli

[bnoro]

I'm sorry, but eSports is stupid. Watching other people play video games (and particularly when the athletes have to be made anonymous due to name and likeness licensing restrictions) is terrible.

I'm not sure how I saw a couple computer football games on TV in the last year or so, or what channel. There were 2 announcers trying to give you a play-by-play, and it made zero sense. There are no "star players", no recognizable teams. What is there to root for? It was mind-numbing.

Now, I recognize that people like watching people play video games like Call of Duty or whatever on Twitch, but I don't see people ever attending an event to watch 2 people play a video game against each other on a big screen.

Meanwhile you are watching people play basketball and football.

There are selling out stadiums for games like Rocket League.

 

[Faegan]

Yes, and people play in poker tournaments for big money.

And people do watch big poker tournaments on TV, but there are personalities involved.
I don't see that aspect in watching people play sports games without the licensing of the players or teams.

I watched a couple games. It's hideously boring. It doesn't matter who any of the players are. You have no idea who is supposed to be good, who's suppossed to be a star, where is the other team's weakness?

All of the strategy is taken away.

It's like watching electric football, where anonymous players vibrate on a metal board into each other.
Sure, I'd watch that !!! Billion dollar market! LOL

Totally agree... I'd rather watch paint dry... alas I'm 54.

 

[shu 49]

The problem with Syracuse University is that everything is always reactive. They’re never ahead of the curve. Practice facilities and proper athlete amenities took more than 15 years after they became standard across major programs before Syracuse finally started addressing them. Dino Babers gave one of the most viral speeches in college football history, and the only thing people focused on afterward was the locker room because it highlighted just how far behind the program was.

Now we’re seeing the same thing with NIL. Syracuse is again behind the eight ball. Staff salaries are at or near the bottom of the conference average, yet the administration still expects fans to pack the Dome and seems perplexed when they don’t. Fans respond to the product on the field and court, it’s really that simple.

Take the million dollars spent to buy on Lyke. What would that million dollars get you in today’s college football world? Probably a solid backup quarterback or a starting offensive lineman. Those are the types of investments that actually impact winning.

There’s no secret formula to filling the stands. Invest properly in football and basketball, build winning programs, and the fans will show up. Winning drives attendance always has, always will. But too often Syracuse chooses saving money over winning. Dino Babers stayed too long. Red Autry should never have been hired if the goal was to immediately compete nationally. Instead of making bold hires, the university often looks for the cheapest option. The result is predictable: more losses, declining attendance, and then complaints about not having enough revenue.

Meanwhile, the university pours millions into things like esports and other trends that don’t move the needle for the fanbase. When was the last time esports filled the Dome? Syracuse doesn’t have a money shortage, it has a spending problem. The money is simply being allocated to the wrong places.
Women’s basketball could be another major revenue stream if the program were built into a winner. Fans will support it if it’s competitive. That’s another opportunity the university hasn’t fully tapped.
In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, programs can rebuild quickly. Look at Iowa, they assembled a top tier class and became a national contender. Indiana just won a championship. There’s no reason Syracuse can’t do the same if it commits the resources.
Football and men’s basketball are the engines that drive an athletic department. Those programs should have every resource available to succeed. No other sports require that level of investment to sustain the department. It’s nice to have a strong soccer team, but soccer doesn’t move the needle in the United States the way it does in Europe or Mexico. The athletic department needs to stop treating revenue sports like a funding source for the rest of the university and start reinvesting in the programs that actually drive interest and income.

If Syracuse invests in winning, the fans will come. It’s that simple.

Honestly couldn’t agree more

 

[azbobbop]

Honestly couldn’t agree more

The problem with Syracuse University is that everything is always reactive. They’re never ahead of the curve. Practice facilities and proper athlete amenities took more than 15 years after they became standard across major programs before Syracuse finally started addressing them. Dino Babers gave one of the most viral speeches in college football history, and the only thing people focused on afterward was the locker room because it highlighted just how far behind the program was.

Now we’re seeing the same thing with NIL. Syracuse is again behind the eight ball. Staff salaries are at or near the bottom of the conference average, yet the administration still expects fans to pack the Dome and seems perplexed when they don’t. Fans respond to the product on the field and court, it’s really that simple.

Take the million dollars spent to buy on Lyke. What would that million dollars get you in today’s college football world? Probably a solid backup quarterback or a starting offensive lineman. Those are the types of investments that actually impact winning.

There’s no secret formula to filling the stands. Invest properly in football and basketball, build winning programs, and the fans will show up. Winning drives attendance always has, always will. But too often Syracuse chooses saving money over winning. Dino Babers stayed too long. Red Autry should never have been hired if the goal was to immediately compete nationally. Instead of making bold hires, the university often looks for the cheapest option. The result is predictable: more losses, declining attendance, and then complaints about not having enough revenue.

Meanwhile, the university pours millions into things like esports and other trends that don’t move the needle for the fanbase. When was the last time esports filled the Dome? Syracuse doesn’t have a money shortage, it has a spending problem. The money is simply being allocated to the wrong places.
Women’s basketball could be another major revenue stream if the program were built into a winner. Fans will support it if it’s competitive. That’s another opportunity the university hasn’t fully tapped.
In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, programs can rebuild quickly. Look at Iowa, they assembled a top tier class and became a national contender. Indiana just won a championship. There’s no reason Syracuse can’t do the same if it commits the resources.
Football and men’s basketball are the engines that drive an athletic department. Those programs should have every resource available to succeed. No other sports require that level of investment to sustain the department. It’s nice to have a strong soccer team, but soccer doesn’t move the needle in the United States the way it does in Europe or Mexico. The athletic department needs to stop treating revenue sports like a funding source for the rest of the university and start reinvesting in the programs that actually drive interest and income.

If Syracuse invests in winning, the fans will come. It’s that simple.

Not only will the fans come, the applicant pool will grow with the exposure that comes with high profile winning teams. That’s the philosophy the new head of Indiana University brought to the table, it can work at Syracuse.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Not only will the fans come, the applicant pool will grow with the exposure that comes with high profile winning teams. That’s the philosophy the new head of Indiana University brought to the table, it can work at Syracuse.

Can’t compare Syracuse to Indiana really and using what was probably the best coaching hire ever in college football with Cignettit as example isn’t easily replicated if ever. the OP is also confusing where money comes from to support athletics at these larger programs. Just not that simple of an equation

 

[OrangePA]

Can’t compare Syracuse to Indiana really and using what was probably the best coaching hire ever in college football with Cignettit as example isn’t easily replicated if ever. the OP is also confusing where money comes from to support athletics at these larger programs. Just not that simple of an equation

Cignetti is not only a terrific coach whose attention to detail is probably unmatched, but he was able to bring with him an intact coaching staff and 17 very good players from James Madison.

Those players - at least in 2024 - were the best players on the field for the Hoosiers.

And, of course, IU fully committed to the football program with substantial financial support.

It is still mind boggling that IU won the College Football National Championship.

 

[sutomcat]

Cignetti is not only a terrific coach whose attention to detail is probably unmatched, he was able to bring with him an intact coaching staff and 17 very good players from James Madison.

Those players - at least in 2024 - were the best players on the field for the Hoosiers.

And, of course, IU fully committed to the football program with substantial financial support.

It is still mind boggling that IU won the College Football National Championship.

Congrats Andy. Am glad to know at least one IU person who enjoyed their historic run.

 

[PAcuse]

I know everyone love to use IU as the "standard" but at this point it's like saying Saban was the standard for years.
IU was a perfect strom.
They hired one of the best coaches of this time period.
They have the largest alumni base in America.
They had the adminstartions full backing and they pulled out all the stops for the program.

We can not replicate that BUT we, I believe, made a great hire for sports in our new Chancellor and if Carapelli is our new AD they both should greatly improve our sports teams in general with the support I'm beating they will throug behind it.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[FloridaCuse]

OH NO!!!

 

[jr4750]

Interesting piece and PR. It is possible she has learned from her mistakes at Pitt and could bring experience to the role. I know she is persona non grata here, but she definitely has some skills.

 

[Orangefan1]

Interesting piece and PR. It is possible she has learned from her mistakes at Pitt and could bring experience to the role. I know she is persona non grata here, but she definitely has some skills.

Not the skills we want

 

[Orangefan1]

Interesting piece and PR. It is possible she has learned from her mistakes at Pitt and could bring experience to the role. I know she is persona non grata here, but she definitely has some skills.

She can take her skills to Michigan

 

[FloridaCuse]

The women are sticking together. It starts out as a puff piece to promote her candidacy for A.D. Donna feeds into it a lot, including her warm relationship with Andy Geiger. But not totally. Two key things. H.L. says the problem with the SU Athletic Dept is money. Well, that was her downfall at Pitt. Making plans for a new facility without having raised the money.

But in the middle of the puff and flattery is this key sentence by Donna:

"Lyke talked often at Pittsburgh about excellence beyond football and basketball. That might remind SU fans of the reign of Daryl Gross."

Maybe the kill shot?

 

[Bulldog04]

Nothing about that article says anything transformative about her. “She knows how important it is to win with football.” “She knows it’s important to meet with donors like Carmelo Anthony”. Well NO DUH. But good lord talk about giving someone a chance that doesn’t deserve it with this article.

 

[PAcuse]

"Lyke talked often at Pittsburgh about excellence beyond football and basketball. That might remind SU fans of the reign of Daryl Gross."

Maybe the kill shot?

If she gets the job I'll need to be done.
I've said it before mostly joking but this would be the WORST thing SU has done in a long time and it would ruin what we have.

 

[Archimedes]

Syracuse.com = Team Lyke. That's quite a PR piece.

 

[hoopsupstate]

I don’t think putting carpet down in a locker room is transformative or the top of my wish list. Should it be done? Yes! Is it something you would say in an interview that would be a wow idea? No. Small minded.

 

[djorange1989]

Interesting piece and PR. It is possible she has learned from her mistakes at Pitt and could bring experience to the role. I know she is persona non grata here, but she definitely has some skills.

If burying an athletic department in debt, committing Title IX infractions and being a jerk are skills then yeah, she has mad skills

 

[hoopsupstate]

Why didn’t she explain why she was fired at Pitt?

 

[CNYGuy]

Can someone sell me on Carparelli? Something other than the companies on his resume.

 

[721Comstock]

Can someone sell me on Carparelli? Something other than the companies on his resume.

OK.

He is not Heather Lyke.

You should be 144% SOLD now.

 

[Cusefan78]

If she gets the job I'll need to be done.
I've said it before mostly joking but this would be the WORST thing SU has done in a long time and it would ruin what we have.

agree and hear this on here and many other places, this hire would destroy the dedicated "diehard" fan base Syracuse has.

 

[CNYGuy]

OK.

He is not Heather Lyke.

You should be 144% SOLD now.

Wait that was the criteria! Damn we all should have applied!

 

[SuFTW]

Wait that was the criteria! Damn we all should have applied!

You didn’t?