Because he says so.
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Sports at CU.
- Thread starter FLounder
- Start date
Because he says so.
@rickjames:
great post. and thanks for pointing out that cc and du get guys in to play hockey that CU would never want to touch, academically, for a 2nd tier sport-- we want to take our academic risks in men's fb and bb and therefore need better students in the other sports-- it is an active part of the strategy.
way back when i was at CU, i went drinking a few times with du hockey players. this is anecdotal so take it for what it is worth, but they were all canadian, they had all come up thru junior hockey, focused solely on hockey. they came to du to play hockey. they weren't interested in academics at all. and they weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. they could drink with the very best, however.
great post. and thanks for pointing out that cc and du get guys in to play hockey that CU would never want to touch, academically, for a 2nd tier sport-- we want to take our academic risks in men's fb and bb and therefore need better students in the other sports-- it is an active part of the strategy.
way back when i was at CU, i went drinking a few times with du hockey players. this is anecdotal so take it for what it is worth, but they were all canadian, they had all come up thru junior hockey, focused solely on hockey. they came to du to play hockey. they weren't interested in academics at all. and they weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. they could drink with the very best, however.
Rick James
Member
DU is one of the schools that is a lot more liable to let in academic risks.
From what I understand CC would be a lot different in that regard. Actually, there was a Canucks player who went to CC who up and left hockey to join a financial firm last year. It all depends on the university.
My Dad played basketball at DU. This is a spot on assessment of the situation. Condaleeza Rice's father was (still is?) a professor at DU, taught a joke of a class that was just there for the hockey players and other athletes to show up and get an easy A. I think my dad said he took it 3 times.
Also, Rick James, that post is a hell of a drug.
Oxymoron?
pretty much. they ought to have them wear the tartan skirts like the women's field hockey teams.
hey, lightly jogging in circles for a few hours is very manly!
This is why lacrosse makes more sense.
I could even see wrestling before hockey since it uses existing facilities.
just be sure to not turn one's ankle on a gigantic, conspiculously marked, orange neon colored sprinkler head 50 yards off the playing field while focusing on making sure one's hair is not out of place.
Darian3Hagan
'89 Player of the Year
it is a difficult sport!
Rick James
Member
I've seen the idea of hockey bantered about for a while, I don't think people understand how difficult it is to get on the winning track in it.
It truly is a sport where the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. If there was a comparison I would have it would be to basketball. The hardest thing to do is win continually, players are in and out to door fast. Good players play for a year or two and move on. You have to bring in impact players each and every single recruiting cycle to compete. It's a sport with a few haves, and a slew of have nots.
For example, Boston University has played for the championship seven of the last twelve years. The rich are very rich and the poor are very poor.
bring it on, bitch.
I don't think anyone truly thinks hockey would ever come to CU. The cost to entry is far too high.
Rick James
Member
Gotta practice some first.
Darian3Hagan
'89 Player of the Year
You should know where the reset button is by now.
SuperiorBuff
Well-Known Member
I hope they cleaned it up.
BlackNGold
Club Member
There are only two true revenue producing sports in college athletics - mens football and mens basketball. Adding any other sports are basically revenue drains on the AD. But there is a caveat there - with the advent of the PAC 12 network there is going to be a drive for content to put on the Network so any selected sport has be attractive for the network (Hockey does not fill the role because no other PAC 12 schools have hockey). It would appear to me the sports that best fill that role are women's softball and men's baseball.
While I wouldn't mind having a hockey team, it is the wrong fit for the Pac-12, where no other school participates in the sport. Baseball is the next logical step. If I win the Powerball, we'll get a red brick baseball stadium built somewhere in Boulder. And it will sell beer.
I think it would have to be a Spring sport of some kind. I believe Women's lacrosse is a Spring sport, so that's probably a contributing factor in why we're adding it now. Baseball and softball also fit that bill.
Swimming, diving, water polo, wrestling, gymnastics - they're all Pac 12 supported sports that I'm sure will someday be part of the CU offering. I just don't expect it anytime real soon - like no time in the next 20 years.
And I don't care what Rick James says - I would love me some CU varsity hockey. I know we would suck, possibly for a really long time. I don't care. I would love it and would buy tickets.
Swimming, diving, water polo, wrestling, gymnastics - they're all Pac 12 supported sports that I'm sure will someday be part of the CU offering. I just don't expect it anytime real soon - like no time in the next 20 years.
And I don't care what Rick James says - I would love me some CU varsity hockey. I know we would suck, possibly for a really long time. I don't care. I would love it and would buy tickets.
CUFan
Welcome back
I understand your passion for it. I go to DU games regularly. It is just plain entertaining hockey in a nice venue.
Must this debate be re-hashed again and again?
CU needs to dump every single cent into making football a winner ASAP. Pay Nick Satan 10mil/year. Build Phil Knight-like facilities. All other sports are irrelevant except to fill Title 9.
I love college hockey. Lots of the college players haven't learned the art of TAKING a hit, so you see some kids get absolutely rocked :lol:
justicewhite
Member
I disagree with everything RickJames posted about hockey at CU. CU can be a winner.
1. The appeal of college hockey is growing. Team USA was nearly entirely composed of college hockey players. The appeal of Junior leagues like the WHL, CHL, and Quebec league is diminishing. The fact college hockey is making into the Friday night primetime schedule for NBC sports network is saying something. Not quite ESPN, but it's more of a spotlight than before. Like basketball or football, American college hockey is increasingly viewed as a pathway to the league. Kids would rather make it by playing for a BU or DU than scrapping it for 3-4 years in the Q.
2. Colorado is becoming a hockey pipeline more and more with every passing year. The kids growing up watching the Avs and Pios are getting drafted now (Nick Shore the latest example). Not the case before. How many rinks have been built in the Denver area over the last 10 years. Interest in the sport has exploded. High schools that never had hockey since the 70's are picking up programs (Cherry Creek, Littleton, Heritage). The "focus on the hockey" bastion of Colorado Springs is not the sole outpost anymore. No reason CU couldn't find a 4* hockey player out of Colorado.
3. Sure kids want to win, however, starting a program is key. Even the University of, yes, Nebraska-Omaha started a D1 WCHA program less than 10 year ago and is now starting to realize success (qualified for the 16 team NCAA tourney). Like all things, developing a program takes time, but it's not impossible to catch up to the BU's, DU's, BC's, etc. CC will never be at the same level as DU ever again because of its small liberal arts school handicap--kids actually have to focus on their "Literature of the River" classes for 3 weeks at a time with the block schedule. AFA is a military academy, and we all know the recruiting handicap there. Kids who play hockey don't care about academic prestige, so that's an irrelevant point to make. CU could eventually realize a recruiting advantage. Further, there's an opening out West in the college hockey scene with Penn State picking up a program and Minnesota and Wisconsin joining the B10.
I agree that CU needs to get the football situation turned around ASAP and needs to pump all funds into an Oregon-caliber facility or get a coach who wins like Nick Saban if Embo/Bienemy can't get it done. All dollars should go there for the foreseeable future (and wtf, legally why can't all 85 football scholarships not count toward Title IX compliance is beyond me).
But don't call the Colorado's college hockey scene an "exception to the rule" or dismiss the University of Colorado's potential to build a college hockey power that rivals DU's or CC's programs.
1. The appeal of college hockey is growing. Team USA was nearly entirely composed of college hockey players. The appeal of Junior leagues like the WHL, CHL, and Quebec league is diminishing. The fact college hockey is making into the Friday night primetime schedule for NBC sports network is saying something. Not quite ESPN, but it's more of a spotlight than before. Like basketball or football, American college hockey is increasingly viewed as a pathway to the league. Kids would rather make it by playing for a BU or DU than scrapping it for 3-4 years in the Q.
2. Colorado is becoming a hockey pipeline more and more with every passing year. The kids growing up watching the Avs and Pios are getting drafted now (Nick Shore the latest example). Not the case before. How many rinks have been built in the Denver area over the last 10 years. Interest in the sport has exploded. High schools that never had hockey since the 70's are picking up programs (Cherry Creek, Littleton, Heritage). The "focus on the hockey" bastion of Colorado Springs is not the sole outpost anymore. No reason CU couldn't find a 4* hockey player out of Colorado.
3. Sure kids want to win, however, starting a program is key. Even the University of, yes, Nebraska-Omaha started a D1 WCHA program less than 10 year ago and is now starting to realize success (qualified for the 16 team NCAA tourney). Like all things, developing a program takes time, but it's not impossible to catch up to the BU's, DU's, BC's, etc. CC will never be at the same level as DU ever again because of its small liberal arts school handicap--kids actually have to focus on their "Literature of the River" classes for 3 weeks at a time with the block schedule. AFA is a military academy, and we all know the recruiting handicap there. Kids who play hockey don't care about academic prestige, so that's an irrelevant point to make. CU could eventually realize a recruiting advantage. Further, there's an opening out West in the college hockey scene with Penn State picking up a program and Minnesota and Wisconsin joining the B10.
I agree that CU needs to get the football situation turned around ASAP and needs to pump all funds into an Oregon-caliber facility or get a coach who wins like Nick Saban if Embo/Bienemy can't get it done. All dollars should go there for the foreseeable future (and wtf, legally why can't all 85 football scholarships not count toward Title IX compliance is beyond me).
But don't call the Colorado's college hockey scene an "exception to the rule" or dismiss the University of Colorado's potential to build a college hockey power that rivals DU's or CC's programs.
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All your points are true, but irrelevant in 'modern collegiate athletics'. The new age is upon us and national brands like Miami, Florida State, Clemson are shaking in their boots. Heck, the Big East and ACC are on the verge of collapse. Just a few months ago the BigTex was on life support, while our old Big8 friends like KU were hanging in the wind.
CU was incredibly lucky to be thrown the Pac12 golden ticket, despite years of athletic neglect. Football is the ONLY thing driving the bus now and any conversation about irrelevant sports like Hockey, Baseball, and Softball is well, irrelevant. It should not even be a discussion point. It's lunacy.
