What's your pain threshold?

[CUFan]

I am actually not trying to approach this from a negative perspective, rather from a rational business perceptive. I apologize if my previous posts did not indicate such.

Truthfully I am not all that negative about what is going on at CU right with regards to athletics. I think we are potentially heading in the right direction. I just think we are at the very beginnings of the process and it may take a long time. And my patience is wearing thin.


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[CUFan]

Your information is just plain wrong. In 2003, CU spent $44 million to construct suites and club seats on the east side of the stadium. That project was entirely financed (i.e. no big private donations). CU is still paying $4 million per year for that construction, I believe. In 2012, CU spent $7 million to purchase / install new video boards on the North/South sides of the stadium. In 2011, CU spent $12 million on renovations / improvement to the basketball facility, to build new coaches' offices, practice facilities, etc. (I believe this was paid for via private donations, believe it or not.) Unfortunately, they have not stepped up with a significant, major "investment" to date. Hopefully that will happen sooner, rather than later.

I am aware of all of those improvements, yet none of them (with the exception of the basketball stuff) addressed any of the capital and operational deficiencies.

The basketball project is proof if you invest wisely it can work. We haven't made too many wise investments in football in more than a decade. I would definitely put that on the AD and the people overseeing the AD.


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[Lt.Col.FrankSlade]

I am aware of all of those improvements, yet none of them (with the exception of the basketball stuff) addressed any of the capital and operational deficiencies.

The basketball project is proof if you invest wisely it can work. We haven't made too many wise investments in football in more than a decade. I would definitely put that on the AD and the people overseeing the AD.


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So how would you like to see CU invest? What would you like to see them build? And where is the money going to come from to build it?

 

[CUFan]

So how would you like to see CU invest? What would you like to see them build? And where is the money going to come from to build it?

I think we must raise from donors and borrow long term (current plan), when it comes to major facilities construction or improvements. Certainly I'd rather not borrow, but there is no way we will raise the necessary money without it.

As you've written, it's not easy to raise significant money from CU donors. A lot of donors are no longer engaged and there is very little trust left between donors and the University. Tall task for Rick George to be sure, but it seems he is probably capable.

But the AD operations must be revamped to the point where repainting Folsom is not considered some sort of major improvement (D2 era).


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[Buffarino]

You can't keep a quitter from quitting....so have a nice life to all the people that leave. I will follow the Buffs until I die. Even now, it is Buffs, then a distant Broncos, then everything else. I feel MM will bring the Buffs back, and Lord knows the bandwagoners will fill the stadium.

The bandwagon left CU several years and 3 coaches ago. Anyone still here is anything but a fair weather fan. But we all have our limits.

 

[FLounder]

i have been donating about 3k a year over and above the 1800 "donation" for seats..... they can call me all day and nite i will no longer donate any "extra" dollars until someone in Boulder shows me that they care to start trying to be competitive.... all i get from buddies around the country is laughter!...im sick of it!!

You can donate that money to my CU scholarship fund!

 

[sackman]

I'm not talking about withholding donations to make some kind of statement. I'm really not sure what you think would be accomplished by that anyway. No, what I'm talking about is that point where you just can't bring yourself to care anymore. That point where the constant beat downs become more than you handle. Where you look at the calendar and see CU is playing UCLA on Saturday at Folsom and you can't bring yourself to care.

Honestly, I'm really close.

 

[Idot Buff]

I'm not talking about withholding donations to make some kind of statement. I'm really not sure what you think would be accomplished by that anyway. No, what I'm talking about is that point where you just can't bring yourself to care anymore. That point where the constant beat downs become more than you handle. Where you look at the calendar and see CU is playing UCLA on Saturday at Folsom and you can't bring yourself to care.

Honestly, I'm really close.

Me as well. I used to live for Buff football. And, I would be unbearable on Sundays if we lost. Now, I barely care. Although, I communicated with Rick last week and spoke with the assistant AD about my "vision" for fixing things.

 

[GoonieBuff]

Me as well. I used to live for Buff football. And, I would be unbearable on Sundays if we lost. Now, I barely care. Although, I communicated with Rick last week and spoke with the assistant AD about my "vision" for fixing things.

Was a restraining order filed?

 

[Idot Buff]

Was a restraining order filed?

I write this from solitary.....

 

[MtnBuff]

I write this from solitary.....

That's no punishment. Where you are at solitary means you don't have to deal with the locals.

 

[Idot Buff]

That's no punishment. Where you are at solitary means you don't have to deal with the locals.

true.....

 

[buffaholic]

I took over my seats sometime ago when my buddy gave them up for the then new club seats.

I had 2 others with me who shared 4 seats. They left this year and are all in on MBB. Value is so much better in terms of fun per dollar. I am still holding on and I am still high on HCMM but the University is wearing me thin. I never want to hear again how the AD is in red..

Duh. Send the bill to Betsy Hoffman. SPEND your way to profitability. This isn't Intramurals.

 

[PAHIBuff]

I'm kind of curious about the Dollars=Improvement thing. For example, I'm a high 4 star recruit, so all of a sudden I say Wow CU has a new locker room and better bathrooms at Folsom, so I'm going to commit and be on a team that loses 49-17 (?) I think that the facilities thing starts to work a lot better once you're .500 or above. Unless we plan on paying players directly, I think the obsession about funds is a little overblown. I guarantee you that if we were a 10-2 team consistently, money would only be important on the margins.

 

[Quattro]

I'm kind of curious about the Dollars=Improvement thing. For example, I'm a high 4 star recruit, so all of a sudden I say Wow CU has a new locker room and better bathrooms at Folsom, so I'm going to commit and be on a team that loses 49-17 (?) I think that the facilities thing starts to work a lot better once you're .500 or above. Unless we plan on paying players directly, I think the obsession about funds is a little overblown. I guarantee you that if we were a 10-2 team consistently, money would only be important on the margins.

Yay let's purposely hamstring ourselves!

 

[PAHIBuff]

And as far as the overall financial standing of the AD goes, the CU Administration looks at it rationally, if you analyze it. There was a post here yesterday showing that CU gets 222 MM dollars from donations overall - well above a lot of schools that are much more successful in football. CU has to look at this as pure mindless profit. Why dump any of this into a venture (the AD) that loses money? In a purely analytic sense, it would be crazy to put money into something on which they'll never see a return. It's like I give you $1000; how much are you going to give the Denver Rescue Mission? Answer: Only as much as you can spare to retain your self-image as a charitable entity. Trust me, if they were starting CU brand new out of whole cloth tomorrow, they would NEVER have a football program. In their minds it's just a necessary evil they're stuck with and they hate every minute of it.

 

[Quattro]

And as far as the overall financial standing of the AD goes, the CU Administration looks at it rationally, if you analyze it. There was a post here yesterday showing that CU gets 222 MM dollars from donations overall - well above a lot of schools that are much more successful in football. CU has to look at this as pure mindless profit. Why dump any of this into a venture (the AD) that loses money? In a purely analytic sense, it would be crazy to put money into something on which they'll never see a return. It's like I give you $1000; how much are you going to give the Denver Rescue Mission? Answer: Only as much as you can spare to retain your self-image as a charitable entity. Trust me, if they were starting CU brand new out of whole cloth tomorrow, they would NEVER have a football program. In their minds it's just a necessary evil they're stuck with and they hate every minute of it.

You do understand the gains that a good football team provides to a university, right (academic gains)? Also, football is not the issue in AD profitability, it's he title IX sports that have absolutely no profitability. Football essentially makes all the money for the rest of the AD.

And Benson hates the AD so much he went out and paid a lot of money for a new coaching staff, a new AD, and pledged $100K/year for 5 years.

 

[MtnBuff]

I'm kind of curious about the Dollars=Improvement thing. For example, I'm a high 4 star recruit, so all of a sudden I say Wow CU has a new locker room and better bathrooms at Folsom, so I'm going to commit and be on a team that loses 49-17 (?) I think that the facilities thing starts to work a lot better once you're .500 or above. Unless we plan on paying players directly, I think the obsession about funds is a little overblown. I guarantee you that if we were a 10-2 team consistently, money would only be important on the margins.

You are connecting logic and 17 year old kids. These are the same kids who will decide where to spend 4-5 years of their lives based on cool uniforms. These are kids who get excited by the music on highlight videos.

How hard is it to convince a kid that a school you are recruiting against doesn't care about football when you can show them that they are far behind the rest of the league in investment in the facilities they are going to be using. Kids don't care about 30 years ago or 20 years ago or 10 years ago, they live in the now. CU facilities aren't in the now, much of what kids see when they visit is over 20 years ago, not even in the kids lifetimes.

 

[PAHIBuff]

You do understand the gains that a good football team provides to a university, right (academic gains)? Also, football is not the issue in AD profitability, it's he title IX sports that have absolutely no profitability. Football essentially makes all the money for the rest of the AD.

And Benson hates the AD so much he went out and paid a lot of money for a new coaching staff, a new AD, and pledged $100K/year for 5 years.

They feel roped in, like they have no choice in the matter. Why get sucked in to a profit and loss venture (AD) when every dime of generic donation is pure profit anyway? Why take any risk at all? DiSteph is a pure bureaucrat at heart. Risking money is not in his DNA. If these clowns could ****can the whole thing they'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Quattro]

They feel roped in, like they have no choice in the matter. Why get sucked in to a profit and loss venture (AD) when every dime of generic donation is pure profit anyway? Why take any risk at all? DiSteph is a pure bureaucrat at heart. Risking money is not in his DNA. If these clowns could ****can the whole thing they'd do it in a heartbeat.

Way to answer the question I asked you

 

[4DemBuffs]

Sorry. I am late to the thread.

Just numb. There is no pain anymore. Perhaps it started with the Toledo game and was cemented last year with Sac St. I will tune in and watch/listen as long as I can. But, I don't make it a point to watch/listen to games.

Just.... numb.

I wonder how long my parents and their friends will hang on. They park in the field just east of the stadium. They are not working anymore and are on retirement income. We are talking about 4 to 6 people that have 2 to 10 tickets each. And they give some money. Not "big time" but kind of "bread and butter" money. More than a few thousand a year.

so...

Crap product and you pay for 10 tickets, FF passes.... for.....? For the first time in their lives, they are spending time in Europe instead of going to CU football games. My parents and their friends. Yet, they are still paying for the games they don't attend.

That will not last.

If CU were still competitive.... no friggin way this would happen.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

I'm kind of curious about the Dollars=Improvement thing. For example, I'm a high 4 star recruit, so all of a sudden I say Wow CU has a new locker room and better bathrooms at Folsom, so I'm going to commit and be on a team that loses 49-17 (?) I think that the facilities thing starts to work a lot better once you're .500 or above. Unless we plan on paying players directly, I think the obsession about funds is a little overblown. I guarantee you that if we were a 10-2 team consistently, money would only be important on the margins.

The post this morning indicates that the CUAD is still in debt tens of millions of dollars as well as behind on fund raising. They've shed about 3000 season ticket holders year over year for 3-4 years in a row. I agree with most of what your saying about getting back above .500 as kids will start to pay attention who currently are not.

Right now there is not a lot of reasons to come here other than a good education. Next is your ability to connect with the coaches when they recruit you. And the possibility of immediate playing time or at least the perception of it given the shallow depth chart in some places.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

You are connecting logic and 17 year old kids. These are the same kids who will decide where to spend 4-5 years of their lives based on cool uniforms. These are kids who get excited by the music on highlight videos.

How hard is it to convince a kid that a school you are recruiting against doesn't care about football when you can show them that they are far behind the rest of the league in investment in the facilities they are going to be using. Kids don't care about 30 years ago or 20 years ago or 10 years ago, they live in the now. CU facilities aren't in the now, much of what kids see when they visit is over 20 years ago, not even in the kids lifetimes.

Walk out of dal ward across the rickety bridge and then across a dirty muddy parking lot to access the practice field....

 

[atlbuff]

So, let's assume Phil and BB aren't going anywhere anytime soon. It looks like winning games isn't going to happen this year, and maybe not next year. Other than a facilities announcement of something actually happening, what other things would the AD need to do to get you back in the seats? I am not sure I know the answer to this.

 

[sackman]

I'm kind of curious about the Dollars=Improvement thing. For example, I'm a high 4 star recruit, so all of a sudden I say Wow CU has a new locker room and better bathrooms at Folsom, so I'm going to commit and be on a team that loses 49-17 (?) I think that the facilities thing starts to work a lot better once you're .500 or above. Unless we plan on paying players directly, I think the obsession about funds is a little overblown. I guarantee you that if we were a 10-2 team consistently, money would only be important on the margins.

while I understand thread jacking is a time honored tradition of allbuffs, I feel obligated to point out that this has nothing to do with the thread subject.

 

[Idot Buff]

while I understand thread jacking is a time honored tradition of allbuffs, I feel obligated to point out that this has nothing to do with the thread subject.

This is an excellent thread topic, because it gets to a critical issue for Rick George. For those of us left, hanging on by a thread in the hopes this team will ever improve, Rick had better hope we stick around. Otherwise, get ready for home attendance in the low 30s (K), and the continuing death spiral of CU football.

 

[Highlander]

I exceeded my pain threshold a long time ago. Losing a day of my life watching them get toasted by USC 40-3 in 2002, followed up by losing a weekend and $1500 to see them lose 47-7 in Tallahassee broke me. I still held my season tix until 2007 and I watch every game I can - even if it meant going to a bar when I hadn't figured out a better alternative to the Pac 12 Network/Directv debacle. I also bring my kids to a game each fall - carefully selecting the weakest opponent so they can see a win.

I'm not sure why I bother. Even with my reduced effort and expense, I care more than BB and PD put together.

 

[BuffUp]

Sack - that is a great question. I and my family have asked that same question for years now. I can not answer it, I do not know what will send me packing. I keep waiting for a sign or a change in the program and keep coming back like on Groundhog day the movie. I hate it, it being all this losing. I hate losing at anything, it ruins my attitude for days. I am super competitive in all I do and despise losing.
The sad part is, I Love College Football, I have watched it for years. I was watching college football in my early teens. All this losing makes me kinda hate the sport, out of jealousy. I see other programs succeed and it makes me resent them. I see programs have one or two bad seasons between turnarounds and that makes me mad. Just can not bring myself to root for another team? I use to also watch NASCAR, watched it since I was about 6 or 7, now I do not watch it at all... They have ruined that sport with the rules, cars, drivers, etc. So what I am trying to say is - When I finally have enough and walk away, then I walk away and do not look back. Every year I am reaching my threshold I think. When the time comes I will not even check the scores and standings. College football will be dead to me, CU is taking something from me that I have enjoyed for most of my life - 30+ years of my life. Kinda Sad.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

Sack - that is a great question. I and my family have asked that same question for years now. I can not answer it, I do not know what will send me packing. I keep waiting for a sign or a change in the program and keep coming back like on Groundhog day the movie. I hate it, it being all this losing. I hate losing at anything, it ruins my attitude for days. I am super competitive in all I do and despise losing.
The sad part is, I Love College Football, I have watched it for years. I was watching college football in my early teens. All this losing makes me kinda hate the sport, out of jealousy. I see other programs succeed and it makes me resent them. I see programs have one or two bad seasons between turnarounds and that makes me mad. Just can not bring myself to root for another team? I use to also watch NASCAR, watched it since I was about 6 or 7, now I do not watch it at all... They have ruined that sport with the rules, cars, drivers, etc. So what I am trying to say is - When I finally have enough and walk away, then I walk away and do not look back. Every year I am reaching my threshold I think. When the time comes I will not even check the scores and standings. College football will be dead to me, CU is taking something from me that I have enjoyed for most of my life - 30+ years of my life. Kinda Sad.

It gets a lot easier to let go when you hit your 40s.

 

[Deleted member 807]

What would it take for me to walk away? I think if google and/or the government Internet lords made Allbuffs disappear or be materially altered, it would severely impact my allegiance to CU.

No matter how piss poor the product is on the field, there is a readily available community of CU fans who are right here every day to share in every success and failure.

Its an awkward truth that the junta and Matt who are not at all affiliated with CU do a better job driving my loyalty to the program than any PR or outreach that is officially sanctioned by the University.