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Numbers in favor of Snyder
Published Saturday, November 28, 2009
One of my twin daughters got an “A” instead of an “A+” on her English paper last week. My dog got into some garbage and had it all over the kitchen floor. My car has a crack in the windshield and needs replaced.
Well, there’s only one way to solve all these problems. You guessed it. We have to fire Mark Snyder as Marshall’s football coach.
I read a story last week detailing some figures — I’ll not use the word “facts” in this instance since it doesn’t really apply — about the Marshall season ticket sales being down and how attendance is lagging and the only recourse is to fire Snyder.
There is truth in the fact the athletic department is about $2 million in the red, but Marshall may get half of that back with a bowl appearance, something that can’t be guaranteed when making out the budget.
Marshall’s season ticket sales were down, but that was to be expected as well. Season ticket sales across the nation were down 15 percent this season. Marshall was down almost seven percent, more than half below the national average.
Major college programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Southern Cal always have sellouts. It’s the mid-majors that take the biggest hit when the economy is hurting and experts actually predicted Marshall’s numbers to be down 10 percent.
While the story tried to say Snyder’s tenure at Marshall is bankrupting the athletic department, in actuality it has been the opposite.
Of the 10 largest season attendance in school history, five of those seasons have come with Snyder as the head coach. Imagine that. He has half of the 10 largest season attendances.
And while the numbers were down this year due to the economy and high unemployment, next year is being projected as possibly the largest ever.
West Virginia comes to Marshall and that should not only create more season ticket sales with Herd fans, but WVU fans will buy season tickets just to guarantee themselves a seat for the game.
Also, Marshall plays at Ohio State next year and fans with season tickets will have the opportunity to purchase a ticket to that game because of the allotment the school receives.
One of the problems with attendance also looms with the opposing schools. Conference USA fans do not travel to Huntington. Marshall switched from the Mid-American Conference to C-USA for the increased TV revenue and exposure.
C-USA is a more difficult league from top to bottom than the MAC, but MAC fans traveled better due to the close proximity. Athletic director Mike Hamrick is trying to fix that problem by scheduling future games with schools like Bowling Green, Ohio University and Louisville.
Ohio will often bring as many as 4,500 fans and Louisville isn’t that far of a drive.
To make things even better, Marshall is a relatively young team and should have a better season next year with a little good luck.
The vendetta to oust Snyder has gone from absurd to embarrassing to laughable. One would almost think that the negative information was coming from an insider who has a personal gain in the situation if Snyder were fired.
But that couldn’t be true. I mean, there aren’t any facts to back it up.
Right?
—— Sinatra ——
Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.
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Comments
Posted by herdfan32 (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 3:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
look at the facts....
the last two season final games the team has laid an egg..big time..both with bowl implications on the line.
as far as more exposure in c-usa...bs...im in NC and i was able to see more games when MU was in the MAC when i lived in TX. this is a conference and admin issue.
i now snyder took over in an imposible situation coming in at the end of spring practice. but he's had four recruiting classes come in and the changes havent happened.
with all due respect, mark snyder is a good football coach, but i dont think he was ready to handle a D-1 program.
its time to cut our losses, keep snyder as a freind of MU, and find our next leader.
Posted by deathdealer (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
look for rick minter to get that job. mark is top notch coordinator but will not cut it as the head guy should have stayed a osu mark sorry
Posted by PEJ (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 1:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When it comes to the tri state area what does it have to offer someone to come play football? AN education. Perhaps. If they are good enough to be offered a scholarship to Marshall they can get one at another college as well. Would they rather go to a school in Huntington or a school in a warmer climate or a bigger city? Marshall fans should be happy with Snyder as coach. The "grand" players they had in the past was the past. Moss was kicked out of Miami so Marshall took him. But his first choice was Miami. Not Marshall. Marshall is a very good teaching university. The education is above and beyond. I think someone at Marshall got a little greedy when they moved up to another conference. They had some great seasons that probably will take a long time to repeat. Those players don't come along very often and they were recruited when Marshall played in the lower conference when they were winners. Everyone wants to play for a winner. Don't blame the coach blame the athletic
director for changing conferences.
Posted by summerrain (anonymous) on November 30, 2009 at 1:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Pruett left everything in shambles and Marshall fans expected
Coach Snyder to turn it around. Snyder is a class act,
but the fans place winning above integrity.
Posted by deathdealer (anonymous) on December 2, 2009 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
good thing walker is not the ad at marshall or they would have to become familiar with losing like they did back in the 70's
Posted by tjhtygeverve (anonymous) on December 4, 2009 at 12:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No-ONE could have come in and and pleased those that seem to matter. Leaving the MAC for more exposure I am sure is true, BUT it was the dumbest move I Have seen in Collegiate history. Those that made that choice to do so should be fired. It is the most laughable move as Jim Walker stated you can imagine. I also saw Marshall play on tv more in the mac. Now, i have direct tv with game pass, and i saw one game this year...Snyder did a heck of a job, they were points and drives away from this being a completely different scenario... I would compare it to some of the calls Ironton has faced in state football championship games. BAD LUCK!!! GOOD LUCK mark. And you know what... This move makes me even care less about Marshall football now. That's a bad sign for anyone coming in to lead the squad. And who the heck wants to come to WVA to live when, as stated, a scholarship awaits in a much better setting. I see even darker days for the herd. I hope I am proved wrong.
Posted by mytownirontown (anonymous) on December 24, 2009 at 11:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
To PEJ Actually Miami was never an option for Moss. Out of high school Moss had wanted to go to Notre Dame. He did not pass the entance exam. So, being the class act Lou Holtz is, he contacted his friend Bobby Bowden at Florida State (not miami) and told him that Moss didnt have the education to get into Notre Dame but would be a good fit for Florida State. Bowden accepted Moss and Moss continued to smoke pot, screw up etc. Eventually he was kicked out of Florida State and ended up at Marshall. Who in my opinion would take Charlie Manson if he was a good enough football player.
Anyway just thought i'd fill ya in on some facts... GO BOBCATS
Posted by mytownirontown (anonymous) on December 24, 2009 at 11:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
By the way why does everyone think conference USA is so much beeter than the Mack.
Posted by deathdealer (anonymous) on December 31, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
where does jim walker figure synder got even a c grade?
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