Buf's Big Bluff

At least $25 million later, the University at Buffalo cannot out draw high school football teams in Texas. The opportunity cost stagger the mind when considering UatB's bonfire to the vanities, a Division I-A football team at a public university in New York.

Think about the July 19 lecture. What is UatB really selling? What are they marketing? Is the core football group large enough to support a Division I-A team? Do the schools that also suffer from low attendance face the same problems as Buff? These are not hypothetical questions. This is a real problem with real consequences.

Buff's sister institution, Binghamton, spent a ton of money on its men's hockey program. Binghamton plays to sell out crowds and attracts top flight hockey recruits. University at Albany upgraded its men's and women's basketball program. University at Stony Brook is building up its men's lacrosse and basketball teams. I would argue that those three institutions better spent its money when using service marketing as the criteria.

How is UatB trying to improve its crowds for the 2004 season? How are these efforts different than 2003?

I think Buff would have been better off giving every incoming student $1000 just for enrolling. That would be a better use of the money that has been thrown down the hole known as Division I-A football.