Big Red Roundtable: The non-football edition

5 comments so far March 5, 2007 by Jason Siffring

In this edition of the Big Red Roundtable, we joined fellow Husker bloggers Corn Nation, Husker Mike and Double Extra Point and discussed the state of Husker athletics outside of football. (Yes, it was a short meeting.)

Did "Dollar Bill" Byrne focus on other sports to the detriment of the football program? Do the baseball, basketball and volleyball programs compliment or detract from Husker football? (OK, football did come up in the conversation.)

Read on for our opinion and leave your own thoughts in the comments.

What's your interest in the 'other' Nebraska sports those beyond Husker football?

Steve Hanway: I'm interested in that I'd like them to succeed, but I'm a much more casual fan of these other sports. If I lived in Lincoln, I might still go to baseball and basketball games, but other than checking the standings I don't stay on top of the other sports. That's also why I don't write about them because I just don't give them the thought that I'd need to.

Darren Carlson: My wife and I are huge volleyball fans. We have been for some time, but especially now that we have a daughter and women's athletics becomes a more likely part of our future. On a very practical level, the volleyball team is a model for excellence. They are superior student athletes, with huge success on and off of the court. The fan support in NE is unlike anything else going on in the country. Cook is an admirable leader. And, it is a very exciting and athletic sport to watch.

And, unlike many other volleyball programs in the country, ours does run in the black. Although, the Coliseum as a venue stunts that growth some. I'm not advocating getting rid of that venue. The sport could just generate a lot more cash if we had 2000 more full seats. Look for more Qwest Center Omaha showcase games, I think. I admire the way Pederson got "blood from a stone" in getting more revenue from volleyball by adding floor-level seats. They sold out in a day, and it showed creativity on his part.

In which sport besides football would you like Nebraska to succeed most and why?

Darren: Very easy answer - basketball, both men's and women's. After football, basketball is the biggest generator of both revenue and notoriety. And, while it lack's football's ability to generate huge amounts of revenue, it does have a MUCH better profit margin. Basketball has many more games, lots of seats and products to sell, but much fewer costs than football. Less players, less equipment, lower travel costs, lower liability costs. Basketball should be a *profit center* that makes other sports possible, and increases your school's name recognition on ESPN Big Monday. Collier's firing/leaving had less to do with wins and losses and more to do with basketball running in the red. I think Doc and Connie can win very well at NU, and put butts in the seats.

Steve: Definitely hoops. March Madness is so great, it would be awesome to see Nebraska become part of that tournament again (and actually win a game or two).

Some Husker fans have the attitude that former athletic director Bill Byrne focused too much on 'other' sports which hurt the success of the football team. Do you agree with that statement?

Steve: I don't fault Byrne for anything he tried to do for other sports. I absolutely love the new baseball park and think it really improves the quality of life for Lincolnites. For a state that hosts the College World Series, it feels right for Nebraska to have a credible baseball team. Byrne had a tough dirty job of cleaning up the fiscal mess he inherited. After so much painful budgeting (Man, did he ever catch heck for asking something closer to market value for football tickets) you might understand him being a bit gun-shy about making ambitious investments. But Byrne was the guy that added a $1 million bonus to Tom Osborne's contracts for winning national titles and lo and behold those titles followed soon afterward. I am a Steve Pederson fan, but also think Byrne deserved a lot more credit than he got. In both cases, I feel like Nebraska got the right guy at the right time.

Darren: Some of this has to do with Title 9, and equal opportunities for women. So, for the most part, people can just stuff it. I have a little girl, after all. Some of this had to do with Byrnes' pride and trying to win the directors cup for success all sports. At least that is the speculation. If that is the case, such a thing is just not possible in NE. We lack big-time money and weather that come with being located in TX and CA. And, even if it were possible, those other sports must be funded by the big dog - football, and to a degree, basketball. Even volleyball and baseball are not big revenue creators. I doubt that notion escaped Byrnes' head. If Dollar Bill neglected the big dog, I think it was more interpersonal between he and Frank and more institutional (Title 9), than out of hubris in chasing the cup. And...hey, if he does want to chase that cup, he's in better position to do so at A&M then he ever will be at NU. That's about money more than anything.

And as a follow up to the previous question, do you think that the 'other sports' detract from or compliment Husker football?

Darren: Compliment. The sports at NU should not be viewed in competition with one another. To do so undermines them all, including football. I do think Pederson understands football's place in his financial statements and the hearts of NU fans, and will always place it first. Student athletes deserve the same amount of opportunity, the fact that football helps fund track or soccer or whatever does not "detract" from football. If anything, it drives home its importance. And, championships beget championships, in my opinion. The success in volleyball ,or bowling, or gymnastics creates a culture of winning.

Steve: At the current level they don't detract and truthfully football is so central to the identity of Husker athletics (if not the whole state of Nebraska) that I can't ever see these other sports putting a dent in the interest or support that Husker football receives. The closest we've seen might have been 1990-1991. Nebraska came off what most consider its worst football season under Osborne and then had its best basketball season ever. I remember really getting sucked into hoops. Even then, hoops is a conditional love for most Nebraskans. If it's good, we're there but otherwise we're not. When the football team goes 5-6, the sellouts continue.

Related: Read Corn Nation, Husker Mike, Double Extra Point and AJ "The Husker H8ter" for their take on these questions.

You don't have to be invited to participate in the Big Red Roundtable. Join the conversation on your blog and send us a link or leave a comment below.

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