And so it BEGINS!

[bob87]

I heartily applaud the Times Union and James Allen for increasing their attention to Section 2 football. It is something that I've complained about for many years. It does not come at UAlbany's expense.

 

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but I would estimate that roughly 15,000 - 20,000 attend high school football games in person each week for nine weeks, which is far greater than the combined attendance for college football within the same geographic area.

 

 

I don't follow high schools, whether we are talking about the one in Loudonville or any of the others, but there is no reason a local paper can't cover the local high schools as well as the local colleges.

[danefan]

Meanwhile the T-U is doing a SEVENTEEN-PART series of high school preseason.

 

I heartily applaud the Times Union and James Allen for increasing their attention to Section 2 football. It is something that I've complained about for many years. It does not come at UAlbany's expense.

 

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but I would estimate that roughly 15,000 - 20,000 attend high school football games in person each week for nine weeks, which is far greater than the combined attendance for college football within the same geographic area.

 

 

Agreed. I don't really have an issue with the high school coverage. In fact I wish James Allen would cover UAlbany. He wrote an article last year that was good.

 

What it does point out though is that football is a sport followed closely in the TU coverage area. The fact that attendance is in the 4,000 range for UA home games doesn't mean that only 4,000 people are interested in the program. The TU covers UA football like it believes that to be the case. Low attendance at UA games is due to one thing - the stadium. That's it. What is going to happen in 3 years when attendance averages 10,000? There is no indication that Singleas is going to write any additional or better articles.

 

My point is this - the TU does not provide the coverage of college football that this region deserves.

[danefan]

Coach Coughlins speaks to the team:

http://www.ualbanysports.com/ViewArticle.d...TCLID=204777829

[danefan]

Coach Coughlins speaks to the team:

http://www.ualbanysports.com/ViewArticle.d...TCLID=204777829

 

 

http://blog.timesunion.com/giants/coughlin...tball-team/215/

 

Iorizzo picked it up. We've now gotten more coverage from Iorizzo then we have from Singleas.

[danefan]

Papers often buy or republish articles from other sources. But the T-U hasn't even bothered to edit/reprint the UA press releases.

 

Viable audience? Isn't football attendance higher than it ever was for the Patroons?

 

 

Looks like they did republish the release.

 

See if you can find it:

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...category=SPORTS

[uofalbany]

Time for a 3 Peat ladies and gentlemen.

 

I love the motivation the program has this year to go undefeated the ENTIRE season.

That should turn alot of heads if that happens.

 

ONE game at a time though!

 

What else besides COACHING/PLAYERS, FACILITIES, and LOCAL SUPPORT makes a great football program.

 

We have the great coaching and the players get better and better each year.......

 

Ok, 1 out of 3 aint good.

 

I think the local region, alum, and students are all ready to pounce on the opportunity to support a FCS powerhouse.

 

I know they don't want to sit on rusty, field level bleachers. I think the reasoning behind the lack of ANYTHING in terms of improvements to our current field / stands, is to keep the dismal reality in eyes view, as leverage for something BIG. Is the strategy helping? Would there be anything else to do anyways?

 

One thing that can truly help the region's best chance of SERIOUS, BIG TIME football ( the UAlbany FCS Football program ) is local media support. If the local media was intelligent, they would give UA football the attention and pampering it deserves. With a legendary coach still at the helm......... As Fuccillo says, the UA football local fanbase COULD be HUUUGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

 

Most sports coverage period in this region is lackluster at best.

It's a shame that the local media wastes its time on what it does. Don't saturate your sports news highlights with D3 high school football, and only give a score on the UAlbany game. That's absurd.

 

I don't believe the Missoula, Montana and Newark, Delaware media outlets fail to do their part.

Why such a drab effort to riffle up support for UAlbany football, and other nationally competitive programs among the colleges in the area?

 

With quality energy and effort by our local media, UAlbany's FCS football program could gain a large local fanbase, which may voice more and more support for our stadium. Is the local media waiting for a stadium to built first? They could actually help the stadium cause, by voicing JUST HOW GOOD UAlbany Football really is....

 

Now how cool would it be for Albany, on any given Saturday in the Fall, to have 20k people roll into Albany to see Great Dane FCS football. How about if we had a FCS Championship banner flying over the UAlbany athletic complex.

 

The local media is foolish not to be doing more.

[UAalum72]

One thing that can truly help the region's best chance of SERIOUS, BIG TIME football ( the UAlbany FCS Football program ) is local media support. If the local media was intelligent, they would give UA football the attention and pampering it deserves. With a legendary coach still at the helm......... As Fuccillo says, the UA football local fanbase COULD be HUUUGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

 

Most sports coverage period in this region is lackluster at best.

It's a shame that the local media wastes its time on what it does. Don't saturate your sports news highlights with D3 high school football, and only give a score on the UAlbany game. That's absurd.

 

I don't believe the Missoula, Montana and Newark, Delaware media outlets fail to do their part.

Why such a drab effort to riffle up support for UAlbany football, and other nationally competitive programs among the colleges in the area?

Let's take a stab at that.

 

1) Albany is in easy driving range and media of pro teams in NYC, Boston, even Buffalo. So college sports will always be second fiddle.

 

2) Albany is much smaller than NYC and Boston, so we can't do anything on their level (the smallbany effect).

 

3) Therefore the media takes the small-town approach of covering high schools, so they can get as many local kids' names in the paper or on TV.

 

4) The idea that this is a "basketball town" because there's no interest in college football. (Of course, no one has ever TRIED to have a prominent football team, so how would anyone really know?)

 

BTW, Delaware gets newspaper coverage, but almost no TV because they're basically in the Philadelphia TV market.

[danefan]

One thing that can truly help the region's best chance of SERIOUS, BIG TIME football ( the UAlbany FCS Football program ) is local media support. If the local media was intelligent, they would give UA football the attention and pampering it deserves. With a legendary coach still at the helm......... As Fuccillo says, the UA football local fanbase COULD be HUUUGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

 

Most sports coverage period in this region is lackluster at best.

It's a shame that the local media wastes its time on what it does. Don't saturate your sports news highlights with D3 high school football, and only give a score on the UAlbany game. That's absurd.

 

I don't believe the Missoula, Montana and Newark, Delaware media outlets fail to do their part.

Why such a drab effort to riffle up support for UAlbany football, and other nationally competitive programs among the colleges in the area?

Let's take a stab at that.

 

1) Albany is in easy driving range and media of pro teams in NYC, Boston, even Buffalo. So college sports will always be second fiddle.

 

2) Albany is much smaller than NYC and Boston, so we can't do anything on their level (the smallbany effect).

 

3) Therefore the media takes the small-town approach of covering high schools, so they can get as many local kids' names in the paper or on TV.

 

4) The idea that this is a "basketball town" because there's no interest in college football. (Of course, no one has ever TRIED to have a prominent football team, so how would anyone really know?)

 

BTW, Delaware gets newspaper coverage, but almost no TV because they're basically in the Philadelphia TV market.

 

This is really an odd situation here. We have NYC and Boston relatively close in either direction, yet the Albany media market is one in and of itself. Sure they cover both areas to an extent, but for the most part, the TU and other local media have a pretty limited coverage area. Their papers may reach north a bit, but not necessarily too far South and/or East or West. The fact of the matter is, the local TV news programs do a pretty good job with coverage. The TU does not. They just about ignore an asset that could in fact increase their readership.

 

They seem to have the theory that they have a certain readership and they aren't worried about expanding. I think the exact opposite. If the TU got on board and helped UA promote the football program, I really believe the program would see an increase in attendance (especially when the facilities are upgraded) which in turn will lead to an incrase in readership, IMO. They obviously don't see it that way though.

 

This has happened with the Bergen Record here in NJ. A lot of people now buy the Bergen Record to read the preseason articles and coverage of Rutgers. The depth of coverage has increased tremendously since Greg Schiano arrived (even when they were losing 8 games a year with him).

[uofalbany]

I do agree they do a good job covering local high school sports, and it must be fun for the schools / kids to see their names or faces on tv or in the newspaper. I guess I'd much rather hear about these local stories than if the Sixers beat the Nuggets, or any other off the wall choice.

 

Ultimately, I'd like to see the Albany region adopt an identity for itself, and not borrow from large cities 200+ miles away, or be satisfied with local high school sports.

 

I'd like the region ( including all media outlets ) to think of itself as a powerhouse of college athletics. Lots of attention has begun to float around the lccc bb team, and people do seem to gravitate towards its success.

 

FCS Football is nothing to sneeze at, and people in this region have a great chance to become supporters of high quality football at the D1 level. This team is grabbing more and more success as we speak.

 

UAlbany FCS football can become national champions, even without local media support or a big fan base. Schollies and Division / full rides would absolulely get that championship, imo.

 

Then the football fans in this region will start coming out of the woodwork. No one can deny that this region is huge into football.

 

Throw in a new stadium for 20k (designed for expansion to 40k), and you'd have a packed stadium. I have no doubt in my mind, if people played their cards right, that's exactly what would happen.

 

The decision-makers involved in this situation need to have those goals in mind, and need to make the calls, in order for it to happen.

[haggyland]

Today is the first day that the schedule on the UAlbany site only shows OUR upcoming contests.

No more Giants.

The next year of UA intercollegiate athletics is only two days away.

Yoo-ha.

[UAalum72]

T-U did a story on Union College football media day today. I guess Albany should wait until the Giants leave before holding it.

[danefan]

Another story on a UA player written by someone other than the beat writer....and guess what - its a pretty darn good story too.

 

A second chance for final season

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=835471&category=SPORTS

[danefan]

Twitter Update:

 

http://twitter.com/UAlbanyFootball

 

Getting Ready For The Last Preseason Scrimmage Tomorrow NIght. University Field @ 6pm

[UAalum72]

Another story on a UA player written by someone other than the beat writer....and guess what - its a pretty darn good story too.

 

A second chance for final season

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=835471&category=SPORTS

Stories on players are fine, but I wish they'd do a couple on the TEAM as well. O- and D- units, OOC opponents, prospects, etc. Still nine days until the season starts.

[danefan]

CSN.com's Chuck Burton and his 27 Fearless Predictions for 2009

 

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/index.php/2009/08/27/the-csn-way-27-fearless-predictions?blog=5#more5474

 

12. Albany will qualify for an at-large playoff bid. The criteria for a NEC team to qualify automatically for an FCS playoff bid is pretty steep - beat two FCS teams from autobid conference, win the NEC and finish in the Top 16 - but if there is a team that can do it it’s the powerful Great Danes of Albany. Coach Bob Ford has running back David McCarty returning for his senior year - not to mention much of his powerful defense - and they will have enough to sweep the NEC and get those two precious out-of-conference wins to put them into the field.