Pollard on Cyclone Club Level Changes

[Primetime26]

Sure, it is about marketing and exposure, but some sports like wrestling that is going to be very limited. Wrestling is a big deal in the upper Midwest and the NE states, but the rest of the country could not care less.
WBB is at least being played by almost every university in the country, the same cannot be said about wrestling.

Where is ISU located? You don't think that has a reaching effect on students, parents, and fans that trickles into other sports?

I am not even trying to compare wrestling an WBB. I am saying if you're winning, they both have positive effects on the AD even if their individual budgets don't say that.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Where is ISU located? You don't think that has a reaching effect on students, parents, and fans that trickles into other sports?

I am not even trying to compare wrestling an WBB. I am saying if you're winning, they both have positive effects on the AD even if their individual budgets don't say that.

No, I do not think students are coming to ISU because of our wrestling program. Alabama football ya, Duke BB ya, ISU wrestling or WBB program, unless you are an athlete in those sports then no.

 

[Die4Cy]

It's expensive to operate an athletic department and improve competitiveness over time within budget constraints. It makes you wonder how Texas can be as bad as they are across sports even with unlimited funding. But ISU is pretty well managed financially.

 

[Primetime26]

No, I do not think students are coming to ISU because of our wrestling program. Alabama football ya, Duke BB ya, ISU wrestling or WBB program, unless you are an athlete in those sports then no.

That's not what I said.

Why aren't all ADs just investing bare minimum in all non-football sports?

 

[Die4Cy]

That's not what I said.

Why aren't all ADs just investing bare minimum in all non-football sports?

Because they want to win.

The AD's are almost entirely judged by the amount of winning they do. Bad football will get them fired, but in their field they are looked at by how much they win across the board.

 

[Primetime26]

Because they want to win.

The AD's are almost entirely judged by the amount of winning they do. Bad football will get them fired, but in their field they are looked at by how much they win across the board.

Agreed. I'm saying winning in the tier 2 sports compliments the AD as a whole (football)

Good football and bad everything else keeps a job. But good football and good tier 2 will expedite success

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

That's not what I said.

Why aren't all ADs just investing bare minimum in all non-football sports?

Other conferences have more money to invest in them, ISU just does not. For every dollar that we push into the nonrevenue sports is a dollar that we take away from football and men's basketball.

Wrestling does not make money, if we had unlimited resources then our former coach would be here and not at Penn. State.
The whole goal of the athletic department should be to put on a completive team in the nonrevenue sports, but spend every dollar they can afford on football where they make the money and men's basketball where we can make a deep run.

 

[Primetime26]

Other conferences have more money to invest in them, ISU just does not. For every dollar that we push into the nonrevenue sports is a dollar that we take away from football and men's basketball.

Wrestling does not make money, if we had unlimited resources then our former coach would be here and not at Penn. State.
The whole goal of the athletic department should be to put on a completive team in the nonrevenue sports, but spend every dollar they can afford on football where they make the money and men's basketball where we can make a deep run.

Again, not what I said. You are really good at going out of your way to try to slam wrestling, which I don't get but whatever. Because if you think Iowa's wrestling program isn't a big factor in the in-state perspective over the years for the casual fans, I can't help ya.

But by saying Fennelly SHOULD be donating are you suggesting JP is sticking too much into WBB?

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Again, not what I said. You are really good at going out of your way to try to slam wrestling, which I don't get but whatever. Because if you think Iowa's wrestling program isn't a big factor in the in-state perspective over the years for the casual fans, I can't help ya.

But by saying Fennelly SHOULD be donating are you suggesting JP is sticking too much into WBB?

Not ripping on wrestling at all, but it's a minor sport, ISU has a proud history in the sport, but I also realize that we do not have the resources to pump the money into the sport like EIU, or Oklahoma can.
I am saying that Fennelly has had a salary at a million a year for quite a while, at the range, he can afford to give the university 25K a year. But it's his money, he can do what he wants with it, but he also has to remember by not doing so, allows the fanbase to be critical of him.

 

[BCClone]

Again, not what I said. You are really good at going out of your way to try to slam wrestling, which I don't get but whatever. Because if you think Iowa's wrestling program isn't a big factor in the in-state perspective over the years for the casual fans, I can't help ya.

But by saying Fennelly SHOULD be donating are you suggesting JP is sticking too much into WBB?

I’m a wrestling fan. My family is not. My tavern hawks in-laws are not wrestling fans. I’m the only one that even pays attention to wrestling. In-laws brag about the national championship but outside of Spencer Lee, would not be able to name another wrestler on the team.

I will admit that wrestling moves the needle as much as volleyball, even in the state of iowa.

 

[CascadeClone]

For me, it is more about media. Offer a premium subscription to all ISU sports content on Cyclones.com. Cyclones.tv is a good start - I bought a subscription just to watch the 1992 ISU v. osu basketball game when we beat okie st by 1 in OT (first game I attended as a kid).

Agree a really strong push on cyclones.tv is a great idea. At 6.99 a month, its same or cheaper than most of your netflix, hulu, etc. I used to have it, and didn't even realize it was available for that price now. I can't recall the last time I got an email or saw an advertisement for it - and I am literally on their former customer list.

Give away a couple months free if people sign up - and do that EVERYTIME the iron is hot (e.g. is the team makes any NCAA noise, or they get off to a good FB season start, anything). If you could get 50k more nationwide subscribers, that's $4M a year. And that subscription revenue is both very sticky, and essentially 100% gross margin.

You could also offer it as a benefit as part of your States level or above package I suppose. But maybe do that in a couple years after you have got your extra 50,000 subscribers nationwide.

 

[Gunnerclone]

We’re over here talking about how to get people to donate more when people can’t even afford gold shirts from what I’m seeing on tv.

That’s not true. People wanted to buy them but they are all sitting on a container ship off the coast of Houston! Empty shelves everywhere! I can’t even find an Oculus elite headset with built in battery! FML!

 

[Cycsk]

On the Williams & Blum podcast, Chris brought up the idea of referral benefits for generating new lower level donors (in order to get a huge influx of donors and in the door of the Cyclone Club). Sounds like a good idea to me.

How many of you think you could convince someone to become a $500 or under donor?

What sort of benefits would help motivate you?

• Access to a practice/scrimmage?
• Autographs from coaches/players?
• Invitation to a special event with coaches/players?
• Free tickets to C.Y. Stephens events (now that the Athletic Department oversees the entire Iowa State Center)?
• Free dinner at Scheman before a MBB game?

 

[Gunnerclone]

On the Williams & Blum podcast, Chris brought up the idea of referral benefits for generating new lower level donors (in order to get a huge influx of donors and in the door of the Cyclone Club). Sounds like a good idea to me.

How many of you think you could convince someone to become a $500 or under donor?

What sort of benefits would help motivate you?

• Access to a practice/scrimmage?
• Autographs from coaches/players?
• Invitation to a special event with coaches/players?
• Free tickets to C.Y. Stephens events (now that the Athletic Department oversees the entire Iowa State Center)?
• Free dinner at Scheman before a MBB game?

Gear. Specifically a Nike piece that no one else can get. Even better if it’s throwback or footwear.

 

[cytor]

I read on another thread about Matt Campbell black gameday hat with the Jack Trice logo on the side. Perhaps that could be a nice benefit. You can find the hat in stores sometimes.. but without the Jack Trice logo. I heard Matt had the hat made for him.

 

[CascadeClone]

Gear. Specifically a Nike piece that no one else can get. Even better if it’s throwback or footwear.

Hell, a lottery of the stuff from the rummage sale maybe.

Directors get an old helmet.
Cardinals and Gold get an old FB or BB jersey.
Century gets old jockstraps.

 

[tim_redd]

On the Williams & Blum podcast, Chris brought up the idea of referral benefits for generating new lower level donors (in order to get a huge influx of donors and in the door of the Cyclone Club). Sounds like a good idea to me.

How many of you think you could convince someone to become a $500 or under donor?

What sort of benefits would help motivate you?

• Access to a practice/scrimmage?
• Autographs from coaches/players?
• Invitation to a special event with coaches/players?
• Free tickets to C.Y. Stephens events (now that the Athletic Department oversees the entire Iowa State Center)?
• Free dinner at Scheman before a MBB game?

During the McDud era they had a few road game watches for donors at Johnnies in Hilton after it was built. I thought that was neat and surprised it didn't catch on.

 

[cytor]

If ISU really wants to cash in on donors, they need to set up a booth outside the Sprint Center in KC in March.

 

[isufanz1]

This will be an unpopular stance, but if Pollard and ISU want more money then simply put we need to win more; this is how you get the casual fan/sideline fan to donate (their logic will be win first, then donate not donate first then hope for wins). This past football season cost us serious money in my opinion - imagine the momentum and dollars had the football team executed on pre-season expectations (beat Iowa with GameDay present, Conf Title Game, NY6 bowl). And while basketball has had some nice improvement, Prohm did real damage to that program with the poor results and home losses. It will take awhile to get BB back to real magic happening regularly.

 

[SayMyName]

This will be an unpopular stance, but if Pollard and ISU want more money then simply put we need to win more; this is how you get the casual fan/sideline fan to donate (their logic will be win first, then donate not donate first then hope for wins). This past football season cost us serious money in my opinion - imagine the momentum and dollars had the football team executed on pre-season expectations (beat Iowa with GameDay present, Conf Title Game, NY6 bowl). And while basketball has had some nice improvement, Prohm did real damage to that program with the poor results and home losses. It will take awhile to get BB back to real magic happening regularly.