Valley Emergency Meeting in STL

[houstonbrave]

Yes I agree we just need to focus on getting better. We have been part of the problem since 2011-not part of the solution. I also don't see better conference options and we simply are not attractive to anyone else at this point. The rest of our sports programs are not world beaters either( soccer has been good but even that is going through a rough patch)..sad but true

[Vent]

I did not realize Drake, Loyola and UNI don't play baseball. Also there are six affiliate members: Central Arkansas - men's soccer, Dallas Baptist - baseball, Arkansas Little Rock - women's soccer, Maryland Baltimore County - men's tennis, SIU-E - men's soccer, Stony Brook - men's tennis.

[it's boogie time]

Yes I agree we just need to focus on getting better. We have been part of the problem since 2011-not part of the solution.

I think you are off by a decade. The last time Bradley finished in the top three was 2001. It's not one coach or administrator, it's a culture that the current group is trying to change.

With the two best recent programs out of the Valley, now is the time to make a move up the standings. The bar has been lowered. Two losses just came off the schedule.

[tornado]

when the admin backed our coach and allowed him to recruit his own players and have his own coaches..
we put together a string of solid 20-win seasons and post-season appearances..
99% of Bradley fans wouldn't mind returning to those days..

but then began the meddling and the arrogant interference by the higher-ups, and we all know what happened then...

Coach Les is not to blame and the proof is that the first 8 or 9 candidates they brought and offered up to $700,000/yr to - turned down Joanne cold and knew it would be a career-killer to work with her pulling all the strings - and indeed it has danged near killed Geno's career.

[Chico]

I think you are off by a decade. The last time Bradley finished in the top three was 2001. It's not one coach or administrator, it's a culture that the current group is trying to change.

With the two best recent programs out of the Valley, now is the time to make a move up the standings. The bar has been lowered. Two losses just came off the schedule.

Bradley might not have been in the top 3, but we were always near the top in attendance and had decent teams and tougher schedules.

[tornado]

Could this be even more sign of a crumbling MVC
Drake & ISU Tennis are leaving the Valley and moving "up" to the Summit League

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20170411/illinois-state-drake-mens-tennis-teams-switching-to-summit-league?rssfeed=true&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

[wizard1]

Valley Emergency Meeting....

Clearly, the Valley is coming unglued thanks to terrible leadership and an inability to do anything positive to strengthen its programs. Bradley had better start moving ASAP to align somewhere else.
Wizard

[Vent]

Could this be even more sign of a crumbling MVC
Drake & ISU Tennis are leaving the Valley and moving "up" to the Summit League
http://www.pjstar.com/sports/2017041..._medium=social

The Valley has for the most part been a basketball and baseball league. There was a time however, that football was also a significant sport. In fact football is what caused Bradley and Drake to drop out of the league for a couple years. That was in protest to the cheap shot Oklahoma A&M (now State), put on Drake running back Johnny Bright. They broke his jaw because he was black.

There was a time when almost all of the teams were required to play the same major sports. Then the leadership of the Valley developed a weak spine and exempted some teams from some sports. This lead to schools leaving the conference to join leagues that had the same sports and to strengthen their programs. This ultimately lead to where we are now. We are essentially a "potpourri " league. Some schools play baseball some don't. Some play football some don't. Some play soccer instead of football and some don't. The schools that play football play in two different leagues (MVFC & Pioneer). Some schools have track and field. Some schools have track but no field and only participate in long distance events in track. Then there are members in the conference that only play in one sport.

It is no wonder the league is on shaky ground, and flagship basketball programs are bolting. Folks, this no longer the league it was. But is that surprising? Bradley and Drake are the only original members from the NCAA era. We've been left behind by Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, St. Louis, North Texas State, New Mexico State, Tulsa, West Texas State, Creighton and Wichita. While new leagues start up and existing leagues expand we are losing teams and search for somebody to join us. It all falls back to a lack of leadership and innovation. You can live off your past for so long.

[Chico]

Just wondering, how successful have all the teams that you listed as leaving the MVC been in their new envirement?

[Vent]

Clearly, the Valley is coming unglued thanks to terrible leadership and an inability to do anything positive to strengthen its programs. Bradley had better start moving ASAP to align somewhere else.
Wizard

I would agree but at the present time there are no better options. We dont play football, our men's basketball, even though it's on the way up, has been below .500 in a pretty weak conference for quite a while. Our baseball program has had one good year in the last several and most of our women's sports are a train wreck. We haven't had consistently good women's softball since the 1980's when Clint Wilson was the coach. I don't remember us ever being consistently good in women's basketball or volleyball either. This is what happens when you hang your hat on one sport.

[Vent]

Just wondering, how successful have all the teams that you listed as leaving the MVC been in their new envirement?

I guess it depends upon how you, I and the schools define success. Based on the fact none of them have sought readmission back into the Valley, they don't regret their move. I'm sure the league would take just about any of them back. With the exception of Creighton and Wichita, none of the administrators, coaches or athletes have any recollection of their Valley days. In fact few of their fans probably do.

[pfcmsh]

I guess it depends upon how you, I and the schools define success. Based on the fact none of them have sought readmission back into the Valley, they don't regret their move. I'm sure the league would take just about any of them back. With the exception of Creighton and Wichita, none of the administrators, coaches or athletes have any recollection of their Valley days. In fact few of their fans probably do.

I dont pay attention to records of the teams that have left. When I think of the teams that have left like Louisvile, Cincinnatti, Memphis, Creighton, Wichita State, I would say that they have been successful at higher levels than the Valley level of today. If the Valley had not fallen so far under the direction of Mr Elgin, perhaps Creighton and Wichita State would have stayed. I think his continuation in his position has to be looked at very closely. He is not doing a good job. Period. We need a new commisioner.

[PurpleAceFan]

Could this be even more sign of a crumbling MVC
Drake & ISU Tennis are leaving the Valley and moving "up" to the Summit League
http://www.pjstar.com/sports/2017041..._medium=social

More like signs of crumbling athletic budgets at some schools. With two schools discontinuing men's tennis and WSU leaving, happy that Drake and ISU were able to so quickly find a new home.

[Art Haines is God]

I dont pay attention to records of the teams that have left. When I think of the teams that have left like Louisvile, Cincinnatti, Memphis, Creighton, Wichita State, I would say that they have been successful at higher levels than the Valley level of today. If the Valley had not fallen so far under the direction of Mr Elgin, perhaps Creighton and Wichita State would have stayed. I think his continuation in his position has to be looked at very closely. He is not doing a good job. Period. We need a new commisioner.

I don't know what you expect of Elgin.

He has gotten us a better TV deal. We have deals with ESPN (not just ESPN 3). We are the only Mid Major league with a deal with ESPN. We also have two smaller TV deals with Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and our Championship game is nationally televised on one of the original 3 Networks.

He was able to get State Farm to sponsor the men's tournament again. That is a huge corporate partner. He also has secured a deal with Casey's for additional sponsorship another huge deal.

There are three reasons the Valley is where it is today.

1. Creighton got too good of a deal to not go. Creighton weighed its options heavily, and really was torn about leaving the Valley, but the Big East is a great conference.

2. Bradley, MoState, and SIU - Have not lived up to past performances. Bad decisions and bad decisions and even more bad decisions turned these three good programs into programs in a perpetual rebuilding cycle. There is no reason that one of those three programs couldn't challenge WSU year in and year out.

3. The Koch Brothers - The Valley was not built to have one of the 10 highest paid coaches in their league. It was a square peg in a round hole, just didn't fit the model. There was nothing that anyone could do, the Shockers who historically were a Valley team became something more. For reference, Marshall will be the highest paid coach in the AAC when they move up.

This isn't Elgin's fault.

[tornado]

hey - I really can't dispute the job Elgin is doing, but are you sure of this?

--He has gotten us a better TV deal.

--We are the only Mid Major league with a deal with ESPN

-We also have two smaller TV deals with Fox Sports, CBS Sports.......

lots of Bradley and MVC fans are unhappy with the ESPN and ESPN3 coverage and would love to go back to the local coverage

seems I have read of other leagues with ESPN deals- even the lower Big West (Jim Les' league) has an ESPN deal

http://www.bigwest.org/assets/sports/mbball/9.10.15%20ESPN%20Release.pdf

The Horizon League says they've had a deal with ESPN since 1988

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-espn-announce-2013-14-mens-basketball-tv-schedule

They also have other deals

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-announces-television-partnership-with-american-sports-network

The MAC Conference has a deal with ESPN that lasts 13 years and covers football as well as basketball

http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mac-gets-new-13-year-television-deal/

They also have deals with CBS and other major networks

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2015/06/mac_adds_cbs_sports_net_to_its.html