Im sitting here thinking

Yea Im not sure about this one

We are brothers, my man.        

The sad thing is, more and more fans are feeling like, what's the point?  Why keep going? Why keep buying tickets or donating?   If the University isn't 'really' going to make positive changes and make a real committment to athletics, then why should the fans? 

No its not just me/us. I sit around cvc members and lifers who have had tickets for years. All the conversations are the same people who feel differently are the minority

Thats cool and I respect you for that

I agree with thekid. I love Ball State. I marvel every time I think of how far the school has come since I started in 1971. I just wish the athletic teams and athletic department had followed in the same footsteps.

Some may disagree, but athletic exposure is 95% of a university’s identity outside of the geographic area in which it is located. There are general exceptions for academic notoriety like Harvard, Yale, MIT....News exposure, i.e Va Tech, Kent State, Penn State....and even quirkey exposure like being mentioned on late night talk shows.

Most people are familiar with the Gonzagas, Butlers, Boise States, Marquette’s, Georgetowns, Appalachian States, Texas Techs, Louisvilles, Indiana States, Valparaisos, George Masons....through athletic coverage from successful participation in national-level tournaments. We were in that boat a couple of times ourselves (NCAA, Maui, and the magical Hoke extravaganza) and it was a smooth and happy ride.

When people see or ask where I went to school, they mostly mention Letterman or the “sport successes” that they vaguely remember. Not once have they insinuated that our beloved university has a memorable teaching school or business program or architectural education success. Heck, most of them actually ask where it is located. I’m sure most of your acquaintances are much more sophisticated than the folks I come into contact with, but it’s a big fat ZERO for recognition due to our academic notoriety.

So, those little dabs of charitable giving to the athletic department seems like chunking money in a black whole when I look at the accomplishments that our teams have on a national level.....but it only takes a “once in a great while” occurrence to leave a memorable impression on a lot people’s minds. I know how hard it was for a NC student to get into App State the year after they beat Michigan in football and I’ll bet Butler’s general student applications increased significantly after that two-year NCAA-run.

Didn’t someone say one time that “football was the front porch of the university?” No? Well, probably not to the locals who are most likely to apply for an education but I’d venture to say that athletics is the recognition factor for the majority of the general population.

I honestly can’t comprehend why some people give large amounts of money to Ball State athletics. I’m glad they do I’m certain they aren’t trying to make a case that they receive a positive return on their investment. It has to be something else. Maybe it’s a love for the school, maybe it’s a desire to be close to the teams/coaches or maybe they have some influential say in what goes on behind the curtain.....I don’t know. Just maybe they are as frustrated as the everyone else and are smart enough to know that “no matter how hard you spin the wheel, this ship just ain’t turning”.