SWAC office to stay in Birmingham..........


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Jaguar94

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From the News Star


SWAC snubs Shreveport, to stay in Birmingham
By Joel Anderson
Louisiana Gannett News

The Southwestern Athletic Conference decided this morning to keep its headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., instead of moving to Shreveport.
Shreveport was one of three cities hoping to lure the SWAC away from Birmingham. The others were Houston and Jackson, Miss., each cities with schools in the SWAC.

But in a vote by the conference?s council of school presidents this morning, Birmingham emerged as a narrow winner over Shreveport.

?It was close,? said Duer Sharp, associate commissioner of the SWAC. ?But I think our deal (with Birmingham) will be an enhancement of what we already have.?

Also, Sharp said the league decided not to move its outdoor track and field championships to Shreveport this year. The track meet, which is set for April 19-22, will instead be held in Troy, Ala.

The SWAC is a 10-school athletic league of historically black colleges and universities that stretches from Prairie View A&M just outside of Houston to Alabama State in Montgomery, Ala. Grambling State has been a member since 1959.

The contract had been contingent on improvements to Lee Hedges Stadium, where Caddo middle and high school football, soccer and track teams compete.

?I don?t think the facility was going to be ready in time for this year, so we had postpone it,? Sharp said.

Sharp said the meet still might come to Shreveport in 2008 and 2009, as originally planned.

Birmingham has been home to the SWAC since 2000, when the league moved out of its offices in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans after 16 years there.
 
Damn......Shreveport won't get the SWAC

BUT.....to hell with that....the basketball tournament is what I want to head this way

can we find out how the presidents voted? I would love to see how the interim guys voted

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After a series of meetings and discussions, the Southwestern Athletic Conference will continue to house its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. In a vote taken among the Conference?s Council of Presidents & Chancellors, the SWAC will continue to operate out of Birmingham ? the location of the conference office since 2000.

?We have enjoyed the relationship built between ourselves and the city of Birmingham,? said SWAC Commissioner Robert C. Vowels. ?We look forward to continuing our partnership with the city and our commitment to the region and our schools.?

?We are delighted the SWAC Council of Presidents has decided to keep the SWAC headquarters in the City of Birmingham,? said Birmingham mayor Bernard Kincaid. ?We look forward to building on this partnership, and strengthening Birmingham?s growing pre-eminence as a destination for major college football events.?

Among the topics of discussion between the Council of Presidents & Chancellors came several initiatives for the future of the conference. One of the major points of focus will be the branding and image of the conference football and basketball championships. Another point of emphasis was the continued branding of the entire conference and its 18 intercollegiate sports.

?One of the major areas that (the Conference Office) has continued to work on is our presence not only in the city of Birmingham, but across the state, region and the country,? said Vowels. ?Along with the current operational staff at the Conference Office, our goal will continue to be to heighten the awareness of the Conference and its members as well as to promote the Southwestern Athletic Conference, its ten member institutions, and its more than 3,000 student athletes.?
 



?It?s no slight to Jackson, but the counsel felt that having events in Jackson State?s back yard would be an unfair advantage,? Sharp said. ?Plus, we?re very familiar with Birmingham and comfortable with the way things are going here.?

The SWAC offices have been in Birmingham since 2000.

Jackson city spokeswoman Carolyn Redd headed the city?s push for hosting the SWAC. The proposal included office space at Union Station, use of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium for the SWAC football championship and more than $400,000 of yearly funding.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/SPORTS/70328036
 
they have to vote on the hoops tournament site next year soon......wonder will they get a sweet deal on a site that's not in B-Ham now since they aren't moving now...

I have no reason to go to B-Ham only for 2 to 3 times a year....but what alot of people don't realize is when you have meetings in B-Ham those travel costs for a 1-day affair eat alot of small budgets up.
 
AW HELL NAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW:uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi:

DAYUM U DUER SHARP!!!!!!!

DAYUM U ROBERT "LOOSE" VOWELS!!!!!!!!


This SUCKS!!!!!!!!!

I hope to GOD that PV and some other school way out da dayum way make it to da scg one year so these idiots can see.

BandFan, This is a SAD DAY IN THE SWAC !!!!!!

****STC FLIES SWAC FLAG AT HALF MASS****:smug: :smug: :smug:
 
If the swac headquarters in located in your state, can you please have an attendance of more than 40K at the football games if you represent the eastern division of the swac. Quit depending on two schools for attendance with the event being held in your back yard. Birmingham:no:
 
ROYAL BLUE said:
?It?s no slight to Jackson, but the counsel felt that having events in Jackson State?s back yard would be an unfair advantage,? Sharp said. ?Plus, we?re very familiar with Birmingham and comfortable with the way things are going here.?

The SWAC offices have been in Birmingham since 2000.

Jackson city spokeswoman Carolyn Redd headed the city?s push for hosting the SWAC. The proposal included office space at Union Station, use of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium for the SWAC football championship and more than $400,000 of yearly funding.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/SPORTS/70328036
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That was part of the their bid for the upcoming contract period. Birmingham CURRENTLY provides at least $300,000 per year. You will find that for the UPCOMING contract period, the bid submitted by Birmingham will be in line with the $400,000 that was REQUIRED due to the RFP (Request For Proposals) - in addition to other concessions and amenities, the bid submitted by the City of Birmingham was a difficult bid to defeat by the other cities....the fact that Shreveport has not met the requirements for hosting this year's Outdoor Track and Field Champs also did not bold well whatsoever - although their bid was competitive - all of the bids were very very competitive and would have provided a great home for the HQ. But the support of the City of Bham Govt and other partners helped push the bid over the top.

In terms of the SCG, I still surmise that this game is a 25k-32k average attendance draw at best. Factoring in the Holiday Season and the probable cold weather in mid December - except for die hards and true supporters of the participating universities - thinking this game is going to pull in over 35k on a yearly basis is not logical thinking.
 



DAHILL said:
you aint even old enough to drive.... What was the attendence last time it was held in Baton Rouge or was you still riding around on a big wheel?
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You worry about the wrong thing homie. Why are you so worried about Jag-BR so much?
 
Jaguar94 said:
From the News Star


SWAC snubs Shreveport, to stay in Birmingham
By Joel Anderson
Louisiana Gannett News

The Southwestern Athletic Conference decided this morning to keep its headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., instead of moving to Shreveport.
Shreveport was one of three cities hoping to lure the SWAC away from Birmingham. The others were Houston and Jackson, Miss., each cities with schools in the SWAC.

But in a vote by the conference?s council of school presidents this morning, Birmingham emerged as a narrow winner over Shreveport.

?It was close,? said Duer Sharp, associate commissioner of the SWAC. ?But I think our deal (with Birmingham) will be an enhancement of what we already have.?

Also, Sharp said the league decided not to move its outdoor track and field championships to Shreveport this year. The track meet, which is set for April 19-22, will instead be held in Troy, Ala.

The SWAC is a 10-school athletic league of historically black colleges and universities that stretches from Prairie View A&M just outside of Houston to Alabama State in Montgomery, Ala. Grambling State has been a member since 1959.

The contract had been contingent on improvements to Lee Hedges Stadium, where Caddo middle and high school football, soccer and track teams compete.

?I don?t think the facility was going to be ready in time for this year, so we had postpone it,? Sharp said.

Sharp said the meet still might come to Shreveport in 2008 and 2009, as originally planned.

Birmingham has been home to the SWAC since 2000, when the league moved out of its offices in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans after 16 years

there.
Click to expand...

The SWAC made a wrong move and need to get out of Alabama by next year. If you take a vote on the net nobody wants the SWAC office in Birmingham anyway. The city sucks and everything about the SWAC sucks in the state of Alabama.
 
DAHILL said:
explain please?
Click to expand...

You can't keep ninjas from breakign into da MAGIC city classic but the SCG comes around and nobody shows.

LOCALS just say fugg it.

An alabama team has been playin in th escg for a long time since JSU went in the inaugural scg. They still bring no fans and they live by the stadium.

THIS IS WHY THE SWAC sucks!!!!

I know those Winsuit AARP folks don't like long trips but Dayum, Y'all can gamble in shreveport and even in vicksburg if da scg moved to Jackson.

HOW DA HELL da SWAC city furthest from all the DAYUM SCHOOLS keeps the scg and Basketball championship??

I know.

Ninjas LIke FREE SHAT!!!!!

Robert Vowels must lookin at an almost EMPTY scg every year. When an Alabama school makes it EVERY YEAR!!!!:emlaugh: :emlaugh: :emlaugh:

BIRMINGHAM SUCKS!!!!!!11:saw: :saw: :saw: :saw:

God forbid PV or TSU ever make it to da SCG or bsketball championships cause it's over!!

NEWSLFASH: IT HAS ALREADY FAILED AND BEEN FAILING EVER SINCE DA BAMAS can't even get their own fans and locals out of the house to support da event!!!!!!

DA SWAC OFFICE STINKS !!!!!
 
Once again the Council of Presidents shows why they should be rendered obsolete. When everyone but you can see that a change could improve what we have, we still settle for what we know. Not willing to take chance, but we wonder why we don't improve.

This isn't anything against B-Ham, but why would you continue to alienate over half of the conference's fan base and not throw them a bone?
 
STC_60 said:
You can't keep ninjas from breakign into da MAGIC city classic but the SCG comes around and nobody shows.

LOCALS just say fugg it.

An alabama team has been playin in th escg for a long time since JSU went in the inaugural scg. They still bring no fans and they live by the stadium.

THIS IS WHY THE SWAC sucks!!!!

I know those Winsuit AARP folks don't like long trips but Dayum, Y'all can gamble in shreveport and even in vicksburg if da scg moved to Jackson.

HOW DA HELL da SWAC city furthest from all the DAYUM SCHOOLS keeps the scg and Basketball championship??

I know.

Ninjas LIke FREE SHAT!!!!!

Robert Vowels must lookin at an almost EMPTY scg every year. When an Alabama school makes it EVERY YEAR!!!!:emlaugh: :emlaugh: :emlaugh:

BIRMINGHAM SUCKS!!!!!!11:saw: :saw: :saw: :saw:

God forbid PV or TSU ever make it to da SCG or bsketball championships cause it's over!!

NEWSLFASH: IT HAS ALREADY FAILED AND BEEN FAILING EVER SINCE DA BAMAS can't even get their own fans and locals out of the house to support da event!!!!!!

DA SWAC OFFICE STINKS !!!!!
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have you thought MAYBE.. just MAYBE.. .YOUR school was the one who wasnt bringing any fans? Out of all the SWAC Championship games... GSU brings the LEAST amount of people..... How many folks were at the game in Shreveport last time AAMU and GSU played there?
 
SU Jag 79 said:
This isn't anything against B-Ham, but why would you continue to alienate over half of the conference's fan base and not throw them a bone?
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COSIGN!!!!!!!!

What about a central location for all championships so all SWAC schools can have a chance to go to the championships without having to get on a plane.

Shreveport and Jackson was central for all schools and even pull in other swac schools who's team may not be in the championship game.
 
SU Jag 79 said:
This isn't anything against B-Ham, but why would you continue to alienate over half of the conference's fan base and not throw them a bone?
Click to expand...

How is alienating? Im sure very soon we will know the dates of the basketball tournament and the SWAC Championship game... you will have PLENTY of time to make plans for it....the same way you make plans for the Bayou Classic... problem is YOU aint going if your team aint playing.... whos fault is that? Get your reservation , plane ticket as soon as the dates are released or shut the hell up complaining.
 
DAHILL said:
How is alienating? Im sure very soon we will know the dates of the basketball tournament and the SWAC Championship game... you will have PLENTY of time to make plans for it....the same way you make plans for the Bayou Classic... problem is YOU aint going if your team aint playing.... whos fault is that? Get your reservation , plane ticket as soon as the dates are released or shut the hell up complaining.
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No, my problem is that you can say that above because you have NEVER had to make that eight hour trip that I have THREE times. You, more than likely, went a max of two hours if you are in Alabama, and had a choice of going back home with ease.

I would really love to hear you retort if this game had been in Houston for the past seven years and of course, you're gonna say you would go.

BUT, you can't deny that the major fanbases of the SWAC are closer to the center. Last time I checked, if you want people to recognize something you are doing, you show them and most people TAKE their "show" to the people. THE SWAC has not learned that with it's biggest showcase.

And comparing the Bayou Classic, in my family for ALL 28 years of my life, to a fledgling Championship game is the dumbest thing I have heard on this page.
C'mon man, I'm TWO hours away from the Dome and it's always at the same time of year.

But, if you want to go there, why is there always 70,000 plus at the MCC, but two months later, y'all can't make it back to BHam?
 
I don't know why so many people are upset the office is staying in Birmingham? The only thing that does matter is the people making the decisions at the SWAC office. Who is a 100 percent sure if the SWAC office moved somewhere else that the same problems with attendance still not exist. Jackson State and Missisippi Valley was in the SWAC title game in basketball and there still was a poor showing. And JSU is allegiately one of the schools that bring in the most fans. The only way attendance figure for championship events will improve is for the SWAC fans to go to the game even if their team is not in the game(which is unlikely) or the SWAC office come up with ideas to make the SWAC events more fan-friendly. This would be more ideal for football since SWAC school do not participate in the playoffs.
 
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