Here's another side of the debate.
If B'ham's offering all those free amenities to the SWAC,
then keep the headquarters there, UNLESS Jackson can offer a (half-way ) similar deal, which they've been trying to work out for some time. I'll explain the half-way part later.
If Jackson puts together a (has to be) better or equal package for the SWAC, I'll be for the SWAC taking that offer. I'm not using any bias. This is a BUSINESS decision. We have to make money.
My point is that the game needs to be moved FOR THE
FANS benefit.
What benefit exactly are you talking about. The SEC Championship was in Birmingham (which was centrally located for the SEC), but moved to Atlanta (which is on the FAR EAST side of the SEC, and IS NOT A SEC CITY) for business money/business purposes. Where is it a written rule that the conference championship must be centrally located?
My primary concern is for the SCG, though.
My concern is for the SCG as well, but you are not making valid arguements to warrant a move.
The number of fans attending the game in Jackson should easily
offset whatever B'ham is offering.
Again, facts and figures please. How can you be so sure?
40,000 fans at 25 dollar tickets equals 1,000,000 dollars off the top. This doesn't include SWAC paraphanalia, concessions, etc.
First, that wouldn't be the figure. Tickets are $15 for students, $20 early, and $25 the day of the game. A more accurate count would be 40,000 x $20=$800,000. Right now, (not definate), but the SWAC got $600K off of ticket sales. If you add in the expenses that Jackson already charges you don't make much of a difference in profit (if any), because JSU has a deal with Memorial. The SWAC does not. The number of Bama fans also probably falls off a little.
JSU only pays 15,000 dollars per game for rental of the stadium. The city could easily offset that cost. 15,000 dollar's a drop in the bucket compared to 1,000,000 dollars.
See above statement.
You say that B'ham gives the SWAC
FREE use of AN ENTIRE BUILDING for office space for SWAC HQ, free use of sporting venues for championship game(s) in basketball, football and baseball.
Birmingham budgeted about $550,000 to
GIVE to the SWAC last fiscal year.
Mr. SWAC, all of that's fine and dandy and it sounds good, but the city of B'ham
makes far more than that off the fans.
And this is a bad thing because?...
When people make it to town, they're going to go to restaurants, rent cars, buy gas, hotel rooms, go to bars and clubs, Greek shows, movies, etc.
That money doesn't benefit the SWAC, it benefits B'ham.
This is not an arguement. This is not even a bad thing. Most glaringly obvious is that this will happen if the game is in Jackson as well. Not sure what you tried to prove here......
So those "free" amenities that you mentioned aren't that expensive when you look at the totality of what B'ham pulls in financially for that weekend.
Like you said yourself, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT JACKSON IS OFFERING. So how can you say this for sure? Let's deal with reality. When the SWAC was in New Orleans, we were not making money. The conference was (if my memory serves correctly) in the hole. Jafas may be able to say for sure.
I mentioned some of the advantages of having the game in Jackson in an earlier post, so I'll do it again.
Why in the heck should we reward a city which doesn't cater to the SWAC until the SCG or until the MCC come around?
See, now you are going back to talking out of your ass. How possibly is the city of Birmingham not catering to the SWAC? Birmingham has showed true interest in the SWAC, and the most interest out of the rest of the cities. If you ask me, B-ham cares more about the SWAC than N.O./Shreveport/Jackson, etc. because before the move there, other other packages weren't "sweet deals" in their own right.
Every year, at least 5-6 HBCU schools play IN Jackson.
Even more play IN Bham each year (Miles, Stillman, Hampton, Grambling, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Tennessee State, and UAPB). When grambing, su, alcorn and other schools come to Jackson, we roll the red carpet out for them.
What about when AAMU, Alabama State, our UAPB come to Jackson? Where is the "red carpet" treatment then? They enjoy themselves for the most part, and most will be back home in less than three hours, whether they choose to spend the night or not.
If they are within 3 hours from home, chances are they are not staying the night. BAD for Jackson. Possibly more expenses Jackson imposes on the SWAC.
The same fans usually spend big money by renting hotels, dining out in restaurants, car rentals, clubs, bars, shopping, game paraphanalia, etc.
You have got to come to accept that the SWAC is not SU, JSU, GSU, or even Alcorn any more. UAPB fans don't seem to care where the SCG is located and they spend just as much money as any of the traditional fans you are referring to.
Here's another tremendous advantage.
If you want to have a battle of the bands, bands wouldn't have to travel as far. That saves even more money for the schools. More than likely, they probably wouldn't have to spend the night, so that's even more money saved from hotel costs and breakfast.
Well if you would know, for the championship game, both schools' bands spend the night regardless of proximity. AAMU's band spends the night in Birmingham, Alabama States band spends the night in Birmingham, and JSU's band (when they made it) spent the night in Birmingham. This is what sponsors and all else pay for, and the city you are in greatly affects sponsorhip. The Sonic Boom would be the only exception in Jackson's case, and historically that scenario would not have occured yet.
Jackson has the history, the experience, the fans, the facilities, the hotels, the location, and it's 70 percent Black.
And Birmingham doesn't? Jackson is 1/3 the size of Birmingham as well. Number of blacks in the city is about the same. DAHILL, can tell you better than I, but I think B-ham is like 50/50 black and white.
Even the saints had their training facility IN Jackson and played at Memorial Stadium to a sellout crowd, AND they're scheduled to do so again next year.
I'll get to this at the end.
If Jackson's good enough for an NFL team, isn't it good enough for the SCG?
The newspapers, sports stations, news stations, local radio stations always give JSU, valley and alcorn publicity throughout the football season. Even when they're not playing the papers and reporters give them props.
They'll give that same publicity to the SCG, virtually free of charge.
What more does a city need??
Who do you think you're fooling. Jackson is not an Alcorn or Valley city. They only get mentioned when they are in the city of Jackson or for the sports write up in Sunday's paper. The Huntsville Times gives each SWAC team publicity throughout the football season.
B'ham might give the mcc a bit of publicity, along with the SCG, but what about the rest of the football year?
The city is not going to do write ups for something it is not associated with unless it somehow is of interest or effects that city. Do this for me. Show me ONE (1) article from the Clarion Ledger leading up to the SCG in Birmingham this year that "pubs up" the SWAC Championship Game.
The B'ham people could care less about a SWAC school.
Speeking out of your ass here too. Do you live in Birmingham? Did you have a conversation with someone from Birmingham about what they feel about the SWAC? If the MEAC/SWAC Challenge was held in Jackson, Ms. last year and Jackson State had a game in another state. How many people would have been at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge? Honestly.
They utilize the SWAC only when they need to.
Jackson's NOT a one or two event wonder like B'ham.
Jackson's an HBCU multi-event wonder and bends over backwards to cater to SWAC schools and it's a great host for all HBCU schools.
Examples please, 'cause I clearly missed this part. Y'all still getting screwed by Memorial, and THEY are the ones bending over?:goof: lol
When su, grambing, alcorn and other teams come to Jackson, they enjoy themselves without hassle or harassment from police officers.
A DAMN LIE! Sonic Boom bandmembers were just in a ruccus with JPD not even 2 years ago. I believe the headline was, "Sonic Boom Assaulted by Jackson PD". Seriously, this happened.
If you want to keep the headquarters in B'ham, so be it, but the overall cost benefits seem to favor Jackson, especially if it could work out a package half-way similar (not better), to the package offered by B'ham.
Also when there are mandatory
appearance meetings for SWAC Presidents, coaches, athletic directors, etc, they have to fly all the way to B'ham. That's more time and cost to the schools for travel expenses. Jackson's more local and cost effective for them as well.
Uhh, dude....... We are in the 21st century here. There is this new technology out hitting the streets called a "telephone". :emlaugh: I think they've found out about CONFERENCE CALLS by now. Dude nobody does that isht no more. You really reached on that one.
Again, it's a win-win situation if either or both the headquarters and SCG are moved to Jackson, along with the other championship games in basketball and baseball.:nod: :nod:
