Drake and UNI lose annual Iowa & Ia St games

[getreal4]

I was surprised at the level of fundraising acheived recently by UNI Those contributions have to continue, because state funding is going to continue to diminish.

Big paydays in football being practice fodder for the Big 10 teams. UNI football players taking one for the entire athletic dept.

[DUBulldog]

Is there any chance the legislators will step in and try to reverse this? Wasn't there a thought at one time that's why the 4 were playing in the first place?

This only existed as an unfounded internet rumor that would not die.

[unipanther99]

Big Four event is official.

http://thegazette.com/2012/04/12/iowa-u ... r-classic/

As for Northern Iowa, it won’t play on the road at either Iowa or Iowa State when it’s not playing in Des Moines.
“We’re not interested in that,” Dannen said. “We’re going to continue to pursue some home-and-homes with power conference schools. We’re negotiating with a Big 12 school right now. We’re going to continue to try and find those opportunities.

“Frankly, we look ourselves … we’re above a buy game. We’re above being Mississippi Valley State. We’ve established that, and it’s time for us that if these teams aren’t going to be available, we’ll find better games to suit our needs and our needs are getting a schedule strong enough that when the NCAA comes along we’ll have a non-conference resume that’s worthy of an at-large bid.”

[MoValley John]

You have to give UNI props for standing up and asserting that they are better than taking buy games. At the same time, it will be difficult for UNI to schedule a home game that has the draw that Iowa and Iowa State bring.

Not to sound like I'm trolling, I'm not, but the term "cash strapped" was mentioned regarding UNI. I took the "cash strapped" statement as a subtle dig. The reporting of the event, with "cash strapped" attached to UNI's athletic program, can further the political efforts to scuttle UNI's athletic program. Dig or not, you have to give Dannen credit that he believes that UNI is above taking "buy" games. This is exactly the attitude needed by all members of the Valley. Take the money offered in the Des Moines series, walk away from the "opportunity" to be a paid "opponent" at Ames and Iowas City. I like that Dannen thinks, or at least will try to get better opponents than lowly Iowa and Iowa State.

To summize, Dannen said, yep, we are happy to compete against Iowa and Iowa State in Des Moines, but neither of them are North Carolina or Duke and don't deserve a buy game from a team that routinely beats them. More Valley teams need to step up and say "We aren't the Washington Generals****!"

****The Washington Generals are my favorite team, especially when they are playing the evil empire from Harlem. The Globetrotters are cocky bastards and need to brought down to reality. One day, my friend, one day, the Generals are going to get 'em!

Insert evil laugh here.

[MoValley John]

One more thing, as I look at this event in Des Moines, it could have much bigger negative consequences for Iowa and Iowa State should Drake and UNI continue to beat them regularly. Sure, the Iowa and Iowa State games are reported across the state every time, but now the games have been put together in an event that will be "huge" for the state of Iowa. While the games have been covered in the past, this type of event magnifies the coverage and the connotations of winning or losing. If Drake and UNI continue their domination, the press coverage will be much greater and from an exposure and public relations standpoint, Drake and UNI have everything to gain and nothing to lose. They will already gain monetarily, as Well's Fargo, even divided four ways, offers so much more money than either the Knapp Center or McCleod offer. Now each school has the opportunity to capture a more focused media. If things continue the way they have the last decade, Drake and or UNI will become known commodities and regarded as the dominant and premier basketball programs in the state. More attention, bigger fan bases, more ticket sales, increased revenue. More of the same could have Iowa and Iowa State ducking for cover and abandoning the event in no time. If they tuck their tails and run again, there will be no excuses as to why, Drake and UNI were simply better teams.

[glm38]

The whole thing is just sad IMHO. There are few things in college sports more exciting than intrastate head to head matchups. I wish there was some way to work this out.