Basic business:
Football. At the time of the games, WVU was in the insignificant Leastleftovers conference. And WVU was drawing (no matter what anyone claims) 40 or so K. MU thus sold 20K otherwise unsellable seats and brought at least some value to their leagues fairly insignificant TV package.
Today, WVU is paid a large sum to be one of the Little 8. And WVU's attendance has picked up. No network is going to pay the Big 2, Little 8, two cents extra for its TV packages because it includes an MU-WVU game, and WVU can get an easy win over a MACer or a I-AA and draw about the same.
We offer them nothing.
Basketball: From at least the mid-60s until the late 80s, MU basketball was at a higher level than WVU. Forcing WVU to play us was just a recognition of that. We were completive, and remained competitive well into the 90s. In TV terms, the game was originally sold independently of conference packages and was extra $$ for both school. In live gate term WVU was playing before a half full over-sized arena and we sold those extra seats. Later when it moved to Charleston it gave WVU seats to sell to their non-alumni hilljack fanbase in southern WV, and operated outside their season packages.
MU stood pat. WVU did not. It has massively improved its basketball program and is clearly in the just below the blue-bloods level. Solidly in the tournament 4 years out of 5, making a run once a decade or so. In TV money, the Big 12 pays them plenty, and any MU game would now be just tossed in the package, and no network is going to pay two cents extra for it. In live gate, WVU is drawing 10K or more for any legit game. As far as the Charleston angle, if WVU wanted it could play any legit game (not VMI or Liberty as in the past) and sell out.
We remain mired in a one-bid league and have a fan base that accepts that. We simply are at a FAR lower level than WVU in terms of talent. We would be lucky to win one game per decade.
We offer them nothing.
Other sports:
No body really cares anyway. Looking about, it seems that we are ahead in men's soccer, they are way ahead in women's soccer. Baseball is a push, but they will pull ahead if we don't get a stadium. Everything else is even less relevant.
Basic politics:
WVU exists for one purpose. It is a de facto private school whose sole desired relationship with the state it is named for is to get legislative $$ so that it can heavily subsidize the tuition of those it wishes to associate with (not you or me or any WVian). Part of this plan is to push to the unwashed hilljack non-alumni fans that it is somehow the right thing to do to continue to fund it in this manner, for little return. Being "above" MU is part of that and playing us is not something they want to do, even if they would (and they would) beat us nine time out of ten (or ten times).
We need to MOVE ON.
Football. At the time of the games, WVU was in the insignificant Leastleftovers conference. And WVU was drawing (no matter what anyone claims) 40 or so K. MU thus sold 20K otherwise unsellable seats and brought at least some value to their leagues fairly insignificant TV package.
Today, WVU is paid a large sum to be one of the Little 8. And WVU's attendance has picked up. No network is going to pay the Big 2, Little 8, two cents extra for its TV packages because it includes an MU-WVU game, and WVU can get an easy win over a MACer or a I-AA and draw about the same.
We offer them nothing.
Basketball: From at least the mid-60s until the late 80s, MU basketball was at a higher level than WVU. Forcing WVU to play us was just a recognition of that. We were completive, and remained competitive well into the 90s. In TV terms, the game was originally sold independently of conference packages and was extra $$ for both school. In live gate term WVU was playing before a half full over-sized arena and we sold those extra seats. Later when it moved to Charleston it gave WVU seats to sell to their non-alumni hilljack fanbase in southern WV, and operated outside their season packages.
MU stood pat. WVU did not. It has massively improved its basketball program and is clearly in the just below the blue-bloods level. Solidly in the tournament 4 years out of 5, making a run once a decade or so. In TV money, the Big 12 pays them plenty, and any MU game would now be just tossed in the package, and no network is going to pay two cents extra for it. In live gate, WVU is drawing 10K or more for any legit game. As far as the Charleston angle, if WVU wanted it could play any legit game (not VMI or Liberty as in the past) and sell out.
We remain mired in a one-bid league and have a fan base that accepts that. We simply are at a FAR lower level than WVU in terms of talent. We would be lucky to win one game per decade.
We offer them nothing.
Other sports:
No body really cares anyway. Looking about, it seems that we are ahead in men's soccer, they are way ahead in women's soccer. Baseball is a push, but they will pull ahead if we don't get a stadium. Everything else is even less relevant.
Basic politics:
WVU exists for one purpose. It is a de facto private school whose sole desired relationship with the state it is named for is to get legislative $$ so that it can heavily subsidize the tuition of those it wishes to associate with (not you or me or any WVian). Part of this plan is to push to the unwashed hilljack non-alumni fans that it is somehow the right thing to do to continue to fund it in this manner, for little return. Being "above" MU is part of that and playing us is not something they want to do, even if they would (and they would) beat us nine time out of ten (or ten times).
We need to MOVE ON.
