{"id":4408,"date":"2012-09-25T22:35:42","date_gmt":"2012-09-26T02:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=4408"},"modified":"2012-09-26T16:19:03","modified_gmt":"2012-09-26T20:19:03","slug":"guest-blogger-putting-harrisonburg-on-the-pigskin-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=4408","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blogger: Putting Harrisonburg on the Pigskin Map"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Reader Mark Steidler came came closest to predicting the final score of last weekend’s game against URI. As a result, he won the right to guest post. Bookmark his personal blog here<\/a> and check out his thoughts on elevating the JMU football program below.<\/em><\/p>\n

Every four years, we\u2019re faced with a choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

The choice is more paramount than spicy or mild, single ply or double, Empire Strikes Back or Raiders of the Lost Ark. It\u2019s a choice which we must be able to defend, which we must see through to the very end, and which we must ultimately bear the burden of responsibility. It\u2019s not as easy as black and white, but rather as bold as purple and gold.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just four games into the season, preseason expectations backed up by on-field performance have forced our hand into prematurely making this choice: do we once again buy into the four-year cyclical success of Mickey Matthews\u2019 football programs or idly stand by and scoff at their accomplishments because our subdivision prevents us from playing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, once again, JMU has aligned their \u201chigh expectations meets high performance\u201d campaign with the presidential election cycle, challenging the Redskins Rule<\/span><\/a> for the top slot as Nostradamus of November. As a refresher, you may recall 2004 as a time when swift boats dominated the airwaves and Rascati swing passes dominated the A-10. Just four years later, we gushed at the promise of hope and change, only to experience an untimely change in quarterback in our most pressing moment. And, now, in 2012, we\u2019re told that not only are 47% of Americans dependent on the government and believe they are victims but also that our team is capable of having 47% of our first downs come from passing plays (Check the Rhode Island box score. It\u2019s crazy).<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, the choice of whether or not to embrace this program, to buy into its legitimacy, and to expect, nay, demand success is not a choice at all. I see the great things that the past, present, and future Dukes can do for the world. I see an underrated institution that has yet to maximize its potential. I view our football program as an important extension of our university, an essential component <\/span>of our marketing mix that can one day capture a share of the national spotlight that so many other schools already bask in. And I wonder why any JMU grad would not invest a few hours of their Saturday into rekindling their relationship with the site of some of the best years of their life.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s because we haven\u2019t worked out all our issues. We\u2019ve certainly had our moments of success, but too often those are overlooked as minor footnotes due to our division, stadium size, and proximity to bigger, mainstream teams. But that all can change.<\/p>\n

In honor of the proven five point post<\/a>, here\u2019s five simple ways we can re-energize our program and put Harrisonburg on the pigskin map.
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\n1) Balance the Fanbase – No college football program is sustainable based on their student population alone. Most successful programs have a seamless integration with the community around them. Towns benefit from the important revenue streams and enhanced sense of community while the school gains more butts in the seats on Saturday afternoons and a pipeline of future fans that may never even step foot on campus as a student.<\/p>\n

Harrisonburg, on the other hand, has always seemed to have a quirky relationship with JMU. And that needs to change. JMU should be doing everything it can to incentivize families, businesses, and politicians to participate in the game day experience. Call JMU football what you want, but our fans have never been described as anything less than warm, inclusive, and hospitable. Let\u2019s begin making the Dukes not JMU\u2019s team, not Harrisonburg\u2019s team, not Rockingham County\u2019s team, but Western Virginia\u2019s team. The way John Denver intended it.<\/p>\n

2) Standardize Game Times – 1:00 games? I either have to stay at the luxurious Port Republic Days Inn the night before or leave at 7:00 AM to get in a proper amount of tailgating. 7:00 game? I\u2019m not getting home until after midnight and half the students are leaving for Ashby by that point. 4:00 games, however, are the goldilocks solution – not too early, not too late, but just right.<\/p>\n

One important thing to factor in is TV schedules. Yes, we certainly need to be accommodating to this and should schedule our games for 4AM if it meant that we were on the four letter network. But if we\u2019re not in a showcase game? 4:00. Every week. No debate.<\/p>\n

3) Invest in Transportation – Don\u2019t want to make every game a twilight affair? Fine. Here\u2019s how you still incorporate alumni into weekend festivities:<\/p>\n

Every weekend, JMU should be renting (and selling out) ten charter buses from various points in the DC metro area. Sell a package that includes a ticket to the game, round trip transportation, a spot in the Convo Center tailgate lot, and hell, throw in a purple and gold t-shirt for nostalgia sake. By doing this, you take the logistics of getting to and from Harrisonburg out of the equation. It\u2019s a win-win for everyone.<\/p>\n

4) Repeal the current Duke Dog costume – Have you seen the latest iteration of the Duke Dog? This isn\u2019t the junkyard dog of yesteryear that went blow-for-blow with the Coastal Carolina chicken or whatever their mascot is. It\u2019s a fuzzy, happy-go-lucky child entertainer that probably spends his\/her spare time leading Drop Everything And Read! at the local elementary school.<\/p>\n

How can we get behind this? When did we decide to trade off ferocity for friendly? Our mascot isn\u2019t an ironic selection that can have a sweetheart side, like the Oregon Duck or the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slug. It\u2019s a bulldog. With a cape. And a crown. Act like it.<\/p>\n

5) Graduate to FBS – And here\u2019s the controversial one. If you dive into the comment threads on the CAAZone, The Sports Network, or any other Netscape Navigator-optimized site, you\u2019ll find a lengthy listing of the pros and cons of graduating the FCS for the FBS. Even on this site, comprised of a purely JMU-focused homer crowd, there\u2019s a riff between the jumpers and the jump-nots, the Hayden Christensens<\/a> and the Woody Harrelsons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The question the administration and athletic department needs to answer is: Who are we? Are we content with being a second-tier program while the rest of our athletics competes (and wins) against household names, like our recent soccer victory over #1 ranked UNC? Are we OK with the fact that our conference, once made up of similar sized and local schools, is disintegrating before our eyes? That TWO other Virginia schools (ODU and VCU [switching sports to basketball for a moment]) are moving ahead of us on the conference depth chart? That this move will ultimately make these colleges more competitive and threaten JMU\u2019s marketability?<\/p>\n

Are we content to fade into the background? I\u2019m not and you shouldn\u2019t be either. We should be constantly pursuing the next opportunity to grow our program, grow our prestige, and, in hand, grow our academics. Many other colleges are older and have these foundations in place – Rome wasn\u2019t built in a day after all. JMU, on the other hand, is fledging in comparison to Tech, UVA, Maryland, West Virginia, UNC and other semi-local schools. Therefore, it requires us to invest more – both time and money – to shape this program and this university into whatever we want it to be.<\/p>\n

We should all choose to do this, to watch this Saturday and every Saturday. We should choose to troll the random, unfound corners of the internet for injury reports on schools that don\u2019t have stadium lighting. We should choose to donate to the program every year. Why? Not because it\u2019s easy. But because it\u2019s hard.<\/p>\n

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