[NU Sports] Jim O'Donnell Article in the Sun-Times

[cherron604 at aol.com]

Ironically, Dyche was described as boutique-y (O'Donnell's suggestion) not too long ago, described as a football version of Wrigley by some sources in the RW era.  The difference is that almost all of the fans at Dyche care about NU football - a large percentage of the Wrigley fans couldn't tell you who was playing at Wrigley.  Wrigley is a large outdoor sports bar in a bar-choked neighborghood.  Dyche is surrounded by a town that dislikes NU, and by neighbors who dislike crowds, noise, events and anything else that is vaguely 'fun' (well, maybe raking leaves into big piles and jumping into them, but a few might even grumble about that).

I think O'Donnell raises some good questions that we have gone over here as well, and pretty often - why does attendance suffer, why are town/gown relations always so bad, why are media relations frequently so bad...all with a (one hopes) 22-14 3-year record.

One recent media transgression made me very angry.  Our games have always been treated like stepchildren on WGN (They're large and heard in a lot of states - but they are not demographically attractive).  But now I keep hearing 'The Cubs and the Blackhawks play on WGN' commercials during other WGN programs, read by the insufferable Pat Hughes and the horrible Ron Santo.  No mention of Northwestern Football, even though we have been there longer than the Blackhawks.  Whenever I'm in Chicago, I listen to the Score and AM-1000 - I hear very little discussion of NU football there, although both stations are 99% Bear this time of the year.  Even Memola (?) and his partner talk a little NU Football, but shift quickly to their real concerns - Bears and Cubs as soon as they can.  I kind of missed driving to Iowa this year, not only for missing the game, but for missing the 6-7 hours of postgame discussion, both network and local. 

Fitz will be a better head coach after observing and talking to Paterno, Tressel and a few others over the next several years.  In short, I think O'Donnell isn't saying 'Northwestern is a lousy place because...', he's saying 'Things are doing OK, why isn't Northwestern a happier place ?'

Chuck Herron   Tech '85

PS - I have also noticed some Illini fans on the News-Gazette boards complaining about Guenther (for destroying the Football program), and suggesting that they steal away Mr Phillips.


-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis W. Brandt <tbng at comcast.net>
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Sent: Thu, Nov 12, 2009 9:29 am
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Jim O'Donnell Article in the Sun-Times


O'Donnell is too hard on Fitz, who is, after all, trying to sell his football program nationally. What was he supposed to have said about the Iowa win? We stink but we won in spite of ourselves? On the other hand, O'Donnell makes valid points. Do not assume, Jonathan, that because a majority of this listserv has concluded that a new stadium would not improve attendance that you have uttered God's own truth. If nothing else, a new stadium would prove that the university is serious about NU football, something that definitely has not always been the case.  
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