[NU Sports] Sports Facilities

[Dennis W. Brandt]

< While I would imagine gameday atmosphere is important to recruits, I would argue it seems to be of minimal importance to most of them.

Did you really say that?  Hard to believe.  Don't build it and they will come anyway.  Except, of course, they're not.

<And I can certainly say that building brand new facilities on campus (or wherever since there is no room on campus) would NOT suddenly increase attendance on its own.

Would you please supply an example, collegiate or professional, where new facilities built in recent years for major sports have NOT led to an immediate increase in attendance?

<[A new stadium is] not feasible, not affordable, and doesn't make any sense.

If building a new stadium "doesn't make any sense," then there are a lot of senseless people in this country traveling to a lot of senseless, new stadiums.  Even here in York, Pennsylvania, the downtown community built a new baseball stadium to house an independent league team for which there was no existing following, and it's working.  You mean Northwestern, uniquely among the nations' universities, is incapable of raising funds for a new stadium when they not long ago exceeded a billion-dollar fundraising goal?  As to feasibility, roughly half the Northwestern campus is built on what was lake when I went there.  Screw the greenies and take some more of the lake.  Believe me, the west side of Sheboygan will not suddenly find itself transformed lake-front property.  If there is a will in the university administration to do this, it will get done.

<It may also attract a recruit or two.

That could lead to a championship right there, and you just contradicted yourself.

<NU can't just bring in class after class of "5-star" guys.

This is just one of the topics on which you pose challenges as if they were insurmountable obstacles.  Someone is always around to say it can't be done.  Ever been done?  Nope.  A great challenge?  Yep.  But there is no reason, for example, we can't cut heavily into Notre Dame's vaunted but poorly-coached recruiting classes given that the glory of South Bend is not what it once was.  I believe Fitz WILL recruit better talent, but it will take time, and he can't do it alone.

 <[Fitz] has this year's team in the hunt for a third consecutive year of bowl eligibility for the first time ever at NU.

"In the hunt" is no longer acceptable.  In 1995 it was.  Even in 2000 it was.  No more.  It's time to enter every season knowing we will bag a buck.  The only remaining question should be how many points are on the antlers.

<And using a recruiting argument to support a stadium just doesn't work.

Why?  Because Jonathan says it won't?

P.S.  We need a new, on-campus basketball arena, too.