Shawnee State Football

[PTrojan59]

Looks like Shawnee will have football no later than 2028, joining Mountain East Conference next year assuming they get admitted to D2. Awesome moves

[CuckooNest]

I think that’s good for the university. Also likely makes the dream a little close for a handful of guys from the area. I’d say in a given year there’s on average 2-3 that could play at that level.

Makes basketball more attractive too.

[Zahns Corner]

Aside from giving historic Spartan Stadium a new lease on life, does starting a football program at SSU accomplish anything? Does it advance the educational mission of the University? Does it truly advance the community in any way? Or does it represent another drain against the scarce resources of taxes and tuition?

As a sport fan, more games is great for entertainment, but do we even now follow the existing teams at SSU, Rio, Hocking , Marrietta, or even Ohio U? It seems the die is already cast, just hope wisdom was used in making the decision instead of satisfying the egos of local movers and shakers.


https://www.d2football.com/shawnee-stat ... e_vignette

[BuckeyeBlood]

Aside from giving historic Spartan Stadium a new lease on life, does starting a football program at SSU accomplish anything? Does it advance the educational mission of the University? Does it truly advance the community in any way? Or does it represent another drain against the scarce resources of taxes and tuition?

As a sport fan, more games is great for entertainment, but do we even now follow the existing teams at SSU, Rio, Hocking , Marrietta, or even Ohio U? It seems the die is already cast, just hope wisdom was used in making the decision instead of satisfying the egos of local movers and shakers.


https://www.d2football.com/shawnee-stat ... e_vignette

What would you like to see happen in Portsmouth then? Maybe more corruption? How about more drug rehabs? Maybe those would advance the community some more huh? Shawnee seems to be on the upward swing of things. Makes too much sense not to give football a go. Will I watch the over Ohio State? No I won’t, would I go down and drink a cold on on the levee if Ohio State wasn’t playing and it was nice out, probably. Will I keep up with scores, absolutely.

[portsmouth_98]

I am kind of excited about this. It will be cool to see what happens. I have kind of tuned out of college football for a few years due to 75% or more of the games being a snooze fest. I imagine they will take some beatings in the beginning but maybe they can become competitive in a few years.

[ACCBiggz]

Aside from giving historic Spartan Stadium a new lease on life, does starting a football program at SSU accomplish anything? Does it advance the educational mission of the University? Does it truly advance the community in any way? Or does it represent another drain against the scarce resources of taxes and tuition?

As a sport fan, more games is great for entertainment, but do we even now follow the existing teams at SSU, Rio, Hocking , Marrietta, or even Ohio U? It seems the die is already cast, just hope wisdom was used in making the decision instead of satisfying the egos of local movers and shakers.

I am a month late to this, but... whew this is such a short-sighted and misguided thought process. It goes beyond football.

"does starting a football program at SSU accomplish anything? Does it advance the educational mission of the University?"

Moving to the NCAA DII provides much more upward trajectory for the university than being NAIA for roughly the same investment they've always had. They'll receive a small fraction back from the NCAA yearly, but have opportunities for more revenue streams. I don't think many DII conferences have media rights deals, but a couple do and even though it's not much it's something... which is more than their NAIA venture ever offered. That alone makes the transition more beneficial to the university.

Being in DII, especially with football's greater media interest, also will allow SSU to have more impact on future prospective students. Their name, brand, etc. will be more accessible to people who never knew they existed just by affiliation. Obviously, if they have success, it'll draw more attention. So, yes, it does advance the mission and accomplish something.

Sports has a positive impact on the community and revitalizing Spartan Stadium is going to be big for the community. This move is going to give SSU an ability to continue growing for its student body and the community.

[Zahns Corner]

Aside from giving historic Spartan Stadium a new lease on life, does starting a football program at SSU accomplish anything? Does it advance the educational mission of the University? Does it truly advance the community in any way? Or does it represent another drain against the scarce resources of taxes and tuition?

As a sport fan, more games is great for entertainment, but do we even now follow the existing teams at SSU, Rio, Hocking , Marrietta, or even Ohio U? It seems the die is already cast, just hope wisdom was used in making the decision instead of satisfying the egos of local movers and shakers.

I am a month late to this, but... whew this is such a short-sighted and misguided thought process. It goes beyond football.

"does starting a football program at SSU accomplish anything? Does it advance the educational mission of the University?"

Moving to the NCAA DII provides much more upward trajectory for the university than being NAIA for roughly the same investment they've always had. They'll receive a small fraction back from the NCAA yearly, but have opportunities for more revenue streams. I don't think many DII conferences have media rights deals, but a couple do and even though it's not much it's something... which is more than their NAIA venture ever offered. That alone makes the transition more beneficial to the university.

Being in DII, especially with football's greater media interest, also will allow SSU to have more impact on future prospective students. Their name, brand, etc. will be more accessible to people who never knew they existed just by affiliation. Obviously, if they have success, it'll draw more attention. So, yes, it does advance the mission and accomplish something.

Sports has a positive impact on the community and revitalizing Spartan Stadium is going to be big for the community. This move is going to give SSU an ability to continue growing for its student body and the community.

Hey, I respect that.

It is just my belief that while SSU has a definitive role in its community and region, that role would be better served with efforts to bring commerce and jobs to Southern Ohio. I appreciate your thoughtful post.