Biggest problem for college baseball isn’t politics….

[patdog]

You realize a lot of those numbers are the schools building and updating their facilities right? We've already done that.

17 schools are building new stadiums this year? No. This is just Mississippi State being Mississippi State.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

17 schools are building new stadiums this year? No. This is just Mississippi State being Mississippi State.

No, but several are renovating. We know Vandy and LSU are top dogs in baseball and their budgets aren't the top. LSU has to top NIL in college baseball though, and that's not budget related yet. Our budget hit for Dudy Noble was like $3MM a year. Also, go look at the success of those teams, it's not translating to great programs necessarily. Baseball at State barely breaks even on good years. Imagine what those with lower attendance are losing. We shouldn't be blowing huge money on baseball. It's a money pit. Texas Tech woof! Talk about not getting much return for your money! And even though OM is renovating, lol at them missing out on the whole damn thing too.

 

[ETK99]

Baseball budget means very little when you've got a coach that doesn't recruit. What we spending it on anyway outside of coaching salaries? Bianca's salary ran up that OM budget too.

 

[Bulldog45]

The start of College Baseball should be pushed back a month. The conference schedule should begin the week after the final four. Even in the 'Sip February games can be/are miserable. Play the CWS in late July and month later CFB is starting.

I don’t disagree but then the MLB draft needs to be pushed back since players would be the property of MLB for an extended period of time while finishing the college season. Also, if we pretend academics is still relevant in terms of college athletics, isn’t summer school considered part of the next academic year? If so then you’d have baseball season extending further into the next academic year with regular season play, so that might present a legalistic issue.

 

[mcdawg22]

Agreed. The only thing I can think of in Cali is that the middle class, who plays all the baseball, has moved out. But that should not be the excuse for AZ.

5 of Perfect Games top 10 in 2025 are from California. The most dynamic player in years in college baseball last year, Skenes, was from California. This weekend they even mentioned how you see more East teams with California HS players when back in the day it seemed like you only got CA Jucos. I would think it’s like CFB. The California fanbases just don’t care about college sports, so the most talented players go to schools that do.

 

[RockyDog]

Ok that’s the excuse for northern schools. What about schools like Miami, Arizona State, Stanford that average 1-2k fans a game?

Much more exciting things to do in a large city/state besides watch boring intramural college sports maybe?

 

[8dog]

17 schools are building new stadiums this year? No. This is just Mississippi State being Mississippi State.

Those numbers are worthless unless you know what’s behind them. How could TT possibly be spending twice what we do? Tadlock makes less than Lemonis. We have one of the highest paid staffs in the country. Also this doesn’t include debt payments on a $60 mill investment. We also created a new weight room which I think was primarily donation funded

 

[RockyDog]

1. With NIL and the elimination of scholarship limits (part of the NCAA settlement is no more scholarship limits), this will be less of an issue. It already is to some extent as players realize it's a lot easier life to spend 3 years in college playing in front of big crowds in nice stadiums with less travel than spending 3 years in rookie league and Class A.

2. This is a problem that's not going away. Our ADD culture isn't going to sit through a 3-hour baseball game. We're seeing this in music too. Average song length is well under 4 minutes now. Bands don't have time to develop a complex song any more. They have to get the hook and the riff in as quick as they can and race to the end before people click to the next song on their play list.

3. College baseball will never generate much revenue. We're one of the very rare schools that turns a profit, and there's even debate about whether we turn a profit or not.

Your point #2 hits it exactly on the head. Go to ANYTHING these days, a concert, football game, play, a show, high school graduation etc. and sit on an aisle seat and count how many times you have to stand up to let someone by. I guarantee that you get close to or exceed 20 in a 2-3 hour period. People can’t stay still EVER.

Went to a Stapleton concert last year and there was a pair of college age girls in front of us. They snapchatted the entirety of the concert, would listen to one or 2 songs and would leave to go to the concession, bathroom or wherever else and this went on for nearly 3 hours.

 

[retire the banner]

Much more exciting things to do in a large city/state besides watch boring intramural college sports maybe?

Are you describing college baseball as a boring, intramural college sport? Damn, that’s cold

 

[retire the banner]

They don’t have big crowds for football (unless they’re really good) and you want them to be that way for baseball? Miami has a pretty nice stadium if I remember right. A-Rod gave them a bunch of money.

No I don’t really care what they do. I’m just pointing out there seems to be an excuse for every school outside of the SEC as to why they don’t invest, support, or generally care about college baseball. Why is that?

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

No I don’t really care what they do. I’m just pointing out there seems to be an excuse for every school outside of the SEC as to why they don’t invest, support, or generally care about college baseball. Why is that?

Because it’s not what they want to invest in. State and most of the SEC don’t invest in women’s volleyball but you go to Nebraska and others in the Big10 and it’s a big deal. Certain sports have more interest regionally. It’s not so easy to gather interest for a sport outside in February and March up north. And to what was said earlier in the thread about “well it’s not hard for the BIG to get crowds for football games in the fall with cold weather.” One, it’s football which is king and two, cold weather in the fall in the Midwest and cold weather in February and March are two different things. It’s pretty miserable in late winter.

 

[Mr. Cook]

Are you describing college baseball as a boring, intramural college sport? Damn, that’s cold

Maybe depends on what type of alternative entertainment is in your geography. The "cold" part of me would say college baseball is well attended in Starkville because there is not much else to do

 

[msudawg12]

Outside of some BIG teams in football, its pretty much the way it is in all college sports....

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Because it’s not what they want to invest in. State and most of the SEC don’t invest in women’s volleyball but you go to Nebraska and others in the Big10 and it’s a big deal. Certain sports have more interest regionally. It’s not so easy to gather interest for a sport outside in February and March up north. And to what was said earlier in the thread about “well it’s not hard for the BIG to get crowds for football games in the fall with cold weather.” One, it’s football which is king and two, cold weather in the fall in the Midwest and cold weather in February and March are two different things. It’s pretty miserable in late winter.

If they did what they should move the season to start later and end later, we might not have that problem. I still think we should have a March opening and a June close with the College World Series being around July

 

[mcdawg22]

Your point #2 hits it exactly on the head. Go to ANYTHING these days, a concert, football game, play, a show, high school graduation etc. and sit on an aisle seat and count how many times you have to stand up to let someone by. I guarantee that you get close to or exceed 20 in a 2-3 hour period. People can’t stay still EVER.

Went to a Stapleton concert last year and there was a pair of college age girls in front of us. They snapchatted the entirety of the concert, would listen to one or 2 songs and would leave to go to the concession, bathroom or wherever else and this went on for nearly 3 hours.

While I completely agree this is 100% accurate these days, I would point out that the Lounge has been this way for the 40 years I experienced it. Maybe that’s why the southern schools have the attendance they do. You can’t socialize at UCLA games and still watch the game.

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Caveat emptor when it comes to financial info from the schools. There are so many variables in the numbers that it is difficult to compare apples to apples in this kind of data table.

 

[retire the banner]

Because it’s not what they want to invest in. State and most of the SEC don’t invest in women’s volleyball but you go to Nebraska and others in the Big10 and it’s a big deal. Certain sports have more interest regionally. It’s not so easy to gather interest for a sport outside in February and March up north. And to what was said earlier in the thread about “well it’s not hard for the BIG to get crowds for football games in the fall with cold weather.” One, it’s football which is king and two, cold weather in the fall in the Midwest and cold weather in February and March are two different things. It’s pretty miserable in late winter.

I agree. Comparing Mississippi State investing in baseball is a fair comparison to Nebraska investing in women’s volleyball. That’s a tough pill for some to swallow, but it’s a solid cross-program comparison.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I agree. Comparing Mississippi State investing in baseball is a fair comparison to Nebraska investing in women’s volleyball. That’s a tough pill for some to swallow, but it’s a solid cross-program comparison.

You can’t compare those two. MSU baseball makes money whether you like it or not. As does a few other SEC programs (Arkansas, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas, etc.). That said, many go out and spend more due to football money, so when that stops flowing, the improvements may slow down. But regardless, we do make money over the long haul, though not much.

The overall health of baseball is a bigger issue than MSU’s revenue-generating ability in the sport. In the long term anyway.