Quote from: HSCTiger fan on Today at 02:05:16 PM$20 bucks?  That's a bargain. Money much better spent than watching anything on Netflix. If only a few bucks goes back to the schools then that's a few bucks more than they got before. I went to one football game last year in person. I spent more than $240.00 on the hotel room alone. I did watch every other football game and several basketball games online. I don't anticipate any changes to my viewing habits in the years to come.

Well, you are definitely what Flo is hoping for.

Quote from: SKUD on Yesterday at 07:44:53 PMPeople angry about FLO who have not used it prior to now and are complaining, Please tell me you don't pay for any of the following: HBO/MAX, Netflix, AppleTV, ESPN, Disney, YouTube TV, or any other Streaming subscription. If you pay for those what bothers you about FLO?

I dislike the Flo platform (as a paying customer for over 10 years) because it is not on par with other streaming platforms and from a college athletics perspective it has hurt the production quality of the conference I follow. When it was sold to the conference it was sold as a way to improve and achieve minimum standards. The better schools have lost their best broadcasters, not upgraded cameras or camera position and the schools that were horrible are only marginally better.

Welcome to my world.

I pay for 2 streaming services at a time. We rotate them when they go stale. But here's the thing, Flo provides nothing to the customer. For $20 a month, Netflix gives you access to a library of things they don't create (a la Flo), and a library of things that they pay to create (all those Netflix exclusive shows and movies).

What does Flo create? Nothing. The broadcasts are the same as what you got before, essentially. There is no value added to Flo. They do nothing besides aggregate what was already out there, mostly for free, and charge you for it. They pay the school some nominal amount to do so, but they add nothing. The whole business model is wall off what was free, do nothing but provide the wall, and get paid to do it.

That's what is so aggravating. If they did something, added something, besides the wall, it would be a different story. But they don't.

Quote from: HSCTiger fan on Today at 11:15:39 AMI have no issue paying a few bucks to watch a game with favorite team. Honestly, I doubt many parents will either. If the production quality is better it will make the game more enjoyable. If it's the same quality as it has been I still don't mind. It's a very small price to pay for the ability to watch a game.

$20 a month to watch D3 sports... yes, parents are the ones who are going to pay. Not many others are. It costs more than the vast majority of other streaming services. Think of it this way, for about $20 a month you can get Netflix. Access to big budget movies, they produce high quality content, thousands of hours of it. What is Flo giving you for $20? Exactly the same feed and broadcasts that you got for free. There is, literally, no added value. The school gets some money, presumably less than Flo makes, though I have my doubts about the business model long-term.

So you have introduced a middle-man that makes money and provides... nothing.

If you are happy to throw $20 a month at Flo, that's certainly your money, your business. I just won't do it. I don't watch enough W&L sports, or D3 sports in general, to spend $20 a month. But yes, let's slap it on the parents who are already paying room, board, athletic fees, etc. and nickel and dime them even more so those who are paying to play sports now have to pay to watch their kid play the sport they are paying for them to play.

Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on Yesterday at 01:43:53 PM

Quote from: Kuiper on July 15, 2025, 01:24:07 PMODAC signed a deal with Flo Sports starting this fall

QuoteFloSports and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) have entered into an exclusive five-year media rights agreement that will begin in the fall of 2025, bringing the conference's 14 member institutions to the FloCollege platform. Through the agreement, FloSports will provide a global platform to live stream over 1,500 regular-season and postseason events annually. The partnership further reinforces FloSports commitment to Division III athletics - adding an eighth conference to the portfolio - bringing the total to 18 conferences across all NCAA levels in the Fall.

The ODAC, headquartered in Forest, Virginia, stands as the second-largest multi-sport NCAA Division III conference in the country. It has gained national attention hosting NCAA Division III championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, and women's volleyball.

The ODAC's full-time member of 14 schools includes Averett University, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University, Guilford College, Hampden-Sydney College, Hollins University, University of Lynchburg, Randolph College, Randolph-Macon College, Roanoke College, Shenandoah University, Sweet Briar College, Virginia Wesleyan University, and Washington and Lee University. The ODAC also features five associate members in five sports.

"This agreement reflects a thoughtful next step for the ODAC in how we tell the stories of our outstanding student-athletes," said ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston. "As technology and fan engagement habits evolve, we have a responsibility to adapt while staying true to our mission. FloSports provides a reliable and forward-looking platform that helps us deliver a consistent, quality experience for our teams and fans. Most importantly, this partnership enables us to highlight the achievements of our athletic programs across our wide sports offering - at a level they deserve and with the reach they have earned."

Very much a shame. Look of good games every year in soccer, but 9 or 10 ODAC teams are not very good and have not been for a long, long time. It was working pretty well before with all the schools broadcasting their games free.  I will not purchasing (W&L grad) and I am guessing that, other than parents, will not be buying the games.

Yep. I'm out too. I'll still go to the games in Atlanta this year to support the players, but I'm so hopping mad at W&L about this. I hope they were an "against" vote and just got out-voted in the conference, but we'll never know. I put some comments to the athletic department already on Facebook and elsewhere. I don't expect it will change much, but at least I voiced my displeasure with this short-term thinking, money-grabbing, idiocy.

Quote from: Macon on July 16, 2025, 04:24:01 PMJK, I'm with you, I won't pay.  The ODAC has certainly thrown their fans, especially parents, under the bus.  I'll surely miss Marty and Company on the RMC broadcast.

Yes. And I commented on the Facebook post announcing it. As well as W&L's post announcing it. Maybe no one cares, maybe someone will. But this is short-term idiocy.

Quote from: ziggy on July 16, 2025, 03:34:40 PM

Quote from: jknezek on July 16, 2025, 01:03:35 PMAnd this is the kind of stupidity that happens when people don't understand that if Flo does go bankrupt, or just decides that the model doesn't work, you won't get the rights back right away even if they stop paying you. See regional sports networks. There could be several years, depending on the contracts, where schools won't have the right to broadcast their own games, and Flo won't do it either.

There is nothing, nothing, about this that is a good idea other than the AD, or really the conference commissioners, wandering over to the conference meeting one afternoon claiming "found money". It's such a short-term, eyes closed, non-strategic, idea... it's almost a hallmark of how small colleges and universities are being run these days, badly, and with more than whiff of desperation and no idea how to adapt to the problems they are facing.

For what it's worth (probably not much in this discussion), Flo says they are profitable: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/06/30/flosports-likes-to-see-where-sports-streaming-industry-is-headed/

They also did a new investment round earlier this year. They talk a lot about revenue, events, and eyeballs, not much about profit except the occasional throw away line.

This is the kind of sentence you get:

"As for traction on the college sports-focused service, the spokesperson told STV Insider "we're very pleased with FloCollege so far." Since it launched in mid-fall of last year, the company still doesn't have stats for a full academic year, but during the short time in market it produced more than 11,000 events that accounted for 125 million live minutes and earned more than 27 million social impressions."

That's old school internet startup talk right there.

https://www.streamtvinsider.com/video/sports-streamer-flosports-scores-new-funding-plans-content-and-distribution-expansions

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on July 16, 2025, 12:14:23 PMI also think Flo is not a long term reality - I think most schools and conferences understand this, too - there's not enough profit in it to be worth what Flo's paying.  In that respect, I think conferences are happy to take the money while it's there and they'll figure out what's next when it goes away.

And this is the kind of stupidity that happens when people don't understand that if Flo does go bankrupt, or just decides that the model doesn't work, you won't get the rights back right away even if they stop paying you. See regional sports networks. There could be several years, depending on the contracts, where schools won't have the right to broadcast their own games, and Flo won't do it either.

There is nothing, nothing, about this that is a good idea other than the AD, or really the conference commissioners, wandering over to the conference meeting one afternoon claiming "found money". It's such a short-term, eyes closed, non-strategic, idea... it's almost a hallmark of how small colleges and universities are being run these days, badly, and with more than whiff of desperation and no idea how to adapt to the problems they are facing.

Quote from: IC798891 on July 15, 2025, 04:46:41 PM

Quote from: Gray Fox on July 15, 2025, 04:36:19 PM

Quote from: jknezek on July 15, 2025, 03:56:31 PMWell... I'm done I guess. I won't pay to watch W&L sports. I'd donate, but not pay FloSports. It's not the same thing. Bummer.

Some of my normal donation went to Flo instead.  And I get a matching contribution from my employer

Yes. I rather suspect this will be the end of most of the remaining fandom D3 has managed to accrue since the early 2000s when it became possible to watch the events. It will return to a bastion of only those who live close enough to attend a few games and the devoted parents who follow their kids for a few years and drop out again. To be fair, the fandom never really grew big enough. Not enough alums who cared, but this will return it to the 90s.
You should send that to your athletic director and head of philanthropy

Well guys... with the ODAC going to FloSports, and me having no interest in paying for it, I'm going to have to abdicate running the poll. Hopefully someone else will step up to run it.

Yep. That's the end for me. I won't pay to watch. I think it's ridiculous, especially for athlete parents. I love W&L athletics, but i don't have the time to make it worthwhile, nor do I have the interest to pay FloSports. I'd donate to W&L, but not pay FloSports. And no, it's not the same thing, even with Flo paying the ODAC. I'll post in the Fan Poll section, but someone else will have to run the Region III poll this year.

Well... I'm done I guess. I won't pay to watch W&L sports. I'd donate, but not pay FloSports. It's not the same thing. Bummer.

Quote from: Caz Bombers on July 03, 2025, 12:40:53 PM

Quote from: jknezek on July 03, 2025, 12:10:44 PM

Quote from: Caz Bombers on July 03, 2025, 11:06:51 AMUtica already made a few athletics cuts 2 years ago, ending the swim teams and women's water polo due to the cost of upkeep on the pool (they also cut men's tennis at the time).

They also took a swing at new sports, adding wrestling and gymnastics. Not sure what other cuts they could make at this point. Maybe the golf teams and women's tennis.

If they hadn't just built a brand new facility, hockey would be the easy target. Nothing in D3 sports is more expensive than a hockey team. Rinks cost a fortune, and the maintenance is even worse. But since the facility opened in 2022, hopefully they get enough rent out of it to cover the costs.

Hockey is by far their most successful and well attended sport, Utica would never touch it, they'd sooner drop football (they won't do that either).

That doesn't mean it's not ruinously expensive, just that it would be deeply unpopular. But yes, very unlikely.

Quote from: Caz Bombers on July 03, 2025, 11:06:51 AMUtica already made a few athletics cuts 2 years ago, ending the swim teams and women's water polo due to the cost of upkeep on the pool (they also cut men's tennis at the time).

They also took a swing at new sports, adding wrestling and gymnastics. Not sure what other cuts they could make at this point. Maybe the golf teams and women's tennis.

If they hadn't just built a brand new facility, hockey would be the easy target. Nothing in D3 sports is more expensive than a hockey team. Rinks cost a fortune, and the maintenance is even worse. But since the facility opened in 2022, hopefully they get enough rent out of it to cover the costs.

I don't care about the color, so long as the uniforms don't blend in, but I wonder if that will be even hotter than a green field. I'm not sure Texas is the area I'd be aiming for darker colors.

Quote from: y_jack_lok on July 02, 2025, 10:56:45 AM

Quote from: BSCpanthers on July 01, 2025, 12:41:08 PMFor all of the rest of you, I hope y'all are getting excited and ready for the 2025 season. I'm going to have to relearn who is in what conference for this next season.  Hopefully we continue the poll for another season.

Update on Birmingham Southern campus, there are no updates. If anyone knows of anyone looking for a college campus, I know where they can find one. 

There is some maintenance going on, but I suspect it's pretty much the least they can get away with. The place was showing some wear even before it closed, as they had deferred a lot of maintenance. It's a bad situation that seems to have no resolution looming.

I assume there is a provision for (and money for) maintenance while the campus is on the market???