KnightSlappy said: "I see it as a limiting factor to the potential exposure of D3 athletics to the wider sports audience.

I think that is the primary concern.

However, as WUPFH said, it was part of the promise that: "Fans in the Flo Sports ecosystem will naturally watch all manner of sports they would not watch otherwise." So, is that happening and if so does it in any measurable way offset loss of previous viewers who have chosen not to subscribe? And if it does, who are the new viewers?

These are the kinds of questions I'd like to see asked of some conference commissioner.

Quote from: awadelewis on July 11, 2026, 04:55:08 PMAll of the discussion about alcohol sales at events prompts a good off-season topic: How do the schools in the conference deal with concessions in their athletic venues?   

Sewanee has a very much of a high-school feel with football concessions run by one of the charitable organizations from the town (with safety and food-handling training from our Dining Services staff).  It's a big contrast to the mid-major D1 where I went to graduate school bidding concessions at athletic events out to the big food service outfits (Sodexo, most recently).

Where does tailgating fit into all of this? Do some schools solve the alcohol problem by allowing it in the parking areas devoted to tailgating, but not allow alcohol sales in the stadium itself? Don't some people go just for the tailgating and never actually enter the stadium to watch the game?

Quote from: WUPHF on July 11, 2026, 12:03:30 PMThis has surely been discussed elsewhere, but Pat Coleman interviewed Dwayne Hanberry from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and asked about Flo Sports at the the thirty minute mark.

Lots of hope and hopefully heading into 2026-2027, the third season of the relationship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt5taC4C_J0

I'm sure many conference commissioners have answered a few questions about Flo. I'm really hoping that there will be some way to have one on a podcast exclusively devoted to Flo so that a lot of unasked (and thus unanswered) questions can be addressed.

Quote from: DagarmanSpartan on July 11, 2026, 01:01:55 AMI have such an address and signed up with it.

It's making more sense now. Seems like I am wrong that Flo might be lowering prices to attract new subscribers.

Quote from: WUPHF on July 10, 2026, 11:58:30 PM

Quote from: y_jack_lok on July 10, 2026, 02:47:26 PMInteresting. That's down from last year when it was $8.99/mo ($107.88 billed annually), and even less than the $9.99/mo ($119.88 billed annually) that they were trying to get last year's subscribers to renew for.

I thought you had to have an .edu from college or university that is a member of a Flo Sports conference to get that rate.

Oh, good point. Do you have such an email address and is that the rate you get?

Quote from: DagarmanSpartan on July 10, 2026, 11:24:28 AM

Quote from: y_jack_lok on July 10, 2026, 11:00:20 AM^^^ How did you manage to only pay $6/month?

"FloCollege" subscription was $5.99 per month billed annually ($71 and change).

Interesting. That's down from last year when it was $8.99/mo ($107.88 billed annually), and even less than the $9.99/mo ($119.88 billed annually) that they were trying to get last year's subscribers to renew for. When I decided to cancel rather than renew I got offered a 20% discount ($86.30 annually). (Thanks deiscanton for alerting us to that.)

So it would seem that Flo is not having success attracting subscribers at last year's rate. And they clearly need subscribers to do what they do. Perhaps the market for their service isn't what they thought it would be.

Anyway, good for you getting the deal you got. I hope all new subscribers are as fortunate. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over time as Flo tries to determine the price the market will bear.

Quote from: Ron Boerger on July 10, 2026, 10:24:15 AMIf so, he'll be the first to do so.  All the other conferences have provided boilerplate answers about how much better things are gonna be.  The SCAC commissioner is the only one I know to have gone on record saying the conference itself is receiving funds that it is using to improve conference championships. 

Are you aware of any conference commissioners who have gone on a podcast and specifically answered in depth questions regarding the benefits of Flo to the schools in their conference and to the fans of those schools who are now having to pay for what was once free? Last summer the ODAC commissioner was on a more generic podcast, part of which covered the decision to sign with Flo, but did not get to the in depth issues of the benefits to the fans and the schools. Now that there is more data available they could also address the issues of viewership, how it is affecting recruiting, etc..

^^^ How did you manage to only pay $6/month?

Quote from: jekelish on July 09, 2026, 10:56:08 AM

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 02, 2026, 08:16:39 AMThere are 10? d3 conferences on Flo now?  It's hard to keep track sometimes.  That would be the 27%, correct?

I suspect the other deals are like the New England schools covered by NSN or some local production company that they outsource to?

Up to 12 D3 conferences now after they just announced the USA South as the latest Flo partner this morning.

American Southwest Conference
Landmark Conference
Little East Conference
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Northwest Conference
Ohio Athletic Conference
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Southern Athletic Association
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
University Athletic Association
USA South Athletic Conference

Here's the press release from the USA South: https://usasouth.net/news/2026/6/25/general-usa-south-announces-five-year-media-rights-agreement-with-flosports.aspx

Sounds basically like the ones from the UAA and ODAC last year.

Someone with a podcast should reach out to USA South commissioner Tom Hart for an interview about the decision and the benefits that will accrue to the schools and their fans. I was somewhat acquainted with Dr. Hart when he was AD at Webster. He's very nice and a straight shooter, so I'm sure he will be honest and candid in answering questions.

Sad news: https://websterathletics.com/news/2026/7/2/womens-basketball-webster-university-womens-basketball-mourns-the-loss-of-assistant-coach-angel-saddler.aspx

Quote from: Patrick Coleman on July 02, 2026, 12:52:17 PM

Quote from: Tigerfan on July 02, 2026, 10:20:00 AMBut not on the ODAC Posting Up board

Regardless, it's called University of Lynchburg, so it should be UL, and should be corrected just like one would correct someone who referred to HSU when they meant HSC.

Or, now, using VWU when it should be BU.

Quote from: MCScots2013 on June 26, 2026, 02:19:17 PMAre you sure about that?  I see your point, but tons of schools are adding graduate courses.  Schools that were strictly undergraduate 20 years ago when I was in high school and looking around, now shock me when I see how many graduate programs they have. I'm sure there are a lot of online classes, but graduate nonetheless.

I live in Virginia, so here are some examples in the region: Roanoke, Shenandoah, Averett (seemingly online), Bridgewater, E&H, Guilford, Methodist (now has a medical school), Greensboro, Lynchburg, Piedmont, Pfeiffer--given a few more minutes I can find more.

Let's take Guilford as an example, first.  The Guilford MBA is a 12-month program, tuition is $19,800.  When prompted to go to the "Financial Aid" page, it has an overview of the unsubsidized federal loans--no mention of scholarships. Another avenue for funding is tuition reimbursement as a benefit from employers.  Schools are getting wise to that and adding these programs.  Can't say I fault them, especially if you have the same faculty and you know beforehand the money is coming in.

Here's probably a better example: Roanoke, which has two MBA options. 4+1, and online 2-year self-paced.  Not  a terrible idea.

I'm not saying it's a good idea for every small colleges to rush to do this, but faced with the numbers issues they have to do something.

RMC started a Physicians Assistant grad program in 2023. https://www.rmc.edu/academics/physician-assistant-studies/#About-RMC-PA

Johns Hopkins layoffs.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/johns-hopkins-university-lays-off-over-100-employees-cites-federal-funding-cuts-2026-06-25/

Well, we now know that two of RMC's 2026-27 non-conference opponents will come from these seven schools: Chicago, Elmhurst, Emory, Keene State, Redlands, Trine and Wabash.

https://rmcathletics.com/news/2026/6/24/mens-basketball-mens-hoops-chosen-to-compete-in-nabc-tournament-series.aspx

Quote from: MCScots2013 on June 18, 2026, 05:34:18 PMI think we're most similar to Millsaps and Oglethorpe in the SAA.  Millsaps' endowment is tracking nearly identical to Maryville's ($100-110M) and revenues and expenses are similar as well. Oglethorpe's endowment is half of Maryville's.  I'm not saying that makes one better than the other, but I wouldn't think that Maryville's "wealth" is prohibitive to SAA success.  But, yeah, fair point about travel costs going out to San Antone a couple times a year.

Constant point of discussion on this thread: demographics are constraining enrollment (duh.).  Where we have an advantage is the fact Tennessee is growing and most MC students are in-state.  From 2020-2025, Tennessee's population grew almost 6% and over 22% of the population is under 18 years old (Census data).  I didn't go to high school in TN, but I think there are state grants for students to attend in-state private colleges.  That is naturally beneficial for MC as Tennessee--especially East Tennessee--grows.

A good time for a plug for the Alexander Institute.  If still on schedule, groundbreaking is slated for the Fall and then take 18 months to complete.  This will help get people on campus. Looking forward for all on the board to stop by on their vacations to the Smokies.  You'll literally drive past the entrance on US 321 in a couple years.

All of this suggests to me that the notion of MC adding Greek life to enhance enrollment seems unnecessary.