Tweet
This is my first post here at SDSUfans, so I thought I'd start off with a curiosity based question for the posters here. I apologize if this has been discussed before. To begin with, I'll state that I am a SDSU student, and that I have also asked this question on the cowboys forum, WyoNation. Responses there ranged from genuine interest, some interest, and your usual BS of "We have nothing to gain, etc." So here's the question:
If there were to be an annual game in Rapid City, SD against Wyoming, A) Would you as a fan have interest in this matchup? B) Would you as a fan travel and pay to watch this game more years than not? C) Do you think that the Jacks would have good fan support at the game in general (2000-4000 Jack fans at the game being very good attendance)?
I ask because I am a student at SDSU and this is an idea I've had for a while and I am curious if Jacks fans would see any interest in an annual matchup of this kind. These are the specifications that seemed to be the only way this could ever happen:
1) Play the game before Christmas, but after finals are over for each school. This would allow for students who live in the areas surrounding to be that much closer to the game, in addition to k-12 schools also being on break.
2) Create a trophy for the game, to hopefully create more interest and fan support.
3) Play the game in the Rushmore civic plaza (capacity 10,000).
4) Try to get a national carrier such as Fox College Sports or ESPNU to carry the game. This is unlikely to happen, especially in the first few years, but it could be a possibility. If it were played at the right date, no bowl games would be competing for tv time. This probably wouldn't happen, but they've certainly televised less intriguing matchups in December.
The idea behind this thought is that the area around Rapid does not have a natural fan base built into it. If people care about college athletics in that area, it tends to be about BHSU or SDSMT. That being said, there are many Western SD students at SDSU (from what I've heard, many more than USD), and most of them live within 1 hour of Rapid. Then of course, there are obviously towns such as Casper, Sheridan, and Gillette that have UW ties.
Both universities share many similarities in size, academic scope, and contributions to both states as land grant universities. Both are roughly the same distance from Rapid city too, and both have alumni all over each state. As far as basketball goes, in recent history, I see no reason why SDSU would be looked at as a "down" game.
I realize something like this is probably not going to happen, but it certainly won't ever happen if there is no interest in it. So I'll ask my question again: From the perspective of a Jackrabbit fan, what is the interest level in an annual "rivalry" game with Wyoming played in Rapid City every December?
If there were to be an annual game in Rapid City, SD against Wyoming, A) Would you as a fan have interest in this matchup? B) Would you as a fan travel and pay to watch this game more years than not? C) Do you think that the Jacks would have good fan support at the game in general (2000-4000 Jack fans at the game being very good attendance)?
I ask because I am a student at SDSU and this is an idea I've had for a while and I am curious if Jacks fans would see any interest in an annual matchup of this kind. These are the specifications that seemed to be the only way this could ever happen:
1) Play the game before Christmas, but after finals are over for each school. This would allow for students who live in the areas surrounding to be that much closer to the game, in addition to k-12 schools also being on break.
2) Create a trophy for the game, to hopefully create more interest and fan support.
3) Play the game in the Rushmore civic plaza (capacity 10,000).
4) Try to get a national carrier such as Fox College Sports or ESPNU to carry the game. This is unlikely to happen, especially in the first few years, but it could be a possibility. If it were played at the right date, no bowl games would be competing for tv time. This probably wouldn't happen, but they've certainly televised less intriguing matchups in December.
The idea behind this thought is that the area around Rapid does not have a natural fan base built into it. If people care about college athletics in that area, it tends to be about BHSU or SDSMT. That being said, there are many Western SD students at SDSU (from what I've heard, many more than USD), and most of them live within 1 hour of Rapid. Then of course, there are obviously towns such as Casper, Sheridan, and Gillette that have UW ties.
Both universities share many similarities in size, academic scope, and contributions to both states as land grant universities. Both are roughly the same distance from Rapid city too, and both have alumni all over each state. As far as basketball goes, in recent history, I see no reason why SDSU would be looked at as a "down" game.
I realize something like this is probably not going to happen, but it certainly won't ever happen if there is no interest in it. So I'll ask my question again: From the perspective of a Jackrabbit fan, what is the interest level in an annual "rivalry" game with Wyoming played in Rapid City every December?
Comment