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Well then - washingtonismoney - 12-11-2011

http://twitter.com/#!/PeteThamelNYT/status/146074356307607552

Marketing, my friends. Powerful force.

Re: Well then - washingtonismoney - 12-11-2011

The blueprint of Larry Scott to SHOW HIM THE REMINBI: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/sports/pac-12-hopes-to-establish-presence-in-china.html?_r=2&ref=sports

Quote:While Scott has his eyes on Central America, South America, India and other Asian nations in the long term, his immediate priority is establishing the Pac-12 in China.



Re: Well then - Farm93 - 12-11-2011

But 2013 is Stanford's home game.  I would be all for it if Stanford then hosted the game in 2014, but that will NEVER happen because of SC's even year hosting.

So essentially, Stanford tosses its most important OOC game into a big Pac-12 experiment.  I guess Shanghai and Beijing might pay have enough ex-pats with money to make it a financial winner for the teams.  Assuming the conference pays for the travel costs. 

IMHO It would seem far more fair for two conference teams to go in back to back years.  This way two teams would lose a home game.  They could play one year in Beijing and the second year in Shanghai.

In any event, the best way to do this would be for the teams to play in China on Saturday around noon, so that the game could be in prime time West Coast on Friday night.  Sunday at noon would be the next best option, but then the game would miss the college sports blog wrap-ups and national poll submissions.

Re: Well then - cardfan09 - 12-11-2011

FWIW, I believe that Stanford has a much stronger presence in China (and visa versa) than the University of South Bend.  We'd likely be favored by the crowd, though it certainly wouldn't have the same advantage as a home game.

Maybe the 2014 game would be held abroad as well?  (edit: beaten)

Re: Well then - dabigv13 - 12-11-2011

That's why I don't understand this- Stanford is already a brand in Asia. Why would we (or why would the conference want us to) use our good name to help promote ND, rather than another Pac-12 school? Not only that, but we also lose a home game.

Don't like it.

Re: Well then - cardfan09 - 12-11-2011

Although Stanford is certainly an established brand in China, that's not necessarily the case with Stanford football.  Larry Scott probably sees Stanford as the perfect "wedge" team for breaking Pac 12 football in China, since it's a university that people will recognize.

That said, I wouldn't want us to play this game unless we get a subsequent game in lieu of the 2014 game at ND, buckets of money, or preferably both.

Re: Well then - washingtonismoney - 12-11-2011

One last thing: I assume the game will be the last regular season one. But let's say--and I don't want to jinx this at all--we're in the conference championship game? That would be a hell of a turnaround.

Re: Well then - DC - 12-12-2011

True. Traveling between the US and Asia takes a lot out of you physically.  Makes traveling to the east coast tame by comparison.

At least Scott's thinking outside the box - JohnR34231 - 12-12-2011

I kind of like the idea.

Also if we get to the conference championship game it (probably) means we have figured out a way to beat the Ducks.

Maybe that's as much as we can hope for in one season.  :)

Re: Well then - Hurlburt88 - 12-12-2011

I lived in china for 4 years & recently moved back to US.  I can tell you that tons of expats would love to go to a game like this.  But more importantly, the additional marketing for the schools should also translate into other opportunities.  While Stanford is certainly WAY ahead of South Bend in terms of recognition, there is growing competition for top scholars & corporate partnerships from Asian and European Universities, plus the obvious Ivy names.  I think this can translate into over good for the university. 

Re: Well then - JohnR34231 - 12-12-2011

I recall Stanford played a game (I think it was against Arizona) in the 1980's in Japan.

Not sure how it did financially, although since it wasn't repeated (either by Stanford or as far as I know by anyone in the conference) I doubt if it was a galloping success.

Re: Well then - 76lsjumb - 12-12-2011

(12-12-2011, 09:32 AM)JPRI link Wrote:I recall Stanford played a game (I think it was against Arizona) in the 1980's in Japan.

Not sure how it did financially, although since it wasn't repeated (either by Stanford or as far as I know by anyone in the conference) I doubt if it was a galloping success.

The Mirage Bowl:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_Bowl_(college_football)

I think the LSJUMB had a pretty good time...

Re: Well then - yvonne - 12-12-2011

The difference is that there was no championship game and the overseas game was several weeks before the bowl.

Swimming upsteam against a strong current - 71Bear - 12-12-2011

Garvin:  While I agree with you re: scheduling college games in Asia, I think we are anachronisms.  The reason Scott was hired was to increase the cash flow to the P12 Athletic Depts. and TV/Marketing is the low hanging fruit on the money tree.  Let's face it.  College football is nothing more than a vehicle to mint money.  It stopped being "Dear Ol' Alma Mater" about the time that the SEC sold its soul to Beelzebub (aka: ESPN).  For better or worse, we now live in a world that is ruled by the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.  If they want Stanford to play in Moscow at 3 in the morning, Bowlsby's only option will be whether or not he wants the team to also visit Lenin's Tomb on the trip so the guys can honor the Original Red.

Lenin's tomb? All the way to Moscow? - Redrum - 12-12-2011

I thought that's what they called the old Memorial...or was it just Tedford's office?

Re: Well then - bulldogbigred - 12-12-2011

I think this could be a terrible decision if this does pass through. Look at NFL Europe and what a brobdingnagian bust that was. Why should Stanford University be forced by Larry Scott, to pursue his own interests? I read an article about a couple of months ago of a charity football game played by Drake and some other team in Mount Kilimanjaro. Scott striking the 3 billion dollar TV deal was great, but I don't think he gives a rat's ass about the student-athlete, as he only cares about the money that he is raking in.

Re: Well then - 71Bear - 12-12-2011

Scott is only the water carrier.  The decision-makers are the Presidents/Chancellors of the conference's schools.  If they don't want Scott playing games in China, they will let him know.  Since they have remained silent on this issue, I have to believe that they think it is a great idea. 

Re: Well then - Leftcoast - 12-12-2011

I'm going to play the contrarian here.  This debate is so last century and so inward looking.  All of this talk about sport fan inconvenience and rotten travel schedules is beside the point and sounds more than a little parochial. 

Far from fighting this, most Chancellors and Presidents are probably actively cheering anything that increases ties with Asia and builds brand value for their schools.  The Pac 12 schools are after all PACIFIC RIM universities and raising the profile of the Pac 12 among the elite (and college bound) of Asia becomes symbiotic with the university's goal of gaining influence in the Asian Pacific region with its rising powerhouse economies.  I imagine Stanford, the University of South Central, UCLA, UW, UofO, UofA and Berkeley are all on board with this.  I'm not sure if this fits as well with the state schools and newcomers but I wouldn't be surprised if they are equally on board.

When I enrolled in Stanford China was basically a closed economy (at least closed to the West with a big W).  Southeast Asia still lay under the haze of Vietnam and mutual suspicion reigned.  Fast forward a few years  and I, along with many of my classmates, have spent more time in places such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Suzhou and Singapore than we could ever have imagined in our wildest dreams.  After over 50+ business trips in the last 15 years I'm more at home in some of these places than I am in Mexico or Canada.  (!!!)

That's just in my lifetime.  In the lifetime of kids enrolling in Stanford today, China is quite likely to become the number one industrial AND consumer economy.  Most of these kids already would prefer to learn Mandarin to French or German and are looking at a working life where knowing your way around the East could be essential to any internationally minded person. 

Why WOULDN'T the Pac 12 Universities do anything they can to increase ties and brand value within the East?    If it costs Stanford one lost football week once in every six seasons to try this out then the cost is cheap compared to the possible gain.    (I realize that this may be inconvenient for sports fans but set aside the wrecked viewing schedule and notice this is one of those times where university ambitions and the money trail all point the same way and, well, you can see why the powers that be could really, really want this.)

Re: Well then - yvonne - 12-12-2011

I don't think this issue is inconvenience to football fans. The issue is inconvenience to student athletes. First, they will need to pack for a longer trip, then they will have to cross many time zones (too lazy to look up how many), and then they will miss classes, and finally, they will need to return to the US and prepare for another game. Such a game might work if it were the first game of the season, but they would need a bye the following week, and that would mean the players wouldn't get a bye later in the season. We've already experienced what that does to a team.

Re: Well then - Farm93 - 12-12-2011

(12-12-2011, 06:56 PM)Yvonne link Wrote:I don't think this issue is inconvenience to football fans. The issue is inconvenience to student athletes.

I tend to agree.  For this one the best argument is for the student-athletes. Normally one can't just sit on a plane for 11 hours and play a football game that day or the next day.  So for a team to play on a Saturday, they would need to fly over on Tuesday or Wednesday and likely would have terrible practices as jet lag dominates their bodies.  Same thing on the way back.  Multiple days would be required to get back into a routine in the USA.  So if Stanford is in the BCS hunt three different games (pre-China, China & post-China) could be impacted by this trip.

The first game of the year is probably easier (especially if it is in the Thursday USA slot) because the team could fly over whenever, most guys would be healthy, and then would have some time to recover.

But let's take the ND game as the example, assuming it is the final game of the year.  If Stanford was the Pac-12 North champ then this little escapade to China would be terrible.  Stanford, as the Pac-12 North champs, would then need to haul all the way to China.  Play a game with probable BCS implications and a draining amount of media and travel problems.  All while simultaneously keeping up with school work.  Then win or lose, Stanford would need to haul it all the way back to the USA for a chance to get into the Rose Bowl or better.  Add on top of that a new media crush in anticipation of the Pac-12 championship game AND play on a championship game potentially on the road on Friday, just a few days after returning from China.

So in my mind, Stanford Football vs. Notre Dame in China probably eliminates Stanford from any BCS bowl game that year.  But hey, anything to make money for the conference, I guess.