| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Hofstra University Cuts Football Program
Sean Gates, Student/Intern, Photographer
 |
Hempstead & Cooperstown | NY | US | Posted: 1:14 PM on 12.03.09 |
->> Hofstra University president Stuart Rabinowitz met with head football coach Cohen at 9:00am this morning to inform him the the board of trustees had decided to cut the football program during a late night meeting on Wednesday. The players were notified at a 10:00am team meeting, while university students were all sent an email on their student accounts at 11:00am. Students are shocked and are concerned about the players. "My first choice was to see if we could go Division 1-A...A little bit of research proved this wasn't feasable" said Rabinowitz. He also stated that none of the other DI sports are in threat of being discontinued. "We want to become the lacrosse capital of the northeast, if not the east coast" he continued.
The Stoney Brook Seawolves are now the only DI football team on Long Island,NY. With the football program not gone, what will I shoot in the fall? |
|
Sam Santilli, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Philippi | WV | USA | Posted: 8:46 PM on 12.03.09 |
| ->> Sean, do you have soccer there? You could also look into prep teams in the area. I wonder if the trustees did a survey of the alumni? Expect some backlash. |
|
Sean Gates, Student/Intern, Photographer
|
Hempstead & Cooperstown | NY | US | Posted: 11:13 PM on 12.03.09 |
| ->> We do have soccer and some pretty competitive high school football in the area, so my fall is not a loss. As far as I know they did not survey the alumni and the students are voicing their opinions via social media. The reality is that the turnout to the games was very low, which meant a lot of aluminum bleaches in my backgrounds. |
|
Willis Glassgow, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
Florence | SC | USA | Posted: 10:19 AM on 12.04.09 |
->> I am always amazed by these decisions. They are SO short sighted. I have seen this happen to many universities in the past 10 yrs and EVERY one within the next 3-4 yrs tries to bring football back, because while it does cost money, it also brings in more hidden money than the boards can imagine. Ask around about East Tennessee St when they dropped football. Three years later, because of dropping football. School attendance dropped and the entire athletic dept. was in jeopardy of going under. the president, under pressure from the board, asked for football to return to ETSU, but because startup costs had then quadrupled the cost of a football team, the student body voted it down.
The bad thing is Hofstra has a history of football and dropping it will make ALOT alumni furious. This is VERY bad news for Hofstra. |
|
Lee Weissman, Photographer
|
XXXXX | NY | USA | Posted: 11:27 AM on 12.04.09 |
| ->> The answer is plain and simple....NOBODY ON LONG ISLAND CARES!! Apathy for sports in the area is common. The Nets moved to Jersey for lack of attendance, the Islanders are looking to move for the same reason. The Mets are in the next county and struggle for fans. The indoor and outdoor professional lacrosse teams draw minimal crowds, and lacrosse is BIG on the island. The answer is easy, too many choices. My son goes to Penn State, football is religion there. 110,000 lunatics show up when they play Temple. Why? Because not much elses is around there. But go to a basketball, or several other sports and you can buy a ticket as a walk up. Hofstra is a fine university without a local fanbase. It is a shame to lose the program, but even Wayne Chrebet said he is not suprised by it. |
|
Jim Pierce, Photographer
|
Waltham | MA | usa | Posted: 12:26 PM on 12.04.09 |
->> The last football game I covered this year was Northeastern University vs. Hoftsra, now a few weeks later neither school has a football program. These are 2 CAA schools that have dropped football in the past month, Northeastern University dropped it the day after their last game a few weeks ago. Seems like both schools dropped it for the similar reasons $$ and lack of support and in NU's case lack of facilities to be able to compete and no desire to invest in improvements.
I am currently trying to work with other schools to cover their football teams as I will have too big of a void next fall. I still have the mens and womens soccer and field hockey teams but love football too much not to try and pick up another team.
Boston University dropped football back in the 97 timeframe and it was tough at first but since then the hockey team has taken up the void. Northeastern hopefully is on the same path, but it is unfortunate that it might be at the expense of Football.
Times are changing.
Jim |
|
Paul Alesse, Photographer
|
Centereach | NY | USA | Posted: 12:58 PM on 12.04.09 |
| ->> Lee is right. Totally different atmosphere here. I never even heard of Friday Night Lights until I started doing sports photography and did some reading on the forums. Most of the games are during the day and in front of minimal crowds. Is it any wonder that MaxPreps hasn't attempted to aquire the LI area. |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|