Jan. 26, 2011
This is a reposting of the Wildcat Wednesday weekly email sent by Athletic Director Greg Byrne to all the wildcat fans around the country. If you would like to sign up to receive the email directly please sign up here.
NEW FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
We recently shared our plans to install a brand new stadium audio system, along with a new state-of-the art high-definition video board in Arizona Stadium for the 2011 season. At 6.5-times the current video screen size, the new screen is 5,356 square feet (includes virtual ad panels which disappear for big plays)… that’s larger than Olson Court in McKale! Click on the picture to see the full size of the screen.
I can tell you from my past experience, having installed a similar size board at my former institution, this new video board will have a DRAMATIC impact on our fans’ game day experience. It will improve the already passionate, spirited and undeniable home-field advantage our student-athletes enjoy at a full Arizona Stadium. Get your 2011 season tickets.
And yes, I have already received the first request to play video games on the board. Maybe I will give that away on Twitter some day :)
THE VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
If you follow me on Twitter, you likely followed this link to an op-ed piece in the Washington Post that emphasized the role of universities in building community. You've heard me talk about it previously, too, although more specifically how we feel intercollegiate athletics helps build and foster community. But this was a broader look at recent events and how the University of Arizona stepped forward to have an impact. Our charge is to educate our student-athletes and provide them with competitive resources, but there's no question that the university at large can have a dramatically bigger role.
AND ANOTHER VIEW FROM A BROADER PERSPECTIVE
Last week, NCAA president Mark Emmert gave a speech to convention delegates and used personal interviews (on stage) with several student-athletes to illustrate five values he believes are core to the Association. The five are:
- The need to be focused on the success of student-athletes
- The fact student-athletes are not professionals during their collegiate days
- The need for institutions to offer as many opportunities for student-athletes as possible through broad-based athletic offerings
- That athletics is an integral part of what we know as American higher education
- And that all those points of emphasis combine into the collegiate model, an enterprise that NCAA members must work to protect.
He noted that while it’s important to have good media contracts, generate revenue and practice solid fiscal responsibility – that’s not the business of athletics. “The business that we’re in is… supporting students and helping them be successful in all their endeavors.”
STUDY SHOWS FOOTBALL'S ECONOMIC IMPACT
University of Arizona MBA student Kevin Wittner has produced an economic impact study that showed a single 2010 football game -- Iowa at Arizona -- meant a local spending impact of more than $8 million. That's substantial. The student, a former media relations intern in our department, conducted the study under the supervision of several advisors including one in the Eller College's Economic and Business Research Center.Here's a story on the university's UANews site.
FOOTBALL'S ALWAYS GOING
Spring football starts in about six weeks, right after the UA Spring Break. We're already excited... If you're in Tucson, you may want to attend the Football Signing Day event at the Stadium Club next Wednesday, Feb. 2, in a Wildcat Wednesday of a different sort. It's to start at 5:30 p.m. and features Mike Stoops and staff talking about the latest group of new Wildcats to sign letters-of-intent earlier that day. Tickets are $5 for season ticket holders and $15 for the general public, including BBQ and beverages. Call our Ticket Office at 520-621-CATS (2287) to make reservations and to purchase tickets. I will look forward to seeing you there.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR IMPORTANT L.A. HOMESTAND IN HOOPS
Speaking of energy in McKale, we are closing in on another capacity crowd for this week’s men’s basketball games against UCLA and USC. A few general public tickets are still available. There are additional tickets in the ZonaZoo seating section which are now on sale to the public. As a reminder, any seats in the ZonaZoo section that are not reserved by students are made available to the public. Call 520-621-CATS (2287) or clickHERE to purchase.
PERSONAL SEATBACK CHAIRS IN ARIZONA STADIUM
In the Nov. 3rd Wildcat Wednesday, I indicated we will be implementing a new Arizona Stadium policy in 2011 prohibiting outside personal seatback chairs. We received several questions regarding this change, and after careful review we will not be implementing this policy.
I would like to take a moment to ask that you be respectful and mindful of the space that personal seatback chairs can take up. Although seatback chairs may be brought into the stadium, if your seatback chair has pouches and/or cup holders that unsafely impede the walkway, or, are wider than the typical seat (generally 18 inches in width) you may be asked to store your seatback chair for the duration of the game. Thank you in advance for your understanding as we try to do what is best for 100 percent of our fans.
2nd ANNUAL ARIZONA ROAD TRIP
We’re excited to announce that we will be hitting the road this April for our second annual Arizona Road Trip! We’ll be announcing the date and location of one stop each day next week on Facebook. We’ll be stopping in some new locations this year, so check our page to find out if we’ll be in your area. This year’s road trip will include Coach Stoops, Coach Miller, and Coach Butts. Click HERE to see highlights of last year’s Road Trip.
WHEN IN ROME
Here is a great picture of a Wildcat fan named Mike in front of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. He sent it to ourfacebook@arizona.edu email address and we posted it on our official Facebook page. It’s great seeing our colors all over the world. Keep the pics coming!
NOTES
The University of Arizona men's golf team will open its 2011 spring season, as hosts of the Arizona Invitational, at Arizona National Golf Club. Thirty-six holes will be played on Monday, Jan. 31 with continuous play scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. The final 18 holes will start at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 1… Congrats to our No. 31 ranked gymnastics team on their big win against ASU for a point in the State Farm Territorial Cup series. On Friday, January 28 at 7 p.m. the GymCats play host to No. 14 Boise State Broncos at McKale Center… Arizona’s No. 2 ranked Men’s Swimming & Diving will be competing against No. 1 ranked Texas and SMU in Austin on Friday, January 28, and our No. 7 ranked Arizona Women’s Swimming & Diving will be competing against the No. 3 ranked Texas’ women in Austin as well… Men’s tennis will travel to College Station, Texas to take on the University of Miami at the ITA National Indoor meet on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m… Women’s tennis plays at Loyola Marymount on Friday, January 28 and follows up the very next day with a match against Cal State Northridge… The men’s and women’s track teams will head to Fayetteville, Ark., January 28 for the Razorback Invitational… For more in-depth coverage of these and other Wildcat events, be sure to visit our website at www.arizonawildcats.com.
Continue to do what you can to help Arizona Athletics and:
- Buy Season Tickets
- Join the Wildcat Club
- Become a Fund Drive Volunteer
- Wear the Colors (Especially on Friday)
- Get Others to Do the Same
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