re: Tulane Board reaction to end of seris

I look at it this way. Anything that angers and upsets the Tulane fans in such a profound way HAS to be a good thing.

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sophrandos has issues

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Sophrandos is a member of this board (if it's the same one) and he is online right now. Probably reading this thread and realizing we think he's a big douche. GFY sophrandos

That thread is one of the most depressing things I've ever read.

Would Tulane football even last until the expiration of the series?

They're rather fortunate the C-USA hasn't kicked them out.

There are more people bitching about the end of the series than actually go to the games......Sad.

What is really funny is that these Wave fans think that New Orleans is a Tulane city. I live here. There are more LSU fans in my neighborhood than there are Tulane fans in the entire city.

Even the local media makes back handed comments about Tulane.

The truth is the contract made absolutely no sense for LSU and was a charity move done by the pressure of a few legislators. When Tulane jacked up its baseball tickets prices, the LSU athletic department decided that it was enough.

Good for LSU on this one. Tulane is a private university. If we are going to play in state schools, then lets at least play the state funded schools.

As a Tulane alum and fan with 3 kids who have gone to or are going to LSU now, the end of the series is simply a shame. It is a rivalry dating back 116 years, and is bigger than the circumstances at any particular point in time. Tradition is supposed to matter in Louisiana.

Tulane gave LSU the lion's share of the revenue (net of $1.8 million) from games in the Dome to take the revenue issue off the table, at least in Skip Bertman's mind. Compare that to $3.5 million gross for a home game (if my understanding is correct), minus the payout to the visiting team ($750k perhaps?), minus game day expenses, and the difference wasn't supposed to be that great. I don't know what was wrong with the man's logic.

If you accept that, then add to it the fact that LSU, just one year ago, asked Tulane to switch games so that you could play Washington on the road, an 0-12 team from last year, which suddenly became so vitally important. I'm sure the LSU athletic leadership was misleading at best in those discussions and in getting Tulane to agree on such short notice; they have been making noise about dropping the series ever since the ink dried on the 2008 switch. I think that is what the Tulane AD is so privately ticked about. Think about it.

One other thing that Skip tried to explain to his fan base was, he didn't feel it made sense to play 2 difficult OOC series every year, because that would make it too difficult combined with the SEC every year. Also, the feedback he consistently got from LSU fans was they didn't want 3 OOC rent-a-win games per year either at home, that created too many undesirable home games. Tens of thousands of LSU fans living in N.O. can't afford to go to B.R. to see LSU, and don't have access to tickets. So, this was a sensible solution provided the money issue was resolved (which you have to admit it came pretty close), you'd have 7 home games every year, with one difficult OOC series game or Tulane at home every year and the other on the road. LSU's less affluent New Orleans fan base would have a chance to see the team regularly. And, a 115 year old rivalry would be rekindled.

Big money LSU supporters hated this from the beginning, regardless of whether it made any sense, because it meant playing Tulane home-home and because it was Tulane. A lot of LSU people do in fact hate Tulane and couldn't stand the thought of playing them in anything that might be perceived as an even arrangement.

Despite what has been posted by many above, Tulane's past and future schedules are factual proof that we have no difficulty getting attractive home-home arrangements. Ole Miss, Miss St, Georgia Tech, Alabama (return game to Dome delayed to 2012), Texas, etc. all have no problem playing home-home series. It is a trip to N.O. for their fans, and a good in-season recruiting trip to an NFL stadium. Because of the history, and my experience as a Tulane student and lifetime fan with the LSU game, I nevertheless wish it were otherwise. I went to Tulane from 1979-1982 and witnessed 3 wins over the Tigers, and a lot of other good games before and since.

They may pay a heftier guarantee for some teams, Texas for example. At the other extreme, Oklahoma offered to come to the Dome in 2001 with no return game to Norman, for the NCAA minimum $125,000. It was on the front page of the T-P sports section.

We turned them down out of a sense of responsiblity to LSU to show up in B.R. that year to open the season. That came straight from our AD. He was trying to avoid damaging a relationship he developed over time with Skip Bertman by pulling out with less than a year to go and leaving LSU in a bind. I imagine he must now wonder why he bothered.

What is really funny is that these Wave fans think that New Orleans is a Tulane city. I live here. There are more LSU fans in my neighborhood than there are Tulane fans in the entire city.

All the more reason for LSU to play a game in New Orleans every other year.

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Despite what has been posted by many above, Tulane's past and future schedules are factual proof that we have no difficulty getting attractive home-home arrangements. Ole Miss, Miss St, Georgia Tech, Alabama (return game to Dome delayed to 2012), Texas, etc. all have no problem playing home-home series. It is a trip to N.O. for their fans, and a good in-season recruiting trip to an NFL stadium.

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Even more reason why the contract was not well thought out to begin with.

LSU loses money with contract and the city of New Orleans loses money with the contract. It was an attempt for Tulane to bring in some revenue. Tulane was the only entity that benefited from the contract.

It made no sense for LSU

There was a time that the LSU - Tulane football series actually meant something. That time has come and gone, and is not likely to return anytime soon. Tulane would be better off doing all of their games at Tad Gormley. It might actually feel more like a football game atmosphere. It is simply no longer in our best interest to play them, perhaps other than at TS. Big sloppy kiss, wish them luck, and send them on their way.