Stop the Presses!
Marquette and UWM aren’t going to play basketball against each other.
In other news, the Bucks have decided not to play their game against the Milwaukee School of Engineering, the Admirals have decided not to answer the challenge from the hockey team at University School and the Brewers have turned down an opportunity to battle the girl’s softball team from Divine Savior Holy Angels.
Marquette against UWM. Give me a break.
The discussion about the game has been about money. But at some point, somebody has to talk about basketball programs.
Marquette has a multi-decade history of playing elite basketball. They play in what is arguably the toughest conference in the country and they’ve been in the NCAA tournament more times than any other team in this state.
UWM has a multi-month history of playing surprisingly good basketball. They had a great coach who recruited some great players, almost all of whom are now gone. Bruce Pearl was an exciting coach and a great promoter and he took big money to coach at Tennessee.
It wasn’t long ago that UWM played its games in a gym that resounded with empty seats, even though capacity was about a dozen or slightly higher, empty seats often outnumbered butts in the seats. The Panthers were, to put it kindly, a very forgettable basketball program.
And now there’s this argument about a few thousand dollars that seems to keep UWM from agreeing to play Marquette over the next five years.
Well, pardon me. My level of upset over the failure of this match to take place is about equal to how upset I am that Lance Armstrong broke up with Sheryl Crowe. I mean, who cares?
Maybe if Rob Jeter recruits some studs and isn’t picked to finish near the bottom of the Horizon League, for God’s sake, there might actually be some appetite for this game. But absent that, nobody really cares except for a handful of UWM alumni. And I mean a handful.
Don’t get me wrong, here. I really like UWM. I think it is a great urban university, despite its second-class status compared to Madison. It has done a wonderful job leading many off-campus efforts in the city and providing resources for research and planning.
When it comes to sports, though, UWM is a big yawn. Most of the students either drive or take a bus to the school. It’s a commuter school, with the same level of school spirit common to commuter schools around the country. The brief flurry of basketball success seems to have gone to their head. Their athletic director says the basketball program has a "value that has to be recognized."
I think, not yet. Do it for another four or five years, and then maybe.
Now, there is one other way for these two teams to get together.
Let’s find a big sponsor, Wisconsin Electric, US Bank, Midwest Airlines, Briggs & Stratton, to sponsor a season-opening tournament between the four Division I teams in the state, Wisconsin, Marquette, UWM and UW- Green Bay.
Put up a good guarantee and then toss in prize money of, say $100,000 for the winner and you’d have a real nice tournament on your hands. And it’s not as if there isn’t enough money around here.
I’ve got it. Harley-Davidson is slated to make $1 billion (that’s with a B) in profit next year. Harley is a Milwaukee company. They could stage the tournament and come up with a catchy slogan.
"The Harley-Davidson Cup. Come along for the ride!"
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
