What is the "#4" sport at Michigan?
Been meaning to ask this question for awhile now. What is the #4 sport on campus?
Football is obviously and always will be #1. Basketball and hockey are interchangable at 2&3 depending on who you ask. #4 is pretty much a free-for-all.
Obviously winning boosts your attendance. Softball? Baseball was pretty popular in the 80s with the Middaugh teams just looking at attendance figures.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^
this may well be the least grounded in reality.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
Especially after a multi-million dollar renovation of the golf team's facilities.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
Both he and his wife were huddled in a basement with the softball team in Oklahoma last year with multiple tornados in the immediate area.
Not that it's proof that he doesn't have that attitude but he sure puts a lot of hours into attending non-revenue games and such.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
I don't think Brandon started (or helped start) two lacrosse programs with the idea of revenue generation in mind.
February 11th, 2014 at 4:02 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 7:17 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^
Explain to me how a sport can be revenue negative?
February 11th, 2014 at 2:53 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
They to win a little first, maybe float a banner and get attendance up but if they start succeeding on the field and people start showing up, I agree with you. I think we're five years of at least more wins than losses from that happening though.
February 11th, 2014 at 6:31 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:10 PM ^
Gymnastics. Softball.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:19 PM ^
Gimnastics. Sorry. Snark.
February 11th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
Our defending national champion men's swimming program.
February 11th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
I guess it depends on how you qualify what makes a sport rank #4 -
If its long term winning or titles: probably softball.
If its attendance then probably softball or maybe soccer.
Is there anywhere online that shows what attendance for non-rev sports is?
February 11th, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^
With attendance, you get into the question of total attendance vs. average attendance.
In 2012-13, Michigan women's basketball had a total attendance of 34,160, but averaged over 17 games that came to just 2,009/game.
Women's gymanstics averaged 2,540/meet that year, but they had only 5 meets, so their total attendance was just 12,701.
According to the NCAA softball record book, Michigan had a total attedance of 29,118 over 20 games in 2013, for an average of 1,456.
February 11th, 2014 at 2:59 PM ^
IMO:
4. Softball
5. Vball
6. WBb
7. Wrestling
8. Baseball
February 11th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
per gender, just my opinion
Men's sports:
1) Football
2) Basketball
3) Hockey
4) Baseball
5) Swimming & Diving (they get the final rung mostly due to the long-term success of this program)
Women's sports:
1) Softball
2) Basketball
3) Volleyball
4) Gymnastics
5) Field Hockey
February 11th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
It has too be girls volleyball! Is there honestly a 4th sport you'd rather watch??
Seriously though it's probably softball and/or baseball. Coach Hutch has a really good thing going.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:04 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:24 PM ^
I've been to at least a half-dozen U of M Baseball games over the years. And I'm probably biased because of my love for baseball and therefore probably wrong with my rankings.
To be realistic, though, Michigan Baseball does have something of a successful history (probably historically Top 3 in the B1G) and the future is looking very bright under Coach Bakich. Then adding in the recent huge upgrade in facilities, no way I'd personally rank them lower than 5th.
You can't do a damn thing, though, about the drawbacks you mentioned (weather and academic timing) and their collective negative effect on attendance.
February 11th, 2014 at 5:30 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
Softball
February 11th, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^
How can you not enjoy the women playing volleyball. Nothing better. Who cares if it makes money or not.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^
The argument people can make against baseball is that they haven't drawn over 1,000 in average attendance since 2010.
Last year was 760 a game.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^
but I think once the lacrosse program gets better that they'll instantly become #4. Lacrosse is getting more and more TV coverage and it's a growing sport in the state. I'm not sure baseball will ever be consistently successful enough to compete with a similar lacrosse team
February 11th, 2014 at 3:19 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
I'll go with Tigers Baseball.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:30 PM ^
Leave LSU out of this...
February 11th, 2014 at 3:24 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^
well glad to see im not the only upset not to see Lake Superior State University on the Hockey schedule... not to mention syracuse left off of the baseball schedule. Is Mississippi State University on the softball schedule this season? Michigan needs to add a rodeo team to go out to take down Montana State University...
February 11th, 2014 at 3:36 PM ^
Isn't it obvious? #4 in your rankings, #1 in your hearts.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:36 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:36 PM ^
I think it's baseball. For me, I actually have baseball as my third favorite next to basketball and football.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:38 PM ^
I work at a local restaurant that gets a lot of fan traffic on various gamedays. Based on how busy we get for each sporting event and based on the number of fans that come in pre and post game I would say:
#1 = Football
#2 = Men's Basketball
#3 = Hockey (Hockey fans seem to be the most loyal, tip the best and are the cleanest)
#4 = Women's volleyball or Women's softball.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^
are the Unwashed Masses, huh?
February 11th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
Haha. Perhaps I should have said courteous/well-mannered. To be fair I am comparing them to the football fans who are mainly drunk college students and adults who act like drunk college students.
When football fans leave the storefront resembles a daycare at the end of a long day (sans feces but including spittle). When hockey fans leave the storefront looks like your place after having a few dinner guests.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:52 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 4:47 PM ^
It’s a great sport, but it might be as long as eight to ten years before lacrosse becomes Michigan’s fourth most popular sport (even though there’s evidence that in terms of revenue for Michigan, it’s already number four.)
Michigan’s entering a lacrosse league next year with Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Penn State and Ohio State, all of whom will have recruiting and talent advantages over Michigan for at least the next two years. During that time, Michigan probably will be battling Rutgers for fifth place in the Big Ten. The last Warrior Media Poll had Maryland ranked 6th, Penn State 7th, Ohio State 9th and Hopkins 13th. Hopkins had a close 10-9 home win over Ohio State over the weekend, so those rankings most likely will change.
If Michigan fans have patience, by the time the Wolverines have had at least five recruiting classes with Division 1 talent (2016), they should be at a point where they won’t be embarrassed in conference games. By 2020, in Michigan’s ninth season of Division play, it would be fair to expect that Michigan will be consistently at or near a .500 record, if not better, every year.
Next year should see some significant improvement for Michigan as it gets Goalie Gerald Logan back from injury and some incoming players with high ratings on Lax Power – Attack P. J. Bogle from Culver Academy (22nd ranked recruit in the nation), D-Middie Hugh Mosko from Boys’ Latin in Maryland (32nd ranked recruit in the nation) and Middie Chase Young from St. Joseph’s Prep in Pennsylvania (47th ranked recruit in the nation.) Michigan also will have three other players ranked in the 100-150 range of top recruits.
By comparison, Hopkins has ten of the Lax Power top 150 (nine in the top 100), Maryland has ten (five in the top 100), Ohio State has nine (five in the top 100) and Penn State has eight (seven in the top 100.) Rutgers recruiting has been terrible. They have no recruits in the Lax Power top 150 and five of their ten recruits range from 413 to 1466.
February 11th, 2014 at 9:40 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
What? No mention of naked mileing? You kids are young...
Seriously, though I've no idea. Although I never attended any of their events, I did enjoy watching the women's cross country team run down my street so I guess I'll vote for them.
February 11th, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^
1.football
2.basketball
3.hockey
4.baseball
February 11th, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 3:59 PM ^
February 11th, 2014 at 4:05 PM ^
Beer pong.
February 14th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
You violate the elbow rule that badly at my table and I'm kicking you off it. Yeesh.
February 11th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
Of what I've seen i route rate in the following order (by level of excitement)
1. Hockey (because I joined the cult)
2. Football
3. Men's basketball
4. Volleyball
5. Women's basketball (would be better if more fans showed up and the fans cheered)
6. Men's soccer
7. Softball
8. Men's gymnastics
9. Baseball
10. Women's soccer
11. Field Hockey
12. Wrestling
13. Women's tennis
I still have a few to go to.
February 11th, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^
Not my cup of tea, and they've not won anything (I mean, barely even a game) yet, but they do get to play in the Big House.
Actually, though, I'd say WBB or M-Soccer is #4.