I have noticed this as well.
I think its due to the number of transplants.
Every one of our sports teams face this issue. Win and we will come. If not, we dont care.
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not in football YET in bucket #1 but yes, we are in basketball (both bucket #1 and bucket #2)
We offered Cyer half a million to transfer here.
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It means they are coming from families with no established connection to University culture,NONE at all.
My dad was a first generation college grad, and he graduated from the University of Houston.
He had ZERO connection to UH after graduating…could care less.
I , on the other hand, was a legacy student and went “All-In” while at the University of Houston.
First Generation College graduates provide HORRIBLE ROIs back to the University…many do NOT CARE!
Compare that to Texas A&M and Texas families which LITERALLY dress their “days old” newborn in Aggie and Longhorn gear because they have SO MANY grads in their family.
Just two completely different cultures…tells me we still have a LONG WAY to go if we are landing a high % of first time graduates!
Means we are the fall back local option.
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It’s actually embarrassing that the chair of the board allows us to be so far behind in NIL. I keep waiting on a Landry’s NIL program to emerge. Hasn’t happened.
Meanwhile, FedEx with a $25m NIL program for Memphis.
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Our board chair has done a ton for UH.
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And time to step up and do more.
He could fund the entire NIL program for basketball and football. $25m a year for both. Would be exactly 0.3% of his net worth.
Fred Smith is worth half than Tilman and is giving $5m a year.
Arkansas big money donors giving Cal $9m a year in NIL.
Our big money donors aren’t stepping up. And that is why you have ridiculous NIL campaigns asking us regular people to donate $10k at a time to reach $1m. Our big money donors don’t care enough to compete in the new NIL landscape.
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If you can’t convince a guy that is worth $10b to help fund NIL, then why should any of us fund it?
Seeing how the schools cannot directly pay the players, I dont see how Tillman, nor any of his companies could participate in our NIL campaigns. He’s literally connected to the university in an official capacity. He’d have to step down from his position as the board chair to be considered a regular booster.
Perhaps him as an individual like the commenter is embarrassed about. The commenter is totally misguided in his embarrassment.
But tilmans companies can do it and would actually reap the benefit of an advertising expense which the individual cannot do.
The only people who cannot currently donate to NIL opportunities are coaches and athletic administrators .
Typically first generation graduates do not come from well off backgrounds and have less means to contribute to NIL.
I’m a first generation graduate myself and have season tickets for football since I graduated.
Since I don’t have any kids myself, I was able to still build a generational pipeline to UH by convincing at least 5 of my younger cousins to enroll at UH.
Can’t say the same for everyone but I personally took my cousins to UH football and basketball games and toured the campus which lead to them enrolling a few years after I introduced them.
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If there isn’t much to do in Orlando, then why do I always see more of our fans making the trip to Orlando to play UCF and also visit Disney World and Universal Studios?
It is no coincidence that Orlando hosts 3 bowls games and also a big neutral site opening game every year.
I think he meant it as a Way to make fun of the people who say our attendance is affected by how much there is to do here in Houston.
I traveled around the world and there isn’t much to do in Houston other than, pro sports, eat, drink, or raise a family.
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That rule was amended in 2022. No school employees can donate to NIL. Since Tillman receives a yearly salary from UH, he’s technically an employee. It doesn’t matter if he’s in athletics or not. If he started bank rolling the football team, it’s pretty much a guarantee the NCAA will make an example of us.
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An Aggie I know told me that A&M annual budget for NIL is $5-6 million & Texas is a little more double that around 12. Ole Miss/Louisville collective is pretty good right now. Makes me wonder where we stand.
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In that case, you haven’t appreciated what more there is to offer here in Houston. I get out of Houston as much as I can because I hate the climate.
But there is a multitude of things to do here that you are ignorant about. Our performing arts are among the best in the world as Is our collection of fine arts music can compete with any city in the world, including down the road in Austin, with the negative to all this being fact that you have to drive to visit museums and art.
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Once Tillman got the nba team his efforts and energy was going to be spent there - why blame fans for NIL? We want fans to buy tickets, fund facilities, other stuff now you want us to cough up hard earned money to pay a prima Dona who is already getting the best of the best when the average student is struggling?
Let’s see now, Tillman has donated tens of millions for TDECU stadium, The Fertitta Center, and the medical school for example. He is our alumnus who has given the most to the university. We don’t really know just how much he gives to the university on an annual basis.
Let’s not forget that a person’s total net worth and that person’s liquid capital are two different things. It’s kind of hard to spend a piece of a sports team or a restaurant. Instead of complaining that he has not given enough, let’s thank him for being the benefactor he is.
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I have to agree with Moncoog.
I think there is a tendency by many to overlook what their “home” town has to offer and just take it for granted. There are visual and performing arts, concerts, science museums, space center, some festival almost every weekend, historical sites, shopping, zoo, even parks to visit the alligators.
I am curious as to what the other world cities have that Houston does not have in a similar fashion? (honest question)
PS. I think econcoogs post was tongue in cheek, not serious.