Day 15

Today I finished the Kennesaw State article which ended up being much shorter than the GSU article. I am still trying to coordinate and time to speak with the Berry coach, and Wofford has not responded to my email yet. I got some good news today as Georgia Tech expressed interest in helping with my project today. I want to try and meet with them on Friday. I might have to play a little bit of the waiting game as I try to get in touch with these schools. In the meantime I will continue to read "The System."
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Kennesaw State University is the largest school in the state of Georgia. It is now making itself like many other large schools and is getting a football program. As a member of the Big South conference, the Owls will play their inaugural game September 3rd vs. East Tennessee State, a team who is resurrecting its football program after it discontinued in 2003.

The program was built relatively fast. After a student survey revealed that 77% of students would approve of having a football program, the athletics administration, along with school President Dan Papp, started raising funds, and eventually hired coach Brian Bohannon.

The team also recently had its inaugural spring game where 3,800 fans turned out. This was almost as important as the teams performance on the field. Coach Bohannon was quoted in a AJC article saying they wanted to “make the conditions as game-like as possible.” The high number of fans was also important to the school as they try to sell tickets for this upcoming season.

I was able to conduct an interview with KSU Associate Athletic Director Scott Whitlock through email. Mr. Whitlock says he thinks football will definitely have a positive impact on the schools image. “The presence of college football, in most cases, helps a college/university be seen (by the public) as being more complete or more dynamic,” he said. “If that theory holds true, then football should have a positive effect on KSU's image.”

In my last article about Georgia State’s football program, sources close to the program mentioned that one of the main goals in starting a football team was to raise the profile of the school nationally and to become more well known. It is the same case at KSU. “In our geographic region college football is extremely important,” Mr. Whitlock said. “It is a sport that is covered by the media both locally and nationally. The sport will expand a Kennesaw State's brand.”

The “brand” that is Kennesaw State football is run like a business according to Mr. Whitlock. “A positive revenue flow is extremely important to any successful business, and operating a

collegiate football program is a business,” he said.

Like any business, the program needs to make money, especially when you have to pay millions for new facilities, fulfilling scholarships, and team travel. Making money for the program can be achieved by everything from ticket sales to donations to playing in guarantee games.

Kennesaw will not have to play in a guarantee game until the 2018 season, so they will certainly be relying heavily on donations, ticket sales, and sponsorships and advertising.

There are many challenges to starting up a football program including cost. “Theres always unexpected challenges like finding good opponents to what do you do if you lose and people stop showing up,” said Doug Roberson, who covers the temam for the AJC. “They solved the problem of getting in a conference which is good. They also have some sponsorships in place which is good.”

The Owls also will have many good things going for them as they enter into their first season including not having to build a stadium specifically for football and simply being in the state of Georgia. “You have to add in the game day expense of running the games but since they already have experience doing that in soccer games which is good,” Doug said.

Kennesaw is surprisingly one of only two FCS teams in the state of Georgia as Georgia Southern, who used to be in the FCS transitioned to FBS play last season. “Theres more than enough talent to recruit from in Georgia,” Doug said. “There one of just a few FCS teams to have to compete with recruiting wise in the state of Georgia.”

Doug said that KSU was similar to Georgia State in terms of their motives for starting a football team and in terms of where most of their fanbase lives. “To get the name of the school out there is really the motive for any school to start a football program,” Doug said. “A lot of both schools alumni live near campus. The difference is that KSU’s radius does not have nearly as many attractions to offer as alternatives to going to the game as Georgia State does being downtown.”

KSU plays a fairly easily schedule in its first year as they adjust to running on a college football schedule. After ETSU they have lots of home games including one against Shorter College, who is also in Georgia.

Only time will tell if KSU is able to accomplish what they set out to do by creating a football program, and with the largest student population in the state of Georgia, expectations will be high among the thousands of eager students. Especially among those students whose tuition was raised in order to put the team together.