Why football? Why now?

The reasons are both numerous and obvious. The following are just a few:

1. It is a fact that a football program has a positive effect on a University's enrollment growth. At WSU, total enrollment has declined since the football program closed in 1987. During that same time, enrollment at both K-State and KU has grown significantly. For the first time in school history, freshman enrollment at Missouri was shut down due to a lack of dorm space. We don't need a statistician to tell us why.

2. The lack of a football program has created a tremendous void on the WSU campus. With no football, the student experience is simply not the same. Homecoming festivities are hollow without a football game. A football game, the sound of the marching band, the smell of the freshly cut grass and the bright colors of the uniforms strike an indelible memory in the minds of the students, faculty, staff and fans. Sadly, a generation of students and fans has none of these memories. Whether you like the game or not, football is a part of the student experience.

3. The WSU basketball and baseball programs are a source of great pride for the entire city of Wichita, however, you don't play basketball or baseball in the fall. Football is clearly America's National sport and when the city of Wichita lost its favorite football team, it was an embarrassing blow and placed the entire city on the National sideline each fall.

4. Football is a fantastic recruiting tool for the baseball and basketball programs. The top athletes in those sports are football fans as well and want a complete student experience during their college years. Competing in their sport and earning an education are top priorities, but they also hope to build relationships with other athletes that will last a lifetime. Without football, these opportunities are simply too few.

5. For decades, football scholarships at WSU were an important community asset, providing many young men the opportunity to earn their degrees and make significant contributions to the city of Wichita. For the last 21 years, many of those young men have left the city in pursuit of their dreams and never returned, while others were forced to find new dreams.

6. Football sells a University as well as a city. We like to call it a "marketing department with pads". It is ridiculous to measure the success of a college football program by the balance sheet. Other, more inclusive measurements must be used in order to account for the total impact a football program has on a University. Total enrollment is one. The financial statements for the entire University are another. If every University used the same logic as Wichita State did in 1986, the BCS programs would be the only ones that would survive.

What kind of football are we talking about?

We are not proposing a specific level of football to be played at WSU. There are many opinions and theories as to what level we could support. Our mission is simple and clear and does not involve solving every last detail. A big part of the problem has been getting caught up in all those details. For now, it's vital for us to keep our focus on building support. We'll leave the details to the powers that be. Once the Shocker nation has proved its point, there will be plenty of people ready and able to handle the minutiae.

When?

Twenty-one football seasons have passed with not a glimmer of hope for a revival. For BringBackShockerFootball.com, job one is to restore hope. To light the fire and then fan it and keep fanning it until that fire is blazing in black and gold and the only way to stop it is to give us back our football.