You might have heard about it by now. The University of Idaho cheerleaders are losing their skimpy two-piece outfits in favor of something a little bit more conservative. The university reportedly got complaints that the outfits were a little bit too much.
The question I have is, was this the right business decision?
Bruce Pitman, the school's dean of students, said that people were "concerned that the uniforms were inappropriate," but Pitman also added that "there were a number of fans who liked them."
If I'm the athletic director of this program, I do one thing. I don't get caught up in the anecdotal stories. I make it a scientific vote. Season ticket holders get a vote for each game they've paid for, anyone who, as of now, has purchased a ticket to a Idaho Vandals home football game also gets a vote.
You have the e-mails on file. Get a computer programmer to make a secure system by which each ticket holder can vote with the votes being tallied.
- Idaho cheerleaders to replace skimpy outfits
Why do I do this? Because I need everything I can get to distract people from the product on the field: everything like family face painting, cornhole and groundbreaking cheerleading outfits.
You see, since 2001, the football team is 17-69. For the season opener, the Vandals lost 70-0 at Arizona. Through the first two home games this year, the Vandals are averaging 15,008 fans. And that's if there's no number fudging involved. That's doubtful considering that the NCAA requires that Bowl Championship Subdivision teams have to draw 15,000 fans per game for a rolling two-year period or risk losing their status.
So what I'm saying is, if people are going to complain about the cheerleaders wearing skimpy outfits, I better make sure that it's the majority of the money that's in my skimpy crowd. Otherwise it's just not good business to cover up the skin.
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