Article on Va Tech's efforts to retain attendance | The Boneyard

Article on Va Tech's efforts to retain attendance

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Pitt fan comment. You could change Pitt for UConn pretty easily:

The University of Pittsburgh would kill for that kind of attendance. They are lucky to average 30,000 a game unless a big name opponent is in town. Besides that they treat their best fans with, at best, indifference. My college roommate has season tickets for football AND basketball every year, is a top-500 donor and he gets jerked around all the time buy the athletic department.

The only reason we all go is just to tailgate. College football games are becoming unwatchable especially since they reach 3.5 to 4 hours in length. I could not care less about the game. I'd rather hang in the parking lot.
 

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Obviously, many parallels to our situation. However, the big difference is : They are already P5 with no worries of being demoted. We've been demoted, and we don't have the luxury of having similar problems if we ever want to get out.
 
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Once Ultra High Definition television becomes the norm, all live sports are going to be in very serious trouble.

The at home game experience will be so good that even many die hard fans will stay home to watch. Every sport will be affected. It's going to get very interesting.
 
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Once Ultra High Definition television becomes the norm, all live sports are going to be in very serious trouble.

The at home game experience will be so good that even many die hard fans will stay home to watch. Every sport will be affected. It's going to get very interesting.

No matter how good they make it look on TV, fans who have experienced a great gameday atmosphere will be at the game.

It really is a non issue.
 
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Once Ultra High Definition television becomes the norm, all live sports are going to be in very serious trouble.

The at home game experience will be so good that even many die hard fans will stay home to watch. Every sport will be affected. It's going to get very interesting.

IMO thats called laziness. If you are a real fan, you will show up and cheer your team on in the stadium.
 
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IMO thats called laziness. If you are a real fan, you will show up and cheer your team on in the stadium.

your use of the word lazy is interesting. One isn't supposed to be lazy in their work obviously, but in the pursuit of leisure activities, isn't it ok to be lazy? Doing some kind of leisure activity should not be work after all.
 

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If you don't think television is a huge issue for live sports attendance you are so far lost they should send out the National Guard with helicopters to find you.
 

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IMO thats called laziness. If you are a real fan, you will show up and cheer your team on in the stadium.

Not questioning your fandom but when you've been to Rentschler once in 3 years you aren't in any position to criticize anyone else who doesn't go.

It's easy to say you'd be there if you could - but until you've actually sat through the last 3+ seasons, it's not laziness from the people who don't go.
 
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Uconn games are never really on actual TV anyway so that doesn't count for us.

There aren't enough people in this state that know how to use espn3 to fill the empty seats at the Rent. Just not enough people care.
 
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Like most things in life, attending football games is all about desire, because if you have enough of that desire you'll find the time, spend the money, (and even tolerate the traffic!) Schools can influence that desire with various game day incentives but in the end there are only a few events that serve as communal bonding experiences: Concerts, Rallies, Parades, and Live Sporting Events. Sitting home watching a concert or game on your HDTV may be a comfortable alternative but it's simply not the same. Being there is what makes the event. Sportsart is right. Fans who come and have a great time are apt to return. There are lots of opinions out there on how to improve the game day experience and heaven knows the Boneyard is replete with them, but that's for another thread. The solace I take in our current circumstance (perhaps delusionally) is that unlike those football-centric schools who are seeing their historic sold-out attendance numbers in decline, we've never had that packed house syndrome. We actually have the chance to breathe new interest into what heretofore has never been fully appreciated or properly promoted. Ours is not a jaded population, it's more an uninspired one. We now have a coach who understands the importance of his role in that mission and an administration that realizes the need (driven by a P-5 conference imperative) to foster an exciting fan friendly environment that will go a long way toward infusing lots more folks with a strong desire to make The Rent the place to be on Saturdays in the fall. Count me in as a believer.
 
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Not questioning your fandom but when you've been to Rentschler once in 3 years you aren't in any position to criticize anyone else who doesn't go.

It's easy to say you'd be there if you could - but until you've actually sat through the last 3+ seasons, it's not laziness from the people who don't go.

Its not laziness when the product is so bad, you want to punch yourself in the face. Which is where I was when Boise scored on the fumble to start the game. You go cause you're a fan, but its not supposed to frustrate you yo the point you question why you are doing this.
 

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Like most things in life, attending football games is all about desire, because if you have enough of that desire you'll find the time, spend the money, (and even tolerate the traffic!) Schools can influence that desire with various game day incentives but in the end there are only a few events that serve as communal bonding experiences: Concerts, Rallies, Parades, and Live Sporting Events. Sitting home watching a concert or game on your HDTV may be a comfortable alternative but it's simply not the same. Being there is what makes the event. Sportsart is right. Fans who come and have a great time are apt to return. There are lots of opinions out there on how to improve the game day experience and heaven knows the Boneyard is replete with them, but that's for another thread. The solace I take in our current circumstance (perhaps delusionally) is that unlike those football-centric schools who are seeing their historic sold-out attendance numbers in decline, we've never had that packed house syndrome. We actually have the chance to breathe new interest into what heretofore has never been fully appreciated or properly promoted. Ours is not a jaded population, it's more an uninspired one. We now have a coach who understands the importance of his role in that mission and an administration that realizes the need (driven by a P-5 conference imperative) to foster an exciting fan friendly environment that will go a long way toward infusing lots more folks with a strong desire to make The Rent the place to be on Saturdays in the fall. Count me in as a believer.


You guys are missing that not everyone feels that way. I'd rather watch Redzone than go to an NFL game and that is if you bought my ticket and drove me to the stadium.

Redzone > NFL in person experience to me any many others.
 
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whaler11 said:
You guys are missing that not everyone feels that way. I'd rather watch Redzone than go to an NFL game and that is if you bought my ticket and drove me to the stadium. Redzone > NFL in person experience to me any many others.

That's a gambling/fantasy football thing. I would guess that Redzone isn't nearly that entertaining for a person that doesn't have action on the games and is principally a fan of one team.
 
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Like most things in life, attending football games is all about desire, because if you have enough of that desire you'll find the time, spend the money, (and even tolerate the traffic!) Schools can influence that desire with various game day incentives but in the end there are only a few events that serve as communal bonding experiences: Concerts, Rallies, Parades, and Live Sporting Events. Sitting home watching a concert or game on your HDTV may be a comfortable alternative but it's simply not the same. Being there is what makes the event. Sportsart is right. Fans who come and have a great time are apt to return. There are lots of opinions out there on how to improve the game day experience and heaven knows the Boneyard is replete with them, but that's for another thread. The solace I take in our current circumstance (perhaps delusionally) is that unlike those football-centric schools who are seeing their historic sold-out attendance numbers in decline, we've never had that packed house syndrome. We actually have the chance to breathe new interest into what heretofore has never been fully appreciated or properly promoted. Ours is not a jaded population, it's more an uninspired one. We now have a coach who understands the importance of his role in that mission and an administration that realizes the need (driven by a P-5 conference imperative) to foster an exciting fan friendly environment that will go a long way toward infusing lots more folks with a strong desire to make The Rent the place to be on Saturdays in the fall. Count me in as a believer.

Amen Brother
 

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J, I know you aren't as keen on the price issue, but to me it's all part of value. Define value however you want - entertainment factor for the time and money spent, playing top opponents, wins offer value, scoring points offers value (ie excitement), game day experience, cheering your alma mater, tailgating, all that.

When the product on the field isn't exciting (without getting in to the reasons why, because most folks don't care why)... The value equations swings heavily in favor of spending less time and less money by staying home. So yes, a lot of effort needs to be put in to the game day experience. Frankly, we need to win, and that's just going to take a while given the state of things. But in the meantime, price is an awfully big hammer in the value arsenal - why ignore that? Leave no stone unturned in getting people back.
 
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IMO thats called laziness. If you are a real fan, you will show up and cheer your team on in the stadium.

Regardless of cost? Regardless of the time investment? What about other concerns? I skipped a football game, and watched in on television, this past Saturday because my oldest needed to put in some work on a history project and needed the help. Does that somehow make me less of a fan?
 
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Regardless of cost? Regardless of the time investment? What about other concerns? I skipped a football game, and watched in on television, this past Saturday because my oldest needed to put in some work on a history project and needed the help. Does that somehow make me less of a fan?

That's not the point. The previous comments by Blue Loyalist made it seem as if taking in a live game in the future would be unnecessary due to home theater advancements. If one is fully capable and things outside of their control don't restrict them from going, why aren't they there? Maybe I'm too much of a homer and die hard. I support this program through thick and thin regardless of conference affiliation.
 
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I think UConn's fan engagement is piss poor at best. I think it's a leftover mentality from Perkins/Hathaway. But in general this is endemic across most schools.

The first time I bought season tickets, they gladly took my fee, they took my donation. And they spelled my name wrong on everything they sent me in the mail, and they still haven't gotten it right. They even actually sent me stuff addressed as a "Mrs." Instead of "Mr.". You would think that over the course of the year, a representative would call to thank me and explain everything. But I guess dropping a couple grand on three tickets (donation included) isn't worth their time. It's just absurd.

I honestly don't think that school knows very much about the people who buy tickets, what they like about the experience, what they want improved. Why they don't seem to make it into the stadium on time etc.

I think that things have changed since back when this team won games. Even when this team is winning I don't expect the place to fill up.
 

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If it hasn't been asked, I would ask why people don't go to games, not just why they do. Generate a list of excuses, and then address them one by one.
 
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If it hasn't been asked, I would ask why people don't go to games, not just why they do. Generate a list of excuses, and then address them one by one.

That's probably one of the most important questions.

In this era of HD tv. There are still venues that sell out and have waiting lists. That's not just happening because teams are winning. I guarantee you that the clubs, schools, franchises and what have you are highly attuned to what their fans want and they are delivering on it. School spirit and community only goes so far.
 
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No matter how good they make it look on TV, fans who have experienced a great gameday atmosphere will be at the game.

It really is a non issue.

I agree with your statement which is why I go to every UConn home football game and as many road games as I can afford.

But just for informational purposes, Ultra High Def is not going to be an incremental change in technology - it's going to be a genuine breakthrough and it's coming around 2017 or so. Television football is going to be significantly enhanced in ways that are hard to imagine right now. If it works as planned it's not going to be a change - it's going to be a revolution.

Boneyard people will still keep going to the real games. No question about that. I count myself in this number.

But the new technology is going to be so seductive that many other more casual fans are going to stay home and college ADs and NFL marketing VP are genuinely concerned about the future of stadium attendance. The Michigan AD has already identified this as the number one challenge in his job. And that's from a school that just made a multi million dollar investment to increase seating capacity.
 

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Once Ultra High Definition television becomes the norm, all live sports are going to be in very serious trouble.

The at home game experience will be so good that even many die hard fans will stay home to watch. Every sport will be affected. It's going to get very interesting.


I don't get this. I finally gave in a bought a nice new TV and good speakers. At the end of the day, it's still just a TV. Live will always be so much better.
 

CTMike

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I agree with your statement which is why I go to every UConn home football game and as many road games as I can afford.

But just for informational purposes, Ultra High Def is not going to be an incremental change in technology - it's going to be a genuine breakthrough and it's coming around 2017 or so. Television football is going to be significantly enhanced in ways that are hard to imagine right now. If it works as planned it's not going to be a change - it's going to be a revolution.

Boneyard people will still keep going to the real games. No question about that. I count myself in this number.

But the new technology is going to be so seductive that many other more casual fans are going to stay home and college ADs and NFL marketing VP are genuinely concerned about the future of stadium attendance. The Michigan AD has already identified this as the number one challenge in his job. And that's from a school that just made a multi million dollar investment to increase seating capacity.
The leap from HD to UHD will be far less revolutionary than SD was going to HD. Aside from everyone having to get new TVs, and broadcasters having to find the bandwidth to distribute, eyes can only see so much detail at normal viewing distances and screen sizes. Until everyone has 65+ inch 4k panels it's not as pressing an issue as some other things that have been brought up.
 
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