Article on Va Tech's efforts to retain attendance

[sportsart]

Watching on TV, no matter how good it looks, is like watching in a sky box. The electricity of the live crowd is not there.

The 80k plus stadiums will have their ups and downs, but they will fill their seats if they are doing well and have quality opponents. So will the 40k seat stadiums.

 

[ZooCougar]

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.

Unfortunately it is, because everyone has a different opinion on what a great game day experience is. It's not just winning games. Fans in Oregon and fans in CT have different needs. I think everything at UConn is out of whack at the moment. The gameday, the ticket price structure, what happens outside of the stadium etc.

The issue is figuring out what is right in all of those areas and more. Otherwise people will stay home and make their own experience watching on ultra high def, low def or on a Tablet on ESPN 6 because we are in the AAC.

 

[Jimdish255]

Just as there's a limit to watching a losing team there's a limit to how much time I want to spend watching my HDTV. I want to tailgate, hear the band, see the players up close, laugh at the drunk guys comments, wipe the spilled beer off my leg, stare at Erica... Off campus is a huge hurdle for bringing students on board, and losing seasons swing the entire cost benefit analysis in the wrong direction for casual fans, especially basketball fans used to NC's. We have to "win" them back.

 

[freescooter]

Stadium attendance is falling in so many places and not just in college football. The Boston Red Sox attendance was off last year for most of the season. Only late season demand as the pennant run concluded got them back where they typically are. the Green Bay Packers didn't sell out a home playoff game last year nor did the Cincinatti Bengals. Both games were threatened to be blacked out in their home cities until at the 11th hour some local firms stepped in. there is lots more other "stuff" competing for time now too. UConn I think also has the problem that it is too new and lacks an established fan base.

Schools have also sold out to tv in a horrible way. Average time for an NFL game is just over 3 hours. Average college game is closer to 3 1/2. The NFL, based on various studies has determined that 3 hours is the optimal game time to keep fan interest and seeks to meet or come close to that. Last year I believe they averaged 3:08 for the regular season. TV decides when teams will play. Midweek games are pretty student friendly, fan friendly, especially starting at 8:30 or 9 on a November night in the Northeast. And UConn doesn't know when most games will be played yet.

Add to that just generally treating fans like an ATM. And then undercutting the folks who buy season tickets with 50% off deals. Here's an idea. Why not reduce the price off all tickets by $5-$10. There is a price point out there where there will be pretty solid demand. It isn't $40-150 since.

finally a note on tailgating. I've been tailgating for years at various college/pro games from Harvard Stadium to Gillette, to Memorial Stadium to Alumni to Rentschler. I can say without doubt that tailgating has become the focus of the afternoon/evening far more than the football game. Much more than it was say 15-20 years ago. One member of my family runs a catering company that has a few corporate accounts who do events at Pats home games. Back in the day when they were starting out I used to help out working those events sometimes. We had steaks, potato salad, maybe watermelon early in the season and such for some groups, hot dogs and hamburgers for other "less important" ones. It was a rule that we stopped "the feed" 30 minutes before kickoff, but it didn't really matter because for the most part people headed off for the stadium by then anyway. Now they hang around until the final minute. And the menu is much more elaborate. Lobster, steak, ribs, multiple kinds of salads, elaborate deserts. If you served hot dogs and hamburgers you'd probably be banned from the lot! and I see the same thing happening with individual tailgates. We did hot dogs hamburgers chips salad and beer at a game last year and were put to shame by the far more elaborate speads around us. We wanted ot eat have some brews and get to the game. That wasn't the consensus around us. The tailgate has become the event, not the football game.

 

[ZooCougar]

People in general are buying less tickets to just about everything these days. NASCAR, F1, NFL, College Football, the Movie Theaters.. you name it.

I used to think that once UConn was winning again and there were "quality" opponents that everyone would come back. I just don't believe that to be the case when you have winning programs that have attendance issues and sports that are just as exciting as ever that are not filling the stands.

We probably have a hard core group that varies between 25-30,000 fans. So the good news is that we only have to attract 10-15,000 more in order to "fill" the place more regularly.

Hoenstly, the size of our stadium can be asset as much as it is a liability. It's easier to please 40k than it is to please 60k. With a smaller fanbase, theoretically it should be easier to to deliver the goods.

 

[BHusky]

FBS schools "want their cake and eat it too" which is a double edge sword. Teams/conferences sell out to the highest TV bidder to secure huge annual payouts and these networks are doing anything and everything to keep the fans home in front of their TV's to drive ad revenue. The schools are now seeing drops in attendance because technology and national game accessibility is better than ever and schools are fighting to get those fans back to the live event through game day enhancements of their own. They are in partnership with their conference networks, but in competition with them at the same time.

There are only a small group of FBS teams that will not have to worry about attendance issues as technology and game access on TV continue grow, assuming they keep fielding competitive teams.

 

[ZooCougar]

Stadium attendance is falling in so many places and not just in college football. The Boston Red Sox attendance was off last year for most of the season. Only late season demand as the pennant run concluded got them back where they typically are. the Green Bay Packers didn't sell out a home playoff game last year nor did the Cincinatti Bengals. Both games were threatened to be blacked out in their home cities until at the 11th hour some local firms stepped in. there is lots more other "stuff" competing for time now too. UConn I think also has the problem that it is too new and lacks an established fan base.

Schools have also sold out to tv in a horrible way. Average time for an NFL game is just over 3 hours. Average college game is closer to 3 1/2. The NFL, based on various studies has determined that 3 hours is the optimal game time to keep fan interest and seeks to meet or come close to that. Last year I believe they averaged 3:08 for the regular season. TV decides when teams will play. Midweek games are pretty student friendly, fan friendly, especially starting at 8:30 or 9 on a November night in the Northeast. And UConn doesn't know when most games will be played yet.

Add to that just generally treating fans like an ATM. And then undercutting the folks who buy season tickets with 50% off deals. Here's an idea. Why not reduce the price off all tickets by $5-$10. There is a price point out there where there will be pretty solid demand. It isn't $40-150 since.

finally a note on tailgating. I've been tailgating for years at various college/pro games from Harvard Stadium to Gillette, to Memorial Stadium to Alumni to Rentschler. I can say without doubt that tailgating has become the focus of the afternoon/evening far more than the football game. Much more than it was say 15-20 years ago. One member of my family runs a catering company that has a few corporate accounts who do events at Pats home games. Back in the day when they were starting out I used to help out working those events sometimes. We had steaks, potato salad, maybe watermelon early in the season and such for some groups, hot dogs and hamburgers for other "less important" ones. It was a rule that we stopped "the feed" 30 minutes before kickoff, but it didn't really matter because for the most part people headed off for the stadium by then anyway. Now they hang around until the final minute. And the menu is much more elaborate. Lobster, steak, ribs, multiple kinds of salads, elaborate deserts. If you served hot dogs and hamburgers you'd probably be banned from the lot! and I see the same thing happening with individual tailgates. We did hot dogs hamburgers chips salad and beer at a game last year and were put to shame by the far more elaborate speads around us. We wanted ot eat have some brews and get to the game. That wasn't the consensus around us. The tailgate has become the event, not the football game.

If the tailgate has become the focus, then UConn needs to figure out how to reinforce that instead of fighting it. If they are still buying tickets and going then who cares? People like to tailgate? How does UConn make the tailgate experience even better? I have no idea. But visitors always seem blown away by our scene so UConn needs to view our tailgate as an asset and not a liability.

My biggest beef is when I see the chairbacks empty. Some pro sports franchises have gotten smart and have started offering "no show" upgrades. Basically 30 or so minutes into a game you can upgrade your seat in the event via and app on your phone.

Here's another idea.

Wouldn't it be cool to buy a ticket to see the postgame press conferences? And maybe have cocktails and/or beers afterwards?

You can't tell me that the luxury areas of the Rent are operating at capacity these days. There is a profit center in there that isn't being maximized.

 

[ZooCougar]

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.

I agree with everyone here that being there in person is better for me, but I also recognize that this may not be true for everyone nowadays.

What drives me nuts about going to football games is the near constant stoppage of play. Whether it is for official reviews or TV timeouts, many people may have determined without even realizing it, that it is better to cope with this at home than it is at the stadium. I would love to see the analytics of attendance during the official review and before that era.

I don't think that one single factor is affecting attendance. It's probably a multitude of factors including, the length of games, TV coverage, play stoppages, tickets costing more than people are willing to pay among many others.

 

[CTMike]

I haven't thought this through, but what if we had some "general admission" areas outside the 40s? Would it encourage folks to get there early to get a good seat?

 

[Doggie Style]

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.

Mike, I'm gonna take a stab at this one because I believe many people are in my situation and that may be a HUGE contributor to the attendance mess we are in. What I think is happening is that we are going through a cycle shift (made up term) of fans right now. What I mean by this is that the life priorities of the original is and has been changing over the last few years. Guys that were in their late 20's and 30's had some cash and their was excitement about the new show in town and being in a BCS Conference with a lot of talent, so people came to the games in great numbers. Well, then those guys start having kids and now priorities are changing by the second. Now the wife cant go to the games anymore because she now has to watch the 1,2,3 kids at home. Maybe she can make it to one or two games but its not like it used to be. Then you have two major concerns which are TIME and RESOURCES, and all that depends on how many kids you have and your economic situation. When you throw in house work, soccer games, bday parties,play dates and in my case hockey... That spare time and $$ is gone! Now take a look at the our situation as it is today. The conference sucks, the program is in a death spiral and the buzz is gone thanks to P and Hathaway! It is definately getting better in the Bobby D Era but I will say that It is just easier to say "i cant make it to the game this week." Now i'm in a situation where I cant find people who are wanting to go to the games, and in most cases I cant GIVE my lower bowl and Blue passes to friends and family if I have to miss a game, because its just easier to watch the game on the HD flat screen at home. Now there is a void in attendance periodically and that goes to the shift I was referring to. The next generation fan base has nothing to get excited about. All they've known is a crap program thanks to P, and a conference situation that does not look good in the short AND long term. I think the 20 something , 30 something crowd is the gap that the program needs to find a solution for. Without them, this will be our norm moving forward. Conference realignment will fix everything IMO but that better happen quick because we are on the clock with the fairweather CT fans.

 

[ZooCougar]

I haven't thought this through, but what if we had some "general admission" areas outside the 40s? Would it encourage folks to get there early to get a good seat?

This is really a dynamite idea that has worked in other sports. Sporting KC did an analysis when they were designing their stadium. They studied which seats in MLS were the worst sellers. Turns out those seats are behind goal and in the corners. They made those seats general admission and charge 26 bucks for them with an annual membership fee of 20 dollars. They built a huge sports bar that only "members" with tickets to those seats can access. Which is great because people can party before and after the game.

As a result those areas are filled every game and it looks fantastic on TV because that is generally where the most hardcore fans tend to gravitate. It's hard to argue with 50 straight sellouts.

We talk a great deal about expanding the Rent, but maybe we would achieve more gains by expanding the amenities offered.

 

[DW4UCONN]

I think it is more than just HD TV. I rarely watch anything live any more because of the ever increasing length of commercial breaks. The age of DVR has arrived means that I can start the game an hour or so after the live event starts and fast forward through the commercials. I have season tickets and when the Redman comes out on the field I am looking for my remote to speeds things up. These long commercial breaks kill the flow of the game. The other thing that breaks the flow is excessive play reviews. I would like to see reviews only when the outcome of the call has a definite impact on the game.

Other things that irk me:

1. Being forced to listen to idiots that think they know everything and feel the need to share it with everyone else. I am glad when this type of fan packs up and leaves early.

2. Fans that act as if they are at home watching the game on TV. These folks may as well stay home. One couple at the BYU game must have come to that conclusion because they left their chairback seats only 20 minutes into the game. I supposed perhaps that found better seats. A guy in front of me wears headphones the entire game and never moves (perhaps he does it to avoid #1 above).

3. Fans that turn around to put on a display for our visiting fans. There was a guy in section 200 that had to turn around and point at a Boise fan every time something went right. He made other immature gestures as well. I couldn't help myself so I told him to shut up and turn around. A guy in his 50's acting like a child. Both Boise fans and Uconn fans were enjoying the exciting game, but these type of idiots make it less fun. He only stopped after things went down hill for us. His buddies never turned around once, I think they were embarrassed, especially when he started bragging to the Boise fan about how much better our basketball team was. The Boise fan was loud, but not obnoxious. He even yelled praises when Uconn made a good play. The guys was trying to have fun. Sadly, this obnoxious fan was not the #4 type. Just immature.

4. The drunks spewing obscenity. I purchased season tickets in section 201 this year to be as far as possible from this type of fan. So far it has worked out well. Two years ago I became so disgusted with the filth and vulgarity being spewed around my 12 yr. old son, that I vowed never to attend another game. Seemed every where I sat I encountered this type, except for when I moved to the chairbacks, but that was uncomfortable, especially when someone came to claim their seat. I suppose I could have sat in the family section, but if I am forced to sit there I may as well stay at home. I decided to come back because of Diaco and I felt the need to do more to support the team.

The pace of games has to pick up, more of the band to make it feel more like a college game and provide more incentive for student fans to come to the game and stay. I like to see them on both sides of the field.

I am getting to like the helmets though ...

 

[J187Money]

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.

That's where you have me wrong. Price in a vacuum isn't an issue (IMHO). It is very much part of the value equation. What I've been saying is that *IF* you are a big UCONN football fan, you will find the money, meaning you will buy cheaper seats, buy them from stubhub, whatever, just to get into the stadium.

For the casual fan, it does matter. I've only been arguing that if you drive the price down to the point where you create value for people that don't really care, that you lose WAY more revenue than you make up with the extra heads.

 

[J187Money]

Stadium attendance is falling in so many places and not just in college football. The Boston Red Sox attendance was off last year for most of the season. Only late season demand as the pennant run concluded got them back where they typically are. the Green Bay Packers didn't sell out a home playoff game last year nor did the Cincinatti Bengals. Both games were threatened to be blacked out in their home cities until at the 11th hour some local firms stepped in. there is lots more other "stuff" competing for time now too. UConn I think also has the problem that it is too new and lacks an established fan base.

As to the Packers issue - they sent out the playoff packages while Rodgers was out with an injury and they were on an 0-4-1 streak. Nobody thought they would make the playoffs, and at 8-7-1 probably shouldn't have. That isn't a demand issue. It is like sending out Knicks playoff ticket packages when they are playing like crap and sitting in the 8 seed.

(the good part was I got to buy a seat for $100 to sit 10 rows off the field at Lambeau)

 

[freescooter]

Just read where there were games this weekend that lasted over 4 hours. Tha it just too long. A few things contribute. Halftime in college is 20 minutes. Needs to be reduced to 15 (NFL is 13) or even 17. They need to go to a review system similar to the NFL or just let the calls stand. There is a lot of current work on video reviews that is beginning to conclude that especially for things like possession, slow motion/stop action reviews are just as inaccurate as full speed, just in a different way. They create optical illusions on things like completions that are just as inaccurate since things don't actually happen at slow speed. But in college it seems that every play any time is subject to review for really no apparent reason. Nobody is arguing the call. happened on a Boise pass play on Saturday. Call was incomplete, nobody was really disputing it, Boise was about to send out its punter and all of a sudden there was a stoppage for an unnecessary review.

 

[whaler11]

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.

I don't play fantasy football but it is good for gambling.

Have you ever watched it? Single NFL games are tough to watch once you get hooked.

 

[freescooter]

As to the Packers issue - they sent out the playoff packages while Rodgers was out with an injury and they were on an 0-4-1 streak. Nobody thought they would make the playoffs, and at 8-7-1 probably shouldn't have. That isn't a demand issue. It is like sending out Knicks playoff ticket packages when they are playing like crap and sitting in the 8 seed.

(the good part was I got to buy a seat for $100 to sit 10 rows off the field at Lambeau)

I don't want to get into a debate on this, but I'll just ask if you can imagine the Packers not selling out a home playoff game back in the day even if they limped in? I can't. Congrats on the seats, though...

 

[J187Money]

I don't play fantasy football but it is good for gambling.

Have you ever watched it? Single NFL games are tough to watch once you get hooked.

I watch it all of the time. But that is because I can't get the data I want any other way. If the Packers are on, however, I watch that game alone and only go to RZC at halftime, etc. I love it, but you are only getting information, not really football. You miss the ebb/flow of a game.

 

[J187Money]

I don't want to get into a debate on this, but I'll just ask if you can imagine the Packers not selling out a home playoff game back in the day even if they limped in? I can't. Congrats on the seats, though...

Agreed, but this was a facts/circumstances thing. Not indicative of a larger trend. If you've been to Lambeau it is like nothing else.

 

[John]

I think it is more than just HD TV. I rarely watch anything live any more because of the ever increasing length of commercial breaks. The age of DVR has arrived means that I can start the game an hour or so after the live event starts and fast forward through the commercials. I have season tickets and when the Redman comes out on the field I am looking for my remote to speeds things up. These long commercial breaks kill the flow of the game. The other thing that breaks the flow is excessive play reviews. I would like to see reviews only when the outcome of the call has a definite impact on the game.

Other things that irk me:

1. Being forced to listen to idiots that think they know everything and feel the need to share it with everyone else. I am glad when this type of fan packs up and leaves early.

2. Fans that act as if they are at home watching the game on TV. These folks may as well stay home. One couple at the BYU game must have come to that conclusion because they left their chairback seats only 20 minutes into the game. I supposed perhaps that found better seats. A guy in front of me wears headphones the entire game and never moves (perhaps he does it to avoid #1 above).

3. Fans that turn around to put on a display for our visiting fans. There was a guy in section 200 that had to turn around and point at a Boise fan every time something went right. He made other immature gestures as well. I couldn't help myself so I told him to shut up and turn around. A guy in his 50's acting like a child. Both Boise fans and Uconn fans were enjoying the exciting game, but these type of idiots make it less fun. He only stopped after things went down hill for us. His buddies never turned around once, I think they were embarrassed, especially when he started bragging to the Boise fan about how much better our basketball team was. The Boise fan was loud, but not obnoxious. He even yelled praises when Uconn made a good play. The guys was trying to have fun. Sadly, this obnoxious fan was not the #4 type. Just immature.

4. The drunks spewing obscenity. I purchased season tickets in section 201 this year to be as far as possible from this type of fan. So far it has worked out well. Two years ago I became so disgusted with the filth and vulgarity being spewed around my 12 yr. old son, that I vowed never to attend another game. Seemed every where I sat I encountered this type, except for when I moved to the chairbacks, but that was uncomfortable, especially when someone came to claim their seat. I suppose I could have sat in the family section, but if I am forced to sit there I may as well stay at home. I decided to come back because of Diaco and I felt the need to do more to support the team.

The pace of games has to pick up, more of the band to make it feel more like a college game and provide more incentive for student fans to come to the game and stay. I like to see them on both sides of the field.

I am getting to like the helmets though ...

I've said it before here, so I'll say it again. I think the public drunkeness is a huge problem when this is supposed to be a family activity. My section (124) has been good the last few years, but previous to this we were in a really bad section - adults falling-down drunk, yelling curses, adults fist fighting. It was ridiculous.

 

[whaler11]

I watch it all of the time. But that is because I can't get the data I want any other way. If the Packers are on, however, I watch that game alone and only go to RZC at halftime, etc. I love it, but you are only getting information, not really football. You miss the ebb/flow of a game.

Yep but they killed the ebb and flow of a game years ago.

TD. Commercial. PAT. Commercial. Kickoff. Commercial.

 

[whaler11]

I've said it before here, so I'll say it again. I think the public drunkeness is a huge problem when this is supposed to be a family activity. My section (124) has been good the last few years, but previous to this we were in a really bad section - adults falling-down drunk, yelling curses, adults fist fighting. It was ridiculous.

The BYU game was bad. And I think you are right.

 

[CTMike]

Just one opinion, but I think the beer prices in stadium are sufficiently high to discourage drinking in large quantities... But I wouldn't be opposed to turning visibly sloshed folks away at the gate.

 

[John]

Just one opinion, but I think the beer prices in stadium are sufficiently high to discourage drinking in large quantities... But I wouldn't be opposed to turning visibly sloshed folks away at the gate.

a couple of younger guys (mid-late 20s I'd guess) sat next to us at the Boise game, they were well behaved but drank steadily through the entire game. They had, by my count, 4 beers each - $32 worth at least. To each his own, but I do my drinking pre-game.

 

[CTMike]

Maybe I'm just too cheap to buy more than 1 beer inside.