2017 regular season attendance

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

The other thing, I think, is that you'll have to police it heavily but with a light touch, if you know what I mean. Have an abundant and visible law enforcement presence but instruct them to only intervene if somebody is truly going off the rails and being stupid . . . swearing, getting really obnoxiously loud/aggressive, falling-down-drunk, that sort of thing.

I think this is the way to do it.

[da_coach]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

I'm not really going to add to the tailgating discussion and whatnot.

The biggest thing the program can do to draw fans, is continue to win. If they would happen to win a National Championship, I have no doubt that you'd see a big bump in attendance.

Fans and students show up and cheer for a winner. You can call it what you want, bandwagoning, fair weather, whatever...

The team has continued to improve and win, and the attendance has continued to rise. Comparing SDSU to NDSU is an exercise in frustration doomed to fail. They have won, and won big, for years... long before they were Division I. And they are located in ND's population center. The Jackrabbits fanbase will NEVER be what NDSU's is.

The product on the field is what people are coming to games for. That is the big draw, and that's really the only "for sure" way to increase the fanbase.

[OldHare]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

3-4 years ago there was an area devoted to pregame festivities for students. It did not draw real well. There was a DJ and roped area. However, I would expect that alcohol for all was not included. I would encourage anyone that is confident in keeping students under control with unlimited alcohol to step right up. It may be advisable to get an attorney or two on retainers just in case the decision turns bad. It is a wide open arena for those who endorse tailgating for minors to drink. There is likely room in The Backyard for you to rent. It could be under the Public Service Banner.

[filbert]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

I agree that the students need to have the party atmosphere in tailgating, and that the policies the athletic department/UPD implemented last year have killed it. In a perfect world, you could have a student area separated off a little ways, and let it be that mosh pit/party scene and leave the rest of tailgating at "dull roar" levels. A big issue is the layout of our tailgating here.

The problem is, as long as the backyard is the place to be, that's where the kids will go. They aren't stupid. If you have all the rigs back there and all the corporate sponsors, they aren't going to go into a lot somewhere else that isn't already well attended. I know this will not be a popular opinion, but unless the backyard transforms and is no longer the epicenter of tailgating, kids aren't going to go for a different locale. They're too entrenched in that area, and coupled with the new crackdown on drinking/wristbands, I don't see the student atmosphere for tailgating changing for the better anytime soon.

Any tailgating area with even a whiff of institutional support will necessarily "crack down on drinking/wristbands" for students. That's simply a given considering the social and legal environment today.

It would be nice to think that students could self-police but that simply isn't going to happen either, because students.

Ideally, it seems like it would be a good idea to set up some kind of festival area adjacent to the student entrance to the stadium (like CappinHard suggests), set up a stage of some kind for pre-game (and post-game!) music and entertainment. I'd even suggest as a part of the festival area an over-21-student beer-serving area, but don't allow beer out of that area and don't allow under-21's into the area. Maybe even a big tent, heated for the later-season games, and accessible to the students during halftime (A sort of Club 71 for the students?) to help keep the students there and not leave at halftime. (Heck, move the big heated tent over to the student entrance of Frost for basketball games!)

The other thing, I think, is that you'll have to police it heavily but with a light touch, if you know what I mean. Have an abundant and visible law enforcement presence but instruct them to only intervene if somebody is truly going off the rails and being stupid . . . swearing, getting really obnoxiously loud/aggressive, falling-down-drunk, that sort of thing.

Any sponsors out there willing to step up to the plate?

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

I agree that the students need to have the party atmosphere in tailgating, and that the policies the athletic department/UPD implemented last year have killed it. In a perfect world, you could have a student area separated off a little ways, and let it be that mosh pit/party scene and leave the rest of tailgating at "dull roar" levels. A big issue is the layout of our tailgating here.

The problem is, as long as the backyard is the place to be, that's where the kids will go. They aren't stupid. If you have all the rigs back there and all the corporate sponsors, they aren't going to go into a lot somewhere else that isn't already well attended. I know this will not be a popular opinion, but unless the backyard transforms and is no longer the epicenter of tailgating, kids aren't going to go for a different locale. They're too entrenched in that area, and coupled with the new crackdown on drinking/wristbands, I don't see the student atmosphere for tailgating changing for the better anytime soon.

[SoDakJack]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

There's no doubt that having an area for students to tailgate where drinking is not policed unless something gets out of control. It needs to be away from the normal tailgating area so it doesn't bother people that don't want that atmosphere. Having that will without a doubt increase student attendance. If you don't want that, don't complain about student attendance. It's not all about drinking either, it's about the social/party aspect. What do college kids want to do on Saturdays? There are only so many Saturdays as a college kid, so you have to accommodate what they want to do.

Another thing that could work is an area like I saw at a Wisconsin game where you have live radio segments, a mini concert, a pep bend and hype guy to get people fired up. Beer, food, and merchandise would be available for sale. It really works for the casual fan that doesn't want to come with everything and they just want to show up and enjoy the atmosphere.

Why not open the idea of a student tailgate to a sponsor like Cubbys/9bar? I know it could be a lot of work, but with a little music it could be a great way to entice students to come to the game. It is too bad it couldn't somehow be attached to the student entrance so they could be shuffled right into the game.

Waaay back when, there used to be local live broadcasts from the tailgating area with music, interviews with coaches and former players, etc. However, now that there is only one flagship station going out to the Jackrabbit Network, the ability to do that is severely limited. Also, it would be nice if they could get a local FM signal onto the network that would allow people to better listen to the game while watching it.

[CappinHard]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

There's no doubt that having an area for students to tailgate where drinking is not policed unless something gets out of control. It needs to be away from the normal tailgating area so it doesn't bother people that don't want that atmosphere. Having that will without a doubt increase student attendance. If you don't want that, don't complain about student attendance. It's not all about drinking either, it's about the social/party aspect. What do college kids want to do on Saturdays? There are only so many Saturdays as a college kid, so you have to accommodate what they want to do.

Another thing that could work is an area like I saw at a Wisconsin game where you have live radio segments, a mini concert, a pep bend and hype guy to get people fired up. Beer, food, and merchandise would be available for sale. It really works for the casual fan that doesn't want to come with everything and they just want to show up and enjoy the atmosphere.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Why even charge the fans? I realize that they want to monetize as much as they can, but at some point you just have to do something for the pure entertainment of the fans. Have meet and greets with the other sports in the SJAC, maybe some food choices for those fans that come to the game but do not have a spot to tailgate, perhaps some type of live pregame (radio or TV) that would give it that ESPN Gameday vibe (on a very, very small scale). My many years in the business tells me that a live broadcast of any type is a big production, so that may be just a pipe dream. I just feel the pre-game experience has stalled just a little bit.

The in-game experience has vastly improved. But, as always, there is room for improvement. For me, college football saturday is about more that W-L. If you can make the entire game day an event, you might just win over a few hundred that normally would stay home and watch Nebraska get blown out (I just had to work some type of Husker dig in).

Agree with this. I really wish SDSU would figure out a way to turn one of the lots that close by to the stadium into an overnight lot, and let people bring in their rigs the Friday night before the game. Some places do this, and it just adds that much more to the whole thing. Part of what makes NDSU tailgating so cool is the rigs. With the proper space and the ability to come in the night before, it m if ht add an element that is missing. I don't know how much that would attract more people, but I do think it'd be widely appreciated by those that are coin in from more than a couple hours away.

Another gameday piece that I enjoyed at UNI last year was their golf cart shuttle service from the tailgate to the dome. We've had that before, but I'm not sure if I've noticed it this year (maybe I'm wrong).

And a final piece I'd like to see changed is allowance of open fire pit in the tailgate. Some places allow this, and you can still regulate it to keep it safe. That'd add a nice element for late season games especially, and you might even find a way to do a corporate sponsored bonfire each week with some give aways and free food.

All of those are small things, and may not increase the amount of fans at the game one bit. But I do think they encourage better atmosphere, and that might pay divedends later.

[SoDakJack]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Curious if they could tweak how they use the SJAC and incorporate more corporate promos into it. Maybe have a Cubby's-sponsored dunk tank where teams in their offseason try to dunk their coach and fans can pay to participate or have skills competitions where non-football players participate in "football drills." For instance, basketball or baseball players could compete in a football passing accuracy or receiving competition with fans who pay $5-10 bucks for chance to win prizes.

Why even charge the fans? I realize that they want to monetize as much as they can, but at some point you just have to do something for the pure entertainment of the fans. Have meet and greets with the other sports in the SJAC, maybe some food choices for those fans that come to the game but do not have a spot to tailgate, perhaps some type of live pregame (radio or TV) that would give it that ESPN Gameday vibe (on a very, very small scale). My many years in the business tells me that a live broadcast of any type is a big production, so that may be just a pipe dream. I just feel the pre-game experience has stalled just a little bit.

The in-game experience has vastly improved. But, as always, there is room for improvement. For me, college football saturday is about more that W-L. If you can make the entire game day an event, you might just win over a few hundred that normally would stay home and watch Nebraska get blown out (I just had to work some type of Husker dig in).

[jakejc795]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Student drinking not withstanding, I think that there is a ton of room for improvement for the gameday experience. I don't have any real ideas, but for someone that doesn't attend every game there isn't a lot going on...maybe try to get more local places involved?

Curious if they could tweak how they use the SJAC and incorporate more corporate promos into it. Maybe have a Cubby's-sponsored dunk tank where teams in their offseason try to dunk their coach and fans can pay to participate or have skills competitions where non-football players participate in "football drills." For instance, basketball or baseball players could compete in a football passing accuracy or receiving competition with fans who pay $5-10 bucks for chance to win prizes.

[jackrabit1]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Heck, I couldn't even watch the game on my iPhone. Cable company and ESPN are giving me fits.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Student turnout got murdered when they cracked down on student drinking. We can relitigate that discussion if we want, but people seem to be pretty entrenched in their opinions. I know I would have been less likely to go to games if was like it is now when I was a student.

This is also true. But it's been the same November slump for a long time now. Student tailgate issues only started last year.

I also agree with the poster that said we don't need to go down the "game day improvement" rabbit hole. There's some gameday stuff that might make significant improvements, but alot of that stuff is really piecemeal. Marketing is lacking, and demand isn't there is a big part of it.

For all of those people who are saying that we are slowly and steadily improving attendence and that we should be pleased, I'd like to direct you to read the proposal for the stadium that was sent to the Board of Regents in 2014. In that document, the athletic department outlined that they could expect a jump in attendence of around 40% within the first few years of the new stadium opening. They based that assumption on the fact that several other FCS and FBS stadiums had seen around that same rate of jump in attendence after a remodel or rebuild.

We've got another year or so to wait and see, but the early indication is that we are going to buck that trend, and not in a good way.

[SoDakJack]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Student turnout got murdered when they cracked down on student drinking. We can relitigate that discussion if we want, but people seem to be pretty entrenched in their opinions. I know I would have been less likely to go to games if was like it is now when I was a student.

Student drinking not withstanding, I think that there is a ton of room for improvement for the gameday experience. I don't have any real ideas, but for someone that doesn't attend every game there isn't a lot going on...maybe try to get more local places involved?

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Student turnout got murdered when they cracked down on student drinking. We can relitigate that discussion if we want, but people seem to be pretty entrenched in their opinions. I know I would have been less likely to go to games if was like it is now when I was a student.

[SoDakJack]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Try not to think too lowly of the casual fan as he may give you a ticket someday.

Unfortunately, most of the fans DON'T find someone for their tickets.