Attendance & Alcohol

[thumper_76]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Thought it was cool to have AD Sell and Coaches Henderson and Hahn walking through the east side crowd prior to this evenings Beef Bowl thanking fans for attending. It's not the first time I've seen coaches or Justin Sell at games, but it was neat seeing them walking through the stands interacting with fans.

Stig came through the library lots, thought that was pretty cool.

[jakejc795]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Stig came through the library lots, thought that was pretty cool.

Darn it; that would've been awesome. I used to see him riding his scooter when I was walking to summer classes/office hours, but that's the nearest Stig sighting I've had.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gVpIMXeQcIk

This is the 2017 Marker game, filmed entirely from the east side. I don't want to contribute more to the thread drift in the SUU game thread.

Obviously, that 2017 game was a louder environment than normal, but it gives an idea of the view from the east side. And it's also just a fun one to rewatch...

[Jacks99]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

As said in the SUU thread FOMO is what we are referring to on filming West side. Not to mention showing off the facility.

Couldn't make the game and watched on ESPN+. Thought Midco did much better and mainly filled in with close up shots of the crowd and students. Just need 1 camera from the East to show the overall crowd.

An upside down rabbit occasionally should be the least of concerns.

That said East side crowd looked decent.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[slosho]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

As said in the SUU thread FOMO is what we are referring to on filming West side. Not to mention showing off the facility.

Couldn't make the game and watched on ESPN+. Thought Midco did much better and mainly filled in with close up shots of the crowd and students. Just need 1 camera from the East to show the overall crowd.

An upside down rabbit occasionally should be the least of concerns.

That said East side crowd looked decent.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

FYI NDSU to offer Beer and Wine at Basketball games
https://twitter.com/The_BrakeDown/st...80494111166468

[CappinHard]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

FYI NDSU to offer Beer and Wine at Basketball games
https://twitter.com/The_BrakeDown/st...80494111166468

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

https://mobile.twitter.com/argusmatt...73688537243648

Good article by Zimmer on attendance. My personal opinion, (and alluded to in the story) is that Sell will be fighting an uphill battle on tailgating unless Dunn/UPD loosen the grip a little bit.

I've stated this before, but a realistic, attainable goal is:

17k+ for Hobo Day
16k+ for Beef Bowl
15k+ for Home Opener
19k+ For USD/NDSU
14k+ for other home games
10k+ for playoffs

In a 6 home game year, that would give you an average of 15.8k fans. The administration thought that with the new stadium, 15k was a realistic average.

Factor in 3 home playoff games, and that average gets to 13.8k over 9 home games. It's worth noting that our lowest attended games have always been playoff games. It's a weird deal in that the better the team does in a given season, the worse that average looks. Boosting playoff attendance and late season home game attendance would be a huge factor in improving the season average.

I think those are realistic goals. We had close to 17k at Hobo Day in 2016. Which tells me we've got 17k Jacks fans that could be attending games on a regular basis since there sure we're very many penguin fans in that 17k. And having the USD game earlier might mean getting another 2-3 Jacks fans out to the game along with another 1-2k yote fans. Our 2016 beef bowl was over 16k, so that is attainable. It's our Home Opener and other regukar season games where there's a huge drop off. And of course, a bad weather year (like last year), and the numbers will plumet. Unless the culture changes enough to where a Jacks game day is priority and not a covenience, regardless of weather.

Thoughts? To me, there's no reason we can't sell out one game per year and have another at 17k. That, plus better late season/playoffs would jump the average up quite a bit.

[OldHare]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Dream on if you think that playoff games in cold weather during the near future bring in big crowds. There are many people gone before the weather gets that cold and many more that do not intend to be out there in cold weather.. The Hobo Day this year is not ideal, but the weather is not similar to winter conditions. It may be premature to tank attendance.

PS Zimmer is the beat writer for the Jackrabbits, but do not confuse him with an advocate of Jackrabbits in general.

[JackJD]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

...Thoughts? To me, there's no reason we can't sell out one game per year and have another at 17k. That, plus better late season/playoffs would jump the average up quite a bit.

I think Tibbs is right.

If a casual fan wants to see top-level FCS football in person, what's the choice? Those casual fans can become strong Jacks fans. Our stadium was constructed with growth in mind. Our in-state conference mate, USD, even if its program starts playing better, simply will not have room for a crowd larger than 9,000 when the DakotaDome renovations are completed. (I think the figure is about 9,000). Compare that to the disappointing average attendance figures that SDSU is addressing -- our regular-season crowds wouldn't fit in the DakotaDome.

As far as weather is concerned -- I think continued success will take care of weather. I went to November and December Vikings games and had a blast (more fun that in the old Metrodome or the new stadium). I haven't been to a Packers snow game but Packers fans have no problem filling the stadium regardless of the weather.

I think the reporting on attendance at the stadium will in the long run, be very beneficial. That kind of press attention will help get the word out that seats are available for top-tier football.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Dream on if you think that playoff games in cold weather during the near future bring in big crowds. There are many people gone before the weather gets that cold and many more that do not intend to be out there in cold weather.. The Hobo Day this year is not ideal, but the weather is not similar to winter conditions. It may be premature to tank attendance.

PS Zimmer is the beat writer for the Jackrabbits, but do not confuse him with an advocate of Jackrabbits in general.

I'm not sure where you picked up "big" from a goal of 10k for playoff games? Especially since we've had 7.5k for playoff games before (Uni in 2017). And we've had 5.5 to 6.5k for the playoff games against Nova and UNH. It's really only the thanks giving weekend playoff game of 2012 against EIU and the snowstorm game against Duquesne last year that have had below 5k. 10k sure seems attainable when we've been in the ball park before. If we can have 9-11k for late November regular season games, we should be able to get that for the playoffs.

And I'm well aware of Zimmer's role. I'm not sure what you're implying, but his job is to report on the Jacks. And the attendance issue is of massive concern to Jacks fans, players, and administration, as noted in the article.

[SoDakJack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I think Tibbs is right.

If a casual fan wants to see top-level FCS football in person, what's the choice? Those casual fans can become strong Jacks fans. Our stadium was constructed with growth in mind. Our in-state conference mate, USD, even if its program starts playing better, simply will not have room for a crowd larger than 9,000 when the DakotaDome renovations are completed. (I think the figure is about 9,000). Compare that to the disappointing average attendance figures that SDSU is addressing -- our regular-season crowds wouldn't fit in the DakotaDome.

As far as weather is concerned -- I think continued success will take care of weather. I went to November and December Vikings games and had a blast (more fun that in the old Metrodome or the new stadium). I haven't been to a Packers snow game but Packers fans have no problem filling the stadium regardless of the weather.

I think the reporting on attendance at the stadium will in the long run, be very beneficial. That kind of press attention will help get the word out that seats are available for top-tier football.

The issue with a "casual" fan is that they have to have a reason other than the actual game to pay the money to attend. The entire gameday experience, or lack thereof, is SDSU's biggest issue. They have to fix the tailgating issues and make it more enjoyable for someone attending their first SDSU game. I have long been a proponent of live pre-game show, on either radio or tv, being broadcast from the North tailgating area. Throw in some local bands/entertainment and you have something that may attract folks that may not even be football fans.

As far as in-game experience, they need to have their vendors up their game like the team. Faster service, better options, and maybe even beer.

I love SDSU football and try to make every game. There are times I catch myself being almost "bored" at the tailgate.

[91jack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

https://mobile.twitter.com/argusmatt...73688537243648

Good article by Zimmer on attendance. My personal opinion, (and alluded to in the story) is that Sell will be fighting an uphill battle on tailgating unless Dunn/UPD loosen the grip a little bit.

I've stated this before, but a realistic, attainable goal is:

17k+ for Hobo Day
16k+ for Beef Bowl
15k+ for Home Opener
19k+ For USD/NDSU
14k+ for other home games
10k+ for playoffs

In a 6 home game year, that would give you an average of 15.8k fans. The administration thought that with the new stadium, 15k was a realistic average.

Factor in 3 home playoff games, and that average gets to 13.8k over 9 home games. It's worth noting that our lowest attended games have always been playoff games. It's a weird deal in that the better the team does in a given season, the worse that average looks. Boosting playoff attendance and late season home game attendance would be a huge factor in improving the season average.

I think those are realistic goals. We had close to 17k at Hobo Day in 2016. Which tells me we've got 17k Jacks fans that could be attending games on a regular basis since there sure we're very many penguin fans in that 17k. And having the USD game earlier might mean getting another 2-3 Jacks fans out to the game along with another 1-2k yote fans. Our 2016 beef bowl was over 16k, so that is attainable. It's our Home Opener and other regukar season games where there's a huge drop off. And of course, a bad weather year (like last year), and the numbers will plumet. Unless the culture changes enough to where a Jacks game day is priority and not a covenience, regardless of weather.

Thoughts? To me, there's no reason we can't sell out one game per year and have another at 17k. That, plus better late season/playoffs would jump the average up quite a bit.

I can see 19,000+ for NDSU but not USD unless the game is moved from mid November to October sometime. I don't think you can jack up ticket prices above $25-30 for the USD game either. NDSU fans will but $65 tickets but not SDSU/USD fans. Hobo Day and the Beef Bowl are exceptions to this but I'm talking about other regular games. This might (very slightly) change if USD becomes a winning team. The last four times SDSU played USD in Brookings they averaged around 12,500 fans. SDSU/USD brings fans in for basketball but not much else.

This year attendance might be down a little bit because SDSU had both Long Island and Drake come to Brookings. They were early season games (when more fans normally show up) but SDSU had four home games in five weeks. Two of those games were very, very likely blowouts so that probably kept some fans away that have to travel a long ways. That might be cancelled out by the NDSU fans making up for the difference compared to how many fans are at the USD games.

SDSU averages more fans than USD can fit in their dome. Maybe SDSU should have built a small little dome so it would sell out most of their games and people would have less to wonder about. J.K.

[OldHare]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I'm not sure where you picked up "big" from a goal of 10k for playoff games? Especially since we've had 7.5k for playoff games before (Uni in 2017). And we've had 5.5 to 6.5k for the playoff games against Nova and UNH. It's really only the thanks giving weekend playoff game of 2012 against EIU and the snowstorm game against Duquesne last year that have had below 5k. 10k sure seems attainable when we've been in the ball park before. If we can have 9-11k for late November regular season games, we should be able to get that for the playoffs.



And I'm well aware of Zimmer's role. I'm not sure what you're implying, but his job is to report on the Jacks. And the attendance issue is of massive concern to Jacks fans, players, and administration, as noted in the article.

The one thing that you mention, but the numbers are not normally sorted are the regular season games and playoff games. That is when the reporting skews the average. I can, and I am sure many others, normally expect to be somewhere during the Thanksgiving time. It is hard to make plans around a maybe game at this point of the year versus other guaranteed activities. The biggest concern I have is throwing playoff games in the average whether weather related or holiday related dropoff in attendance.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I can see 19,000+ for NDSU but not USD unless the game is moved from mid November to October sometime. I don't think you can jack up ticket prices above $25-30 for the USD game either. NDSU fans will but $65 tickets but not SDSU/USD fans. Hobo Day and the Beef Bowl are exceptions to this but I'm talking about other regular games. This might (very slightly) change if USD becomes a winning team. The last four times SDSU played USD in Brookings they averaged around 12,500 fans. SDSU/USD brings fans in for basketball but not much else.

This year attendance might be down a little bit because SDSU had both Long Island and Drake come to Brookings. They were early season games (when more fans normally show up) but SDSU had four home games in five weeks. Two of those games were very, very likely blowouts so that probably kept some fans away that have to travel a long ways. That might be cancelled out by the NDSU fans making up for the difference compared to how many fans are at the USD games.

SDSU averages more fans than USD can fit in their dome. Maybe SDSU should have built a small little dome so it would sell out most of their games and people would have less to wonder about. J.K.

Starting next year, the USD games in Brookings will be played in early October. So, it might be possible to get better attendance to that one. And with all those doctor or lawyer alumni down there, I don't know why they couldn't afford a $50 ticket.

We had 15.5k for a late November game against USD in 2016, so it's probaby not a stretch to expect 18k or better if it's a sunny day in early October. And usually by November they've been mathematically eliminated from post season contention, so their fans aren't driving up to Brookings for much of anything. Unless they continue to start the year as hot grabage (see 2019), they'll still be playing for quite a bit in October and might come in with a winning record. I'd be shocked if an October USD game didn't result in 2k more SDSU fans and at least 1-2k more USD fans at the game. Those numbers, plus our usual October average, would put us close to 18k.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

The one thing that you mention, but the numbers are not normally sorted are the regular season games and playoff games. That is when the reporting skews the average. I can, and I am sure many others, normally expect to be somewhere during the Thanksgiving time. It is hard to make plans around a maybe game at this point of the year versus other guaranteed activities. The biggest concern I have is throwing playoff games in the average whether weather related or holiday related dropoff in attendance.

But SDSU hasn't hosted a playoff game on Thanksgiving weekend since 2012, and hasn't even played in one since 2015. The 16-18 playoff numbers included in the average have all been weekends in December.

I agree that including the playoff games skews the average. But playoffs are also the most important games of the year and should have better attendance. The Holiday excuse is a lame one. If you get a top 8 seed, you don't play around thanksgiving, and the semis are over several days before Christmas. I don't know of too many holiday parties that are planned for noon or 2 PM on a Saturday, so that doesn't work either. It's not that hard to keep your calendar clear for a few weekends in early December for Saturday mornings/days if you live within an hour of Brookings to come to those games. It's either a priority, or it isn't.

FYI, the above is not meant as a shot at you personally. I just hate the holiday excuse that I've heard from friends and family before. Folks up north plan their vacation days around heading to Frisco in January.