Attendance & Alcohol

[filbert]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Your best ambassadors to the SDSU game experience are the season ticket holders. How about giving the tickets to Dixie State/Tarleton to the season ticket holders and let them show people why they love the SDSU game day experience. Let's be honest, no one is buying this ticket at this time of year. Give them to people committed to your event and see what happens. Maybe include one for each additional game ticket bought beyond the season tickets. That would allow the season ticket holder to host their friends twice without breaking the budget.

I like the "Bring A Friend To DJD" idea for football season ticket holders. Logistically it might be a bit tricky, since friends sorta kinda want to sit with each other. On the other hand, might be a way to get more people over to the east side. Maybe give football season ticket holders one extra east side ticket for each season ticket they have, and tell them to "Find someone who hasn't been to the DJD before and convince them to try it!"

[CappinHard]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Pithy response. I am willing to bet even $35-$40 tickets to premium seats (rather than $50) here would do more to fill the stands than $7 alcohol.

I get that you apparently have an axe to grind with Zimmer, but he is hardly the sole criticizer of Jacks attendance.

Fact is, the Jacks have a "commuter" fan base, so unless they can convince fans in Brookings to appear in droves, they're going to need to account for the cost of travel and tickets to games. Reducing ticket prices directly does that; offering marked up beer assumes people will "eat" the cost of gas, tickets, and possibly hotels so they can swill the cerveza.

I've been open about being willing to compromise. What I "get," is that compromise seems to be a foreign concept to you.

The point in me Cc'ing Zimmer was to point out that it's not just an SDSU issue. I don't ask him to stop talking about it. Is it an issue? Yes, everyone knows it is. Does it help to sarcastically prod our fanbase about it? Not at all, and I would posit that it hurts attendance to have our beat writer tweet and talk about it the way he does.

He isn't the only one criticizing Jacks attendance, but he's the loudest voice out there talking about it the way he does. Stig saying that he wants more people there and is disappointed in a turnout is different from Zimmer grossly underestimating attendance numbers and making comments like "there was nobody there". He clearly has a bias in the way he reports it. Odd that he didn't mention anything about USF's attendance of 1,577 in a stadium with a capacity of 5,000 against the #4 team in the country on senior night in a game with playoff implications (and don't tell me he doesn't cover USF football). He was sure quick to make a snide comment on SDSU's attendance of 7,211 on the same day though.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Does it help to sarcastically prod our fanbase about it? Not at all, and I would posit that it hurts attendance to have our beat writer tweet and talk about it the way he does.

I'd also add that it probably costs the Argus subscribers as well. Some may like his style but I will guarantee you some people are put off by his underhanded jabs at Jacks fan The old saying "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" seems to apply in this case.

[BTownJack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I'd also add that it probably costs the Argus subscribers as well. Some may like his style but I will guarantee you some people are put off by his underhanded jabs at Jacks fan The old saying "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" seems to apply in this case.

We should just dump the Argus/Zimmer and hire our own writer, much like USD did with Mick Garry. The Argus is continuing to become less and less relevant with each passing day. Proven by their constant need to lay off staff because they aren't making any money. Then if the Argus wants to print the stories we publish, let 'em. Zimmer isn't half the reporter Terry was and unfortunately I doubt we will ever have as good of a writer as we had when Terry was at the Argus. The only downfall I see in this is alienating our older fan base who still reads print media.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

The point in me Cc'ing Zimmer was to point out that it's not just an SDSU issue. I don't ask him to stop talking about it. Is it an issue? Yes, everyone knows it is. Does it help to sarcastically prod our fanbase about it? Not at all, and I would posit that it hurts attendance to have our beat writer tweet and talk about it the way he does.

He isn't the only one criticizing Jacks attendance, but he's the loudest voice out there talking about it the way he does. Stig saying that he wants more people there and is disappointed in a turnout is different from Zimmer grossly underestimating attendance numbers and making comments like "there was nobody there". He clearly has a bias in the way he reports it. Odd that he didn't mention anything about USF's attendance of 1,577 in a stadium with a capacity of 5,000 against the #4 team in the country on senior night in a game with playoff implications (and don't tell me he doesn't cover USF football). He was sure quick to make a snide comment on SDSU's attendance of 7,211 on the same day though.

I guess the truth hurts! Not talking about won't make it go away. Yea, lets compare our attendence issues to a D2 school.

[trueblue]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

One of the biggest potential perks they could give season ticket holders is to include the All Access online streaming pass to all season ticket holders--or even give something like a 50% discount for them (from the $89.95 yearly rate). The theory behind this is that this it might increase the number of out-of-town (i.e. Brookings) SDSU fans who would plunk down for season tickets--they'll know that they can see all the SDSU games even if you couldn't make it to Brookings in person. Or tie it to a Jackrabbit Club donation level. The latter might be a way to entice out of state SDSU alums/fans (like yours truly) to ante up. (Disclosure: I ante up into the J Club plenty right now, thank you very much.)

I realize the intent of the thread is to put more butts in the seats at DJD (and also at Frost), but another part of the equation is to maximize income in total, keep current fans, and get new ones.

I really like this idea.

[BTownJack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I really like this idea.

Agree with this as well. I've always thought they need to include the GoJacks.com video subscription at some level of donation. Doesn't cost the department any money if they give them away.

[CappinHard]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I guess the truth hurts! Not talking about won't make it go away. Yea, lets compare our attendence issues to a D2 school.

Again... I never said it shouldn't be talked about. In fact I'm all for talking about it and trying to help come up with ways to increase attendance and even taking it into my own hands when I can. What I was saying was the way Zimmer goes about it is a joke and doesn't help.

Do you really think that me bringing up USF's attendance was in order to compare our issues? Or do you think it was to prove a point about Zimmer?

[91jack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I find it interesting how people view SDSU attendance. SDSU averaged around 10,959 fans/game. If you take out the playoff game they averaged 11,952 fans/game.
Maybe they should have built a 9,500 seat indoor stadium (I don't know if that is the size you would have got for the same amount of money or not). They could of had the majority of their games sold out, people could have been indoors and there are other positives. That have solved a lot of most peoples issues. On the other hand, SDSU would of averaged about 2000 less fans/game.
I would like to know how big of a stadium you could have built for the money of the indoor practice facility and stadium. Of course, then you would either have to have the track and field team and other teams practice on the field in the stadium. The track in Frost will not be around when/if the remodel the basketball facilities.

[filbert]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I think there was a bit of magical thinking (by just about everybody) that if you build a stadium that seats nearly 20,000, magically you'll get 15,000 a game automatically.

Seems to me the #1, #2 and #3 problems with attendance are promotions, advertising and marketing (in no particular order). Other issues (like cold weather, concession stands not open, etc.) affect it but aren't the major issues. The geography of the fan base is what it is, so unless you want to figure out how to grow Brookings to ~50,000, that is simply baked in (but see #1, #2, #3 previously). IMHO.

[jakejc795]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I think there was a bit of magical thinking (by just about everybody) that if you build a stadium that seats nearly 20,000, magically you'll get 15,000 a game automatically.

Seems to me the #1, #2 and #3 problems with attendance are promotions, advertising and marketing (in no particular order). Other issues (like cold weather, concession stands not open, etc.) affect it but aren't the major issues. The geography of the fan base is what it is, so unless you want to figure out how to grow Brookings to ~50,000, that is simply baked in (but see #1, #2, #3 previously). IMHO.

The bold items are essentially all "marketing," and the dispersion of fans need not be dismissed so deterministically. If people have to drive, steps can be taken to make that more affordable

[jakejc795]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I really like this idea.

It'd probably be too complicated, but I wonder if discount tiers could be offered whereby fans attending all games/events in one sport receive promo codes for streaming video in other sports. That way, you're incentivizing actual attendance for at least some sports and allowing fans to follow others online

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I think there was a bit of magical thinking (by just about everybody) that if you build a stadium that seats nearly 20,000, magically you'll get 15,000 a game automatically.

Seems to me the #1, #2 and #3 problems with attendance are promotions, advertising and marketing (in no particular order). Other issues (like cold weather, concession stands not open, etc.) affect it but aren't the major issues. The geography of the fan base is what it is, so unless you want to figure out how to grow Brookings to ~50,000, that is simply baked in (but see #1, #2, #3 previously). IMHO.

This is right on! SDSU is geographically challenged from its fan base.

[Justwin]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

If we are to assume that people want to go to games but lack of promotion or advertising or ticket prices are too high,etc why not try something drastic. Mid season promote a game that the first 5000 (or pick a number) people to call for tickets get them FREE. That would atleast give you a yardstick to measure a possible untapped market and some may even buy a ticket for another game.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

If we are to assume that people want to go to games but lack of promotion or advertising or ticket prices are too high,etc why not try something drastic. Mid season promote a game that the first 5000 (or pick a number) people to call for tickets get them FREE. That would atleast give you a yardstick to measure a possible untapped market and some may even buy a ticket for another game.

Let's just give everyone a free ticket!