Attendance & Alcohol

[GoJacks]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

As a former season ticket holder I guess I will give my reasons. Ticket prices are to expenses for me and continue to donate to the Jackrabbit Club. So I decided to donate what I purchased in tickets to increase my donation. I am not a drinker and do not got tailgate. However, I feel both need to be part of the game day experience and should be available to everyone (legal age). My work schedule also makes it challenging to attend all the games and I live in Brookings. I also have food allergies and cannot trust the concession stand. I do attend all the Summit League game and eating those days is a real inconvenience for me and friends that I attend the games with. I also do not like to be cold at the games as my back will tighten up and make sitting not comfortable.

Do I believe SDSU should have built a dome!? Yes, I do. It may have changed my decision and I would still be purchasing season tickets as it would have eliminated one factor for sure. There are many people that have said this after the stadium was built. I know several season ticket holders that do not go to games on cold days. These are people that will attend track meets, volleyball matches, basketball game and wrestling duals and are very loyal to the yellow and blue.

As a child I would attend as many games as my parents allowed and sometimes I would go anyway without them knowing so I could dream about playing for the Jacks. I could not wait to be an adult so I could go to all the games.

I know I have said this before and I will say it again Dana J. and the SDSU football fan base is built for September and not for November and the playoffs when the support is truly needed. I am not sure how anyone fixes it and changes the culture. But I am sure it can be done.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Two unrelated points:

1) I went back and looked at sub 10000 games since 2010. From 10-12, there were 2 (both in 2010). From 13 to 14, there were 4 (2 in each year). In 2015, there was 1. In 2016 there were none. In 2017, there was 1. So, it seems that some years have 1, a couple had 2, and a couple had none. No real trend between pre and post stadium. What I did find interesting was the year by year comparison. It was like reading the same season each time: Two good September games, and one poor one. One good October game, and one average November game.

Edit: Our most consistent season was probably either 2012 or 2016. I think each game was over 11.5 k, and both had at least 2 games over 14k.

2) This may not solve much from the weather standpoint, but I often wondered why the stadium wasn't designed with a roof over at least the west grandstand? Many stadiums in the Pacific Northwest such as husky stadium, autzen, reser, etc. have a large roof over at least one set of stands between the 20s. There, it's because of rain. But it would work well for snow too, and I would imagine the stands could be recessed/outer walls raised another 10 feet to help block wind. Perhaps the cost of a roof would have been comparable to a dome at that point, or it would not have worked architecturally for the budiet given in the stadium. Im sure there's a good reason it wouldn't have worked. But I wonder how much that would have actually helped in foul weather, or at least given the perception of helping? It doesn't do anything about 20 degree temps, and it likely wouldn't help enough to offset cost. Just curious if anyone with any construction/civil/drafting experience has about NY opinion on how/if a roof could have been extended over at least half of the west side.

[jakejc795]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Two unrelated points:

1) I went back and looked at sub 10000 games since 2010. From 10-12, there were 2 (both in 2010). From 13 to 14, there were 4 (2 in each year). In 2015, there was 1. In 2016 there were none. In 2017, there was 1. So, it seems that some years have 1, a couple had 2, and a couple had none. No real trend between pre and post stadium. What I did find interesting was the year by year comparison. It was like reading the same season each time: Two good September games, and one poor one. One good October game, and one average November game.

Edit: Our most consistent season was probably either 2012 or 2016. I think each game was over 11.5 k, and both had at least 2 games over 14k.

2) This may not solve much from the weather standpoint, but I often wondered why the stadium wasn't designed with a roof over at least the west grandstand? Many stadiums in the Pacific Northwest such as husky stadium, autzen, reser, etc. have a large roof over at least one set of stands between the 20s. There, it's because of rain. But it would work well for snow too, and I would imagine the stands could be recessed/outer walls raised another 10 feet to help block wind. Perhaps the cost of a roof would have been comparable to a dome at that point, or it would not have worked architecturally for the budiet given in the stadium. Im sure there's a good reason it wouldn't have worked. But I wonder how much that would have actually helped in foul weather, or at least given the perception of helping? It doesn't do anything about 20 degree temps, and it likely wouldn't help enough to offset cost. Just curious if anyone with any construction/civil/drafting experience has about NY opinion on how/if a roof could have been extended over at least half of the west side.

You posted before I finished the "research" shown below, but here's a snapshot of an Excel file I constructed using 2010-2018 data pertaining to date, opponent, weather, and attendance. After I noticed that game time was included, I thought that might be beneficial, but I was too lazy to do it now. Anyway, it's accessible via the "Source" link I provided. Ticket prices are another important data element that are also omitted.

Folks saying this is all just being rehashed ignore the changing circumstances, such as more extensive TV/online viewing options, etc. By the way, if you'd like the original Excel file, let me know.
SDSU_Attendance_2010-2018_Image.jpg

[jakejc795]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

As a former season ticket holder I guess I will give my reasons. Ticket prices are to expenses for me and continue to donate to the Jackrabbit Club. So I decided to donate what I purchased in tickets to increase my donation. I am not a drinker and do not got tailgate. However, I feel both need to be part of the game day experience and should be available to everyone (legal age). My work schedule also makes it challenging to attend all the games and I live in Brookings. I also have food allergies and cannot trust the concession stand. I do attend all the Summit League game and eating those days is a real inconvenience for me and friends that I attend the games with. I also do not like to be cold at the games as my back will tighten up and make sitting not comfortable.

Do I believe SDSU should have built a dome!? Yes, I do. It may have changed my decision and I would still be purchasing season tickets as it would have eliminated one factor for sure. There are many people that have said this after the stadium was built. I know several season ticket holders that do not go to games on cold days. These are people that will attend track meets, volleyball matches, basketball game and wrestling duals and are very loyal to the yellow and blue.

As a child I would attend as many games as my parents allowed and sometimes I would go anyway without them knowing so I could dream about playing for the Jacks. I could not wait to be an adult so I could go to all the games.

I know I have said this before and I will say it again Dana J. and the SDSU football fan base is built for September and not for November and the playoffs when the support is truly needed. I am not sure how anyone fixes it and changes the culture. But I am sure it can be done.

Would you be interested in purchasing tickets from one of the locations that allows a reduced Jackrabbit Club donation? Similarly, if season ticket prices were reduced, would that at all prompt you to consider resuming season ticket purchase (even if you'd only attend games earlier in season and resell/reallocate the rest)?

[JackJD]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

This thread is still going?

Does anyone continuing this discussion plan on taking recommendations to the Athletic Department for action? Will the recommendations include an explanation of how the money will be raised to carry out the plan? Will your recommendations include detail on who will pay for the plan -- will you be writing a check or do you put that burden on others?

Fortunately for those who continue expanding this thread, your goal -- increasing attendance -- is perfectly in line with a top goal of the Athletic Department. So, it's just a matter of fine tuning your ideas and presenting them to the Athletic Dept (apparently they aren't thinking hard enough on this subject! -- sarcasm intended).

In the meantime, until those plans are completed and sold to the Athletic Department, I urge everyone to show up the for final regular-season game against USD. If you don't have tickets yet, get them ordered. It looks like the weather is improving and temps should be in the 40s, the skies will be partly cloudy with little wind (9 mph). That's a nice late Fall day. This team deserves our support and I think a big, yellow and blue home crowd will be a factor in tearing the Coyotes to pieces.

Go Jacks!

[jakejc795]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

This thread is still going?

Does anyone continuing this discussion plan on taking recommendations to the Athletic Department for action? Will the recommendations include an explanation of how the money will be raised to carry out the plan? Will your recommendations include detail on who will pay for the plan -- will you be writing a check or do you put that burden on others?

Fortunately for those who continue expanding this thread, your goal -- increasing attendance -- is perfectly in line with a top goal of the Athletic Department. So, it's just a matter of fine tuning your ideas and presenting them to the Athletic Dept (apparently they aren't thinking hard enough on this subject! -- sarcasm intended).

In the meantime, until those plans are completed and sold to the Athletic Department, I urge everyone to show up the for final regular-season game against USD. If you don't have tickets yet, get them ordered. It looks like the weather is improving and temps should be in the 40s, the skies will be partly cloudy with little wind (9 mph). That's a nice late Fall day. This team deserves our support and I think a big, yellow and blue home crowd will be a factor in tearing the Coyotes to pieces.

Go Jacks!

Feel free to close the thread, I guess. Heck, delete it if every post causes you that much angst, but perhaps note that one of the final posters did mention ticket affordability as an issue.

I compiled the spreadsheet to provide a single file that combined data like weather, attendance, opponent, venue (CAS vs. DJD), and promo (Beef Bowl, Hobo Day, etc.).

Never said Athletics wasn't thinking hard enough, but if anyone passes this off as "rehashing" nearly decade-old issues, then that person isn't thinking hard enough about what's changed. Heck, Brookings' population and econ. dev. increased considerably since then, as have corporate sponsorships (the latter of which reflects favorably on Athletics). The Jacks also had events like Jacks Bash, again which reflects favorably on both Athletics and donors' willingness to "think outside the box."

Wouldn't it be awesome if the Showdown Game marked a new attendance record? If the forecast holds, that's about as nice as one can expect for this time of year.

[JackJD]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Feel free to close the thread, I guess. Heck, delete it if every post causes you that much angst, but perhaps note that one of the final posters did mention ticket affordability as an issue....

No need to close it...I had guessed the thread would just die out. Angst? Now, think about that. You have a lack of understanding of the great job of a well-paid moderator. Moderators tend to read all the posts even if the topic is one in which they have little interest (and other board participants would just skip). So, during a coffee break or late at night, I may check up on the message board. The message board stuff I read may be profound, it may be whimsical or just plain dumb, if may be well-informed or terribly misinformed. Usually it's just off-the-cuff opinion -- it's just a message board. And there are times when it seems a poster is convinced he or she is really on to some thing and I may ask a question or two. Like: have you presented your ideas to the Athletic Department? I have some confidence in writing the following: there isn't a single Jackrabbit fan who is opposed to increasing attendance.

[mitchellrabbit]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Just read on Kelo that Drake will become the first Iowa University to sell beer at their basketball games. They are trying to enhance the fan experience

[CappinHard]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Just read on Kelo that Drake will become the first Iowa University to sell beer at their basketball games. They are trying to enhance the fan experience

I hope their fans like looking at people's back sides instead of the game as there will be an unending stream of people going back and forth to concessions to refill their beer cups.

[SoDakJack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

Until SDSU is only successful in one sport, you just won't see the sellouts. When people want to watch multiple sports there just isn't the disposable income to attend everything. As much as I hate seeing empty seats, I will take the success in all sports.

[Rabbitball]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

If the goal is beer in the stadium within 5 years, I'd suggest going to our game at Minnesota or Colorado state in the next 3 years to get a feel for it if you're against the idea. Both have on campus stadiums that sell beer. I've been to both and never noticed a problem outside of long lines at the beer stands. No more coming and going to concessions than anywhere else I've been. My biggest concern would be having enough vendors so I don't have to wait in line for 20 minutes to get one

[SoDakJack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

If the goal is beer in the stadium within 5 years, I'd suggest going to our game at Minnesota or Colorado state in the next 3 years to get a feel for it if you're against the idea. Both have on campus stadiums that sell beer. I've been to both and never noticed a problem outside of long lines at the beer stands. No more coming and going to concessions than anywhere else I've been. My biggest concern would be having enough vendors so I don't have to wait in line for 20 minutes to get one

This. It won't be any more traffic than you see when it gets cold and people make hot chocolate runs. People mention selling beer at a game and some suddenly assume that a kegger is going to break out.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I hope their fans like looking at people's back sides instead of the game as there will be an unending stream of people going back and forth to concessions to refill their beer cups.

I was just about to buy Drake season tickets too. I decided against it after learning I was likely only to see about 1/3rd of the each game.

[thumper_76]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I’m curious about people saying tickets are too high I guess. They have season tickets available for $125/ticket for people who so chose to on east and west sides of the stadium. That works out to just shy of $21/game. If you have kids and put them in the Junior Jacks club for $100 for the year they get into all home events for free from what I gather, and they’ll assign them seats by your season tickets if you want. Many of the people I see on here who are struggling with ticket prices and kids have a legit gripe. I get it. But many of those same people seem to bring their kids to b-ball games as well, so I’m wondering if Junior Jacks is just not known or properly pushed or even thought about? Maybe that is too much for people or just too much of a lump sum to do at one time, I’m not other people. But it doesn’t take many games attended with the family on single game tickets to end up costing more than the option I just described. Just throwing it out there in case people didn’t know.

To be fair, every other year the conference does us no favors for our attendance by having all our known good MVFC teams on the road. Your casual SDSU fan isn’t going to know that Misery St has an improved team that could be trouble outside of the article that Zim writes for a preview, and I doubt that one or two articles in the AL are going to convince people to drive up to Brookings.

As far as the rest of the excuses people use, it all boils down to the fact that SDSU football isn’t a high priority for people to attend. I guarantee there are a bunch of people who decide to sit at home during a late season football game for whatever reason but would be down in Lincoln in a heartbeat if they were offered tickets on the same weekend. Until Jacks games become an event that is the place to be for our fans, especially people who consider themselves hardcore fans, then our attendance will be what it is. Right now it’s a fun event to go to under the right conditions. I talked to a lady at the Beef Bowl who told me that’s the only game they go to, but boy is it a great time! Then I told her the other games are just as fun and they should give it a shot and I got a very heartfelt maybe we’ll think about it. It is what it is. I know I’ll keep showing up and enjoying myself for the games. I’m just done trying to defend our attendance to other fans. We deserve whatever ridicule our rivals want to throw at us.

I know it’s a big commitment to get to every game. I get it. For me to make all the games this year I have had to make some choices personally in how I invest my time and free money. I still managed to miss the Montana State game and I’m still PISSED about it. But you can bet your hinder I’ll be at every game including playoffs the rest of the year come hell or high water. Some people don’t feel that way and that’s fine. I do feel that if we’re going to have a fan base that’s going to react like we did after the UNI game with comments about how our coaching staff will never get it done then we better prove as a fan base that we’ll at least show up for the team. For us to have the expectations we do for the program but not for ourselves because it was cold out or we don’t have a dome is kinda out of whack to me.


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[SoDakJack]

Re: Attendance & Alcohol

I’m curious about people saying tickets are too high I guess. They have season tickets available for $125/ticket for people who so chose to on east and west sides of the stadium. That works out to just shy of $21/game. If you have kids and put them in the Junior Jacks club for $100 for the year they get into all home events for free from what I gather, and they’ll assign them seats by your season tickets if you want. Many of the people I see on here who are struggling with ticket prices and kids have a legit gripe. I get it. But many of those same people seem to bring their kids to b-ball games as well, so I’m wondering if Junior Jacks is just not known or properly pushed or even thought about? Maybe that is too much for people or just too much of a lump sum to do at one time, I’m not other people. But it doesn’t take many games attended with the family on single game tickets to end up costing more than the option I just described. Just throwing it out there in case people didn’t know.

To be fair, every other year the conference does us no favors for our attendance by having all our known good MVFC teams on the road. Your casual SDSU fan isn’t going to know that Misery St has an improved team that could be trouble outside of the article that Zim writes for a preview, and I doubt that one or two articles in the AL are going to convince people to drive up to Brookings.

As far as the rest of the excuses people use, it all boils down to the fact that SDSU football isn’t a high priority for people to attend. I guarantee there are a bunch of people who decide to sit at home during a late season football game for whatever reason but would be down in Lincoln in a heartbeat if they were offered tickets on the same weekend. Until Jacks games become an event that is the place to be for our fans, especially people who consider themselves hardcore fans, then our attendance will be what it is. Right now it’s a fun event to go to under the right conditions. I talked to a lady at the Beef Bowl who told me that’s the only game they go to, but boy is it a great time! Then I told her the other games are just as fun and they should give it a shot and I got a very heartfelt maybe we’ll think about it. It is what it is. I know I’ll keep showing up and enjoying myself for the games. I’m just done trying to defend our attendance to other fans. We deserve whatever ridicule our rivals want to throw at us.

I know it’s a big commitment to get to every game. I get it. For me to make all the games this year I have had to make some choices personally in how I invest my time and free money. I still managed to miss the Montana State game and I’m still PISSED about it. But you can bet your hinder I’ll be at every game including playoffs the rest of the year come hell or high water. Some people don’t feel that way and that’s fine. I do feel that if we’re going to have a fan base that’s going to react like we did after the UNI game with comments about how our coaching staff will never get it done then we better prove as a fan base that we’ll at least show up for the team. For us to have the expectations we do for the program but not for ourselves because it was cold out or we don’t have a dome is kinda out of whack to me.


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Very well said.

SDSU games, both football and basketball, are not really "events" yet. I would say that overall the gameday experience can be very bland for those that are not fervent Jackrabbit fans. I would like to see an area promoted at the tailgate that is a social area. I have mentioned before about having some type of stage with pre-game broadcasts and/or live music. This would give those that aren't apart of an established tailgate area someplace to enjoy themselves. Right now there really isn't a good area for the "walk-up" attendee to pregame.