Where's the crowd?

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

At the risk of offending our journalism posters, I need to make one comment about Saturday's Argus Leader.  I picked up the paper thinking there would be headlines heralding the arrival of one of America's premier football programs on the soil of South Dakota.  No, on the front of the sports section there were stories about USD at Duluth and another about UND studying the case of going DI.

Here's the rub.  We question why our fans didn't show up at the game.  We ask, "Didn't people know that Georgia Southern has one of the best football programs in DIAA?"  Not unless someone tells them.  

I wonder how many people in Dell Rapids, Madison, or Canton, looked at the front page of the sports section on Saturday morning and didn't see much special going on?  I wonder how many of those people would have made it a point to drive to Brookings on Saturday had they known playing Georgia Southern was a big deal?

Yes, I now risk hearing, "That's not the media's job!"  Well, as long as the Sioux Falls news outlets continue to cover a Division I program in the same manner as they cover an NAIA program, the media is not doing their job.

Okay, let the arrows fly.

While it's not the media's job to promote anybody, I'm not going to tell you it isn't your right to question their coverage decisions. My issues are with people who imagine some sort of Trilateral Commision-like conspiracy against SDSU among the media. I reject that argument, which comes from people who have no idea how the news media works.

But newspaper staffs are made up of human beings, and the six people in the sports department at the Argus might have underplayed that story. Then again, they might have featured the story and we still might have drawn 4,200. It seems to me many of the missing fans were SDSU students who can't seem to be bothered to attend games.

[PX]

Re: Where's the crowd?

While it's not the media's job to promote anybody, I'm not going to tell you it isn't your right to question their coverage decisions. My issues are with people who imagine some sort of Trilateral Commision-like conspiracy against SDSU among the media. I reject that argument, which comes from people who have no idea how the news media works.

But newspaper staffs are made up of human beings, and the six people in the sports department at the Argus might have underplayed that story. Then again, they might have featured the story and we still might have drawn 4,200. It seems to me many of the missing fans were SDSU students who can't seem to be bothered to attend games.

Just a rednecks opinion, but it would seem that good newspaper exposure BEFORE the game could only help at the gate on game day.

I don't think most Georgians (incld. myself) have a clue as to the dynamics which affect atttendance at a football game in S. Dakoka. Just generally looking at the situation tho it would "seem" that having a pretty good out of state team come in and play, particularly with last years game results in mind, would be a pretty big deal.

I don't think we have any more games scheduled in the future between GSU and SDSU, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the contests. I'm not sure the expense (to the traveling team) makes future games likely, but I wish we could play yearly.

Even tho you don't have a lot of folks at the games, you have a young program with no place to go but up, AND you are certainly on the right track in that area.

I believe the general feeling here in Statesboro is that SDSU is building a quality program, with guality folks, and you are well on the road to success.

It has been a pleasure to watch the games, and this GSU fan wishes the SDSU team and fans all the best. I think you will find as you continue to build a winning tradition you will find more fans in the seats.

Just an old redneck fart opinion.

You guys are ok...

Best Wishes,
JP ;D

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Just a rednecks opinion, but it would seem that good newspaper exposure BEFORE the game could only help at the gate on game day.

Except that students don't read the newspaper. They don't read any newspaper. I teach a large lecture course of Introduction to Mass Communication. I ask them if they read newspapers. Literally none do. A couple thousand more students at the game would have made a respectable crowd.

Then again, somehow we managed to average 9,000+ before Saturday without weekly newspaper previews (some weeks had them, others didn't.)

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Where's the crowd?

The crowd was disappointing...but there are a few things to remember in this discussion:

1) SDSU has never had a substantial football culture. Face it folks, the last conference championship was in 1963. We've had winning seasons, but a lot of them 6-5 or 7-4. No culture is exhibited by the fans -- you can't get them up and yelling to save your soul (although we are making a ...little...improvement there.

2) SDSU has a basketball culture. The first game is tonight and November (and October 29) are seen as late intrusions on the basketball season.

3) The Hobo Day game is, like other posters say, a highlight and draws our best crowds.

4) The students at SDSU are usually on an everyother week go home status. You can bet there were 1000's doing: hunting, girl or boy friend visiting, attending high school football playoffs for their home towns; etc. And even when that isn't going on, our attendance by students is like say 1,000 at max out of an 11,000 student body!

5) We got beat by this team 63-7 last year. Our fans haven't gotten any appreciation for watching a great team come in...if it is a perceived blowout one way or the other, they seldom attend (unless it is Hobo Day -- see above). And they don't know Georgia Southern.

We've got a long ways to go...but don't panic. By the way, attendance at the USD-Duluth football game, which was a big one for the two teams in a very good sized community was about 2800. It happens to other programs as well.

[PX]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Except that students don't read the newspaper. They don't read any newspaper. I teach a large lecture course of Introduction to Mass Communication. I ask them if they read newspapers. Literally none do. A couple thousand more students at the game would have made a respectable crowd.

Oops sorry. My son is a Jr. at GSU and I can't remember him ever sitting around reading the newspaper either.

What was I thinking? A college student reading voluntarily?

Anyway, your team deserves better fan support, but probably as I mentioned earlier it will only come when the Jackrabbits build a winning tradition.

Everyone loves winners, they just don't understand it takes time to BUILD a winning tradition, it won't come overnight.

The Jack's game our Eagles all we wanted, and I can't see where any fan in the stands didn't get their money's worth.

Best wishes,

JP

[wererabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Heres my one cent of what i saw . Hardly anyone in tailgate area,where are they . Did they just not tailgate but go to the game.I dont think so just didnt show up. Students what happened there. This is what i saw,many students were sitting outside of student area, so there were more students than it looked like. Some students were sitting by me,i asked where rest of students were he said they all went home for weekend since all stayed for Hobo day.Sunday i talked to a student at SDSU about the game, he said he had not gone to any games this year.When i told him the GSU game was good he was upset he had missed the game he knew GSU was a major powerhouse but didnt realize the game was this week. With so many home games people are going to miss some games, will have to miss the suu game. I have made every home game so far but life sometimes gets in the way of football.Dont get me wrong i was furious with the crowd size.I was looking for someone to blame but realized that life just happens, sometimes it gets in the way of football.The people who were at the GSU game will always have something on everyone else we got to see our JACKS stand toe to toe AGAINST ONE OF THE BEST TEAMS EVER TO SHOW UP AT CAS. Only 4500 of us can say we saw the game, no one can take that from us.I was sad we lost but this is the one morale victory this year that i am proud off.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

The crowd was disappointing...but there are a few things to remember in this discussion:

1) SDSU has never had a substantial football culture. Face it folks, the last conference championship was in 1963. We've had winning seasons, but a lot of them 6-5 or 7-4. No culture is exhibited by the fans -- you can't get them up and yelling to save your soul (although we are making a ...little...improvement there.

2) SDSU has a basketball culture. The first game is tonight and November (and October 29) are seen as late intrusions on the basketball season.

3) The Hobo Day game is, like other posters say, a highlight and draws our best crowds.

4) The students at SDSU are usually on an everyother week go home status. You can bet there were 1000's doing: hunting, girl or boy friend visiting, attending high school football playoffs for their home towns; etc. And even when that isn't going on, our attendance by students is like say 1,000 at max out of an 11,000 student body!

5) We got beat by this team 63-7 last year. Our fans haven't gotten any appreciation for watching a great team come in...if it is a perceived blowout one way or the other, they seldom attend (unless it is Hobo Day -- see above). And they don't know Georgia Southern.

We've got a long ways to go...but don't panic. By the way, attendance at the USD-Duluth football game, which was a big one for the two teams in a very good sized community was about 2800. It happens to other programs as well.

Good points. I thought maybe we had begun to build something with the good attendance last year and the good start this year. Maybe there are just too darned many home games. I'm thinking you're on to something with the every-other-week deal. I'm betting we'll see better attendance this week.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Winning is a big factor without a doubt. I am going off topic a bit, but it proves a point about winning. I live in Arlington SD, a small town of 1300, and most of us here know the town. Last year the Arlington High team won the 9 man AA championship, a first and a great season where they were 1-9 or so the season before. This season they are again 9-0 and host a playoff game tonight. I ordinarily walk my dog down by the fb field. This morning what did I find? Parked cars with frost on the windshields from the opening of the entrance of the field back to third street that runs by the field and then back some on third street. Ordinarily no cars are parked in the street on third. Why are these cars parked in this fashion?

Well its because the ticket takers and gate will open at 5pm for tonights game. The owners of these park cars want to be in line to get a parked car position in order to watch this game. It would appear most of these fans who know doubt are parents and relatives, parked their car last night. Just to get the best view of the game, in a field that has just a few bleachers but plenty of parking space. If the High School was 0-9, Halloween would have gone on as normal with no football game.
In fact the Arlington Sun mentioned this past week that their was no substance to rumors about trick and treating being on Sunday in order to avoid conflict with the playoff game. ;D

Winning no doubts makes people do things that they would not ordinarily do. Thats my big point and had SDSU taken care of Montana and also Cal Poly, I think we would have had a better crowd. No doubt the average seasons in terms of wins and the mind set that is horrible cold and miseralbe to watch a football game this time of year had some effect.

[JACKRP]

Re: Where's the crowd?

From reading the previous posts it appears that "Friday night" football or high school football is still "King" here in South Dakota. We have never had a Division I team to follow all these years. Whereas one state south of us they get 77,000 fans to show up and watch their Division I football team play at all home games. This has been going on now for 30 years or so. If they can get 77,000 to show ,you would think that we could get at least 10,000 to show up. I am hopeful that the idea of local and area sports fans following a Division I program will catch on sooner rather than later. Go Jacks

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Where's the crowd?

I don't know that I was embarrased at the turnout but rather dissapointed and surprised. I brought 3 people who had not been to a Jacks game in many years and they thouroughly enjoyed the game. I thought probably prematurely we had turned the corner and everyone out there understood that we had a high calibre opponent that was coming to town and win or lose it was going to be great entertainment. There is a lot of work to do to get to the point where we have a following that will show up on Hobo Day against a lesser opponent and then make it the next week against a Georgia Southern. Our hard core base is not a large as I thought and many people (students,Alumni,fans) had other things they felt more compelled to do than show up at Coughlin. Next time the Brookings crowd complains about having a game away from Brookings I will point to this game as it proves we need to market to people outside of the immediate Brookings area.

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

Re: Where's the crowd?

As one who had to choose which game to attend this year I'm glad I came to this one.  I wish more people would be able to say that they were there and had the opportunity to watch one of the best I-AA teams of all time.

The crowd that was there seemed to be into the game.  Maybe this board and some of the posters have something to do with that.

Alumguy, we checked out the Alumni tent, and I have to say I was really impressed.  Food, refresments, and the Pride stopping by was really nice.  Kudos, I'll be back next year.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Alumguy, we checked out the Alumni tent, and I have to say I was really impressed.  Food, refresments, and the Pride stopping by was really nice.  Kudos, I'll be back next year.

My dad was at the GSU game for his third game of the year after only making approx 3 games in the last 4 years. He continued to be very impressed with the tailgaiting and said he can't believe how great the atmosphere is at the game. His sentiments will spread among SDians and our attendance will increase. If we win out these last 3 games and win a share of the conference title, the expectations for next year's team will be sky high. With those expectations will come more and more casual fans. I hate to admit it, but I think most of the casual fans expected another 63-7 game and probably decided to stay away.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Where's the crowd?

I didn't mean to make it sound like my dad will personally spread his sentiments across SD, but instead that the overall atmosphere at SDSU is steadily becoming a great place to spend a Saturday in the fall. Just wanted to clarify.

[Jacks02]

Re: Where's the crowd?

I agree with you on that, the word is getting around. I think we need to remember this is just our second year in DI and we are making great strides already. I remember back in the NCC days it was very rare for us to get over 10k fans for a game, maybe USD or Hobo Day, but that was about it. Granted, the Georgia Southern attendance was very dissapointing, but we are still averaging over 8500 a game for the year which would place us 42 out of 115 DIAA teams.

I've heard from quite a few people at games this year that this was the first Jack's game they've been too, or the first one in quite a few years. We're making progress, the word is getting out.

Go Jacks!

[Jacks99]

Re: Where's the crowd?

I was totally disgusted as I stood in the empty upper 2/3 of the student section.

And to think the students and Brookings residents were unhappy with the game in SF.

Oh well it happens and a few more years of a Jacks FB team this good will change things.

I'll look at the brightside and be glad I was one of those that saw the awesome highlight reel at CAS.

Next year home games will be more of a premium and hopefully early wins against the teams we are losing to will get the FB attendance rolling.