Where's the crowd?

[West_River_Jack]

Re: Where's the crowd?

I have over 300 miles each way to make a game at SDSU. I consider it a good year when I make it to one game and a great year when I make it to two. Most of my fellow SDSU alums in my area think I'm nuts to drive to these games. With a little more success and publicity I expect that in a few years we will be car pooling and maybe plan on two or three games a year. A lot of alums out here have simply gotten out of the habit of SDSU football. With success it will slowly return and the crowds will grow as the habit grows.

[Killem]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Yep, it was shocking to hear the attendance was as low as it was. I guess Georgia Southern isn't as big a draw as I thought :'( What a shame, those folks missed a great game. Don't feel too bad, we've fought the same issues you face. Hunting season kills us too. Also the majority of GSU fans are fans of the georgia bulldogs first. It boggles my mind that we don't have overflow crowds every week.
One gentleman told me last year that you have a strong basketball tradition. In that case it could take a long time to bring football to that level of popularity. You need to win and from what I've seen, you're definitely headed that direction.

[SDSUFAN]

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

What you are saying is indeed true about high school football, but the point I was trying to make was that no matter what level of competition, take away a winning program, and you have no fans. Win and you have all kinds of fans. From what I understand Arlington was not a good program before last year and probably the local support was average at best. Thats why its necessary in my opinion for SDSU to put together back to back 8 and 9 win season to get the automatic 10k plus attendence. Whether or not society loves the victor and despises the loser.

[HoboD]

Re: Where's the crowd?

One other factor. It is critical that a radio network be established statewide and possibly into western Minn. Out of site out of mind. When I lived in western So.Dak. I basically lost track of the rabbits. Now that Im a little closer, I can just barely pick up WNAX at night (if i use the radio in my pick up. My wife thinks Im nuts!).

A statewide radio network feeding off the WNAX coverage would generate more interest in the northern, central and western parts of the state and eventually lead to more attendance at the games.

The same applies to TV. SDPUB broadcasting used to cover one game a week delayed. There has got to be a base out there someplace for sponsorship.

The bottomline is you got to build a buzz. Get people excited. Winning+media=buzz.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Even better: SDSU should somehow expand WNAX's meager Internet streaming capabilities. I teach this stuff: Audio streaming isn't really anything difficult to arrange these days. It's a simple matter of bandwidth. And WNAX doesn't have enough. I suspect it's just not a priority, since it's not a money maker for them. You can't blame WNAX for that.

Perhaps SDSU could work out a deal to pick up WNAX's feed and stream it through somebody else's servers. I'd suggest university servers, but the Board of Regents limits our bandwidth to the point that the university network is barely twice the speed of a dialup modem in the afternoons and evenings (it's really a bad situation). But the Athletic Department could contract with some streaming service to make the stream more available to more alums. It's not a huge cost.

It seems to me it should be a priority. If an alum in, say, Oklahoma can't be assured the he or she will be able to listen on the Internet, they're likely to lose interest. If they lose interest, they don't donate money. It's a worthy expenditure, and it's not that expensive. And I'm sure it could be worked out with WNAX.

[89rabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Link to a Brookings Register story on this subject:

http://www.brookingsregister.com/mai...72&page=25


Go State! ;D

[Jacks99]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Very good article. Hope those that missed the game with no excuse get to read that!

[PX]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Just my opinion, but I'll bet you find out the fan base will increase and empty seats will decrease as the success of the SDSU Jackrabbits rises and falls.

Here at GSU we have the same problem trying to fill up the stands too..

Or, "you win, they will come"..

I think good things are in store for the SDSU Jackribbit football team in years to come

Best Wishes
JP ;D.

[91rabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

jacks#1fan mentioned early BB games intruding on late football season. While I don't think this is an excuse for a poor fan showing, I do think that some criticism is in order in this regard.

Given that the Jacks are in the thick of the conference race with 3 conf games remaining, I think that it behooves fans (i.e. posters) to focus on football at this time. How can lousy attendance be fairly criticized when so many here are already gearing up for BB season? If SDSU in indeed a basketball culture, would not such attention buttress such an assertion? This board should be the leader in addressing such a deficiency and keeping things in perspective. Does an exhibition game with Morningside matter as much as a possible Great West championship. FB will be over in three weeks; it is November after all. Most people do not consider it BB season yet. That will come in time.

The sky is blue. Open fire...

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Where's the crowd?

When asked about the attendence at the GSU game during the Jacks Report on KWSN Stig indicated it was dissapointing and they expected much better. He went on to say with no disrespect to Missouri Rolla and the tradition of Hobo Day it was a game that people should not have missed. They talked about it in the lockerroom and discussed it at length on the show. I don't think we will see much more than 4,000 this week.

[footballfan]

Re: Where's the crowd?

I'm hoping for a bigger crowd considering we have a chamnce at the conference title. I am bringing 2 new fans with me. Hope to see a good crowd..





Go Jacks !!!!!!!

[SCSU]

Re: Where's the crowd?

jacks#1fan mentioned early BB games intruding on late football season.  While I don't think this is an excuse for a poor fan showing, I do think that some criticism is in order in this regard.

How can lousy attendance be fairly criticized when so many here are already gearing up for BB season?  If SDSU in indeed a basketball culture, would not such attention buttress such an assertion?Does an exhibition game with Morningside matter as much as a possible Great West championship.  FB will be over in three weeks; it is November after all.  Most people do not consider it BB season yet.  That will come in time.

The sky is blue.  Open fire...

How well do you think SDSU will draw in basketball this year? Were the crowds small for basketball last year?

[89rabbit]

Re: Where's the crowd?

How well do you think SDSU will draw in basketball this year?  Were the crowds small for basketball last year?

SCSU,

I sense you maybe asking, to see if this is a systemic problem with regards to our move to D-I. If this is the case keep in mind that our football attendence overall (both this year and last) is far better then it ever was during our D-II days. This thread is a reaction to an individual game that was disappointing from a fan turn out stand point.

To answer the question you asked, attendance last year was down from our traditional standards in basketball. However this was more a reflection of a bad Men's Team, splitting of Men's and Women's games, and what most would call a "bad" home schedule. I think most would expect or Basketbal attendance to rebound this season (pun intended).

Go State! ;D

[SCSU]

Re: Where's the crowd?

SCSU,

I sense you maybe asking, to see if this is a systemic problem with regards to our move to D-I.  If this is the case keep in mind that our football attendence overall (both this year and last) is far better then it ever was during our D-II days.  This thread is a reaction to an individual game that was disappointing from a fan turn out stand point.

To answer the question you asked, attendance last year was down from our traditional standards in basketball.  However this was more a reflection of a bad Men's Team, splitting of Men's and Women's games, and what most would call a "bad" home schedule.  I think most would expect or Basketbal attendance to rebound this season (pun intended).

Go State!  ;D

Absoultley not...I will always wish SDSU well and if SCSU had the guts and $ to make a move out of DII, I would support it.

You are right in pointing out that my question was somewhat rhetorical. I don't see how basketball can be blamed for such a drop in football attendance. (for one game)

As a SCSU fan, I know what it is like to be fired up for a big game and then see a bunch of empty seats at the start of the game.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Where's the crowd?

Just a bit of clarification. SDSU does have a basketball culture...but then it has a winning tradition and that certainly helps.

I wasn't indicating one game would impinge in a major way on the football game. It was only one (and maybe a small one) of a number of reasons. But just to buttress a little of the discussion...we had 1500 fans turn out for Midnight Madness.

Last year was indeed an anomoly and 89Rabbit had it right. The home schedule was miserable -- made so by the D-1 setup which means no D-1 schools will come your way the first year. Down year for men's was indeed not helpful. But the schedule is better, people will settle into a new routine, and things will pick back up again.

I think the attendance at the SUU game will be better. And P.S. to SCSU -- you may find your school looking ever more seriously at the move, when the realities of D-II start hitting in the next few years. We would welcome you back!