Gameday Atmosphere

[Nidaros]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

I was a student the day CAS opened in 1962. I did not stand and no one told to me to sit down. Also climbing stairs were much easier back then even with a few drinks under the belt.

That said, there are a number of things wrong with the west grand stand that now are not worthy of correction. The aisles are too small in width to permit a hand rail from top to bottom. That hand rail would help a number of older people. When a large crowd leaves their seats at one time using the aisles and they fill up for rows and it gets spookey. If the person behind you happens to fall and fall forward, you have not one person potentially injured you have a bowling ball effect with many injuries. The older you get the more brittle your bones get. So maybe you younguns should drink more milk and less beer.

Each section should have its own aisle and as Jimmy Jack said there is not enough leg room. Construction requirements in the 1960 were much less regulated, and the funds available were limited and 40 some years later, it becoming very noticible.

I would like to see all of the things mentioned corrected with the staduim upgrade and I am certain they will be.

I have never told an SDSU student or another fan to sit down. I realize they paid their way in too with their student fees and its their fellow students who are participating so what ever they do to build enthusiasism is okay with me. If another booster out gives and bumps me from my 50 yard seat, I would very happy. Its not that I am there to crab at young people or their behavior, I am there to enjoy the game.

I did not watch little if any SDSU games in the late 1960's after leaving campus and only one or two games in the 1970's but became a permanent fan about 1986 when I relocated to Nebraska. We have had one season of eight wins since 1979. We have had tons of 7-4 seasons. Throw in a few playoff appearences, and a few 8 plus win seasons as the people up north in Fargo have experienced and you have a total different following and game atomsphere. I dont believe we should be blaming old folks, when we have never had a winning tradition to get excited about. Therein is the problem as I see it.

[EQguy]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

The Seats on the East Side are all prime seats and I don't know how you make some reserved and some not.

It seems pretty easy to me. The sections are all clearly marked.

My suggestion at the beginning was to make the three middle sections reserved and then one more on the north for visiting fans this season. Beyond that make each section GA. Then, when it starts to get to the point where getting into those three sections gets tough, expand it by one more section in each direction. I would bet in three years they would be able to make that entire side reserved and train the fans at the same time. The way they are handling it now will force some fan backlash and it will cause problems down the road. How many people will not show up again because they had a crappy seat for their ticket price. The other option is to up the GA ticket by $2 or so across the board. Make it so its not much of a difference in the price of a reserved seat and a GA seat.

I realize that they are trying to increase advance ticket demand to set more revenue up front rather than hoping each week that 10,000+ show up. Frankly, I'm all for working to that and hopefully in a short amount of time they get to that point. But they need to do it the right way not money grab all at once. The fan base for SDSU football is growing, no sense dumping the apple cart all at once.

[JackFan96]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

That seems to make sense to me, too. It was like charging for video and audio online last year all at once. They should have messed around for a year and fine-tuned it and given it away for free...then started charging for it. Instead, they grabbed the $$$ first and there were plenty of audio/video problems starting with missing the last overtime during the footbal season opener at W. Illinois.

It seems pretty easy to me. The sections are all clearly marked.

My suggestion at the beginning was to make the three middle sections reserved and then one more on the north for visiting fans this season. Beyond that make each section GA. Then, when it starts to get to the point where getting into those three sections gets tough, expand it by one more section in each direction. I would bet in three years they would be able to make that entire side reserved and train the fans at the same time. The way they are handling it now will force some fan backlash and it will cause problems down the road. How many people will not show up again because they had a crappy seat for their ticket price. The other option is to up the GA ticket by $2 or so across the board. Make it so its not much of a difference in the price of a reserved seat and a GA seat.

I realize that they are trying to increase advance ticket demand to set more revenue up front rather than hoping each week that 10,000+ show up. Frankly, I'm all for working to that and hopefully in a short amount of time they get to that point. But they need to do it the right way not money grab all at once. The fan base for SDSU football is growing, no sense dumping the apple cart all at once.

[RabbitinTea]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

I think the Athletic Department could learn a little PR. They made a couple mistakes this weekend. Both mistakes involve setting the expectations of your customers/fans. If the league was going to outlaw cowbells, then why didn't we hear anything before arriving at the game? It seems to me that they could have released some sort of statement regarding the cowbells. This would soften the blow and also allow them the opportunity to transfer the blame to the league office. Also, I was surprised to hear that the entire East side is reserved. I wonder how fans became aware of that change? How many people walked up to the game assuming they could buy a GA ticket and sit on the East side at midfield? I should know because, before this year, that's what I did every home game for the last 10 years or so. It was commonplace to show up a little early and get a prime seat for GA price. I don't necessarily disagree with the change because you could get great seats at a bargain price, so there was definitely an opportunity to capitalize. However, I'm guessing there were quite a few disappointed fans.

[mango4]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

Thought I'd start this thread to take this stuff off the game thread.

My thoughts:

1. I have no problem with some of the east side going to reserved but changing the whole side is just wrong. Take the middle three sections as reserved and one more over for visiting teams. Leave the rest as GA. As it is now there is barely 1000 available GA seats of 15000 seats. That's a money grab beyond any NFL or MLB team. They could have moved the east side to complete reserved over a two or three year conversion and I would have no problem with it. They also do need to provide more GA seating. I would be willing to bet more than 2/3 of the people in those bleachers paid GA only.

2. The cowbell is a conference thing then thats the way it is. We'll have to get off our duffs and use the tools that God gave us, our hands and our voices. Blue you know I love you, but I don't understand why you are so vocal about the cowbell, I have never seen you shake one at a game.

3. The student section was awesome. Started the game mostly packed and they must have been a bit full because I am sure I counted 4 bathroom stalls covered with puke.

4. The only way to get the rest of the fans to stand up is get enough people down low enough to get up and scream a bit. Then everyone else must also stand up.

5. The pride did a nice job. One question for those who were members of the pride. Why do they basically go quiet after half time. It just seemed like the air went out of the place after that.

For the most part I thought the student section was excellent, it remains to be seen if they will hold up now that it's not the first week of school and how many people will go home. We did have one problem with one cop coming by and telling us not to stand on the rail in the first quarter, that cop remains the only one to tell us to get off the rail. We did our normal thing of getting down until he was out of sight then getting right back up there leading the cheers.

[launcher46]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

As far as making the whole east side reserved goes, the athletic department simply needs to make money. Charging $12 to sit on the fifty yard line in the 7th row is just way too low. It is just simply a smart business decision to raise the prices on the east side bleachers. I have absolutely no problem paying $4 more to watch the best athletic product the state has to offer and help the athletic department out at the same time.

If the difference in 4 dollars is that big of a deal for some people, those individuals still have the opportunity to get into the game for $12. SDSU ticket prices are way cheaper than any comparable division 1 institution around (Maybe not USD, but then again who cares). Northern Iowa's cheapest adult ticket is $26 dollars, while general admission tickets at NDSU are $15 for much worse seats.

[EQguy]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

I think that you are right to some extent launcher. It is still a great ticket. But, NDSU charges that much because there are also amenities to offer, a comfortable seat, a controlled environment, decent restroom facilities etc.

I have no problem with them charging more for seats. What my problem is that they are not offering enough GA seats considering the size of the stadium. The other problem I have is springing these items on people on gameday. All of us here that have the ability to be there this week will be there regardless. How about the casual fan that comes once a year that maybe thought they should take in an extra game this year and see what this Missouri Valley thing is about only to find everything changed with no advance warning. Think they'll be back anytime soon. Prime example. A friend of mine came to the game with his two kids and his boss. This friend of mine hadn't been to a game in years. When he got here and found out that all there was to sit in were metal bleachers in the end he was a bit disapointed and left at halftime. Think they'll be back in a while?

My concern is that SDSU was building a fan base off of the last home game, 11,800 is a record for the first game of the year. Now, how many of those were disappointed and may not come to a game again. How does that raise revenue?

[EQguy]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

Here is even a crazier idea. How about taking the top 5 rows or so of the grandstand and making those seats GA. Then the season ticket holders wont have to walk as far up. They also could very easily install those seat back chairs on the east side for the reserved seat people.

[HoboD]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

It definitely did. It was fun to see the tailgate area, though. And once it got dark, the absence of trees wasn't very noticeable. Day games might look kind of desolate for a couple of years.

By next year that end will be filled in. The Dykehouse is on a very fast track construction schedule. If the building isnt completed by the start of next season it will be enclosed and the profile will be there. Its going to look great.

[Nidaros]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

From Page 26 of the YSU vs SDSU game program commenting on the Dykhouse groundbreaking, it states that "The second floor facing the football field will have an outdoor deck offering pamoramic views of the staduim and game-day action below, to be used by athletic department donors and special guests. Members of the football coaching staff will use the area to meet and impress visiting recruits and their families."

I was a little surprised that there is no mention of corporate sky boxes. Apparently that is not going to be part of Dykhouse and will be part of the new staduim. I noticed a number of D2 schools have built skyboxes in order to build corporate sponsorship. I wonder if they have been successful in reaching their goal or is this a white elephant to be avoided. I suppose the outdoor deck is a trial ballon in terms of securing corporate sponsorship. IMHO, SDSU seems to have secured corporate sponsorship without sky boxes, and are the sky boxes really necessary? I dont have a hard opinion one way or another, but I think of Winoa State as one that added the sky boxes with a staduim upgrade and you wonder did it work for them? There basketball facility seems to have at least some nice fresh paint, but I never been there for BB, but only for football, and their facility was right by a major rail track. It was not fancy when SDSU played there a few years back.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

Nidaros: There are no corporate sponsorships in the Dykhouse Center; the deck is just part of the planning for the building to provide the panoramic view of the stadium for recruits and their families. The building will be too far removed to provide any good game watching. Sky boxes will be part of the eventual new stadium.

For all posters who are throwing out ideas for the new stadium, just remember that it is at least five years down the road at a minimum, and probably closer to 10 years. In the meantime, the department has a big job cut out for them in getting the rest of Dykhouse Center completed, and the fieldhouse facility in the next few years. Patience (and money) required.

As for the reserved seat issue: remember that average attendance was more like 5-6,000 in earlier years. With the move to Division I, and increased attendance, the need for season tickets grows along with the need for more reserved seats, along with the need for more money. That's what makes the D-I world go round. I don't know about the gentleman that was disappointed to sit on bleacher seats, but there were reserved seats available at a reserved seat price for him.

[Nidaros]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

Nidaros: There are no corporate sponsorships in the Dykhouse Center; the deck is just part of the planning for the building to provide the panoramic view of the stadium for recruits and their families. The building will be too far removed to provide any good game watching. Sky boxes will be part of the eventual new stadium.

For all posters who are throwing out ideas for the new stadium, just remember that it is at least five years down the road at a minimum, and probably closer to 10 years. In the meantime, the department has a big job cut out for them in getting the rest of Dykhouse Center completed, and the fieldhouse facility in the next few years. Patience (and money) required.

As for the reserved seat issue: remember that average attendance was more like 5-6,000 in earlier years. With the move to Division I, and increased attendance, the need for season tickets grows along with the need for more reserved seats, along with the need for more money. That's what makes the D-I world go round. I don't know about the gentleman that was disappointed to sit on bleacher seats, but there were reserved seats available at a reserved seat price for him.

Thanks I would agree, not the best viewing from the end zone. Also don't question the need for funds. The transition period is just the beginning. I would like to see an upgraded CAS in my lifetime.

[UTH]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

On another note. I know that it was mentioned here several times but I was blown away by how much the look of the stadium changed by removing the trees. It really took away the coziness of the stadium.

Only been there once, but I know exactly what you're talking about. Also, anytime you take away trees, you're letting more cold wind to blow through...

[UTH]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

I agree with your post regarding the East side. But here was the problem from yesterdays game. We bought our seats on that side. SDSU students and fans with GA tickets came over to that side and were turned away by the ROTC and told they could sit at the far southeast section. Instead of making the students/GA walk on the grass over to the last section, they walked through the seats and sat down. The ROTC (one person at each set of steps) couldn't watch where they were going. We didn't sit in our seats because they were taken by someone else. Since there was extra room, we didn't complain. But if they are going to charge $16 for a "reserved" seat, they need to do a better job of seating the fans in the seats they pay for.

Another problem like this popped up during last year's Marker game. They 'reserved' the southernmost section for players' families, alumni, etc., without telling anyone. Nobody knew or cared until the CAS nazis first tried to evict the entire section and start the seating over. That didn't go over too well.

Keep it all GA, methinks.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Gameday Atmosphere

Another problem like this popped up during last year's Marker game. They 'reserved' the southernmost section for players' families, alumni, etc., without telling anyone. Nobody knew or cared until the CAS nazis first tried to evict the entire section and start the seating over. That didn't go over too well.

Keep it all GA, methinks.

Sorry, but IMHO, there is no way they are going to keep it all GA. The move to more reserved seats is inevitable if we are to succeed in D-I.

I do take some offense to your calling the ushers "nazis". I know you probably weren't around when the real Nazis were, but I think the ushers (or whomever) were just trying to do their jobs as best they knew out. Calling out the department for not having a workable plan to deal with the change from GA to Reserved (in your opinion) is certainly proper however.