Beating Dead Horses

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

I think the Summit League Tournament may have changed or at least improved the Sioux Falls Market.

All I'm saying is that a game is Sioux Falls says to the Sioux Falls resident "we want you to be a fan." I don't think we're doing that now.

If we ever want 15-20K at EVERY home game, a good portion of that is going to have to come from Sioux Falls.

Want a new stadium? You might be surprised what a couple thousand Sioux Falls fans would do for the cause.

Want to sell 4000 season tickets? Will it be easier to find 2000 more residents of Brookings with expendable money and interest, or easier to find 2000 such people in Sioux Falls?

What exactly is the athletic dept doing to entice the people of Sioux Falls to drive 60 minutes north? A caravan?

In my opinion, we have a head start on the DI thing, but if we don't get the Sioux Falls market cornered in the next 5 years we never will.

Like I said, I think about 85% of the "game in Sioux Falls resistance" is people not wanting to drive SOUTH for an hour to an SDSU game. Yet the same people say its no big deal to drive up to Brookings.

[Nidaros]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

I think the Summit League Tournament may have changed or at least improved the Sioux Falls Market.

All I'm saying is that a game is Sioux Falls says to the Sioux Falls resident "we want you to be a fan." I don't think we're doing that now.

If we ever want 15-20K at EVERY home game, a good portion of that is going to have to come from Sioux Falls.

Want a new stadium? You might be surprised what a couple thousand Sioux Falls fans would do for the cause.

Want to sell 4000 season tickets? Will it be easier to find 2000 more residents of Brookings with expendable money and interest, or easier to find 2000 such people in Sioux Falls?

What exactly is the athletic dept doing to entice the people of Sioux Falls to drive 60 minutes north? A caravan?

In my opinion, we have a head start on the DI thing, but if we don't get the Sioux Falls market cornered in the next 5 years we never will.

Like I said, I think about 85% of the "game in Sioux Falls resistance" is people not wanting to drive SOUTH for an hour to an SDSU game. Yet the same people say its no big deal to drive up to Brookings.

Yeah that it. I dont want to have to drive from Arlington to SF, that is to watch an Augie game, but I was at the UCDavis game in 2005. I oppose the idea for other reasons. One step at a time and who knows maybe AD Sells will want to try a SF game again in the near future. That his choice which I would support in order to fill up the SF NO SHOW seats.

I have doubts about the impact on the SF market by Augie and USF new facilities.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

I am dead set on taking any SDSU home games to Sioux Falls. First, SDSU students pay an incredible amount in athletic fees. It doesn't seem fair to take one of their home games and move it one hour south. Second, businesses like hotels, restaurants and retail operations make money on game days. Many of those businesses are strong financial supporters of Jackrabbit athletics. Why hurt our friends? Third, when out of town visitors come to Brookings and buy things it helps support the tax base. That's a good thing.

For years the people within a 100 mile radius of Sioux Falls have opted to forgo making purchases in their hometowns to go to the "big city." I'm guilty of this, too.

I'm not in favor of giving people one more reason to drive to Sioux Falls. Nothing personal.

Having grown up in a small town, I see where you are coming from. However,

First, what is the amount of student fees? You say its incredible. I guess I would have to see a figure to believe that. What percentage of students show up for games?

Second, an annual Sioux Falls game and the long term increase in attendance at games in Brookings would be a long term net gain for Brookings based businesses.

Third, same as number 2 here.

Yes a game in Sioux Falls is giving people one more reason to come here. BUT, it is also giving the people of Sioux Falls a reason to drive to Brookings, too.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned: When the OU's of the world play a game in Dallas, they don't just "give up" all the revenue they would have gotten from a home date. In fact, they make more. Those are marquee, nationally-televised games and there's a financial incentive package to play them away from home. We have no such mechanism here.

I was at the prior game at Howard Wood. I hope we never play at that dump ever again. You're about a million miles from the field because of the track. It's a wind tunnel. It's a gray, colorless, boring setting. There is no game production to make things interesting during breaks (bad scoreboard; SDSU not in control of the venue). It was a good game on the field, but the experience was, in a word, awful.

Give me old CAS any time. And I'm sure there are a bunch of businesses in Brookings, including sponsors like Cubby's, who wouldn't be too thrilled with a game moving to Sioux Falls or elsewhere. Those are big economic boosts for Brookings.

I doubt there is much economic impact for Brookings business when 3000 show up for a November game. The hard part is when there is bad weather in the area or an opponent not deemed a marque matchup attendence is dependent solely on the immediate Brookings area and with the small population base it's not going to be pretty at the gate.

[Jacks-02]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

The other thing noone has mentioned. We are trying to get into the playoffs. Why would we want to take the advantage of home field at CAS away from our players for a game?

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

I'm more concerned about getting CAS renovated than whether we play another game in Sioux Falls anytime soon. I do get tired of the anti Sioux Falls sentiment that is so pervasive around the state. IMHO that attitude is what is holding up the legislature from acting on allowing cities from adding to local sales taxes in order to pay for things like a new Event Center in Sioux Falls.

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

I am dead set on taking any SDSU home games to Sioux Falls. First, SDSU students pay an incredible amount in athletic fees. It doesn't seem fair to take one of their home games and move it one hour south. Second, businesses like hotels, restaurants and retail operations make money on game days. Many of those businesses are strong financial supporters of Jackrabbit athletics. Why hurt our friends? Third, when out of town visitors come to Brookings and buy things it helps support the tax base. That's a good thing.

For years the people within a 100 mile radius of Sioux Falls have opted to forgo making purchases in their hometowns to go to the "big city." I'm guilty of this, too.

I'm not in favor of giving people one more reason to drive to Sioux Falls. Nothing personal.

While I agree with most of what you say Cowbell, just want to point out that there are many business in Sioux Falls that are strong supporters of Jackrabbit athletics also. Just look at the scoreboards to find some of them.

[Jedi Incognito]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

that would be ridiculous to move a home game to souix falls. It takes away the whole idea of a "home" game if its not actually at home, feel me?.. Plus coughlin is where its at, especially once the dykehouse center is finished. The stadium will be real professional then, and also like the cowbell dude was saying...when out of towners come into B-town for a home game, those people reflect the type of business restaurants, and stores can get, oh and ticket sales that SDSU and the brookings community recieve in general.

[JackJD]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

Jedi Incognito has been banned.

[Nidaros]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

Jedi Incognito has been banned.

Tusen takk( Thank you one thousand times in Norwegian)

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

Brookings and, more importantly, SDSU stand to gain a lot more than lose in the long term by holding an occasional game in Sioux Falls. (Maybe every other year or so.) I agree with JG-2. Bashing Sioux Falls is counterproductive for a program wants and needs more support. Until those antiquated east-side bleachers get replaced and games routinely attract 15,000, Coughlin isn't any better a venue than Howard Wood. SDSU needs to continue to expand its regional fan base, not alienate the largest city in the state. I look forward to the day when 18,000 to 20,000 fans routinely jam into a renovated stadium at SDSU, but that's obviously years and a lot of donated dollars away.

[LakeJack]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

[QUOTE=SF_Rabbit_Fan;126127]

So in 05 they were turning people away at the door in SF??

In athletics, as with many things in life, the questions isn't "how big is it," the questions is "is it big enough."

In the case of SDSU football at Howard Wood, the answer is yes, it is big enough (at least for now and with the addition of some temp bleachers).

This goes out to several posters: you can't make the argument that no one shows up for games in Sioux Falls AND the argument that Sioux Falls doesn't have a big enough stadium.

Ya you can. They didn't show up, and if they had where would you put them? Show me the $$$$$, SDSU needs to make more then it would if it played at home to even think about this.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

Ya you can. They didn't show up, and if they had where would you put them? Show me the $$$$$, SDSU needs to make more then it would if it played at home to even think about this.

Then play games with USD at Howard Wood Field... SDSU should be able to make more with an annual game with USD in Sioux Falls than it would with a home game every other year.

Taking USD out of the equation, I look at playing in Sioux Falls as more of a long term investment than a source of immediate revenue (I'm not saying we don't need immediate revenue). You don't see a lot up front, but down the road it will pay off big.

[KUlawJack]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

Brookings and, more importantly, SDSU stand to gain a lot more than lose in the long term by holding an occasional game in Sioux Falls. (Maybe every other year or so.) I agree with JG-2. Bashing Sioux Falls is counterproductive for a program wants and needs more support. Until those antiquated east-side bleachers get replaced and games routinely attract 15,000, Coughlin isn't any better a venue than Howard Wood. SDSU needs to continue to expand its regional fan base, not alienate the largest city in the state. I look forward to the day when 18,000 to 20,000 fans routinely jam into a renovated stadium at SDSU, but that's obviously years and a lot of donated dollars away.

Besides the bolded, good post. The bolded however, I cannot agree with. I was at the UC-Davis game and felt like I needed binoculars to see the action. What's more, I will sound the old adage "Its about the atmosphere!" Seriously though, the atmosphere of CAS is hard to pass up. Last year I only got back for one game and as soon as the band started up and began marching into the stadium I had goosebumps. Great feeling that is a direct correlation to the CAS atmosphere, IMO. Howard Wood holds no such value. I do not believe that my opinion in any way devalues the SF market, I just don't want to play a football game at Howard Wood even though it would be closer for me to travel.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: Beating Dead Horses

Besides the bolded, good post. The bolded however, I cannot agree with. I was at the UC-Davis game and felt like I needed binoculars to see the action. What's more, I will sound the old adage "Its about the atmosphere!" Seriously though, the atmosphere of CAS is hard to pass up. Last year I only got back for one game and as soon as the band started up and began marching into the stadium I had goosebumps. Great feeling that is a direct correlation to the CAS atmosphere, IMO. Howard Wood holds no such value. I do not believe that my opinion in any way devalues the SF market, I just don't want to play a football game at Howard Wood even though it would be closer for me to travel.

Agree...During our first year as season tickets holders (3 yrs ago) my wife could not figure out why I wanted to get to CAS 45 minutes before kickoff. Now she understands it is all about the atmosphere, hearing the band make its way through the stadium and up the steps, and watching the players come out of the locker room. I think you would lose that atmosphere if a game was taken down to Sioux Falls (and I am a SF resident).