For those who don't think the stadium upgrades matter

[Called3rdstrikedawg]

First of all, I listened to about half of it. When they start going off on Turner tweeting .... I mean come on.

I get it. Recruiting isn't looking to good. However they have complained about the DC since the guy was hired. They have basically called from the guy to be fired since the AzSt game. So what 4-5 star do they think is going to sign with State when all the vibe coming out of the fan base is fire the coach, the atmosphere sucks, that sucks, this sucks blah blah blah.

Also the led lights and speakers. I don't know why @RobbieFaulk goes off on fans about it. How much does he give? Hey Robbie, start a grass roots effort to raise money to fund all this stuff. You have the platform to do it.

But I assume there lays the disagreement. Some people think there are not lights and speakers because MSU is cheap and hoarding money. I'm giving the athletic department the benefit of the doubt in that I really believe there isn't much of any money to spare without private donations.

Which if you go back and look at OMs new basketball arena and our renovation of the Hump, I'm sure they received a larger donation to build a new arena and than we did towards the Hump.

I know football sucks. I didn't like the HC hire to begin with. However if State people really want things to get better.... recruits, lights, speakers, and atmosphere.... you have to give more and show up more.

Because State is not only the poorest SEC program, it has the poorest Fanbase in the poorest State in the country. And it isn't because of the State's Conservative roots. Yes, I'm making our situation political because it is social, economic, political and personal.

What are the other poorest States with SEC programs?

Arkansas has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.
Louisiana has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.
Missouri has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.

but here sits poor little Mississippi with 2 SEC schools. The fan bases cannot afford the cost of being competitive. It's just a fact of the football neighborhood we are in!

 

[Darryl Steight]

Hindsight is 20/20 but we should have bulldozed DWS before sinking money into it and built a modern bowl of 45k loaded with premium seating, tech, chair backs, proximity to field, overhangs for sound, etc.

I am a big proponent of premium seating, upgrades, etc. But just my personal opinion, I'd be embarrassed to have a 45k seat stadium in the SEC. I think we need at least 60k to even stay in the realm of relevancy. Hell, they can lie about how many people it seats for all I care, but please let's not have an announced capacity of 45k. That sounds like giving up to me.

Didn't we have a 15+ game streak of sellouts at some point? It's not like we don't have the fans to fill up 60k. It's that the product sucks right now.

 

[Darryl Steight]

I've often wondered why we decided to go with upper decks first, before bowling in the bottom. In 1986 AND 2002. They may have had reasoning but I do wonder what it was.

I'm sure 86 was Templeton keeping us 'in the black'. But Sherrill definitely dictated the direction in '02. He hated end zone seats. Remember the whole "we have just as many seats as Auburn between the end zones" comments.

 

[ckDOG]

I am a big proponent of premium seating, upgrades, etc. But just my personal opinion, I'd be embarrassed to have a 45k seat stadium in the SEC. I think we need at least 60k to even stay in the realm of relevancy. Hell, they can lie about how many people it seats for all I care, but please let's not have an announced capacity of 45k. That sounds like giving up to me.

Didn't we have a 15+ game streak of sellouts at some point? It's not like we don't have the fans to fill up 60k. It's that the product sucks right now.

I dont agree. I'd rather have a full/loud ##k than 45k in an 30% empty stadium. The hypothetical stadium could have been built to facilitate an expansion if it was apparent that raising prices on the existing demand was no longer the correct approach. Chasing a seating number to keep up with programs we never will be doesn't seem right to me. Differentiate with a premium product that is reliably at capacity and as loud as any other SEC facility by utilizing a creative stadium design. Players and recruits won't count the seats if they can't hear themselves think.

 

[Maroon13]

Because State is not only the poorest SEC program, it has the poorest Fanbase in the poorest State in the country. And it isn't because of the State's Conservative roots. Yes, I'm making our situation political because it is social, economic, political and personal.

What are the other poorest States with SEC programs?

Arkansas has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.
Louisiana has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.
Missouri has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.

but here sits poor little Mississippi with 2 SEC schools. The fan bases cannot afford the cost of being competitive. It's just a fact of the football neighborhood we are in!

You nailed it. I believe that is the problem way more than I believe State has just been unlucky with poor leadership.

Also, all you have to do is walk around Oxford and go to their games to see there is money there than here. They did strike gold hiring Kiffin and his name and success has certainly helped with donations.

 

[HotMop]

Go listen to the newest Thunder and Lightning.

Flashing lights, good audio, the entire gameday experience, etc matters when it comes to recruiting.

Go to an away game. Then come to a game at DWS. I shlt you not, it's like going to SEC game, then a MAC game.

We are rolling out a mascot on a golfcart with a doghouse facade with sparklers and muffled audio into a stadium at 60% capacity. It's 100% Busch League and recruits taking OVs know it's lame. If you have a JUCO level experience, expect to land JUCO level players.

You at home may be fine with it, but good recruits who are traveling the SEC get to witness gameday experiences that make ours look 2nd rate. We should all be embarrassed.

It has to change.

Yeah, but they play "Bad to the Bone." That makes up for everything else. Right? RIGHT!?!

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

The thing with the Hump is there’s not a bad seat in the place.

The top row of the Hump is about the same eye level and distance as the luxury boxes and club level in FedEx Forum.

I was thinking overall set up and design. The worst thing they did was move the students away from courtside. I feel like that killed the hump on top of bad play with Rick Ray era. I know the created a a small section, but I feel like it was half-assed.

 

[Maroon13]

LT didn't become AD until 1987.

I recall the west side expansion took 2 years. So my guess is it started in 84 and finished before the 86 season.

I can remember sitting on the east side and marveling each home game at the construction progress. I'm guessing that was the 85 season.

 

[Darryl Steight]

I dont agree. I'd rather have a full/loud ##k than 45k in an 30% empty stadium. The hypothetical stadium could have been built to facilitate an expansion if it was apparent that raising prices on the existing demand was no longer the correct approach. Chasing a seating number to keep up with programs we never will be doesn't seem right to me. Differentiate with a premium product that is reliably at capacity and as loud as any other SEC facility by utilizing a creative stadium design. Players and recruits won't count the seats if they can't hear themselves think.

 

[Darryl Steight]

LT didn't become AD until 1987.

I recall the west side expansion took 2 years. So my guess is it started in 84 and finished before the 86 season.

I can remember sitting on the east side and marveling each home game at the construction progress. I'm guessing that was the 85 season.

Okay maybe I wasn't sure 86 was Lonny.

 

[HotMop]

I can say this since I’m on the Spectrum…

 

[onewoof]

Go listen to the newest Thunder and Lightning.

Flashing lights, good audio, the entire gameday experience, etc matters when it comes to recruiting.

Go to an away game. Then come to a game at DWS. I shlt you not, it's like going to SEC game, then a MAC game.

We are rolling out a mascot on a golfcart with a doghouse facade with sparklers and muffled audio into a stadium at 60% capacity. It's 100% Busch League and recruits taking OVs know it's lame. If you have a JUCO level experience, expect to land JUCO level players.

You at home may be fine with it, but good recruits who are traveling the SEC get to witness gameday experiences that make ours look 2nd rate. We should all be embarrassed.

It has to change.

I loved watching Auburn's LED light show in their 1 home SEC win. Truly as a special, meaningful moment for their program.

In regards to their other electrifying 4 home losses, it did wonders for the morale of the fans and the program. LED lights, fireworks and music really do make one feel better than actually winning a game.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Bitching about the game experience, no flashing lights, and great sound like in other places. It's just too bad that we could only flip the lights and sound if the other team scored.

 

[aTotal360]

I loved watching Auburn's LED light show in their 1 home SEC win. Truly as a special, meaningful moment for their program.

In regards to their other electrifying 4 home losses, it did wonders for the morale of the fans and the program. LED lights, fireworks and music really do make one feel better than actually winning a game.

You realize it matters to recruits. When they come to our place, it's like playing a game at Akron. Then they go to OM, Arky and Auburn and see how cool it is. Within 30 seconds of walking into the stadium, you can tell one fanbase is not like the other. But keep your head in the sand...

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

Coming from the little beat boy means absolutely nothing he's had his panties in a wad since last year about the damn logo and this year attached to the LED light argument when, guess what, we had no night games in which the lights would have been relevant.

Fix the team first and then fix everything else but that would require heads to roll but I guess people are wanting a bone being throw to them with logos and lights

Nobody gave a **** about lights and logos when we were going to bowl games but all of a sudden now it's an issue...winning cures everything

 

[aTotal360]

Coming from the little beat boy means absolutely nothing he's had his panties in a wad since last year about the damn logo and this year attached to the LED light argument when, guess what, we had no night games in which the lights would have been relevant.

Fix the team first and then fix everything else but that would require heads to roll but I guess people are wanting a bone being throw to them with logos and lights

Nobody gave a **** about lights and logos when we were going to bowl games but all of a sudden now it's an issue...winning cures everything

When your gameday experience sucks compared to your peers, your recruiting will suck compared to your peers. Mullen preached that to us in his first year.

"Fixing the team" won't happen until we have something to attract them. Right now we are the least shiny object in the SEC.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

When your gameday experience sucks compared to your peers, your recruiting will suck compared to your peers. Mullen preached that to us in his first year.

"Fixing the team" won't happen until we have something to attract them. Right now we are the least shiny object in the SEC.

 

[Spidey.sixpack]

I agree with the OP. My wife has no skin in the game. Went to William Carey in Hattiesburg and couldn't give two 17s about football. But we went to Columbia, SC last season and while we were there she said, "i hope this doesn't hurt your feelings, but this is a lot more fun than a Mississippi State game". I told her that I agreed with her. That was a great atmosphere. The LED lights. The music. It was just 17n fun to be at. Y'all are preaching to the choir reminding us that winning is more important than ribbon boards, led lights, music, etc. No **** sherlock. You can make the atmosphere better and start winning at the same time. It isn't one or the other.

 

[onewoof]

You realize it matters to recruits. When they come to our place, it's like playing a game at Akron. Then they go to OM, Arky and Auburn and see how cool it is. Within 30 seconds of walking into the stadium, you can tell one fanbase is not like the other. But keep your head in the sand...

Yes it does to a certain extent, but nothing like the almighty dollar. Pay them and the environment is just a cherry on the top. Fans like it the most. Tennessee has it going on the best IMO, their night game entrance is 5 minutes of pure delight.

 

[615dawg]

Go listen to the newest Thunder and Lightning.

Flashing lights, good audio, the entire gameday experience, etc matters when it comes to recruiting.

Go to an away game. Then come to a game at DWS. I shlt you not, it's like going to SEC game, then a MAC game.

We are rolling out a mascot on a golfcart with a doghouse facade with sparklers and muffled audio into a stadium at 60% capacity. It's 100% Busch League and recruits taking OVs know it's lame. If you have a JUCO level experience, expect to land JUCO level players.

You at home may be fine with it, but good recruits who are traveling the SEC get to witness gameday experiences that make ours look 2nd rate. We should all be embarrassed.

It has to change.

Ive been saying this for a couple years. We are so far behind most of the SEC on gameday experience.

1. LED lights and sound (some high schools have this)
2. New leadership in Famous Maroon Band (have effectively had the same director for 50 years)
3. Get rid of Bully on the dog house playing Bad to the Bone like its the 70s.

We've had a handful of moments of innovation over the years - need leadership to take some chances. We should have a member of our marketing team at all four home playoff sites observing.

Tennessee this year was spectacular. There is a decent chance we are staring at 20 straight SEC losses with our schedule next year. We have to make some moves.

 

[paindonthurt17]

Go listen to the newest Thunder and Lightning.

Flashing lights, good audio, the entire gameday experience, etc matters when it comes to recruiting.

Go to an away game. Then come to a game at DWS. I shlt you not, it's like going to SEC game, then a MAC game.

We are rolling out a mascot on a golfcart with a doghouse facade with sparklers and muffled audio into a stadium at 60% capacity. It's 100% Busch League and recruits taking OVs know it's lame. If you have a JUCO level experience, expect to land JUCO level players.

You at home may be fine with it, but good recruits who are traveling the SEC get to witness gameday experiences that make ours look 2nd rate. We should all be embarrassed.

It has to change.

We can create a great environment without expanding the stadium

we have done it before

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

Hindsight is 20/20 but we should have bulldozed DWS before sinking money into it and built a modern bowl of 45k loaded with premium seating, tech, chair backs, proximity to field, overhangs for sound, etc.

While that sounds fine, you can’t do that to the 2nd oldest stadium in D1 football.
Templeton started the addition of the upper deck west side by going cheap and it continued with the cheap addition of the East side upper deck.
We have 4 different looks and styles built into one stadium
The only side that looks like a decent stadium is the north endzone expansion.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

I am a big proponent of premium seating, upgrades, etc. But just my personal opinion, I'd be embarrassed to have a 45k seat stadium in the SEC. I think we need at least 60k to even stay in the realm of relevancy. Hell, they can lie about how many people it seats for all I care, but please let's not have an announced capacity of 45k. That sounds like giving up to me.

Didn't we have a 15+ game streak of sellouts at some point? It's not like we don't have the fans to fill up 60k. It's that the product sucks right now.

58,000 maroon chairbacks plus whatever premium/suites seating holds and get us to 65K is all we need.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

I'm sure 86 was Templeton keeping us 'in the black'. But Sherrill definitely dictated the direction in '02. He hated end zone seats. Remember the whole "we have just as many seats as Auburn between the end zones" comments.

I remember that statement but I didn’t remember he singled out Auburn, thought it was of most of other SEC stadiums ?

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

LT didn't become AD until 1987.

I recall the west side expansion took 2 years. So my guess is it started in 84 and finished before the 86 season.

I can remember sitting on the east side and marveling each home game at the construction progress. I'm guessing that was the 85 season.

Started right after the end of the ‘84 season and opened for ‘86 season.
5500 additional seats were put in the upper deck plus the chairbacks - total addition was around 9500 new seats.

 

[Howiefeltersnstch]

The only thing that will help audio is banning the cowbell. As long as we have cowbells you are not going to hear ****. You can't even hear the band playing when the bells are rocking. As far as recruiting goes it's not game day, it's about how much money can the recruits receive. They are going where they can make the most money. Flashing lights don't do **** when you don't even get on SEC night game. Those are the usual recruiting games. There is a reason why we did not get an SEC night game. Our AD sucks and has not balls.

I could be wrong but is there a set of speakers on both ends of the stadium ? I looked during the Missouri game and could only see the one set of speakers. And you can hear it fine when nothing is going on. Do yall wanna drown out the cowbells ? How much noise do you want ?

 

[aTotal360]

We can create a great environment without expanding the stadium

we have done it before

I never mentioned adding another seat.

 

[aTotal360]

Yes it does to a certain extent, but nothing like the almighty dollar. Pay them and the environment is just a cherry on the top. Fans like it the most. Tennessee has it going on the best IMO, their night game entrance is 5 minutes of pure delight.

The money being offered by other schools is about the same and we continue to lose out. All the peripheral things matter.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

For those of you with the “ build it and they will come” attitude, what about baseball? We have arguably the best stadium and best atmosphere in college baseball but I don’t see recruits lining up to play ball here other than when LSU comes to town every other year. I hate paying players with every fiber of my being, it cheapens the game to the point of the apathy that I currently have but whoever funnels the most money to players is going to win the recruiting battles and the games. Alabama could play games in the median of I59 and they’d still out recruit and out perform us.

Didn’t we have a top 5 HS signing class the other day?

 

[Mr. Cook]

Go listen to the newest Thunder and Lightning.

Flashing lights, good audio, the entire gameday experience, etc matters when it comes to recruiting.

Go to an away game. Then come to a game at DWS. I shlt you not, it's like going to SEC game, then a MAC game.

We are rolling out a mascot on a golfcart with a doghouse facade with sparklers and muffled audio into a stadium at 60% capacity. It's 100% Busch League and recruits taking OVs know it's lame. If you have a JUCO level experience, expect to land JUCO level players.

You at home may be fine with it, but good recruits who are traveling the SEC get to witness gameday experiences that make ours look 2nd rate. We should all be embarrassed.

It has to change.

Hell — at South Carolina that place is like going to a city EDM club with lights and sandstorm at top volume. Crazy fans.

 

[Dawgg]

Spending millions for upgrades ostensibly to justify attracting talent that will end up costing millions more?

I think this is a good point. I mean… are recruits going to give us an LED lights discount when they sign their NIL deals?

 

[Dawgg]

Because State is not only the poorest SEC program, it has the poorest Fanbase in the poorest State in the country. And it isn't because of the State's Conservative roots. Yes, I'm making our situation political because it is social, economic, political and personal.

What are the other poorest States with SEC programs?

Arkansas has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.
Louisiana has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.
Missouri has 1 SEC school and only 1 P4 school.

but here sits poor little Mississippi with 2 SEC schools. The fan bases cannot afford the cost of being competitive. It's just a fact of the football neighborhood we are in!

Is Missouri a poor state? They have two major metro areas, St. Louis and Kansas City.

 

[aTotal360]

Hell — at South Carolina that place is like going to a city EDM club with lights and sandstorm at top volume. Crazy fans.

BBBBBBut the 53-year-old fan sitting on his couch doesn't care...

 

[aTotal360]

I think this is a good point. I mean… are recruits going to give us an LED lights discount when they sign their NIL deals?

No, but they won't even give you a look if you aren't shiny. We can't even get good recruits past the front door. And when they do come in, they see the shltshow that is an MSU football game. The entire experience is bottom of the barrel for a 17-year-old kid.

 

[Mr. Cook]

Big money go poof

Nothing new in the State of Mississippi *******

 

[Darryl Steight]

I remember that statement but I didn’t remember he singled out Auburn, thought it was of most of other SEC stadiums ?

I am definitely foggy on the details, but I remember distinctly sitting in Jordan-Hare and thinking "damn, he may be right" because so many of their seats are in the endzones. I guess theoretically they could have 30k on each side (so, similar to DWS) then 14k in each endzone and get to 88k or whatever.

I do like one thing the Barners did with their design, and that's put those endzone seats and a short wall right on top of the field. I don't have a real measurement, but the fans on the shorter side of the bowl (I think they might be students) feel like they are about 5' from the end line. It's pretty loud right there and I imagine can be intimidating for opponents late in the game. I love sitting in our gridiron club, and I'm sure the school makes bank on those seats, but the country club set aren't exactly our loudest fans.

 

[Bulldog45]

I think this is a good point. I mean… are recruits going to give us an LED lights discount when they sign their NIL deals?

Just do a payroll deduction. Or we could tax them. Every time you score a touchdown you pay the light show tax.

 

[Called3rdstrikedawg]

For those of you with the “ build it and they will come” attitude, what about baseball? We have arguably the best stadium and best atmosphere in college baseball but I don’t see recruits lining up to play ball here other than when LSU comes to town every other year. I hate paying players with every fiber of my being, it cheapens the game to the point of the apathy that I currently have but whoever funnels the most money to players is going to win the recruiting battles and the games. Alabama could play games in the median of I59 and they’d still out recruit and out perform us.

With the spate of people getting killed trying to cross 55 and 20 in Jackson, I know where Bama could recruit players to play on I59!

 

[Called3rdstrikedawg]

Is Missouri a poor state? They have two major metro areas, St. Louis and Kansas City.

Not my point. They only have 1 FBS P4 SEC program in a State twice the size as ours and 3 times more wealthy. Louisiana is the same. Arkansas has probably double our Money but still has the Arkansas Delta to contend with. But only 1 P4 program. Yet here we sit Ranked 50th in every financial category with 2 P4 schools. We have a divided State of middle income earners who prefer to Dove hunt instead go to the first game of the season. Probably half the State has a $100000 hunting arsenal but ain't spending money on football players. I don't blame them.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

We had fireworks and a LED drone show after every SEC win this year.