So, stadiums attendance is way down.......
- Thread starter TaleofTwoDogs
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I was about to start a new thread related to attendance.....right now, the bottom three in attendance in the SEC is MSU, Missouri, and Vanderbilt-----in that order....
Seeing this kind of backs up what I thought when Stricklin left for UF.....He and Byrne were both great at creative marketing....when Cohen's name was in the hat, I kept saying to myself "please, no.....please, no".....My fear was that the young, creative, business savy, think outside of the box mentality would be lost. MSU needs that kind of leadership in our AD based up where we are located. Cohen is more like Templeton and less like /Stricklin and it has shown. I am not blaming low attendance on Cohen alone, but we have had worse teams and better attendance.
one that i have complained about is our athletic teams (and coaches) presence on social media....its not engaging, its just there.....the last couple of seasons, i had to go looking for men's basketball to find out when we had a game each week. I think our platforms should be "in your face" telling us every time we log on to the internet that there is a game......and less of "buy 3 games for the price of 2" or "$1 hotdogs all night".....that is old and outdated, like our AD.
I think we are headed back to the 80s with our athletic dept and that doesn't happen overnight.....just my 2 cents with a head cold this morning.
Seeing this kind of backs up what I thought when Stricklin left for UF.....He and Byrne were both great at creative marketing....when Cohen's name was in the hat, I kept saying to myself "please, no.....please, no".....My fear was that the young, creative, business savy, think outside of the box mentality would be lost. MSU needs that kind of leadership in our AD based up where we are located. Cohen is more like Templeton and less like /Stricklin and it has shown. I am not blaming low attendance on Cohen alone, but we have had worse teams and better attendance.
one that i have complained about is our athletic teams (and coaches) presence on social media....its not engaging, its just there.....the last couple of seasons, i had to go looking for men's basketball to find out when we had a game each week. I think our platforms should be "in your face" telling us every time we log on to the internet that there is a game......and less of "buy 3 games for the price of 2" or "$1 hotdogs all night".....that is old and outdated, like our AD.
I think we are headed back to the 80s with our athletic dept and that doesn't happen overnight.....just my 2 cents with a head cold this morning.
Don't even care about stadium "attendance" numbers that only reflect paid attendance.
College football attendance has declined for 7 straight years.
www.cbssports.com
College football attendance declines for seventh straight season to lowest average since 1981
Even the best teams and conferences across college football saw attendance drops this season
www.cbssports.com
I think that marketing may be subpar, but comparing it to the past is not completely fair. The world has changed, accessibility to games, etc. As a 50 something who used to tailgate every game, had tickets, etc. I struggle to think about what might bring me back regularly. If I knew that I had room to sit and enjoy the game at a reasonable cost, I might be enticed. Going to sit with our traditional knee->back->knee-back layout is a not happening for me when I can be comfortable at home and turn it off if it gets so ugly that my blood pressure rises. Re-seat things and I'd be in for a lot more than I am now. My kid's generation is just far less into it than mine was.
I think this is most of it. And also, once people get out of the habit of going and realize how much work it is, lots of people just won't go back. So I suspect COVID accelerated the trend we were already on. We used to go to 5 games a year. Now pretty much never go (we stopped going before COVID though b/c of the travel being too hard with work and kids). Even though it was a lot of work when we went regularly, it's in someways harder to go to one game a season when you don't have a routine. Even when we have a weekend we could go, the thought of getting tailgate stuff together and figuring out lodging is daunting. And then if we look at the easy alternative of not doing a tailgate and staying say half way home, then you start to think what's the point if you're not going to tailgate and enjoy starkville.
Seeing as Mizzou, MSU and Vandy are 11, 13, and 14 in capacity that these 3 would the bottom of the SEC in attendance. Kentucky is attending games based off their recent success and Mississippi fans only bought into the “Sip” starting this year. They barely averaged 50k last year.
The days of filled stadiums are over so there’s really no point in being concerned about it. The only thing that matters is revenue stream.
The days of filled stadiums are over so there’s really no point in being concerned about it. The only thing that matters is revenue stream.
Here's why I don't give a crap about paid attendance numbers. Bama had a "sellout" last week, 100,077 in attendance according to them. This is a photo I took at kickoff. Check out that south upper endzone. Nobody's filling up their stadium, but everybody's lying about the numerator in the fraction.
And that's without even mentioning trying to park on campus if you don't have a reserved pass. It's like the university goes out of their way to make getting on/off campus as inconvenient as possible.
As an example... we're coming in from out of state for the Auburn game. Parking isn't even available to purchase until 8 a.m. the day before the game... which is when we'll be traveling.
With respect to Bama and most likely Ole Miss there is a lot of fudging on attendence.
-Parking is $30/game now, and right now you can buy tickets to Auburn for $25 each. Yep, costs more for a terrible parking experience than it does to watch the game.
-Once you're parked you get to stand in long lines, go through metal detectors, hope the ticket scanners are working and have your bag checked to get in.
-You can then go and buy a 16oz beer for $7.50, when you can buy a whole 6 Pack of the same brand of 16 oz beers for less than that 1 at the stadium.
-You can then go to your seats that you paid a Bulldog Club premium fee on before you even bought the actual ticket and sit on a hot a$$ aluminum bleacher and have to stand up every time someone walks in front of you, or, you get kneed in the back or spilled on every time someone walks behind you.
-You get settled in and try to check some scores of other games on your phone only to find that the stadium internet service sucks balls. Your other option is to watch endless ads on the big screen and listen to music louder than but poorer quality than a live concert.
-Game over, proceed to your car and wait an hour or two to get off campus and out of town. Stop to pay for a tank of gas and start the trip home because all of the hotel rooms in Starkville are booked a year in advance.
What about that experience makes anyone want to go to a game in person more than to stay home and watch multiple games in the cool comfort of their own home, cooking on the grill, drinking cold beverages out of their own refrigerator and going to bed in their own bed that night? I did it for over 30 years but not any more.......I have an easier experience now because I mostly live in Starkville and tailgate but don't go to the games ever but for anyone out of town, I don't blame you one bit for staying home.
-Once you're parked you get to stand in long lines, go through metal detectors, hope the ticket scanners are working and have your bag checked to get in.
-You can then go and buy a 16oz beer for $7.50, when you can buy a whole 6 Pack of the same brand of 16 oz beers for less than that 1 at the stadium.
-You can then go to your seats that you paid a Bulldog Club premium fee on before you even bought the actual ticket and sit on a hot a$$ aluminum bleacher and have to stand up every time someone walks in front of you, or, you get kneed in the back or spilled on every time someone walks behind you.
-You get settled in and try to check some scores of other games on your phone only to find that the stadium internet service sucks balls. Your other option is to watch endless ads on the big screen and listen to music louder than but poorer quality than a live concert.
-Game over, proceed to your car and wait an hour or two to get off campus and out of town. Stop to pay for a tank of gas and start the trip home because all of the hotel rooms in Starkville are booked a year in advance.
What about that experience makes anyone want to go to a game in person more than to stay home and watch multiple games in the cool comfort of their own home, cooking on the grill, drinking cold beverages out of their own refrigerator and going to bed in their own bed that night? I did it for over 30 years but not any more.......I have an easier experience now because I mostly live in Starkville and tailgate but don't go to the games ever but for anyone out of town, I don't blame you one bit for staying home.
I have made almost every home game for years and years and I also make at least one road game each year. I still enjoy the game day experience and that is what keeps me going to campus each game. Thankfully, that part of our program has improved this year. However, for the casual fan, it is a lot of effort to give up an entire Saturday when it so much easier to watch from home. We sell a lot of season tickets , but we need these casual fans to fill the stadium. We only get that commitment from them when we are winning more than 6-7 games per year. I also agree that re-seating and/or more comfortable seating will keep people coming and avoid further decline in attendance.
Yep. I say it all the time. 2020 forced everyone to realize how great sitting at home is. As for marketing we have marketed the hell out of this year. First Saturday in Stark was a great promotion. They are now selling really good packages to Auburn. They were creating demand for Georgia well over a month before the game.
The idea that we would have bigger crowds with Scott Stricklin is ridiculous
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Percentage is capacity is not a very good metric to use. That just means our stadium is too big.
Average attendance in general is a better metric.
Average attendance in general is a better metric.
A day trip from the Jackson Metro is not a daunting task. I have season tickets and do this easily. You don't have to tailgate OR....just do it briefly.
Free parking is there if you're willing to walk a little bit (like a mile maximum), or ride the shuttle.
I don’t think this is that difficult to comprehend.
Across the board is down because you have convenience at home accelerated by COVID, cost, bleacher seat experience, and travel sports.
So why are we down so much?
Preseason Excitement about your football team sells season tickets. Everyone outside of us, Mizzou, Vandy, Auburn, and USC were excited about their football team. LSU and Florida with the new coach effect.
So we know that Vandy, Mizzou, and us are down, so why aren’t Auburn and USC as bad?
Auburn: Auburn/Opelieka/Columbus population 500,00
Living alumni 240,000
USCe: Columbia population 750,000
Living Alumni 300,000
State: Golden Triangle 130,000
Living Alumni 155,000
It’s just a reflection of shear numbers.
Across the board is down because you have convenience at home accelerated by COVID, cost, bleacher seat experience, and travel sports.
So why are we down so much?
Preseason Excitement about your football team sells season tickets. Everyone outside of us, Mizzou, Vandy, Auburn, and USC were excited about their football team. LSU and Florida with the new coach effect.
So we know that Vandy, Mizzou, and us are down, so why aren’t Auburn and USC as bad?
Auburn: Auburn/Opelieka/Columbus population 500,00
Living alumni 240,000
USCe: Columbia population 750,000
Living Alumni 300,000
State: Golden Triangle 130,000
Living Alumni 155,000
It’s just a reflection of shear numbers.
No doubt. I think our fanbase actually punches above its weight considering these numbers.
However, I do question some of the OVER THE TOP lazy logic that I hear from some of our fans. See the posts above that I quoted. I get that there are a bunch of folks who treat it as a social event and want convenience and to dress up and tailgate big and all that, but geez, doesn't anyone just go to the game anymore?
I understand what you're saying - but they have vastly improved the metal detector process. Beer at any event I've attended since I turned 21 over 20 years ago has always been at least $5 - $10. Concessions are much improved as well with the grab & go lines. And at least we do have some internet service, compared to 3-4 years ago my phone was a brick soon as I got on campus. Overall I've got to say it's a much better experience than it was 5 years ago.
My biggest complaint are the endless ads or constantly being bombarded with something. I tried talking to the guy next to me during the Arkansas game - just a random guy who'd bought my two extra tickets. It was impossible to talk for more than a few seconds. I don't mind hyping up the crowd coming out back from tv timeouts or whatever, but give us a break when there's not going to be any action for 3 minutes. I just want to be able to discuss the game with my son or people around me. That's nearly impossible now without yelling.
For the top 9 to be 2014/2015 seasons, that tells me that winning with a fun product on the field trumps everything.
Honestly, I don't even think it's all just winning. I think it's just the CONFIDENCE to know that you CAN win. I bet if you get beyond 2014/2015 (I just looked at wiki), you'll start seeing more 2017 and 2018 games. That atmosphere simply hasn't returned. It was ALMOST there this year.....but the losses we've suffered have killed it. Auburn and Georgia will be good crowds, but it won't be electric like it could be.
I know that many disagree on here, but our offense is just not entertaining. There is no big play potential. Creating a lot of total yards on 0-15 yard passes doesn’t make me say, “I’ve got to see this live and feel this excitement.” It’s hard to even stay focused on the TV most games. Sure, covid and technology advancements have made it easier to stay home, but the boring offense is a major factor.
Personally, I could double attendance, making our stadium twice the size. The tech is there to do it.
But attendance is going to continue to go down in person. There are way more than the reasons that most use to get rid of a coach. "Winning" cures all is not the over all driving factor. The over all driving factor is the mind set being taught. How many remember growing up where your HS team had those pep rallies where the players marched in with a fake coffin with the name of the team they were playing? That mentality has been pushed out of the game. The fan back in that era was a fan thick or thin.
It's the same factor as what's happening at TAMU right now. Those kids got paid majorly and are enjoying their money and half way doing their jobs. They have no connection to the school. They are not playing for the pride of the university. The fans are the same way. They don't have that connection to the university in the way they use to. You have to answer the question of why.
Outside of having attended MSU, the connection to the process of sports has not been "nurtured", in fact it's been discouraged in many ways.
But attendance is going to continue to go down in person. There are way more than the reasons that most use to get rid of a coach. "Winning" cures all is not the over all driving factor. The over all driving factor is the mind set being taught. How many remember growing up where your HS team had those pep rallies where the players marched in with a fake coffin with the name of the team they were playing? That mentality has been pushed out of the game. The fan back in that era was a fan thick or thin.
It's the same factor as what's happening at TAMU right now. Those kids got paid majorly and are enjoying their money and half way doing their jobs. They have no connection to the school. They are not playing for the pride of the university. The fans are the same way. They don't have that connection to the university in the way they use to. You have to answer the question of why.
Outside of having attended MSU, the connection to the process of sports has not been "nurtured", in fact it's been discouraged in many ways.
I've got nothing to add to this. When I finally decided to give up our season tickets a few years back, I came to the realization that attending college football games in person is really for two groups of people. The 18-30 year old crowd, and parents that have kids in the 18-30 year old crowd. For pretty much anyone else, it's either too expensive, too inconvenient, or both.
It's very entertaining when the players are executing it. There has been explosive play after explosive play this season. And this comment is exactly what I am talking about in my above post.
At one point, teams ran it and rarely threw it. Yet the stadiums were full.
We are killing sports attendance. We do nothing to nurture it. You can not expect people to drive 10 hours to go to a game. They need to take on a different model if they want a full house. The people driving long distances are not going to be consistent.
I think fewer and fewer people. I feel like the NFL fans I know are more likely to just want to go to the game and turn around and come back. For whatever reason, college games seem to be more about the whole package. Maybe because it's a longer trip generally? Or because women and kids are more likely to be included? Or maybe it's just because the college experience creates a lot of "fans" of the gameday and gameweekend experience whereas NFL fans are just fans of the football team.
YEP! and the hype dies when all you do is hype! It loses it's effect. And yes, I go to the game with people for a reason. To talk about the game with them while there. We have pushed everything we can to boost the attendance except what needs to be done!
Parity is another big thing.
I think once the playoff gets expanded, you'll see the interest start creeping back up. NIL and the portal has also threatened the 'dominant' teams, which was necessary. You may not like it, but bottom line NIL won't affect that many players and it will spread those 5 star guys out around the country instead of consolidating all of them at Alabama and Georgia.
We need the SMUs of the world to come in and take some players from the powers that be (and now legally).
I can tell you it’s the socialization that is a major driving factor for whether I go to a game. I have gone a couple of times to Starkville and didn’t go to the game because there wasn’t a scoreboard seat available. I despise the bleachers because of several reasons, one of which is I like to stand for the whole game. I only see my closest friends once or twice a year, and the games are a great opportunity to spend time with them for an entire weekend in a place that we love. I went to the A&M game because 3 of them were going.
Our stadium is one of the smallest in the SEC.
Agree about the metal detectors. At the A&M game it was “cowbells up” and we just walked right through. Easy & fast. I really thought everything about the gameday experience was about as good as it could be (can’t do anything about the endless 3-minute commercial breaks). This is one area Cohen has really improved & they are doing a good job, based on my 1-game sample.
Were you interested when we were 3 yards and a cloud of dust and the idea of the QB dropping back to pass scared the life out of you? I understand that everybody would like to see big plays, but I think that people's disdain for this offense is more rooted in preference than performance. I'm not sure Leach is the long term answer, but I don't want to return to the Maine either.
Don't you live in Florida? Kind of understandable for you to come less often, and worth it to spend a little money to make it convenient. We all make those choices.
I guess I'm more talking about the people who live in the Jackson, Memphis, Birmingham circle. Really you can back that out to about 160 miles that gets you Hattiesburg, Huntsville, etc.
Kentucky damn near filled their stadium against us coming off two losses. It was a great crowd and they helped win the game, and UK's offense is far from exciting. We couldnt get close to full against Arkansas coming off two straight wins.
Kentucky is on the biggest high in their program's modern history. And it was a night game. Our Auburn crowd will be just as good.
1- The focus needs to be on attendance by the local areas. In other words, people who could be there within a few hours. That means you have to make is accessible to them and you have to market that to them. Those people would be more likely to attend every home game than those 5 to 10 hours away.
2- Next, we need to address the lack of attendance by those who hold season tickets.
3- We should change the whole model based on in state or out of state addresses. This goes hand in hand with #1. You don't want to discourage travelers, but you want to ENCOURAGE closer people who can make the trip on a regular basis. How? You use a model that's proven. In State purchasers get a 40 to 50% discount on season tickets.
4- Those season tickets are subject to time sensitive claims or check ins. You may buy season tickets, but if you do not confirm that you are going to be at the game 2 weeks in advanced, those seats will be given to charity in local areas.
5- Those local charities have to commit to being there if tickets are provided. If they miss, they get removed from the list.
6- get back to promoting beating opponents. As much as I dislike the TAMU whatever it is they do, we all see that it promotes the spirit of the game. Have massive prep rallies the night before. Start a new tradition of a FAN WALK. A Student walk. Where all students MARCH with their "war paint" to the stadium. Make a special area where they are the last ones the players see. Team arrives after the students get to their spots.
We have taken the attachment away. And that's the ONLY way to make a demand for the seats. Get back to the pride. The desire to help your team. You can't have that if you are not somehow connected to the team.
1- Show what your local purchasers money went towards. Not in writing. SHOW THEM! See this massive "whatever". This was built by the fans who purchased tickets, It's why YOUR NAME is on it. They now have more of a vested interest.
2- Let the fans vote on the next project. Make it something that improves the team experience.
So many ways to reconnect the fans to the university and the teams without BKing sports.
2- Next, we need to address the lack of attendance by those who hold season tickets.
3- We should change the whole model based on in state or out of state addresses. This goes hand in hand with #1. You don't want to discourage travelers, but you want to ENCOURAGE closer people who can make the trip on a regular basis. How? You use a model that's proven. In State purchasers get a 40 to 50% discount on season tickets.
4- Those season tickets are subject to time sensitive claims or check ins. You may buy season tickets, but if you do not confirm that you are going to be at the game 2 weeks in advanced, those seats will be given to charity in local areas.
5- Those local charities have to commit to being there if tickets are provided. If they miss, they get removed from the list.
6- get back to promoting beating opponents. As much as I dislike the TAMU whatever it is they do, we all see that it promotes the spirit of the game. Have massive prep rallies the night before. Start a new tradition of a FAN WALK. A Student walk. Where all students MARCH with their "war paint" to the stadium. Make a special area where they are the last ones the players see. Team arrives after the students get to their spots.
We have taken the attachment away. And that's the ONLY way to make a demand for the seats. Get back to the pride. The desire to help your team. You can't have that if you are not somehow connected to the team.
1- Show what your local purchasers money went towards. Not in writing. SHOW THEM! See this massive "whatever". This was built by the fans who purchased tickets, It's why YOUR NAME is on it. They now have more of a vested interest.
2- Let the fans vote on the next project. Make it something that improves the team experience.
So many ways to reconnect the fans to the university and the teams without BKing sports.
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