If we don't get close to a full house we got a problem | Page 5 | The Boneyard

If we don't get close to a full house we got a problem

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cttxus said:
I flew into LGA early Thursday afternoon before the July 4th holiday this year, and it took me almost 4 hrs to get across the Q bridge. Decided to stop off at the Angus Steakhouse in Fairfield for a beverage to calm my nerves. Lesson learned after not living in S. CT for 19 yrs: driving north from Fairfield Cty on 95 or the Merritt sucks the day before a holiday weekend. I'm guessing you won't have enough time to get the grill fired up, etc., leaving at 3:30. If it was me, I would opt for a Gold's Deli sandwich or grinder-to-go, and a roadie along the way. Of course, I'd have my co-pilot driving at the time. Then I'd hope for a few minutes to relax and enjoy a second course once I got parked at PAWS ARF. ;)
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Should have stopped at the Grape in Fairfield or Anna Liffeys. Both former drinking spots for CTB back in college. However, I agree getting out of Fairfield County is impossible. Sometimes the best way is to go Rt. 8 and cut thru Prospect to Cheshire/Wallingford to 91. Other times it's the connector to 15.

I would stay away from Waterbury and New Haven. Unfortunately, those two cities blockade traffic from the southern part of the state.

My rule used to be that if you're out of Fairfield (the town) by 3:30 you should be OK. If not, get ready for hell.
 
uconnphil2016 said:
Guys, I understand it's not easy to lose, but is it really that difficult to sit outside for six fall afternoons and watch football with friends? Yes, the team sucks. Yes, people have left. Yes, we got screwed in CR. But let's not be mistaken, this isn't a nuclear fallout. We're lucky to have made the jump to 1A in the first place. In the next decade conferences will once again shift and we'll end up in a better place after the second realignment than we are now. People in CT are so damn negative, and that is why people have left. Football games are fun to watch. More people should be showing up. Period.
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UConn football has not been fun to watch for the past few years. I suspect you never made it from your tailgate to an actual game. UConn has been demoted. You can twist it any way that you want but that is a fact, and people are just not going to give their time and money for second tier games when there is so much else to do with their time. People have not left CT because UConn football is bad, or that UConn has been demoted to G5. People want to go to where there is opportunity, real or not. You cannot blame anyone for not wanting to watch what UConn football has been over the past few years. Hopefully, it will change, and hopefully it will not take a decade for it to happen.
 
I judge no one who chooses not to go to a game because they won't have a good time and people here can argue the product/date/weather/opponent/family commitments till the dairy bar cows come home but outside the group here - 17k on opening night is gonna be a bad optic compared to peers when week one attendance figures are tallied and will continue to push the narrative that UConn Football is going no where anytime soon. It is what it is - but it is.

UCFSports 7:44pm via TweetDeck
GOL says UCF is expecting 34,000 for the season opener vs. FIU, apparently including a full student section.

TomGroeschen Aug 31, 10:07am via TweetDeck
Some tickets remain but #UC still expects full house (40K) at Nippert reopening Saturday, AD Mike Bohn says. (versus Alabama A&M)

ECU is looking at well north of 30k if predications are to be believed (versus Towson)

See ya Thursday afternoon!
 
Well you are right Medic, so folks should mentally prepare for 20k tops.

For us, the die hards - we are there no matter what. For most everyone else, we need to start winning first (or at least be entertaining) before people show up again... And for others, it will take winning/being entertaining against teams we care about. Which is an obvious problem. So let's hope winning is enough, for now.

Like you said, it is what it is, but there are no quick fixes.
 
huskymedic said:
Okay - bam - magic wand. The game is now Friday night or Saturday afternoon--- how many more people come this year? Another 2k? Could be less due to scholastic fall sports kicking off in earnest.
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If it's Saturday afternoon, I'd imagine it would be more than 2K. Even if it was just 2K more, that's 2K better than it is on a worknight that isn't a Friday night.

Thursday night is asinine on so many levels. The diehards will come obviously but we're trying to rope in the non-die hards. Makes it very difficiult.
 
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The Viking said:
If it's Saturday afternoon, I'd imagine it would be more than 2K. Even if it was just 2K more, that's 2K better than it is on a worknight that isn't a Friday night.

Thursday night is asinine on so many levels. The diehards will come obviously but we're trying to rope in the non-die hards. Makes it very difficiult.
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Maybe, but it is Labor Day weekend and many will be taking Friday off to extend the weekend further.

I'm hoping to get to some games. I've been coaching my daughter's basketball team for several years and that means I'm never free on Saturday afternoons in the fall. I also live out of state. As I've said before, the south and parts of the midwest are different. The whole community adjusts its schedule to ensure that most people are free during game days. We are far from that.
 
Saturday is no better than Thursday. Although the calendar this year is harsh on Thursday because Labor Day is so late and school started everywhere like a week ago.

They just need to get out of the habit of playing home games this weekend especially against FCS. @Duke and @Michigan was much better....

It's pretty crazy 3.5 weeks from now the home schedule is going to be half over.
 
I'll call it as I see it.....

First, MANY CUDOS to my fellow boneyarders as I know all of you will be there as you have been there
for the last 4 years - through thick and thin-. Even though I haven't agreed with some of your viewpoints,
all of you are awesome as you continue to support UCONN football and athletics!!!
Based on the bad of the last 4 years, that the stars we can get 17k tomorrow night. It's just not the product
but a long history of bad mistakes made over many years....by people who didn't get "it".

MY BEEF:
Numero uno:
Being an Alum, my fellow alumni that don't get behind the school suck....
Not just in football attendance either. The UCONN Alumni Assoc had what...13,000 members with
over 300,000 living graduates. (or something like that....).
The annual contribution to endowment, scholarship and foundation by graduates of all ages is putrid- just short of blowing dead donkeys.
So, to ask them to get of their ARSE and actually have fun at a tailgate & game...they will tell you that the STADIUM isn't on campus and give you every excuse in the book.... THEY SUCK -- I can say it to them as an alum-. and tough to any alum that doesn't like hearing it-because they can't hide from the truth......

Numero two:
The marketing by the Athletic dept to groups of all kinds to fill empty seats ABSOLUTELY SUCKS. I will pay for them to take a marketing
course across the street from their office in the School of BIZ. (or send me a private message and I will meet with them in Storrs and show you how to attack (market). Build the base....... they don't know how to achieve it.

Third point:
The casual Connecticut sports fan has been spoiled. Sandwiched between 2 champion sports cities of New York and Boston, winning prompts attention and this point has to be kept in mind when addressing number 2.

And that my fellow boneyarders, lies at the heart of solving the problem---that if this things is turned around, HCBD is the right guy for the job.....................
Again, many CUDOS to all of you and see you tomorrow night!!!
 
SonsOfNutmeg said:
Here's what I don't get... Has anyone seen ANYTHING out there on this game, TV, Radio, or Bilboards? I've seen multiple billboards for UConn Basketball season ticket sales, but virtually nothing for Football, and not one promoting the fact that in 48 hours our boys will take the field to start the season at The Rent. WTF is with their -backwards marketing?
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I'm not defending the athletic marketing, but I did see an electronic billboard message on I84 in Hartford yesterday morning advertising tomorrow's game, complete with countdown clock to tailgating time and ticket info. This was the only time I saw this advertisement though and I commute to Hartford daily.
 
UCPusky said:
I'm not defending the athletic marketing, but I did see an electronic billboard message on I84 in Hartford yesterday morning advertising tomorrow's game, complete with countdown clock to tailgating time and ticket info. This was the only time I saw this advertisement though and I commute to Hartford daily.
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This is the sort of thing I was calling for when the Rent opened. To aggresively market BCS football in CT/Tri State area should have been a no brainer. Only thing was our AD was himself a no brainer or at least a person with no sort of forward thinking ability whatsoever. Oh well.
 
True Story.....my GF's trainer is from South Carolina and wants to go to a Uconn football game, LOL to see how it is done here. She luckily will be distracted by the SC vs UNC game this week she said. But I am curious to see what she thinks of the AAC style . I did mention that we beat them the last time we met in a football game. Even though that feels like a century ago. I was figuring the Navy or USF game. She won't go in the cold she said.
 
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I bet we'll break 20k. If we don't, someone come find me at the Rent and I'll buy you a beer.
 
Joe D. mentioned on the radio this afternoon prepared to be underwhelmed by the attendance.
 
I think the attendance will suck tomorrow. Think the crowds will be much better for the next few games if the weather is nice, and especially if we can win these first 2 games. Late in the season will probably be pretty empty unless we take a huge leap forward this year.
 
UCPusky said:
I'm not defending the athletic marketing, but I did see an electronic billboard message on I84 in Hartford yesterday morning advertising tomorrow's game, complete with countdown clock to tailgating time and ticket info. This was the only time I saw this advertisement though and I commute to Hartford daily.
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I've seen the same billboard in Waterbury everyday day for at least the past three weeks.
 
The athletic dept done an overall bad job for years promoting the success of men's basketball and the entrance into BCS football.

That being said, you guys are over analyzing this way too much.

The program has fallen off the face of the earth, has a horrible home schedule and is opening on a Thursday night against a FCS team; and people expect a full house?
 
I think that we'll have @ 25K in attendance tonight. My whole crew (12) will be there. In addition, we had to buy 4 extra this week for family members, & now one of my buddies wants to bring his grandson, so we will rely on a scalper or the stadium box office. I'm thinking that due to the great weather tonight, there might be a big walk up delegation. But then, I'm an optimist.
 
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Responding to the OP /thread title.... We had a problem 3.5 years ago, this is not news. Turning around the program is like turning around an aircraft carrier, it takes a long time (if you aren't located in Texas or Florida). The test for UConn won't be how many butts in the seats vs. Nova. It will be the trend over the next few years. Unfortunately... I could see Diaco being moderately successful but CT fans staying away due to our schedule being filled with the likes of ECU and Memphis. If there is no further realignment in the next 5 years, then maybe we should hope that as UConn football improves, so does the AAC. We filled the rent when the BE had good teams. I hope that in 2-4 years an improving UConn hosts and knocks off a couple top 15 conference mates. Then we can judge attendance, which (hopefully) will boost our resume for the ACC/B1G.
 
Waquoit said:
Couldn't disagree more. UConn sports are a pastime, not an obligation. UConn football was sold as being part of the bigtime, not this joke of a home schedule. UConn screwed the pooch for football from Day 1. They did nothing to engender loyalty so the fans have responded in kind. The fannies in the are the core. Its up to UConn to build from there.
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If you aren't an alum, completely agree.

If you are an alum, and you deign to care about UCONN as a whole, I disagree. I'm not suggesting that all alums need to buy season tickets, but if you are an alum and want to hang around the message board talking about the football team all year and are within reasonable distance to the stadium, then yes, I do believe it is an obligation.
 
businesslawyer said:
I have done so once or twice. And while I don't deny being a social misfit, it would be hard to overstate how little interest there is in Fairfield County about UConn football.
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I go to a lot of games by myself. Not home games, but travel games for UCONN and Packer games.
 
J187Money said:
I go to a lot of games by myself. Not home games, but travel games for UCONN and Packer games.
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Making some last ditch efforts to get a few friends to come tonight and get in a quick tailgait. If anyone has a couple of extras that may provide some incentive.
 
Jimmy Serrano said:
Making some last ditch efforts to get a few friends to come tonight and get in a quick tailgait. If anyone has a couple of extras that may provide some incentive.
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I have 4 extras. Sister/BIL are on vacation and the other two for my wife/younger son are generally unused.
 
Jimmy Serrano said:
Making some last ditch efforts to get a few friends to come tonight and get in a quick tailgait. If anyone has a couple of extras that may provide some incentive.
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Sorry Jimmy, I cut out the deadweight 4 of 6 this offseason. Do you need help buying some extras? I'd be happy to buy a few tickets for folks going tonight.
 
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Dooley said:
Sorry Jimmy, I cut out the deadweight 4 of 6 this offseason. Do you need help buying some extras? I'd be happy to buy a few tickets for folks going tonight.
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Nah but thanks. If I get 2 people to come with me I'll pick up 2 tix myself in the parking lot. Was just wondering if anyone had any that were going to be unused I'd take them. Not even sure if I'll be able to get them to come. But thanks.
 
J187Money said:
If you aren't an alum, completely agree.

If you are an alum, and you deign to care about UCONN as a whole, I disagree. I'm not suggesting that all alums need to buy season tickets, but if you are an alum and want to hang around the message board talking about the football team all year and are within reasonable distance to the stadium, then yes, I do believe it is an obligation.
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Bingo. I worry about inserting more partisanship (alum vs non-alum) into the conversation, but this is very true. In all honesty, outside of an outright financial donation, this is the most accessable and effective means of advancing the agenda of the university. Don't believe me? Look at Penn St pre-and-post B1G. It's night and day. Research improves. Academics improve.
 
J187Money said:
If you aren't an alum, completely agree.

If you are an alum, and you deign to care about UCONN as a whole, I disagree. I'm not suggesting that all alums need to buy season tickets, but if you are an alum and want to hang around the message board talking about the football team all year and are within reasonable distance to the stadium, then yes, I do believe it is an obligation.
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I'm not an Alum (only because of no architecture major at UConn) but I would say my fandom exceeds that of a pastime. I also live almost 2 hours away.
 
Jimmy Serrano said:
Nah but thanks. If I get 2 people to come with me I'll pick up 2 tix myself in the parking lot. Was just wondering if anyone had any that were going to be unused I'd take them. Not even sure if I'll be able to get them to come. But thanks.
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Sounds good. You'll probably be able to find some extras in the lots. If this was last year, I would have given you my extra 4.
 
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