Letter to Jeff Jacobs after Twitter

[Carl Spackler]

Ok Ok

I think, before anyone says WE aren't going to qualify and never will qualify for a P5 conference, you have to remember that we have scant history at this level. We actually sold out a helluva lot before we gave PP the whistle. I think that it is entirely possible that we can GROW a fanbase from here. Get up to a 55,000-60,000 mark. Regional? Yes ... and having $25 tickets and a Brand for a New England top public U is great when you consider the fanbase of the Patriots have to shell out $500+ for the cheapest 4 tickets.

This game is not over. We need to be opportunistic and clever. And, I still think minor league baseball is not the what we should throw money at.

Serious question - not just for you - for all reading: How can the leadership in Hartford be persuaded to start throwing money at the expansion of Rentschler, and to what purpose that would serve to develop the region, rather than minor league baseball?

Who, how does it get mobilized? A petition? Circulated by the boneyard? Ideas?

BTW: I've already emailed and spoken w/ my local CT legislators.

 

[Pudge]

Obvious answer is that the Rentschler is NOT Hartford. I think the Hartford politicians see the new minor league as a Win for them. They are not focused on the overall entertainment dollar. The State has to have a review of these paths. And make some sense of whether it fits the overall need and capital budget.

But, (here I go again), the Rentschler Stadium as I can somehow grab out of one of my files - is part of the Public Authority that was set up for Adriaen's Landing - and that is meaningful. My assumption (with some experience/knowledge) is that the Revenue projections done for the Rent have been absolutely killed. We have to have GREAT upside in Revenue given solid attendance and the growth in our product. Then, interest rates and structure are far lighter restrictions. Rentschler is NOT about throwing more dollars at it - I think. A think a decent Debt Service Coverage would bring us far more dollars than what we financed in 2002. Adding 12-15,000 seats (at what Louisville spent - which included some fancy stuff) is probably a $60m Total Cost. I think "our" Public Authority structure would allow a re-finance that would get us near that in current experience PLUS a decent projection. Rentschler expansion, therefore, is about Public Perception. It is doing it at the right time ... and not making any of the politicians look like crap because of it. The money is built into the structure ... just as the infrastructure was planned for an expansion.

The baseball money is not mutually exclusive of the money we need for Rentschler.

 

[Kolumbo]

If you like. I literally read it to mean what it said. Which it turns out was not what he meant. Didn't realize he even meant the other thing until all your replies.

I knew what both of you were talking about and I saw the mis-communication immediately. No biggie. This whole thing could have been avoided if not for Chuck and Augie:
"It was named after Charles and Augustus Storrs, two brothers who founded the University of Connecticut (originally called the Storrs Agricultural College) by giving the land (170 acres (0.69 km2)) and $5,000 in 1871."

 

[Kolumbo]

In hindsight, they probably could have selected a better location despite free land. If not campus, either Hartford or along the river to create more of an attraction. We have the Rent, where someone decided it was more important to have a Cabela's closer to the stadium than thousands of tailgaters. Ponderous.
Is there a grand plan in place for the area around the Rent?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Obvious answer is that the Rentschler is NOT Hartford. I think the Hartford politicians see the new minor league as a Win for them. They are not focused on the overall entertainment dollar. The State has to have a review of these paths. And make some sense of whether it fits the overall need and capital budget.

But, (here I go again), the Rentschler Stadium as I can somehow grab out of one of my files - is part of the Public Authority that was set up for Adriaen's Landing - and that is meaningful. My assumption (with some experience/knowledge) is that the Revenue projections done for the Rent have been absolutely killed. We have to have GREAT upside in Revenue given solid attendance and the growth in our product. Then, interest rates and structure are far lighter restrictions. Rentschler is NOT about throwing more dollars at it - I think. A think a decent Debt Service Coverage would bring us far more dollars than what we financed in 2002. Adding 12-15,000 seats (at what Louisville spent - which included some fancy stuff) is probably a $60m Total Cost. I think "our" Public Authority structure would allow a re-finance that would get us near that in current experience PLUS a decent projection. Rentschler expansion, therefore, is about Public Perception. It is doing it at the right time ... and not making any of the politicians look like crap because of it. The money is built into the structure ... just as the infrastructure was planned for an expansion.

The baseball money is not mutually exclusive of the money we need for Rentschler.

Well, the easiest way to get politicians to get some kind of action going, is to ask them to do it. The more people, that ask - the more likely it will get done. That conclusion, I'm fairly certain of.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's a semantic grammatical point - you know damn well what I was talking about.

I honestly didn't read it that way. I thought you literally meant that no town of 50k was closer to Storrs than the Rent is to Storrs. And by the way, except for Manchester, that would be true. Both concepts support your broader point, which I agreed with (despite wishing we had an on campus facility, because it would be closer to me).

 

[Pudge]

In hindsight, they probably could have selected a better location despite free land. If not campus, either Hartford or along the river to create more of an attraction. We have the Rent, where someone decided it was more important to have a Cabela's closer to the stadium than thousands of tailgaters. Ponderous.
Is there a grand plan in place for the area around the Rent?

I am coming around to the consensus.

Cabela's is actually a core anchor for what you would want. The only real surprise is that there is absolutely nothing else. You might forget that the football component of YOUR Rent is only 6/7 games a year. So the "Ponderous" suggestion you make ... makes no sense. Tailgaters don't come 359 days a year.

My ideal? A Targeted Mixed Use project. Residential and retail/restaurant ... with some more entertainment (and I'd include Cabela's in that). Let's all admit a few things ... Rentschler could not be more easy access to interstates going north/south/east/west. And TWO, the location does lend itself to OUR Program being a Statewide Program better than an on-campus. The Rentschler is ours; we cannot debate the alternative building in Storrs any longer. Make the best with the gift we were given.

 

[Gampeltiles]

No matter how we got here, we got here. Now create value and awareness.

The students at UCONN are not given their due in this discussion. I LOVED rolling out of bed at about 10 in the morning on Saturday, heading up to Holiday Spirits and getting a quarter keg for the dorm. That was was our "tailgating", IN the dorm. Then we would head out to the game

To be clear, the drinking age was 18 at the time and I don't condone drunk driving---Memorial Stadium was a 3 block walk from the quad. When driving to buy the alcohol we had not began to drink.

Tailgating at the Yale game was the best----it was an EVENT. That is the strategy that worked. It wasn't on campus (unless you went to Yale). Replicate that formula.

It is what it is. The perception of UCONN football in the state is indifference. Market UCONN games as a destination for alums and Connecticut fans that are out there, understand definition of your target audience and sell it.

Push back the start time for Saturday afternoon games by an hour if possible.

Reserve 15,000 seats for the students and run buses 2 hours from game time------no charge. The Rent looks so much nicer on TV with enthusiastic fans in it. That perception spreads.

Saturday is generally a slow news day so the Connecticut news channels very likely could have UCONN FOOTBALL as their lead story? Create the interest-----sell the product to the people who may not even know it exits or are completely indifferent.

Market Fairfield County, they pack Webster Bank Arena, luxury boxes included (300 bucks) and all for Men's and Women's hoops. The Mens game against mighty Eastern Washington set an attendance record that was later tied by the UCONN women in January. So Fairfield County cares about UCONN but are surprisingly ignorant about the football program. They think basketball powerhouse..........and oh yea they play football too----that thinking needs to be adjusted.

Also, keep the 5,000 "temporary bleachers" intact for every game. It can be part of the student section and raises the seating capacity to 45,000.

If you want a fun event that creates awareness and enthusiastic support from your target audience, show them it is a worthwhile event and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the fall. The perception of big time college football has to change from Yawn to Support State U because it is a BIG DEAL.

Winning helps, but work with the concept that they, the fans can GROW with the team and have it be something to be proud of.

 

[whaler11]

If there is anything Rentschler needs it's 5k more student seats.

Hey TV we are changing the start times.

They should run buses - I wonder if anyone ever thought of that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I am coming around to the consensus.

Cabela's is actually a core anchor for what you would want. The only real surprise is that there is absolutely nothing else. You might forget that the football component of YOUR Rent is only 6/7 games a year. So the "Ponderous" suggestion you make ... makes no sense. Tailgaters don't come 359 days a year.

My ideal? A Targeted Mixed Use project. Residential and retail/restaurant ... with some more entertainment (and I'd include Cabela's in that). Let's all admit a few things ... Rentschler could not be more easy access to interstates going north/south/east/west. And TWO, the location does lend itself to OUR Program being a Statewide Program better than an on-campus. The Rentschler is ours; we cannot debate the alternative building in Storrs any longer. Make the best with the gift we were given.

Yes. See Patriot Place for an example. Which has Bass Pro as an anchor. People will travel for Cabelas or Bass Pro.

 

[Gampeltiles]

Agree wholeheartedly. Adding a Patriot Place type mimi village next to the Stadium would work wonders. Also put in stuff younger kids can do, miniature golf, bowling, roller coasters, whatever. The weather in November & late October may not be outdoor ride friendly, but there are some warm days so decide to run the outdoor rides game day.----the earlier month should not be a problem and I'd keep the outdoor stuff open from Memorial Day to the last home game. An indoor arcade is weather proof.

 

[Gampeltiles]

Well, the easiest way to get politicians to get some kind of action going, is to ask them to do it. The more people, that ask - the more likely it will get done. That conclusion, I'm fairly certain of.

Yes it is more likely to get done like getting the Attorney General to haphazardly sue people.

 

[whaler11]

Purdue removing 6k seats from their stadium. They don't want to spend the money to ensure they are safe.

 

[Fishy]

Win and people will go to UConn football games.

Go 3-9 and no amount of bread and circus is gonna make a blessed bit of difference.

My six-point plan for success:

1) Win the right way. If that fails, cheat. We just have to win. I don't care anymore.

2) Free buses for the students! Plenty of buses to the game! Feed the little f---ers before the game, feed them after the game. If there is anything that attracts a student, it's free food. (Save some money by buying the lowest grade of burger meat that you can legally feed to another human being.)

3) Now that you have the students there, hold them hostage. The first student that stands to leave in the third quarter gets shot through with an arrow. If so much as one bus tries to leave the stadium before the final horn, fire the driver, strip him naked and let him find his way home that way.

4) Foil those who try to leave early to avoid traffic by creating traffic jams during halftime. Close roads randomly. Release chickens on 84. Cut the power to traffic lights - be creative, play jazz out there.

5) Give people something free. People love free crap. Tee shirt, bobblehead, umbrella, whatever. Give it out to every person who walks through those turnstiles...right up until the second the game kicks off. If you still have leftover stuff, burn it before giving it to someone who was outside the building at kickoff - teach these f---ers to get to their seats on time.

6) Treat people like grownups and open the lots six hours before the game and keep them open for a reasonable period after the game. These are social events.

 

[CL82]

Subsidizing (or outright bribing) students to get them to the games is an investment in the future. In the near term it gets our attendance numbers up, which is a good thing in and of itself. But the return on it comes from the fact that it will thousands of students will get in the habit of attending football games. College football is an acquired taste. The people who watch games at home can't full appreciate the energy and pageantry of a successful program. If, however, you get generations of kids going to the game, year after year, a significant proportion of them are going to continue as alumni. I'd subsidize young alumni ticket costs as well and stage events to make it more significant for them. They are the future. That's how you build a fan base. It takes time but it can be done.

 

[Kolumbo]

I can't imagine there are many sports fans locally who haven't at least checked out one UCONN game. If so, all they need is 10 minutes of beer, bbq, and band music to get hooked. Not better social event than tailgating with thousands of other fans all dressed in blue and white. Of course you get the stray red sox dingle-berry who insists on wearing red to a game against Rutgers. Not much you can do about that.

 

[Durks07]

Win and people will go to UConn football games.

Go 3-9 and no amount of bread and circus is gonna make a blessed bit of difference.

My six-point plan for success:

1) Win the right way. If that fails, cheat. We just have to win. I don't care anymore.

2) Free buses for the students! Plenty of buses to the game! Feed the little f---ers before the game, feed them after the game. If there is anything that attracts a student, it's free food. (Save some money by buying the lowest grade of burger meat that you can legally feed to another human being.)

3) Now that you have the students there, hold them hostage. The first student that stands to leave in the third quarter gets shot through with an arrow. If so much as one bus tries to leave the stadium before the final horn, fire the driver, strip him naked and let him find his way home that way.

4) Foil those who try to leave early to avoid traffic by creating traffic jams during halftime. Close roads randomly. Release chickens on 84. Cut the power to traffic lights - be creative, play jazz out there.

5) Give people something free. People love free crap. Tee shirt, bobblehead, umbrella, whatever. Give it out to every person who walks through those turnstiles...right up until the second the game kicks off. If you still have leftover stuff, burn it before giving it to someone who was outside the building at kickoff - teach these f---ers to get to their seats on time.

6) Treat people like grownups and open the lots six hours before the game and keep them open for a reasonable period after the game. These are social events.

Build a Taco Bell. It is the cheapest meat-like substance you can give to other human beings without being considered a sociopath, and each student can afford to buy all of the "food" in the place for the cost of a beer in the stadium. Everyone wins.

 

[whaler11]

I can't imagine there are many sports fans locally who haven't at least checked out one UCONN game. If so, all they need is 10 minutes of beer, bbq, and band music to get hooked. Not better social event than tailgating with thousands of other fans all dressed in blue and white. Of course you get the stray red sox dingle-berry who insists on wearing red to a game against Rutgers. Not much you can do about that.

I have two good friends who are basketball season ticket holders neither of whom have set foot in Rentschler.

One is a Notre Dame fan the other just not a football guy really.