Letter to Jeff Jacobs after Twitter

[Seaa Blue]

I wonder, why do you find that funny?

What were the numbers a decade ago when I cited them? Does UM sell out anymore? If they are getting only 13k students, they aren't selling out.

The student section over the last few years increasingly has become a "Los Angeles" crowd: "arrive late, leave early; don't show for cupcakes or bad weather, or beach weather".

 

[BoatShow]

Maybe this is a dumb question but why can I visit with people after games on campus any differently than I can visit with people off campus?

Couple of other things.

A: UConn cant always get people in and out of Gample so it's fairly easy to predict a huge mess without upgrades.
B: Based on what's around Rentschler clearly there isn't a lot of interest in doing anything but leaving after the game. Now maybe that's a chicken and egg issue, but it's not as though the market is trying to meet a need.

It is kind of confusing that they haven't put a decent sports bar or even just a restaurant on Silver Lane outside of Margaritas. You can take a little drive down to All Stars on the Manchester/Spencer St side but at that point you've already driven past the highway and you find much much much better options a couple exits up.

 

[whaler11]

It is kind of confusing that they haven't put a decent sports bar or even just a restaurant on Silver Lane outside of Margaritas. You can take a little drive down to All Stars on the Manchester/Spencer St side but at that point you've already driven past the highway and you find much much much better options a couple exits up.

So evidence that people don't want to hang around after the game?

 

[whaler11]

I wonder, why do you find that funny?

What were the numbers a decade ago when I cited them? Does UM sell out anymore? If they are getting only 13k students, they aren't selling out. At least that's what the article implies when it says no screen shots of the Big House anymore during games.

If you read the articles and comments, you would have also noticed that the replies confirmed what I said. The freshman class used to sit in the end zone, with the classes progressing and wrappin around the stadium as the senior class sat at the 50 yard line. That's 1/4 of the stadium, as I said. I chose that $27,500 number off the top of y head as it was simply 25% of capacity, and that's what I saw with my own eyes multiple times at both stadiums.

Read here to know what ails Michigan:
"But Brandon did away with that last year, with his new General Admission seating policy. Instead of seating the students by class — with the freshmen in the endzone and the seniors toward the fifty, as they had done for decades – last year it was first come, first served. (They also raised the price to $295 for seven games, up from $195 for six games the year before.) The idea was to encourage students to come early, and come often. Thousands of students responded by not coming at all.

This was utterly predictable – and I predicted it, 13 months ago, in this column. (http://johnubacon.com/2013/05/blaming-the-customer/)

(This is probably as good a place as any to say, No, this is not about the department pulling my press pass. It’s not personal. It’s about misguided decisions and long-term consequences.)

TV networks loved showing blimp shots of the sold-out Big House – one of the iconic sights in college football. Now they don’t show any."

It's funny because as usual you made something up that wasn't even close to being true.

 

[upstater]

It's funny because as usual you made something up that wasn't even close to being true.

And yet the article itself confirms what I said. It says students sat in a quarter of the stadium. Did I know that attendance dropped off because they jacked up prices on students and did general admission last year? No.

Here, from 50 yard line to end zone on the right side of picture. Those are all students:

 

[whaler11]

And yet the article itself confirms what I said. It says students sat in a quarter of the stadium. Did I know that attendance dropped off because they jacked up prices on students and did general admission last year? No.

Here, from 50 yard line to end zone on the right side of picture. Those are all students:

You are incredible.

The article was about Michigan and you post a picture of Penn State.

It clearly talked about 21k. You started at 30, dropped to 27,500 and still weren't near the number.

15k students at UConn is ridiculous given the current size of the school. Much bigger schools with decades more tradition don't get that. Even if they did at one point those days are over - there have been plenty of articles about the Michigan States and Georgias for a few years.

Being on campus would be nice, but in practice it would work out like Pasqualoni. Taking the games away from where people are located is spectacularly stupid. When people vacate the building like it's on fire do you really think adding two hours to the experience would make it more attractive?

When Michigan feels an attendance pinch... doesn't that make it painfully obvious that you need to decrease the barriers to attend not increase them?

 

[BoatShow]

So evidence that people don't want to hang around after the game?

Contrary, evidence that there's nothing to do! Particularly after cold/dark games.

 

[upstater]

You are incredible.

The article was about Michigan and you post a picture of Penn State.

It clearly talked about 21k. You started at 30, dropped to 27,500 and still weren't near the number.

15k students at UConn is ridiculous given the current size of the school. Much bigger schools with decades more tradition don't get that. Even if they did at one point those days are over - there have been plenty of articles about the Michigan States and Georgias for a few years.

Being on campus would be nice, but in practice it would work out like Pasqualoni. Taking the games away from where people are located is spectacularly stupid. When people vacate the building like it's on fire do you really think adding two hours to the experience would make it more attractive?

When Michigan feels an attendance pinch... doesn't that make it painfully obvious that you need to decrease the barriers to attend not increase them?

You always have had a very bad problem with reading. My first posts above talk about PSU and Michigan. Both of them. And the article backs up what I wrote about Michigan setting aside a quarter of the stadium (a 110,000 capacity stadium) for students in the past. Things have changed. I also then put up a picture of PSU to show you the same thing, that in the past, but no more for obvious reasons, a quarter of the stadium was all students. My 27,500 number was just simple math. 110,000 / 4. Every honest person in this thread understood that.

 

[whaler11]

You always have had a very bad problem with reading. My first posts above talk about PSU and Michigan. Both of them. And the article backs up what I wrote about Michigan setting aside a quarter of the stadium (a 110,000 capacity stadium) for students in the past. Things have changed. I also then put up a picture of PSU to show you the same thing, that in the past, but no more for obvious reasons, a quarter of the stadium was all students. My 27,500 number was just simple math. 110,000 / 4. Every honest person in this thread understood that.

The article flat out says 21k. The article was about Michigan and you went back to your beloved Enabler State.

So you get more students on campus. No kidding. It's still fewer than 15k and they pay next to nothing.

So if you geniuses want to ignore the reality that moving the games further away will impact the actual paying customers knock yourselves out.

If you want to act like anything about Penn State or Michigan is instructive about UConn fantastic.

You are living in a past that doesn't exist anymore. Look at the big programs in the country - if their students are turning away somehow UConn should try and replicate them?

UConn is lucky that they got a late start in some respects. At least they won't flail around trying to recreate a past that is gone and won't return.

Maybe you don't want to admit that 2 additional hours to attendance will keep more people away than parking near the library will add, but that seems pretty obvious to anyone who witnessed Rentschler for the last decade.

 

[whaler11]

Contrary, evidence that there's nothing to do! Particularly after cold/dark games.

So why hasn't the market met this obvious need?

 

[BoatShow]

So why hasn't the market met this obvious need?

Beats me. Every time I make a trip through Storrs now I'm like "wow it looks amazing, it'll be awesome when people come here for footba....nevermind."

 

[upstater]

The article flat out says 21k. The article was about Michigan and you went back to your beloved Enabler State.

So you get more students on campus. No kidding. It's still fewer than 15k and they pay next to nothing.

So if you geniuses want to ignore the reality that moving the games further away will impact the actual paying customers knock yourselves out.

If you want to act like anything about Penn State or Michigan is instructive about UConn fantastic.

You are living in a past that doesn't exist anymore. Look at the big programs in the country - if their students are turning away somehow UConn should try and replicate them?

UConn is lucky that they got a late start in some respects. At least they won't flail around trying to recreate a past that is gone and won't return.

Maybe you don't want to admit that 2 additional hours to attendance will keep more people away than parking near the library will add, but that seems pretty obvious to anyone who witnessed Rentschler for the last decade.

Attendance is down there. Because of the policies. And the article states a quarter of the stadium used to be students. I quoted my experiences as 2001-2003. I even gave you dates. And no, UConn isn't going to be Michigan or PSU. This is why I wrote 2k fans may show up early, that students will fill up a lot more seats, and the rest of the 25,000 which come in on gameday. Who cares what they pay? You need lots of fans and gameday atmosphere. That more than anything will help UConn.

Some of you haven't stepped foot outside the state to realize that this is a huge and major detraction for people who even begin to wonder what UConn athletics is all about. The people at UConn in the 1990s understood these factors all too well when they were pushing for an online stadium.

 

[whaler11]

Attendance is down there. Because of the policies. And the article states a quarter of the stadium used to be students. I quoted my experiences as 2001-2003. I even gave you dates. And no, UConn isn't going to be Michigan or PSU. This is why I wrote 2k fans may show up early, that students will fill up a lot more seats, and the rest of the 25,000 which come in on gameday. Who cares what they pay? You need lots of fans and gameday atmosphere. That more than anything will help UConn.

Some of you haven't stepped foot outside the state to realize that this is a huge and major detraction for people who even begin to wonder what UConn athletics is all about. The people at UConn in the 1990s understood these factors all too well when they were pushing for an online stadium.

You could just admit attendance was never what you thought it was. Wouldn't that be easier?

I like college football for the simple fact I lived someplace where it was a big deal. So I've got the leaving Connecticut part down thanks.

Who cares what they pay? I don't know Mr College Sports loses money... Why would you want someone paying $30 for a seat instead of $5.

All these people who won't consider UConn athletics because they play football in East Hartford? Where are they exactly? Seriously your arguments today are silly even by your standards.

 

[whaler11]

Upstater read this and then please just stop because it's ridiculous.

http://m.espn.go.com/ncf/story?storyId=10458047&src=desktop&rand=ref~{"ref":"http://alumni.umich.edu/about/news-features/student-attendance-declining-big-house"}

Arizona got 3,700 students for Oregon. 47.6% of their sold student tickets don't show for the average game.

Oklahoma sells 8,000 student tickets and averaged 5,800 in the building.

Michigan only sold 19,800 student tickets.

Iowa sold 7,500 and had 30% noshows.

Michigan State went 13-1 and 20% of 13,500 noshowed on average.

Penn State sold 22k and 16% noshowed.

Georgia cut capacity and 28% noshowed.


So please just say 15k at a UConn on campus stadium is just an stupid concept.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I think you could address highway access by making U.S. 44 four lanes to I-384, and Route 195 four lanes to I-84, without having to make them full-fledged interstate highways.

Then, on gamedays (6-7 times a year), you make the four-lane highways 3 in / 1 out before the game, and 3 out / 1 in after the game, just like the Patriots do.

It's about 3 3/4 miles north from Gillette Stadium to I-95, and 4 3/4 miles south to I-495. In Storrs, it's about 7 3/4 miles north to I-84, and about 10 3/4 miles west to I-384.

Some of the existing roadway is four lanes, particularly in the commercial areas of Tolland and Mansfield on Route 195, and some of Coventry on U.S. 44, but there would be improvements and land acquisition required in other places.

I doubt that you'll see a stadium in Storrs. If they put a 60,000 seat stadium there, they would need to have a map showing alternatives to the campus. When I used to go to Gample games, I had a shortcut from East Hartford to the campus.

What would the state do with a 40,000 seat stadium? I know, have Goodwin College start a football team.

 

[Fishy]

You motherf---ers are so limited in your thinking. You have to skate to where the puck will be.

Jetpacks.

We're not going to need roads where we're going.

Drop a 60,000 seat stadium in Storrs now and wait for the future to smile on us.

/HFD

 

[CL82]

If you think that moving the campus to on stadium makes people less busy then nope it's not. Straw man argument ignored.

Either you are going to commit to the idea that people that don't go to Rentschler because it's not on campus or you aren't. To this point you haven't so your stance exists on personal preference Straw man argument ignored.

 

[whaler11]

Yep just call everything a strawman, much easier than actually taking a position.

Moving on campus is so great - except for fewer people will go. And you won't even argue the opposite.

The numbers are clear the students are on site and can't be bothered to show.

 

[CL82]

You always have had a very bad problem with reading.

It's not so much a reading comprehension issue as it a flawed debating technique. Whaler just makes stuff up and then refutes it. I've never seen the point in doing that, but it not like he's the only one who does it.

 

[CL82]

Yep just call everything a strawman, much easier than actually taking a position.

Moving on campus is so great - except for fewer people will go. And you won't even argue the opposite.

Nah, you just make stuff up and attribute it to other people. It's a given if anyone responds to you. As an example, I've never said moving on campus is great, just that traffic management wouldn't prevent it.

 

[whaler11]

It's not so much a reading comprehension issue as it a flawed debating technique. Whaler just makes stuff up and then refutes it. I've never seen the point in doing that, but it not like he's the only one who does it.

I guess I should just say something is a great idea and then never actually explain why.

 

[CL82]

I guess I should just say something is a great idea and then never actually explain why.

Again you just made up the argument. You realize that you do it right?

 

[noeynox]

What exactly is he making up? Attendance has declined or the very least season ticket sales have. Building a stadium that is harder to get to isn't going to help that.

Look, I would love an on campus stadium, but I'm 38, If ever see it, I expect I'll be in my late fifties/maybe even my sixties. Aside from the issues whaler states, you have the town of mansfield who opposes it, you have huge road infrastucture issues to overcome, and you have the fact that the state spent nearly a hundred million building the Rent a dozen years ago.

Its not happening anytime soon.

 

[whaler11]

Again you just made up the argument. You realize that you do it right?

Ok well if you aren't inferring anything in your comments what difference does it make if the traffic can be solved.

So you just have an opinion that traffic management shouldn't
be an issue.

 

[whaler11]

What exactly is he making up? Attendance has declined or the very least season ticket sales have. Building a stadium that is harder to get to isn't going to help that.

Look, I would love an on campus stadium, but I'm 38, If ever see it, I expect I'll be in my late fifties/maybe even my sixties. Aside from the issues whaler states, you have the town of mansfield who opposes it, you have huge road infrastucture issues to overcome, and you have the fact that the state spent nearly a hundred million building the Rent a dozen years ago.

Its not happening anytime soon.

I'm making up his clear inferrence that he thinks an on campus stadium is a good thing because he won't actually make that comment.

 

[CL82]

What exactly is he making up? Attendance has declined or the very least season ticket sales have. Building a stadium that is harder to get to isn't going to help that.

Look, I would love an on campus stadium, but I'm 38, If ever see it, I expect I'll be in my late fifties/maybe even my sixties. Aside from the issues whaler states, you have the town of mansfield who opposes it, you have huge road infrastucture issues to overcome, and you have the fact that the state spent nearly a hundred million building the Rent a dozen years ago.

Its not happening anytime soon.

Fully agree noeynox. What he made up is that I said it's a good idea. I didn't, rather I just said that traffic management would not prevent it.

 

[CL82]

Ok well if you aren't inferring anything in your comments what difference does it make if the traffic can be solved. I think you mean to use implying. You are inferring.

So you just have an opinion that traffic management shouldn't
be an issue. There are other ways to manage it rather that a big infrastructure build out.

 

[whaler11]

Well you got me on the grammatical semantics. You are implying, I am inferring. That is correct.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

"...what the hell is a a Spaziano natural ground?"

Roughly, but directly, it translates to many will be happy to never, ever BCINGYA again. To minimize any hesitation or limited comprehension on your part, in this context never, ever strongly implies a very, very long time.

 

[Ha Who]

The stress of realignment is getting to you guys?