local perception, a long way to go

[Pudge]

25K ST or BUST. Empty seats make us humiliating. Day of reckoning is almost upon us.

Nobody agrees with you. You are simply in a group of ONE. And I bet you are not pleasant in 1000 other things you do in life.

 

[cohenzone]

Filling seats is one thing. Filling them with UConn fans is another. They had to add an extra 5000 seats for the UMich game last year. If that was the only spot Mich fans could find, great. Except they found seats everywhere, including about a third of my section which are choice 50 yard line seats, and my section was not unusual. So long as UConn uses the current point system, it will take a lot of doing - and maybe constant on field success is the way, but I'm not even sure about that - to make the Rent filled by UConn faithful. It costs a great deal for most people to afford seasons tickets because of the contribution required to secure points. Lots of corporate buyers and they give tickets away to whomever wants them. There are not that many people in my section that I recognize from one game to the next. Uconn's system fills the treasury, but doesn't build fan loyalty.

 

[Dooley]

If we don't get 25k for BYU (and there isn't a hurricane or something), I'll light myself on fire. I'm not worried about the attendance at all for that game.

It would be nice to have 25k season tickets sold.

 

[BoatShow]

If we don't get 25k for BYU (and there isn't a hurricane or something), I'll light myself on fire. I'm not worried about the attendance at all for that game.

It would be nice to have 25k season tickets sold.

Seeing as an 0-8 team drew about that for Louisville in windblown sleet with a few thousand fans down in Brooklyn for the hoops game I will happily do the same.

 

[whaler11]

I didn't quite make my 25 year anniversary. And partying took a different path ... hmmm

As for the idea that Horse Racing is dead ... drive a few hours please. I guarantee you a great afternoon or extended weekend in Saratoga. Far more fun than the Derby ... IMHO. (as is Del Mar on a nice day) It is not the scuzzy beatdown demo that you may picture. That TOWN also has NYC quality dining and lots to do. So ... do yourself a favor.

I like horseracing. I've been to probably 10-12 major tracks (including the spa) and many of the dumps too... the sport is completely dead. Yeah there is one nice town that a few weeks a year has quality racing.

Polident might have better demos than horse racing and the idiot tracks are increasing their holds... which only drives more people away.

If it weren't for slot machines there would already be half as many tracks operating in the country.

 

[freescooter]

I think whaler hit is pretty well. I'd add that a complicating factor is that for good or ill, is a college basketball is UConn's heritage. It has been since BEFORE Jim Calhoun ever arrived in Storrs. And we have almost zero heritage in football. We were building a little momentum when Paul Pasqualoni arrived and deflated every bit of it, too. So that needs to be recreated before we can even think of moving forward.

The other thing I'd add to whaler's analysis is that UConn football is trying to develop in an era of virtually universal television coverage that in some ways provides an experience that exceeds the stadium experience. When Michigan developed its fan base, you pretty much had to be there. Now you can watch virtually every game from home, but not only watch every UConn game but pretty close to every 1A game and a bunch of 1AA games too. I was traveling last year and tried to find UConn on an unfamiliar cable system in Virginia, so I was channel surfing looking for the right one. I stopped counting after 19 games on different channels including 4 1AA games (Delaware was on, and Liberty has a network! North Dakota State was on and New Hampshire was on too). When Flutie was throwing the ball for BC you couldn't watch every game. Some were picked up by the 3 major networks (no Fox) and a few were shown in Boston on Channel 38 I think. Huge difference. If you're not a UConn guy, and there's a game that's getting out of hand, there are 15-20 other games to choose from. Thirty years ago there might have been a game on ABC and one on CBS.

 

[rich1122]

You are the worst.

Nobody agrees with you. You are simply in a group of ONE. And I bet you are not pleasant in 1000 other things you do in life.

Been to every game and stayed till the end? And you? What have you ever done??

 

[rich1122]

So we need to sell out the Rent in season tickets?

That would be 10K over capacity I guess LOL

 

[Dooley]

Boosting the Rent's wifi would go a long way towards eliminating some of the worry of missing other games. Any improvement would be welcome considering I can't even make phone calls or text from my seat (annoying if I'm trying to meet people inside the stadium).

 

[HuskyHawk]

UConn football does have an issue with poor timing. It's much more difficult to build a common experience today than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago.

There are just so many more entertainment options today than there were when the Penn States, Michigans and Nebraskas built their empires.

Americans are very event driven. Horse racing? Dead - but the Derby is huge. College basketball? A blip on the screen except for a few weeks in March. 25 NBA franchises exist in complete anonymity outside of their local hardcore fanbase. Baseball is completely regionalized: even here where it's as big as anywhere if the Red Sox and Yankees aren't winning people move on. If you aren't in an NHL city with a good team that league may as well not exist.

It's a lot more complicated than this simple thought, but the Millenials and younger aren't as interested in things like spectator sports. They are interested in being spectated. UConn isn't the only place you see an aging demographic in the seats.

This may be one of your best posts ever. Agree with your take...and going further, half or more of the people going to games aren't even paying attention. They are eating, drinking, chatting with friends, texting, posting on facebook or Instagram or Twitter. "Look at me, I'm at a game"...meanwhile somebody just turned a spectacular double play and they didn't even notice. The NFL is really the only exception to this I've seen in New England. People watch the games, both live and on TV and will even watch teams that aren't their team. Hockey is probably next best...in terms of the actual core fans paying attention to the game.

College football isn't part of the fabric of our culture in New England. BC has the same problem we do...it does ok when it is winning, but it isn't a must attend/must watch for very many. Things are different in Nebraska, Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina... You schedule your life around Saturday games in those places. I think it will be very hard to change that, and it starts with new generations of UConn grads who went to games every Saturday as students. As I've said before, moving all HS football to Friday night would help give one of our best natural audiences a chance to go to games.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Been to every game and stayed till the end? And you? What have you ever done??

That's more annoying than your 25k seat stadium gimmick.

Nobody cares about your super fandom. NOBODY.

 

[Dooley]

This may be one of your best posts ever. Agree with your take...and going further, half or more of the people going to games aren't even paying attention. They are eating, drinking, chatting with friends, texting, posting on facebook or Instagram or Twitter. "Look at me, I'm at a game"...meanwhile somebody just turned a spectacular double play and they didn't even notice. The NFL is really the only exception to this I've seen in New England. People watch the games, both live and on TV and will even watch teams that aren't their team. Hockey is probably next best...in terms of the actual core fans paying attention to the game.

College football isn't part of the fabric of our culture in New England. BC has the same problem we do...it does ok when it is winning, but it isn't a must attend/must watch for very many. Things are different in Nebraska, Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina... You schedule your life around Saturday games in those places. I think it will be very hard to change that, and it starts with new generations of UConn grads who went to games every Saturday as students. As I've said before, moving all HS football to Friday night would help give one of our best natural audiences a chance to go to games.

That's where teams (not just UCONN) need to try to cater to the technology demands of the fans. I keep my phone in my pocket until ends of quarters or halves but I know that other fans around me are on their phones during games (or at least, try to be). To each is own, I guess. But if that's a reason why fans all over the country are staying home, then teams will need to be more tech-friendly to allow Joe Fan to be at the game he wants to go to but also have the ability to stream another game on his phone. Also, a sports bar lounge area would do wonders to combat this too. Give fans the sports bar experience AND boost wifi at a game and I think you'll see more casual fans come to games.

 

[whaler11]

That's where teams (not just UCONN) need to try to cater to the technology demands of the fans. I keep my phone in my pocket until ends of quarters or halves but I know that other fans around me are on their phones during games (or at least, try to be). To each is own, I guess. But if that's a reason why fans all over the country are staying home, then teams will need to be more tech-friendly to allow Joe Fan to be at the game he wants to go to but also have the ability to stream another game on his phone. Also, a sports bar lounge area would do wonders to combat this too. Give fans the sports bar experience AND boost wifi at a game and I think you'll see more casual fans come to games.

Maybe we are just ignorant of the inner workings of the athletic department, but it is annoying that the posters here can generate ideas that are worth a shot and the school keeps doing the same lame crap forever.

Put in Jock Jams:
Intro basketball to 'you all ready for this'
Play Michael Buffer who is ready to rumble!!!!?!!!

 

[BlueMAB]

Been to every game and stayed till the end? And you? What have you ever done??

This only lets us know you
a) have no friends
b) have no life
c) have no sense of priorities

 

[Dooley]

Maybe we are just ignorant of the inner workings of the athletic department, but it is annoying that the posters here can generate ideas that are worth a shot and the school keeps doing the same lame crap forever.

Put in Jock Jams:
Intro basketball to 'you all ready for this'
Play Michael Buffer who is ready to rumble!!!!?!!!

It's time for the Nobody Beats the Wiz POWERPLAY!!!!

 

[Rondogg]

We need a Dream Season to capture the imagination of the State. Before the 2010 season I really felt we were ready to explode onto the scene. In the end we made it to the BCS game in Arizona and we were ridiculed by the National Media, lost the game and then our head coach. Think about how things would have been different if we had beaten Michigan and Temple. Anyway, I'm sure our Dream Season is somewhere out there in the future but until then we will be an afterthought.

 

[CTMike]

Been to every game and stayed till the end? And you? What have you ever done??

Lol... Ignore.

 

[Dooley]

We need a Dream Season to capture the imagination of the State. Before the 2010 season I really felt we were ready to explode onto the scene. In the end we made it to the BCS game in Arizona and we were ridiculed by the National Media, lost the game and then our head coach. Think about how things would have been different if we had beaten Michigan and Temple. Anyway, I'm sure our Dream Season is somewhere out there in the future but until then we will be an afterthought.

Agree. UCONN desperately needs a 9/10 win season in the next few years.

There were a lot of people before that Michigan game that thought we were going to go to the Big House and win. It's not just that we lost the game, it's how we lost the game. Didn't look like we belonged on the same field as a very mediocre Michigan team (by their standards). Losing to Temple only cemented the very strong negative vibe against UCONN.

 

[Excalibur]

Been to every game and stayed till the end? And you? What have you ever done??

Ooh, a garden-variety d!C&-measuring contest! This should be fun

 

[whaler11]

This only lets us know you
a) have no friends
b) have no life
c) have no sense of priorities

I was going to argue with you because I've been to every game at Rentschler but one and have missed only that single home game since 1999 but then realized you are kinda right.

 

[whaler11]

It's time for the Nobody Beats the Wiz POWERPLAY!!!!

I'd suggest a ritual sacrifice of Toni Terzi before a home game just to be safe.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think if we were still getting close to 30k last season then we'll easily top 30k for BYU.

CT has a decent appetite for sports. Our attendance might have a low ceiling of 40k, but the floor is pretty damn high and the basement would be good numbers for some of our conference mates.

 

[weyuo]

I agree that a special season(an eye opening, underdog bowl victory vs a quality opponent) is essential to strengthening the fan base but that has to be followed up. It can't be 10-2 or 12-0 and a good bowl win then 6-6 or 7-5 the next season. The one thing that will get this state really juiced for D-1 football is when they can sniff a chance at one of those 4 playoff spots. Granted that's a ways off, hopefully for our sakes not extremely far off. When UConn has a legit chance at a playoff spot by winning out the last couple of games in a season the state will be buzzing. When they make one of those playoff spots then your talking about building some UConn football history, legacy, tradition. That's the one thing most P-5 football schools have that UConn doesn't. At least one big memorable bowl and/or conference championship win that alumni and fans can hang their hat on and be proud of. Sure UConn has had some minor victories here and there, the win at ND, beating S. Carolina, but they haven't had that marquee win that draws national attention like TCU and Boise have had in the past. In CT you have to compete with so many pro teams for fans so you have to win some blockbuster games to expand and keep your fan base. You have to capture their imagination and that has to start with the team. The university can only do so much, the team has to sell itself on the field.

 

[rich1122]

This only lets us know you
a) have no friends
b) have no life
c) have no sense of priorities

Lets me know you have done nothing.

Love you guys though. You make my day.

 

[BlueMAB]

Lets me know you have done nothing.

Love you guys though. You make my day.

I've done enough, but I don't need validation from you, so I see no point in posting my resume.