local perception, a long way to go

[J187Money]

Not for nothing, but the divide is rather evident even here on the Boneyard. If this is where the diehard UCONN fans come to discuss UCONN, they're not discussing football as avidly as basketball. MBB has about 316,000 posts; WBB has about 264,000 posts; FB has about 197,000 posts. That's what I'm talking about. If UCONN can find a way to invigorate those fans who are so passionate about MBB and/or WBB into being passionate about football (shouldn't be hard, basketball is on offseason for most of the football season), then watch out.

And 10000 of those posts are about he World Cup.

 

[CL82]

I read this thread and just smiled. Just wait and see what winning and a young charismatic coach will do for football interest in this state. Those of us who lived through the rise of basketball have a frame of reference. Connecticut Football will be huge in the state and in the region. We just need the true believers on this board to carry the load for a few more seasons.

 

[rich1122]

rich1122 ... you are a pip (as my Dad's generation would say). And tdc ... nice focus group.

You both make me laugh. We know the ceiling already: WE DRAW 40,000 regularly when the team is good and the spirit/marketing is in sync. We aren't regressing ... we are growing. The University is stronger than it was 10 years ago; it will be far stronger in 10 years. You can Wes Bialasuknia up ... and get into this century; or we will meet you at the nearest NE Common and discuss the Memorial of Korean War dead with you.

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

 

[whaler11]

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.

 

[whaler11]

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

If it makes you feel better I can promise you beyond any doubt there will be more than 25k in attendance for BYU. Can't promise you 35k, but 25k barring a hurricane during the game is a done deal.

 

[cohenzone]

25 year wedding anniversary sounds like a major drag. Hooray you haven't killed each other yet.

You just might have been the only cool person there.

Watch it sonny, a bunch of us have been married much longer than 25 and know how to party, and go to a few dozen UConn fb games. Of course, that you're a Mets fan says all I need to know.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

OMG this is worse than I thought. A few people at a 25 year anniversary party weren't into UConn football.

SHUT THE PROGRAM DOWN!!!!!!

 

[Jimdish255]

Give them a bandwagon and they'll jumps in it. Right now we're putting all new wheels on our buggy that was driven into the ditch.

 

[sportsart]

I think the key to our fan base's growth is the students and women. I think if the students are brought into the mix at a deeper level they will tend to keep on following the team once they leave school. Of course they need to experience winning, so that cancels out the last 3 graduating classes.

Bringing the women in for FB 101 was/is important to get them more involved.

Diaco is already working on both areas, and whether he is here or not long term, these traditions need to continue.

6-6 this year, with a competitive team, will do wonders to build the foundation. (again)

 

[dsturdy5]

Yesterday I was at a 7 year old's birthday party and in talking to a lot of the parents, I got people lined up for most of my extra tickets and a group of four families (of which I am the only one to have season tickets) planned a tailgate and tickets were ordered. All depends who you are around.

 

[jdb50]

Filling a 60,000 stadium as well as the existing Rent will mean we've got interest in the program at a high level in fans that aren't UConn alumni and students. There are plenty of people out there that want to watch good football and attend an outdoor party. We get in a better conference with more prominent programs and we'll get football fans from western Mass and maybe RI to catch an occasional game. Right now I would wager BD has the interest of football fans in CT and people are going to start migrating back. BYU should bring a good number of their own fans so that game should be close to a sellout. I don't think we peaked under Edsall, we had hit a wall and needed to take it up another notch. We'll see where we stand at the end of this season, see if we can start to recapture some of that regional pride.

 

[Jax Husky]

Not for nothing, but the divide is rather evident even here on the Boneyard. If this is where the diehard UCONN fans come to discuss UCONN, they're not discussing football as avidly as basketball. MBB has about 316,000 posts; WBB has about 264,000 posts; FB has about 197,000 posts. That's what I'm talking about. If UCONN can find a way to invigorate those fans who are so passionate about MBB and/or WBB into being passionate about football (shouldn't be hard, basketball is on offseason for most of the football season), then watch out.

Those boards have in game threads that routinely go a few hundred posts. Football has 14 such events per year while bball has 40 of them.

 

[Woof 101]

Bob Diaco may be knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and a great college coach.

Unfortunately, what I heard yesterday form long time Connecticut residents at a 25 wedding anniversary party was not encouraging. At one point discussion turned to all sports....pro, college, high school.

I through out the question "What do they think about UConn's new head football coach and the direction the program may take?

To a tee almost no one had an interest. No one has been to a game except a family friend from California (Fan of Stanford and SF Giants football teams) who was the only one willing to talk about it. No one from Connecticut even watches the games on TV. For the family from the Boston and New Jersey area..none of them care to watch UConn FB either.

Basically I was lead to believe I have been brainwashed about the future of the program. One said they have never recruited anybody of note and the majority of the years the best the so called "under the radar" recruits could do is preseason picks to finish in the middle of the pack of a weak FBS league formerly called the Big East, and a finish near the bottom of a weaker non P5 league called the AAC.

No one expressed an interest to go to games if I had spare tickets.

Forget about telling P5 conferences we carry new England and NYC markets. In football, it appears we have a long way to go just to carry the Connecticut TV market..and perhaps even the same could be said for NE.

WOW....just WOW. Bob D. has a much larger, difficult job than he thinks.

Bob Diaco may be knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and a great college coach.

Unfortunately, what I heard yesterday form long time Connecticut residents at a 25 wedding anniversary party was not encouraging. At one point discussion turned to all sports....pro, college, high school.

I through out the question "What do they think about UConn's new head football coach and the direction the program may take?

To a tee almost no one had an interest. No one has been to a game except a family friend from California (Fan of Stanford and SF Giants football teams) who was the only one willing to talk about it. No one from Connecticut even watches the games on TV. For the family from the Boston and New Jersey area..none of them care to watch UConn FB either.

Basically I was lead to believe I have been brainwashed about the future of the program. One said they have never recruited anybody of note and the majority of the years the best the so called "under the radar" recruits could do is preseason picks to finish in the middle of the pack of a weak FBS league formerly called the Big East, and a finish near the bottom of a weaker non P5 league called the AAC.

No one expressed an interest to go to games if I had spare tickets.

Forget about telling P5 conferences we carry new England and NYC markets. In football, it appears we have a long way to go just to carry the Connecticut TV market..and perhaps even the same could be said for NE.

WOW....just WOW. Bob D. has a much larger, difficult job than he thinks.

Wow...just WOW. You have been here since Sept 2011 and it took going to a wedding this year to realize BD has a big job in front of him? I don't mean this as slander but you diagnose yourself as being brainwashed by attending a wedding? Was this held at The UCONN Medical Center or some other medical facility where brain washing may take place. Some good Irish pubs come to mind.
Attended a picnic / party of over 200 yesterday, met two other season ticket holders, our chat was short and the only ones to discuss UCONN football. Never a second thought that everyone else at the party should be concerned about UCONN football.
Then again their minds, these loggers, construction workers, teachers, clerical staff, public service, machinists and a variety of trades were probably concentrating on Germany vs Argentina. Then again nobody mentioned it....Nor did they mention the Yankees or Red Sox...Not a wiff of todays NASCAR race!
SPORTS ARE DOOMED IN NEW ENGLAND !!!!
Monday headlines. tduconn proclaims weddings as UCONN football energy vampires!!!!!

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Bob Diaco may be knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and a great college coach.

Unfortunately, what I heard yesterday form long time Connecticut residents at a 25 wedding anniversary party was not encouraging. At one point discussion turned to all sports....pro, college, high school.

I through out the question "What do they think about UConn's new head football coach and the direction the program may take?

To a tee almost no one had an interest. No one has been to a game except a family friend from California (Fan of Stanford and SF Giants football teams) who was the only one willing to talk about it. No one from Connecticut even watches the games on TV. For the family from the Boston and New Jersey area..none of them care to watch UConn FB either.

Basically I was lead to believe I have been brainwashed about the future of the program. One said they have never recruited anybody of note and the majority of the years the best the so called "under the radar" recruits could do is preseason picks to finish in the middle of the pack of a weak FBS league formerly called the Big East, and a finish near the bottom of a weaker non P5 league called the AAC.

No one expressed an interest to go to games if I had spare tickets.

Forget about telling P5 conferences we carry new England and NYC markets. In football, it appears we have a long way to go just to carry the Connecticut TV market..and perhaps even the same could be said for NE.

WOW....just WOW. Bob D. has a much larger, difficult job than he thinks.

I work for a small company in RI near TFGreen airport, 6 people hold season tickets with different groups , 4 of which were discussing the upcoming season in the upstairs kitchenette last week during morning coffee break.

 

[rich1122]

If it makes you feel better I can promise you beyond any doubt there will be more than 25k in attendance for BYU. Can't promise you 35k, but 25k barring a hurricane during the game is a done deal.

We need 25K SEASON TICKET HOLDERS!!! If we do not gaet 25K for the BYU game - GAME OVER.

 

[Whale22]

A 25 year wedding anniversary probably puts this crowd in a older demographic (i.e. - 50s). Is that true? My guess is that most of the people at this party grew up with MBB or WBB success and support those programs. The best way to integrate the older MBB/WBB crowds is to market that they are supporting the SCHOOL, not a specific program. Supporting football supports MBB and WBB. If our segmented/divided fanbase would ever unite in support of football, then UCONN has a very real chance of growing beyond everyone's expectations.

But yeah, I'm in my upper 30s and all of my friends talk UCONN football fairly frequently. We all grew up with the Whalers and MBB so buying football season tickets when the Rent opened was a natural progression. I guess this is what it means when people cite RU playing football for 100 years as a reason why they were selected before UCONN. It's just going to take some time and patience to grow the fanbase...unless UCONN (and our fanbase) can figure out how to unite UCONN fans to support the school and not specific programs.

Our group of 10's exact makeup.

 

[CTMike]

We need 25K SEASON TICKET HOLDERS!!! If we do not gaet 25K for the BYU game - GAME OVER.

You are the worst.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

We need 25K SEASON TICKET HOLDERS!!! If we do not gaet 25K for the BYU game - GAME OVER.

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

 

[Jax Husky]

Is there really a doubt that we will have 25k tickets sold for the BYU game? Come on. I thought we were talking season tickets. BYU and Boise St. will both be sellouts.

 

[Pudge]

Watch it sonny, a bunch of us have been married much longer than 25 and know how to party, and go to a few dozen UConn fb games. Of course, that you're a Mets fan says all I need to know.

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.

 

[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.