OT - Sobering landscape as Temple ponders football stadium

[Carl Spackler]

It's not just students. That's the general population. I've got a Spackler length post coming on sports attendance everywhere.

You wish you had my length.

 

[Dooley]

Not to mention, when you go to games, you are held hostage to replay delays without seeing an actual friggin' replay! You are much better off watching the game at home where you can see about 5 or 6 different angles of a play 20 separate times than being at a game. UCONN/Global Spectrum needs to think about changing this policy to give fans in the stands MORE access to in-game reviews, not less.

Increased wi-fi inside the stadium would be nice. Like it or not, people love their phones.

Build up a standing room bar area over by the scoreboard. Rope off the #6 area as sacred ground. Then construct a patio area for casual fans to mingle that includes a fully stocked bar, table seating and a standing area to watch the game. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em I suppose.

To help with traffic, they need to relax the tailgating policies. If you allow fans to come much earlier (ex - 6 hours before kickoff) and stay after games (up to 2 hours post-game), this will help spread out the traffic waves. Making everyone funnel out as soon as games end only encourages fans to leave games early to "beat traffic".


These are all fairly simple fixes that would enhance the game-day experience for the fans that go to games regularly or fairly regularly. But yeah, more fans won't go to games until the team wins or we get into a P5 conference. Or both.

 

[IMind]

I hate to say it but Temple really should just drop football. Their basketball team doesn't even draw that well.. I mean they do fairly well when they're winning but last year it was a ghost town. People badmouth UConn fans when we're in a down year, but I've been to both Temple and Villanova games during a bad year and they probably had 50% of their announced attendance actually there. We're 100 times better. Philly college basketball fans are hugely overrated. Football is even worse. I've been to games their with announced attendances in the 10k-20k range that if they had half that I'd be shocked. They just don't have the fan support... which is a shame because of the huge population base... NYC and Philly could change the game when it comes to college football... which is exactly why the powers that be don't want anything to really change there.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I get yelled at for these comments.

He is stating a fact. And he goes to the damn games.

 

[whaler11]

You wish you had my length.

It's going to be a long offseason.

 

[huskymedic]

By the way, where on Earth will Temple get the land to build a football stadium of their own? It's an urban campus owned by the state. All of their campus is currently occupied by various building and acquiring enough land around campus would be brutally expensive in a city.

They are looking @ the area between N15th/N16th/W. Montgomery/W. Norris where they have current athletic fields. Tight...

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I hate to say it but Temple really should just drop football. Their basketball team doesn't even draw that well.. I mean they do fairly well when they're winning but last year it was a ghost town. People badmouth UConn fans when we're in a down year, but I've been to both Temple and Villanova games during a bad year and they probably had 50% of their announced attendance actually there. We're 100 times better. Philly college basketball fans are hugely overrated. Football is even worse. I've been to games their with announced attendances in the 10k-20k range that if they had half that I'd be shocked. They just don't have the fan support... which is a shame because of the huge population base... NYC and Philly could change the game when it comes to college football... which is exactly why the powers that be don't want anything to really change there.

If Temple should drop football, what should UConn do?

 

[noeynox]

If Temple should drop football, what should UConn do?

double down on football.

 

[Gampeltiles]

If Temple should drop football, what should UConn do?

Is going into the Sunbelt Conference football only akin to blowing up the program?
Conference USA?

 

[Bonehead]

Is going into the Sunbelt Conference football only akin to blowing up the program?
Conference USA?

You are a dirty person - avatar-ily speaking...

 

[DarthGrumpy]

They are looking @ the area between N15th/N16th/W. Montgomery/W. Norris where they have current athletic fields. Tight...

Very. I was under the impression that is where they were looking to build a new soccer field. if a football stadium went there, my guess it would be about the size of Tulane's new field. Still, better location then their current football practice field at N 11th and Diamond, especially as a main commuter rail lines rides above it's NE corner.

 

[bobbyinaz]

Very. I was under the impression that is where they were looking to build a new soccer field. if a football stadium went there, my guess it would be about the size of Tulane's new field. Still, better location then their current football practice field at N 11th and Diamond, especially as a main commuter rail lines rides above it's NE corner.

They would only need something similar in size to Tulane's new stadium. If they need a bigger facility for when they play Penn St they can play at the Linc.

The days of building 70,000+ seat stadiums is over for colleges. The former University of Minnesota stadium only held 55K and they downsized to 50K when they built the new one. The old Baylor stadium only held 50K & they downsized to 45K for their new one. Unless you are Texas A&M & need to expand to 105K there is no reason for any school to build a new massive building.

If Temple could build a new 35K stadium at the Norris site that would be perfect for them & the students

 

[uconnell]

If Temple should drop football, what should UConn do?

Put you in a box and ship you somewhere. Shut up already,everyone knows how you feel. Please do 't feel that you need to take every opportunity to remind us.

 

[Alum86]

Not to mention, when you go to games, you are held hostage to replay delays without seeing an actual friggin' replay! You are much better off watching the game at home where you can see about 5 or 6 different angles of a play 20 separate times than being at a game. UCONN/Global Spectrum needs to think about changing this policy to give fans in the stands MORE access to in-game reviews, not less.

Increased wi-fi inside the stadium would be nice. Like it or not, people love their phones.

Build up a standing room bar area over by the scoreboard. Rope off the #6 area as sacred ground. Then construct a patio area for casual fans to mingle that includes a fully stocked bar, table seating and a standing area to watch the game. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em I suppose.

To help with traffic, they need to relax the tailgating policies. If you allow fans to come much earlier (ex - 6 hours before kickoff) and stay after games (up to 2 hours post-game), this will help spread out the traffic waves. Making everyone funnel out as soon as games end only encourages fans to leave games early to "beat traffic".


These are all fairly simple fixes that would enhance the game-day experience for the fans that go to games regularly or fairly regularly. But yeah, more fans won't go to games until the team wins or we get into a P5 conference. Or both.

And maybe a coach who is prepared and has a clue and can manage the clock?

 

[huskymedic]

The days of building 70,000+ seat stadiums is over for colleges. The former University of Minnesota stadium only held 55K and they downsized to 50K when they built the new one. The old Baylor stadium only held 50K & they downsized to 45K for their new one. Unless you are Texas A&M & need to expand to 105K there is no reason for any school to build a new massive building.

Maybe even for the NFL in some markets... seems the Dolphins are dropping seating capacity by 10k for other amenities... http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/01/05/first-look-at-sun-life-stadium-renovations/

 

[IMind]

If Temple should drop football, what should UConn do?

In their best year ever where they went 9-4 and won the New Mexico bowl they averaged: ~26k

We average 10k more than that in our sh!tty years. UConn doesn't have an attendance problem, they have a winning problem. UConn should win football games.

 

[Pudge]

Temple students consider not attending football games a positive thing. They mock those that do.

I work with a lot of Temple grads - I've had the same conversation a dozen times.

It's also true that Temple is a far different University than 10 years ago. It also is true that ... Temple is a far different University than 25 years ago. And, it will also be true that Temple will change dramatically in the next 10-25 year period.

Hence ... Alums can laugh all they want. I have seen Temple - around the perimeter of that campus - change markedly in 18 months. It simply is a dynamic urban school that is attractive for a lot of reasons.

 

[whaler11]

It's also true that Temple is a far different University than 10 years ago. It also is true that ... Temple is a far different University than 25 years ago. And, it will also be true that Temple will change dramatically in the next 10-25 year period.

Hence ... Alums can laugh all they want. I have seen Temple - around the perimeter of that campus - change markedly in 18 months. It simply is a dynamic urban school that is attractive for a lot of reasons.

And yet students still don't go to football games

 

[huskypantz]

It simply is a dynamic urban school that is attractive for a lot of reasons.

So you think Temple is "slutty hot"?

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Maybe even for the NFL in some markets... seems the Dolphins are dropping seating capacity by 10k for other amenities... http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/01/05/first-look-at-sun-life-stadium-renovations/

Miami has to be one of the worst sports towns in the country (please take note MLS) and teams only draw well when the a team is doing well and popular, i.e. LeBron being on the Heat. The Dolphins have not been either since Dan Marino was under center in the 1980's.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

It's also true that Temple is a far different University than 10 years ago. It also is true that ... Temple is a far different University than 25 years ago. And, it will also be true that Temple will change dramatically in the next 10-25 year period.

Hence ... Alums can laugh all they want. I have seen Temple - around the perimeter of that campus - change markedly in 18 months. It simply is a dynamic urban school that is attractive for a lot of reasons.

True, demographics are heavily tilting towards an urban lifestyle now. If Temple can make the area safe, think NYU or BU, it will do well academically at least, especially as it is state school with state tuition rates.