UConn Student Football Apathy Needs Prompt Attention

[WhereistheDove?]

As has been discussed ad nauseam on this board, you just can't have it both ways. The campus has grossly insufficient transportation infrastructure from the major population centers for a D1 football stadium and having to bus the students in makes it hard for anyone other than the big time fans to actually want to show up, especially when the team is bad. There is no good answer to this problem other than fielding a consistently winning team that makes it the place to be on Saturdays.

 

[CodyJ.]

How much could it really cost for all inclusive? Busses drop off at the gate, big tent right next to the gate, some workers to cook and serve beer, dogs, burgers, hand out angry towels or some shiz, a DJ, games, open after game also with DJ for a "party".
Let’s play a game here. Let’s say all 4000 students take the bus. Busses start 4 hours before game time. 60people per bus. Going to need about 15 busses total coming and going to deliver 1000 people in an hour.

--School busses go for about $125 per hour. need the busses for 8 hours. So about $1000 per bus*15 = $15K for transportation per game.

--School owns large tents, pay somebody to set it up = ~$250

--20 workers at avg. $12/hr for 8 hours =~$2000 with clean up and stuff

--Beer. Each keg has about 160 beers in it. Get Natty Lite. College kids don’t care. Natty goes for about $80 per keg. Through a distributer they could get it for $70 per keg I’m sure. I'm guessing that 50% of the kids will be 21 years old. Each person will need 5 beers. Just an average. 3000 kids that are 21 and over at 5 beers each is 15,000 beers. 15000/160beers per keg = ~94 kegs. 94 kegs at $70 each is ~$6600.

--Water/soda/etc = just guessing $1000

--3000 dogs and 3000 burgers through UConn food vendor. My guess is $0.50 per item. 6000 items*0.5 = ~$3000

--Angry towels or some shiz can be donated for free by a sponsor no problem

--DJ...get a kid from UConn to do it. There are some kids up there that have cult like followings as a DJ. He/She would do it for $500 easy. easy.

--**Ok, so out the door all inclusive price is ~$28,500 per game for a student tailgate.
--$28500/4000students = ~$7 per kid

--Student season tix = $50. at least it was in 2011. Call it $80 for 7 games. add $7 per game to the price of that package.
*******------Student season tix package with all inclusive tailgate and doorstep to doorstep service for
******$130. That's it. No cost to the University.
Hell, call it $150 per season ticket and UConn can get the best insurance money can buy to cover themselves and have extra for intangibles.

 

[Husky25]

1) Setting up some kind of pre-game entertainment would help. Feed the little twits something.

2) The kid from New Jersey should stay in his dorm room. His biggest problem with going to a football game seems to be the part about going to a football game.

3)DiMauro is still jerking himself off about USC. I've been to Boston College football games over the past couple of seasons - there ain't much happening.

4) The answer is all the woes is winning. All the chatter about getting people, students or otherwise, in the stands is a waste of time unless the team is winning. Nobody wants to part with their money or their time to see what we saw over the past three years - a free hamburger and a soda isn't going to get a kid out of his dorm room on a Saturday morning if he's going to see a 40-10 whomping.

Alumni Stadium (On campus; Cap: 44,500) was not even sold out for the #9 team in the country?!?! Then it certainly will not be sold out (or electric) when the Black Bears come to The Heights.

Attendance for BC home games for the last year plus (Rounded to the nearest 25...just because):
2013
Villanova: 30,925
Wake Forest: 32,475
#8 Florida State: 40,125
Army: 33, 125
Virginia Tech: 30,125
NC St.: 31,250

2014
Pittsburgh: 30,075
#9 USC: 41,625

33715/44,500=76% capacity


So far in 2014 UConn has attendances of BYU: 35,150, SBU: 23,550, and BSU: 30,100. Avg: 29,600/38,500 = 77% Capacity (74% based on 40k capacity).

BC has the same problem UConn does and an on-campus stadium is not a factor. The biggest function of increasing the crowd size (including students) for a sporting event is entertainment value and winning is a huge component of being entertained, as is the manner in which you win and opponent. Student can and should absolutely tweak the transportation and outside-stadium aspects. Make no mistake that tailgating is included in the entertainment value of a live football game. BUT the biggest factor in all of this is entertainment value received for dollar spent.

That is a lesson that does not change throughout life.

 

[sanchez42885]

It's really senseless that they don't offer a free tailgate. Any student taking the bus is likely an on campus student with a meal plan. If these students go to the game they aren't going to the dining hall for lunch so take it out of those fees and have the students 'swipe' or whatever they need to do for accounting purposes.

 

[upstater]

You guys would not believe the dedication this kid showed in getting to the game. He had to walk across campus, past a dingy bar, through a gauntlet of 22 frat boys, all wearing 7 polo shirts a piece with popped collars, and 2 girls in oversized sweaters down to their knees.

 

[Stinger92860]

Time for an on campus stadium thread

 

[Husky25]

How much could it really cost for all inclusive? Busses drop off at the gate, big tent right next to the gate, some workers to cook and serve beer, dogs, burgers, hand out angry towels or some shiz, a DJ, games, open after game also with DJ for a "party".
Let’s play a game here. Let’s say all 4000 students take the bus. Busses start 4 hours before game time. 60people per bus. Going to need about 15 busses total coming and going to deliver 1000 people in an hour.

--School busses go for about $125 per hour. need the busses for 8 hours. So about $1000 per bus*15 = $15K for transportation per game.

--School owns large tents, pay somebody to set it up = ~$250

--20 workers at avg. $12/hr for 8 hours =~$2000 with clean up and stuff

--Beer. Each keg has about 160 beers in it. Get Natty Lite. College kids don’t care. Natty goes for about $80 per keg. Through a distributer they could get it for $70 per keg I’m sure. I'm guessing that 50% of the kids will be 21 years old. Each person will need 5 beers. Just an average. 3000 kids that are 21 and over at 5 beers each is 15,000 beers. 15000/160beers per keg = ~94 kegs. 94 kegs at $70 each is ~$6600.

--Water/soda/etc = just guessing $1000

--3000 dogs and 3000 burgers through UConn food vendor. My guess is $0.50 per item. 6000 items*0.5 = ~$3000

--Angry towels or some shiz can be donated for free by a sponsor no problem

--DJ...get a kid from UConn to do it. There are some kids up there that have cult like followings as a DJ. He/She would do it for $500 easy. easy.

--**Ok, so out the door all inclusive price is ~$28,500 per game for a student tailgate.
--$28500/4000students = ~$7 per kid

--Student season tix = $50. at least it was in 2011. Call it $80 for 7 games. add $7 per game to the price of that package.
*******------Student season tix package with all inclusive tailgate and doorstep to doorstep service for
******$130. That's it. No cost to the University.
Hell, call it $150 per season ticket and UConn can get the best insurance money can buy to cover themselves and have extra for intangibles.

Good thinking OOTB.

-Couple points...Alcohol should be student responsibility, IMO.

-Minimum wage for CT is $8.70/hour

 

[WestHartHusk]

Build the cost of the bus into the ticket and hook a few food trucks up to accept Husky-bucks.

Beyond that, the students really need to quit being little p-ricks. I can almost guarantee these same little $hits will walk three times as far to Carriage House to stand on a lawn they weren't invited to.

 

[UC Billy]

As usual the people in charge of creating and marketing this great sport have screwed it up. I don't blame the students one bit. This complete process was screwed many years ago when the on campus facility was turned down and look around the Rent, it's a damm airline runway with no character associated with the surrounding area.
Find a way to develop an on campus facility and no doubt all these problems are solved. But no the Rent was developed for the rich old alumni who don't want to be inconvenienced or want easier access to the games.

 

[Husky25]

Yes. Brilliant. Let's increase student attendance by keeping those who want to leave early prisoner. That will do it.

They should want to be there. Waiting until at least the end of the 3rd quarter should not equal prisoner by any stretch. What would be your suggestion to entice students to want to stay? The Athletic department is doing their part (They are in process of making the product more entertaining). It's time for student government and the student organizations to step up to the plate.

My DORM building (Hollister) had a bus going to Yale Bowl. They other buildings in the complex had their own buses. The Jungle had about 12 buses going to New Haven. The school administration didn't set that up, the complex councils did (I was treasurer of West Area Councilfor 3 semesters). We had fund raisers and provided benefits for our fellow residents. Not only does a little initiative go a long way, but it looks great on a resume.

 

[ScottBonz]

I disagree. I'd be making the same complaints. It's incredible to me that this has been going on without any corrective action being taken. These are all fixable issues. Winning is on the Coaches and players. Student attendance is on the administration. They need to fix it. No excuses.

Fixable and the same since my Frosh year in 2003.

 

[Husky25]

As usual the people in charge of creating and marketing this great sport have screwed it up. I don't blame the students one bit.

Why not? At least some blame should fall to the students. There's no imagination anymore.

This complete process was screwed many years ago when the on campus facility was turned down and look around the Rent, it's a damm airline runway with no character associated with the surrounding area.

Find a way to develop an on campus facility and no doubt all these problems are solved.

On Campus Stadiums don't solve the problem. As I mention above, B.C.'s average capacity is not much more that UConn's and they went to a bowl game and had a top 5 Heisman Trophy Candidate.

But no the Rent was developed for the rich old alumni who don't want to be inconvenienced or want easier access to the games.

Well the rich alumni do pay the bills, and now more than ever until UConn may find its way out of the AAC (or gets a more lucrative TV contract). At the risk of sounding crotchety (Oh Jeezus. I'm I already the "get off my lawn guy" at 37 years old), how about the rich alumni not raise future students with a generally over-inflated sense of entitlement?

BTW, not all of us fans are rich...

 

[DoctorWho85]

Fixable and the same since my Frosh year in 2003.

That was mine too. Problem was we had a terrible AD who was coasting off the coattails of his predecessor and really hand no clue what it took to be an AD of a major college athletic program. Warde is doing his best to get back everything we lost because of the 2010 hiring of some old crotchety men. I believe that if there is a bowl game this year. Next years attendance will look a lot better.

 

[Nostical]

A university's mission is to serve its students. The education and athletic components are for them. We alumni and interested outsiders can also participate in the enjoyment of athletic events (and there are lots of economic factors that require that) but the students should come first. Someone in Storrs needs to grab the leadership reins on this issue, address the obvious problems, consider plausible solutions and implement them. There is enough info just in this thread and in the New London Day article to get things going. Not sure whether this issue falls within Warde's purview, student affairs, or anywhere else. Someone needs to take ownership and deal with it. Right now with conference affiliation and future viability at stake the Rent needs to be packed on game day. Achieving that goal while our coaches try to recruit and rebuild a winning, exciting game day experience is tough enough. Energizing what has been a generally and historically non-overly passionate public to attend these games is a full time uphill chore. But making it anything but super convenient for your own students to be there is asinine.

 

[Husky25]

A university's mission is to serve its students. The education and athletic components are for them. We alumni and interested outsiders can also participate in the enjoyment of athletic events (and there are lots of economic factors that require that) but the students should come first. Someone in Storrs needs to grab the leadership reins on this issue, address the obvious problems, consider plausible solutions and implement them. There is enough info just in this thread and in the New London Day article to get things going. Not sure whether this issue falls within Warde's purview, student affairs, or anywhere else. Someone needs to take ownership and deal with it. Right now with conference affiliation and future viability at stake the Rent needs to be packed on game day. Achieving that goal while our coaches try to recruit and rebuild a winning, exciting game day experience is tough enough. Energizing what has been a generally and historically non-overly passionate public to attend these games is a full time uphill chore. But making it anything but super convenient for your own students to be there is asinine.

Too much common sense in this post to be taken seriously...

FYI, John Seagrave is Dir. of Sales & Fan Development/Engagement and Dan Evan is Assoc. Dir. of Athletics/External Ops.

I am considering contacting them to refer The Day piece as well as include some of the suggestions on this thread. These complaints seem to be low hanging fruit.

 

[CL82]

On Campus Stadiums don't solve the problem. As I mention above, B.C.'s average capacity is not much more that UConn's and they went to a bowl game and had a top 5 Heisman Trophy Candidate ..

I have to believe that they'd help. A lot of 'grew up' at UConn wandering down to Memorial Stadium every Saturday. What are there like 18k kids on campus? That's a very attractive captive market. Very different from BC's situation as Boston offers a lot of alternative entertainment options.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

You can't "blame" the students for what they elect to do for fun.

You didn't go to a restaurant and it went out of business or you didn't see a movie and it flopped - should I blame the people that elected to do something better with their time?

The bus sucks - it really does. I hated taking it but I loved the team (even in 05/06). However it's a tough sell.

I think there should be student ticket package options.

$15/game gets you: bus, a burger, dog, chips, soda, water, whatever.

$12/game gets you the bus or food.

$7/game ( or whatever it is now) gets youin the rent.

I love what Warde has done and I think he'll get this right but this needs to be done.

As a freshman, taking a 45 minute bus, showing up to the stadium 1.5 hours early, and staying for a 4-8 team (06) really sucked. Not to mention waking up early for noon games and killing your Saturday.

So, blame them all you want, but the reality is something needs to change.

 

[Carl Spackler]

A university's mission is to serve its students. The education and athletic components are for them. We alumni and interested outsiders can also participate in the enjoyment of athletic events (and there are lots of economic factors that require that) but the students should come first. Someone in Storrs needs to grab the leadership reins on this issue, address the obvious problems, consider plausible solutions and implement them. There is enough info just in this thread and in the New London Day article to get things going. Not sure whether this issue falls within Warde's purview, student affairs, or anywhere else. Someone needs to take ownership and deal with it. Right now with conference affiliation and future viability at stake the Rent needs to be packed on game day. Achieving that goal while our coaches try to recruit and rebuild a winning, exciting game day experience is tough enough. Energizing what has been a generally and historically non-overly passionate public to attend these games is a full time uphill chore. But making it anything but super convenient for your own students to be there is asinine.

While the thought process is certainly agreeable with me, you are missing what seems to me, to be a major obstacle to the University having much, if any control over these issues you address. Rentschler field, is not UCONN property. Any student that goes to Rentschler is both in reality, and technically OFF-campus which makes what can and can't be done a bit limited on the University's part. The students? They can certainly take whatever initiative they can, to solve the problems of getting back and forth to the stadium and what to do there, and I'm sure the University would be a great resource to help.

The same issues have been around for 11 years and counting, and the reality, is that until we have a winnign program that is NOT drawing capacity crowds, there is no reason to be manufacturing non-existent problems.

The lesson with any DiMauro article about UCONN athletics, is always the same. The lesson is: Boston College sucks.

 

[Husky25]

I have to believe that they'd help. A lot of 'grew up' at UConn wandering down to Memorial Stadium every Saturday. What are there like 18k kids on campus? That's a very attractive captive market. Very different from BC's situation as Boston offers a lot of alternative entertainment options.

That's a lot of money and red tape for an incremental improvement. Plus we are at least a generation away from it come to pass. Students and fans alike were dealt a less than stellar hand, but we need to play within the confines of the rules. luckily there are multiple draws in this game (and wild cards) and some of the issues can be addressed relatively painlessly. Besides, it's a more worthwhile endeavor to spend calories than to pine for a stadium project that will likely never happen.

 

[NorwalkHusky]

From what I remember a few years ago graduated in 2012, the only students to really take the bus were Freshman and maybe Sophomores. You quickly realize its a lot more fun to find friends who have cars to drive in and tailgate. As for the students who do take the bus, I saw include the bus fee with a special tailgate tent with food etc. The reason I think the buses leave early when they fill up because the buses make multiple trips I think?

 

[Husky25]

You can't "blame" the students for what they elect to do for fun.

You didn't go to a restaurant and it went out of business or you didn't see a movie and it flopped - should I blame the people that elected to do something better with their time?

The bus sucks - it really does. I hated taking it but I loved the team (even in 05/06). However it's a tough sell.

I think there should be student ticket package options.

$15/game gets you: bus, a burger, dog, chips, soda, water, whatever.

$12/game gets you the bus or food.

$7/game ( or whatever it is now) gets youin the rent.

I love what Warde has done and I think he'll get this right but this needs to be done.

As a freshman, taking a 45 minute bus, showing up to the stadium 1.5 hours early, and staying for a 4-8 team (06) really sucked. Not to mention waking up early for noon games and killing your Saturday.

So, blame them all you want, but the reality is something needs to change.

You can blame student leadership for not leading. I read somewhere that either SUBOG or USG (or both) was dissolved shortly after I graduated (Class of'99). Did anything take its place? Where are the area councils? Where are the student activities groups? There's ways to do it and they aren't hard solutions.

I agree, the bus sucks. I took it to a basketball game at the Civic Center in '97. It's a long ride and it's not fun, but they also dropped us off at the front door a half hour prior to tip off and left immediately after the game. Why are the busses dropping kids off at a location requiring a further 20 minute walk an hour and a half prior to kick-off? That's asinine!!!

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Build the cost of the bus into the ticket and hook a few food trucks up to accept Husky-bucks.

Beyond that, the students really need to quit being little p-ricks. I can almost guarantee these same little $hits will walk three times as far to Carriage House to stand on a lawn they weren't invited to.

How it should be according to you and the reality of it are unfortunately two very different things. Regardless of how you feel about their priorities, the fact of the matter is that the school needs to do something to encourage these students to show up and make it easier/more appealing for them.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

You can blame student leadership for not leading. I read somewhere that either SUBOG, USG, or both was dissolved shortly after I graduated (Class of'99). Did anything take its place? Where are the area councils? Where are the student activities groups? There's ways to do it and they aren't hard solutions.

SUBOG and USG are still active, however the issue with USG, at least when I was there a couple years ago, is that the only group that really cared enough to vote people in were the stoners so the only issues really discussed were marijuana policy.

 

[DoctorWho85]

SUBOG and USG are still active, however the issue with USG, at least when I was there a couple years ago, is that the only group that really cared enough to vote people in were the stoners so the only issues really discussed were marijuana policy.

So much truth to this statement it hurts.

 

[Husky25]

From what I remember a few years ago graduated in 2012, the only students to really take the bus were Freshman and maybe Sophomores. You quickly realize its a lot more fun to find friends who have cars to drive in and tailgate. As for the students who do take the bus, I saw include the bus fee with a special tailgate tent with food etc. The reason I think the buses leave early when they fill up because the buses make multiple trips I think?

That's not a reason. It's an excuse.