Student Body Consensus

[Jacobs4Heisman]

Can you deny the BG community sucks in terms of supporting a D1 football team?

Bowling Green population roughly 30K. Let's say 25% attending the game would be reasonable since 25% of student population is deemed to be reasonable (prior post) - that's 7500 community members + the 5000 students = about our usual attendance for average game 12,500. Community proper supports the team no less than the student body.

I agree with this post, too.

Of the 103 D1-A schools and 8 (that's right, 8 ) D1-AA schools ahead of us in average attendance for last year, I highly doubt that all of them are located in population centers with huge enrollment numbers. I'm also pretty sure most of those 111 schools weren't in the top 25 three straight years, didn't have QBs and offenses breaking records, didn't have exciting, high-scoring teams, etc etc.

We're far past the point of recycling the same excuses over and over again. BG has done a terrible job of marketing to the community and surrounding areas, and they in turn have done a terrible job of supporting the team. BG fans are as fairweather as they come, and that isn't the case almost everywhere else.

[Bleeding Orange]

Are we really having this circle jerk again? I'll be damned if this topic doesn't come up at least once a month only to end up at the same point, that being nowhere.

All of the research in the world is going to yield the university nothing but some pretty figures and a bill. If we, as fans, really want to increase attendence, then let's begin taking up a collection to put some modern concessions in at the Doyt. The fact of the matter is that in our society no one wants to go to a sporting event where their option is a hot dog or popcorn, and where they generally have 20 minutes to decide between the two while standing in line whilst blocking access to the stadium itself. People in our society like to be coddled, there is no disputing that. And, superficial as it may seem, concessions are a big part of a "fan experience" anymore and is a primary factor in fans evaluating their experience and deciding whether or not to come back.

I'm sure everyone will call me stupid and chastise me for speaking up again, but screw it. Hopefully the University will get serious about remodeling this aspect of the Doyt, and with the Sebo Center being completed, we could have one heck of a stadium facility that would actually attract people to games, rather than keep them away.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

Are we really having this circle jerk again? I'll be damned if this topic doesn't come up at least once a month only to end up at the same point, that being nowhere.

All of the research in the world is going to yield the university nothing but some pretty figures and a bill. If we, as fans, really want to increase attendence, then let's begin taking up a collection to put some modern concessions in at the Doyt. The fact of the matter is that in our society no one wants to go to a sporting event where their option is a hot dog or popcorn, and where they generally have 20 minutes to decide between the two while standing in line whilst blocking access to the stadium itself. People in our society like to be coddled, there is no disputing that. And, superficial as it may seem, concessions are a big part of a "fan experience" anymore and is a primary factor in fans evaluating their experience and deciding whether or not to come back.

I'm sure everyone will call me stupid and chastise me for speaking up again, but screw it. Hopefully the University will get serious about remodeling this aspect of the Doyt, and with the Sebo Center being completed, we could have one heck of a stadium facility that would actually attract people to games, rather than keep them away.

No, you're right. The Doyt is a huge part of the problem just like AA is a part of the problem for basketball attendance.

Maybe we're just doomed to never consistently sell out any of our venues. Maybe there's nothing we can do and we should just make the best of the hand we've been sealt. I dunno.

[Globetrotter]

I've suggested this before, but I'd put some marketing interns/students to work and do a little surveying. I'd fan out to these smaller communities and hit the HS football games...maybe work within a 60-75 mile range of of BG. I'd stop at the Ohio/Michigan state line...I might consider stopping at the Wood/Lucas county line, but I think we have a number of fans in Toledo proper.

I'd try to find out how many of them go to college football games and see why those who don't go to BGSU games choose not to. I suspect it's because they don't feel a very strong regional allegiance to the University, but I don't really know that.

Then i'd xref the list of "local" alums from the last 10 to 15 years with season or multi ticket purchases (we should have those names on file if they bought them with a credit card ) and do a a mailing or two to see if we can find out why those alums within a reasonable drive (maybe as far east as the cleveland metro area and as far south as Lima and west to maybe Defiancearen't coming out to the games.

I think that would be a pretty good target market to start talking to...local HS football fans and local alumns who graduated recently enough and stayed close enough to BG that they might feel some pull or allegiance.

One reason for them to come to the games would be to make it an event. An all day party. Block off a section of the parking lot, throw up a huge screen to show other games. And rope it off and serve beer.

Block off sections of the parking lot for each individual city. Napolean here, defiance here, Fremont here etc etc etc. Cater to these people. 25% off the tickets if you bring 20 people or more. Free parking if you have 4 cars together going to a section.

Youth league football would probably do well to. Give ticket deals to flag football teams in the surrounding counties.

I would imagine that most people who post in here are die hard fans. When I go to games (which has been rare since I moved) I like to watch most if not all of the game. The people who are going to add to our attendance dont fall in this category. They want to be entertained. So entertain them. Make BG football games an event, not just a 3 hour focus on the game. They dont care that Rhett Magner left the program. They dont know who DJ Young is. They know they like football, they know they like their friends and they know they want to try new and exciting things.

[bgsufalcon24]

Are we really having this circle jerk again? I'll be damned if this topic doesn't come up at least once a month only to end up at the same point, that being nowhere.

All of the research in the world is going to yield the university nothing but some pretty figures and a bill. If we, as fans, really want to increase attendence, then let's begin taking up a collection to put some modern concessions in at the Doyt. The fact of the matter is that in our society no one wants to go to a sporting event where their option is a hot dog or popcorn, and where they generally have 20 minutes to decide between the two while standing in line whilst blocking access to the stadium itself. People in our society like to be coddled, there is no disputing that. And, superficial as it may seem, concessions are a big part of a "fan experience" anymore and is a primary factor in fans evaluating their experience and deciding whether or not to come back.

I'm sure everyone will call me stupid and chastise me for speaking up again, but screw it. Hopefully the University will get serious about remodeling this aspect of the Doyt, and with the Sebo Center being completed, we could have one heck of a stadium facility that would actually attract people to games, rather than keep them away.

No, you're right. The Doyt is a huge part of the problem just like AA is a part of the problem for basketball attendance.

Maybe we're just doomed to never consistently sell out any of our venues. Maybe there's nothing we can do and we should just make the best of the hand we've been sealt. I dunno.

I don't know when Doyt Perry Stadium and Anderson Arena were built, but it had to have been 30, 40, or even 50 years ago. That's a big problem in terms of getting people to games. Look at the Arizona Cardinals. For years, they couldn't draw flies in that dump Sun Devil Stadium, now they get a new field, and the entire season is sold out before the season begins. And its not like its a function of win-loss record, because the team hasn't won more than 7 games in a season since 1997 (I think that's the year somebody correct me if I'm wrong.)

You see this trend with programs at both the pro and college level. Oregon wasn't exactly the football powerhouse until they redid Autzen Stadium in 2000, since then their attendance figures and their win-loss records have been considerably better. The point is, if we had a new, or even somewhat newer stadium here in BG, the attendance would be through the roof compared to what it is now. (assuming we aren't 1-11 every year). Maybe we will see this happen with the basketball attendance in a few years when we get the new convention center, because quite frankly, Anderson Arena is a HUGE reason why our BB attendance went to the crapper last year.

[TG1996]

Anderson Arena is a HUGE reason why our BB attendance went to the crapper last year.

http://www.ay-ziggy-zoomba.com/phpBB2/v ... 464#137464

And this had nothing to do with it?

Performance is more of a "HUGE" factor than anything. Within the past decade, hoops attendance has been quite impressive. And aside from a couple extra cracks here and there, AA is the same building then that it is now.

New arenas sell out in the pro ranks because business execs get a new place to show off to clients and everyone wants to be part of the trend. (SEE: Jacobs Field) Granted, an upgrade in facility can lead to improved recruiting and on-field performance, but the stadium only gives you a bump in that direction, and I'd say you have 3 years to win people and hold them for the long haul. Say we pull a multi-million dollar renovation of the Doyt, then three years later have a down year, attendance drops, and we're back with this same argument? The Doyt's fine. The Sebo Center is helping that exponentially, and if rumors of a convocation center being stuck at the south end of DLP are true, that'll be one fine facility they've got out there by the highway.

[Flipper]

I agree with TG...the facilities are not the issue. I'll say it again...the biggest problem the marketing people seem to have is identifying who their target audience is and speaking directly to that target audience.

Billboards and ads saying "hey, there's a game this week" aren't so much a plan as a hope...

[Bleeding Orange]

Well TG and Flip, with all due respect (I'm not sure exactly how much that is in this case... ), if you want to focus on athletic marketing, honestly, I don't see how this conversation is ever going to find a conclusion or how attendence will ever markedly improve. People know that these games are happening - the minimal coverage we get from Toledo area TV and newspapers is enough for that. You can dress up the fact that there is a game all you want, I just don't think it is going to motivate people to come to the games anymore than picking up a paper or turning the TV news on does.

And I'm not talking about a multi-million dollar overhaul of the stadium right now. Yes, that day will probably come in the next 10-15 years given the age of the facility, but in the meantime, things can be done to the facilities for a lot less that would dramatically improve the image of, and ammenaties in, DLP.

[Schadenfreude]

I think improvements to the Doyt would help.

Ribbon scoreboard, anyone?

The more big time the stadium feels, the more people would want to come. I do believe that.

[hammb]

I think improvements to the Doyt would help.

Ribbon scoreboard, anyone?

The more big time the stadium feels, the more people would want to come. I do believe that.

Agreed. I do think that improving the Doyt would help. I like the place, but it does NOT feel like a D1 stadium to me. Maybe it's because my other experiernces are all Big10 stadiums (plus the glass bowl), but the Doyt just doesn't scream top notch D1A football. The chain link fence, the lousy concessions that are run by volunteers, to the disappointing video board. I like the stadium, and the grounds crew is FANTASTIC at putting together a great field to play on, but the Doyt is not drawing people into the game the way so many other stadiums do.

Making the game more of an event might help as well, but I'm not sure what you can really do for that. They've had a lot of play areas and what not for certain games in the past for the kids. Putting a big screen with beer in the parking lot might help, but I think you'd draw a lot of people down there that don't end up going to the game (as most don't at Hineygate in C-bus).

I'm not a marketer, so I really don't have any ideas, but I do think our current group has done a very poor job. A lot of billboards around Toledo & BG are not helping things out any. It takes more than that to make people get to the game. On top of that all the billboards I've seen solely focus on the Wisconsin game, and nothing else. No mention of the rest of the schedule at all. I think it's possible that they put the boards up too early as well. Most of them have been up for over 2 months now. At the time it was like, "Cool a nice billboard, I'll have to check the game out." After seeing them in the same spots for 2 months they don't even stand out at you any longer, they're just THERE. I'm skeptical of their effectiviness in the first place, but I do think they'd be more skeptical if they were noticable closer to the event, by this time nobody that drives past them even notices them anymore, they just fade into the background.

[Kaleena08]

Personally I think when it comes to students, they want wins. They expect to win everytime. If we lose one game I automatically hear people claiming how we suck and all of this negative attitude. God forbid a team isn't perfect, though it is always nice to win.
The students here, not all of us, but seemingly enough don't understand the concept of supporting your team no matter what. I suppose the same thing can go for the 'city folk' if you will too. How are we suppose to win games with no support. I mean it seems like our hockey team gets more pumped when more people are cheering them on, so I assume the same goes for any other sport.
There are 20,000 students at this school and look at how many of us show up for the game. There are a decent amount of us there, but we definantly should be pulling in way more than what we do. To top it off, it's not like we the students even have to PAY to get in to the Doyt, it's FREE! How could you not go!?!

[BGDrew]

Personally I think when it comes to students, they want wins. They expect to win everytime. If we lose one game I automatically hear people claiming how we suck and all of this negative attitude. God forbid a team isn't perfect, though it is always nice to win.
The students here, not all of us, but seemingly enough don't understand the concept of supporting your team no matter what. I suppose the same thing can go for the 'city folk' if you will too. How are we suppose to win games with no support. I mean it seems like our hockey team gets more pumped when more people are cheering them on, so I assume the same goes for any other sport.
There are 20,000 students at this school and look at how many of us show up for the game. There are a decent amount of us there, but we definantly should be pulling in way more than what we do. To top it off, it's not like we the students even have to PAY to get in to the Doyt, it's FREE! How could you not go!?!

Will you marry me?


But seriously, that kind of attitude is pretty common. We always have a great first game crowd but then it seems to go down. Last year, it seemed like the marketing department kind of gave up on the students and I hope that doesn't keep happening.

If we can just half fill the Dawg Pound, that will say a lot about the support from our new students. I want BG fans, not OSU or UM.

[Kaleena08]

Hopefully it won't this year. Me, along with some other people are working with them to help get students in particular to the game. We're hanging up huge banners on campus, and trying to help them with ideas on how to get the rest of them there. I don't know, I hope they listen to us to get people at the games. I guess everyone else doesn't have the same spirit/love for it, I mean people make fun of me for being so dedicated and going all out for it. [/quote]

[Tricky_Falcon]

Don't listen to them. We need fans like you to get the word out. Hell why listen to Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State fans anyway? You should support your school. By showing your support and outgoing personality who knows how many student-fans will latch on to what you're preaching? Keep it up!

[cbjhack]

I think the problem is that we are located in a rural area. I mean are lucky if the population within 15 miles of the Doyt totals 30,000 (not counting students.) I wonder how many other Div I schools have a similar issue? I mean, if there aren't people close by, it is hard to fill the seats unless you have a great team. Then people will make the drive to attend a game. When the team is mediocre/average, it is pretty easy to just stay home and avoid the one-two-three hour drive.

Exactly.... If Toledo could pull in even 10% of their population base, they could fill their stadium. They can't even do that. Other MAC schools and their population base? My point is that BG does pretty well, comparatively, in pulling in fans from what we have to work with.

I think the solution is adopting the area counties that love football on the HS level as part of BG. There are big football cities all around that have similar populations to BG. Adopt them somehow. Findlay, Fostoria, Port Clinton, Fremont the Naoplean area. All are within 45 minutes. Get them to come to the games. Tailgating areas or something. Ticket deals for the specific areas. etc. etc.

I like that idea. Promote BG Football to these areas and cities as "their" team too. It's a good idea.

I like the idea as well, but the key is to recruit student athletes from schools in those areas to play for BG. Living in C-bus, I see players from small towns all over Ohio migrating to Columbus to play for the Buckeyes, but I see very few kids going to BG. Centerville has sent a number of players to Columbus - Herbstreit, Hawk, Mangold, but how many of their teammates have ended up in BG? If Brandon, or any other coach is getting some kid from the 'hood, or some kid from a 'burb in Chicago to play for BG, that may be great, but the towns in Ohio don't have any feeling towards them the way people in Columbus might. Columbus is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, in part because people from Fostoria, Lima, St. Henry, have moved to Columbus. Everyone in Columbus is either from one of these small towns, or knows someone from one of those towns. How many people that attend BG, know of someone from Naperville, Il, or Rochester Hills, MI? Not enough to generate excitement via word of mouth ("I want to go see 'X' player play because he is from my hometown and you should too"). But a lot of people know people from Bryan, Antwerp, Findlay, etc.