I got an e-mail today from the greater Toledo Alumni Association. In it was included the following paragraph:
Tuesday, November 15
This will mark our first football watch party! The BGSU Falcons will
take on Miami of Ohio on ESPN2 and we hope you will watch the game with
us at BW3 located at 425 West Dussel Drive in Maumee. This is a super
casual event - come and go when you want and you only pay for what you
eat or drink. This is sure to be a good game, why wouldn't you want to
watch it with fellow Falcons? RSVP to event host Lori Corvino at [email protected] or by phone at 419-372-0352.
Now give me a break. The greater Toledo Alumni organizing a watch party for a HOME GAME!?!?!? Please. Here is a team that has been put on NCAA probation, and in need of attendance. Now we've got our local alumni association sending out e-mails encouraging the closest alumni base to not attend the game, but instead watch it at a bar? A bar that is less than 30 minutes away from Doyt Perry Stadium??
We have a home game against a traditional rival and it's in primetime. We should be encouraging our local alumni to ATTEND games not watch them at BW3. Seriously you're going to end up spending more to eat & drink at BW3 for 3 hours than a ticket would cost. Grrrr...
I sent the following e-mail to both Ms. Corvino & Ms. Warner (the Chapter Leader)
Dear Ms. Warner,
I received my newsletter for the Greater Toledo Chapter of BG Alumni today, and I wanted to let you know that I was very disappointed in a certain part of the content. Why, may I ask, are you organizing a watch party for a home game?
I'm sure you are aware that our football team was put on NCAA probation this past year because they did not average the requisite 15,000 fans per game last season. This year they are again teetering on the brink of that total. Clearly we are in need of as much live fan support as we can muster, yet what do I see in my newsletter? A note encouraging the most local alumni base we have to watch the game in a local bar rather than attend the game. This event is taking place in a bar that is less than a 30 minute drive from our home stadium.
I realize that some people will not be interested in coming out to an evening game in mid-November due to weather, etc. I'm sure there are some people who simply do not want to dedicate that much time to attending the game, when they can stop at the party for just a quarter or half. Still, I don't like the idea of our alumni chapter promoting an off campus even to the local alumni, that should be going back to support their alma mater, if they are in the area.
At the very least it would have been nice to include the fact that the game was a home contest, and the Falcons would love to have your support in attendance. Then mention the party for those that couldn't make it to the game. Wouldn't it have made more sense to organize this watch party for this Thursday's game at CMU which will also be on national TV, but is an away game? Or the Toledo game? Or last week's OSU game?
I apologize if I sound too worked up over this, but I have not missed a home game since my Sophomore year at BG. I love attending the football games, and we are starting to develop a great tailgating atmosphere to go along with the great product on the field. Still, we're struggling to meet NCAA minimum attendance requirements, and it really disturbs me to see our local alumni base encouraging watch parties, when they should be encouraging attendance to the games.
hammb wrote:I sent the following e-mail to both Ms. Corvino & Ms. Warner (the Chapter Leader)
Dear Ms. Warner,
I received my newsletter for the Greater Toledo Chapter of BG Alumni today, and I wanted to let you know that I was very disappointed in a certain part of the content. Why, may I ask, are you organizing a watch party for a home game?
I'm sure you are aware that our football team was put on NCAA probation this past year because they did not average the requisite 15,000 fans per game last season. This year they are again teetering on the brink of that total. Clearly we are in need of as much live fan support as we can muster, yet what do I see in my newsletter? A note encouraging the most local alumni base we have to watch the game in a local bar rather than attend the game. This event is taking place in a bar that is less than a 30 minute drive from our home stadium.
I realize that some people will not be interested in coming out to an evening game in mid-November due to weather, etc. I'm sure there are some people who simply do not want to dedicate that much time to attending the game, when they can stop at the party for just a quarter or half. Still, I don't like the idea of our alumni chapter promoting an off campus even to the local alumni, that should be going back to support their alma mater, if they are in the area.
At the very least it would have been nice to include the fact that the game was a home contest, and the Falcons would love to have your support in attendance. Then mention the party for those that couldn't make it to the game. Wouldn't it have made more sense to organize this watch party for this Thursday's game at CMU which will also be on national TV, but is an away game? Or the Toledo game? Or last week's OSU game?
I apologize if I sound too worked up over this, but I have not missed a home game since my Sophomore year at BG. I love attending the football games, and we are starting to develop a great tailgating atmosphere to go along with the great product on the field. Still, we're struggling to meet NCAA minimum attendance requirements, and it really disturbs me to see our local alumni base encouraging watch parties, when they should be encouraging attendance to the games.
Thanks for your time,
Brian Hammer
Class of 2002
Very well written. I'm curious to see the response.
Well said. (Even with a typo in the middle there somewhere. ) Kam (Mrs. Warner) is a pretty cool chick, though I think she's out of the office until some time in November on maternity leave. Hopefully they'll see fit to send another newsletter inviting everyone to the game first, b-dubs second.
"I don't believe I can name a coach, anywhere, anytime, anyhow, who did it better than Doyt Perry."
-1955 BG Assistant Bo Schembechler
Some of the folks in Toledo might be afraid to drive down to the sticks to see the game, especially on a week night. Plus with gas prices the way they are, it is pretty tough for the out of work alumn in the Toledo area to make it. Also, I heard the game was a sell-out, so this was a chance for alumni to get together and enjoy the game.
I agree that it is a joke that the alumni office, of which both Lori and Kam work for, would do this. Please post any response that you might get.
I will add that Lori planned the events prior to the OSU game, but did not attend the game herself. Neither did another staff member who was in attendance. And from what I hear, BG didn't sell its allotment of tickets. For the fourth time in a row.
I'll just say this..... Nicholas and I made the Sunday night Miami- NIU game.... even on a friggin' school night. We left early (in the 3rd quarter) to appease Mrs. Tech - listening to the game during the 50 minute car ride home. Getting from Toledo to BG is a piece of cake compared to driving a two-lane country road from my house to Oxford.
I would think the Toledo Chapter could at least met at Frickers in BG <sarcasm>
robdupont and I were at the Falcon Flames event over homecoming and brought this very thing up with Kam Warner personally. She didn't really have too much to say about it. I think we brought up the same points hammb did in his letter.
Chris Malanga ('97)
Veteran of BGSU Radio
"If you wanted to be a Buckeye, you should have gone to OSU. You're a Falcon. Accept it. Be proud." - Lizzie Keller, BG News Column
There are some very, very serious cultural paradigm shifts that need to take place among every aspect of our fan/alumni base. That is all I'm saying for now.
From the halls of ivy...
It is not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work - work with us, not over us; stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it. ~Ronald Reagan
hammb: Great letter! Did you cc the letter to the AD? I think you should!!!
"Regarding BGSU, I would think their biggest strength is that they never give up, They never slow down and they battle hard even after the other team scores. We have to be on our game and never, ever take the foot off the gas for a second." ~~USCHO Poster "BG was relentless. It's like they know that a good first pass on the breakout from a defenseman will almost always result in an odd-man rush against them - but they go in anyway and dare you to make that pass. All three of their goals were just grit and effort. That's a team any fan can be proud to support...they give all they've got." ~~USCHO Poster, AFTER Tech beat us #NeverGiveUp
#NeverSurrender
#Relentless
#Resiliant
I just "replied" to the email I received, but wasn't near as nice as hammb was in his reply!
I honestly think EVERYONE that gets the communication should show their displeasure.
Your point is extremely well taken and I appreciate your
feedback and by no means did you overstep any boundaries by
emailing me.
The Alumni Association organized events for all the away games
you mentioned in your email, that is why we didn't offer a
watch party. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, we will
not be offering pre-game tent parties for the November home
games - so we thought a watch party would fill the void. You
are correct though it is somewhat counterproductive in terms of
getting people to the stadium. I do feel bad now - hindsight
being 20/20.
Thanks again for emailing me and bringing the point to my
attention.
) Kam (Mrs. Warner) is a pretty cool chick, though I think she's out of the office until some time in November on maternity leave. Hopefully they'll see fit to send another newsletter inviting everyone to the game first, b-dubs second.
