Attendance

PGY Tiercel · Post by **PGY Tiercel** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:26 am

BGSU33 wrote:I still don't understand how the Cleveland game is or isn't being factored into all of this? I se quotes in that article saying we need to get 21,000 or 22,000 to make the cut, but then also it says the Cleveland game we sold 22,460. So does that attendance count or what? Because even if we can only count 22,460 for the Cleveland game, then we're still averaging over 16,000 right now for four games (Wisconsin, Buffalo, Kent State & Eastern Michigan). If we can't count it, that's crap and we should never play a game like this again IMO. That game on campus would have been sellout. How isn't the Cleveland game factoring into these attendance totals then? Before the season, our athletic department talked about how it would count and how it should help us meet the mark. I'm lost.

I think they are counting paid attendance for our figures, but are reporting people through the gate on the Team stats. According to the site, 41719 have been at the 3 HOME games, avg 13906. This means we would need a about 18500 at the miami game to average 15K. The AD said the paid attendance at the 4 games was 13242, an exact number, not "an estimate" or about 13K. I'm left scratching my head as well, but maybe they are only counting paid tickets for our attendance, which to me seems like it should be more, but based on the average appears to be less for the home games than people through the gates.

BGSU33 · Post by **BGSU33** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:44 am

What a mess. Well, as a season ticket holder, I propose that if the Miami game boils down to paid attendance and that's what is going to count as to whether we make the cut or not, then we should sell everything we have available for a penny then. Seriously. I don't care that I paid well over that for tickets myself, if this is what we have to do to make ends meet to make the cut, then do it. Sell the rest of the tickets for a penny, 50 cents, a dollar, whatever you have to, but sell them. Then we can hope for a good crowd (which doesn't even seem to matter in terms of attendance figures in this case which is ass-backwards) and we meet the mark and everyone is happy. I wonder if this is why in our home games it always look like we had more, only to get an official lower figure. Are we actually counting less than we have on hand then? Has anyone actually seen the definition of attendance? It's not what we seem to be using here then. This would be like paying for movie ticket and then actually not going to see the movie itself. Did you see the movie then because you paid for ticket and didn't go? What if you got the movie ticket for free and went and saw that same movie. Would it count that you've been there then? So damn confusing.....

PGY Tiercel · Post by **PGY Tiercel** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:52 am

That has to be it. The gates don't have turnstiles to count attendance, they don't scan a barcode on a ticket, and I don't see the workers with counters in hand marking off people as they come through. How hard would it be to put in turnstiles? Or put a barcode on the tickets and scan each one. I would think you would see attendance figures jump by at least 1 or 2 thousand a game with them.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:13 am

PGY Tiercel wrote:The gates don't have turnstiles to count attendance,

Yes they do have turnstiles.

thewebboy · Post by **thewebboy** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:22 am

It is so funny to hear all this talk about staying above 15000. When we are basically screwing ourselves over on attendence. I'm sure there are other ways to count attendence that could work in our favor. It sounds like there is no definitive way of tracking attendence.

Globetrotter · Post by **Globetrotter** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:24 am

That story makes no sense.

Why did he not show us what the attendance figures average out to? Why didnt Christopher talk about it?

Sep 02, 2006 vs Wisconsin 30307
*Sep 09, 2006 BUFFALO 14227
*Sep 23, 2006 KENT STATE 12967
*Oct 14, 2006 EASTERN MICHIGAN 14525

We are currently avearaging 13,906 for our home games not including Wisconsin.

Include Wisconsin and it is 18,006.

If Wisconsin is not in we need 60,000 people to go to our 4 home games. We already have 41,719.
We would need 18,281 people to be counted at the Miami game.

If Wisconsin is counted the number equals 72,026. We need 75, 000. Do the math. That is less than 3,000

Netiher equals 21,000

"Right now I think we're going to look at our paid average which is about right now through the four games at 13,242 paid per game," said J.D. Campbell, assistant athletic director of communication.

With one game left the team will need to yield a large crowd for the season's final home game against Miami on Nov. 15 to avoid a letter of compliance.

" [We need to] get about 20 to 21,000 for the Miami game, and we're going to be aggressive, we've got four weeks," Campbell said.

thewebboy · Post by **thewebboy** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:42 am

If I'm not mistaken, aren't tickets for this year's Miami game currently marked up from the standard ticket prices. Similar to what was done for the Toledo game last year.

If so that could seriouisly piss some people off if we charge more for Miami tickets and then turn around and practically give them away for free.

Just a thought.

FMBfan07 · Post by **FMBfan07** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:27 am

thewebboy wrote:If I'm not mistaken, aren't tickets for this year's Miami game currently marked up from the standard ticket prices. Similar to what was done for the Toledo game last year.

If so that could seriouisly piss some people off if we charge more for Miami tickets and then turn around and practically give them away for free.

Just a thought.

this is what I Found on bgsufalcons.com could have changed:

2006 Single Game Tickets

9/9 vs. BUFFALO, 9/23 vs. KENT STATE & 10/14 vs. EASTERN MICHIGAN

Chairback $20...Bench Reserved $16...Groups (20-99) $9 (100+) $7

11/15 vs. MIAMI

Chairback $30...Bench Reserved $26...Groups (20-99) $14 (100+) $12

Kaleena08 · Post by **Kaleena08** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:39 am

Yes the tickets have been raised, I saw it at the ticket office too on the sign. They also are raising prices for the hockey games verse OSU and Michigan.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:40 am

MatelaAntwerp wrote:That story makes no sense.

Why did he not show us what the attendance figures average out to? Why didnt Christopher talk about it?

Sep 02, 2006 vs Wisconsin 30307
*Sep 09, 2006 BUFFALO 14227
*Sep 23, 2006 KENT STATE 12967
*Oct 14, 2006 EASTERN MICHIGAN 14525

We are currently avearaging 13,906 for our home games not including Wisconsin.

Include Wisconsin and it is 18,006.

If Wisconsin is not in we need 60,000 people to go to our 4 home games. We already have 41,719.
We would need 18,281 people to be counted at the Miami game.

If Wisconsin is counted the number equals 72,026. We need 75, 000. Do the math. That is less than 3,000

Netiher equals 21,000

"Right now I think we're going to look at our paid average which is about right now through the four games at 13,242 paid per game," said J.D. Campbell, assistant athletic director of communication.

With one game left the team will need to yield a large crowd for the season's final home game against Miami on Nov. 15 to avoid a letter of compliance.

" [We need to] get about 20 to 21,000 for the Miami game, and we're going to be aggressive, we've got four weeks," Campbell said.

Matela, the numbers you are quoting are 'butts in the seats' number. Christopher/Campbell stated that we are going to use 'paid tickets' for the count. I don't think they quoting those numbers other then 22,000 something for the Wisconsin game.

For us to need 22,000 paid for the Miami game to get to the 15,000 average, that means we must have averaged about 10,000 paid for the three games at the Doyt. I just don't see us getting 22,000 paid for the Miami game.

There must be some archaic NCAA rules that will not let us count actual attendance at a 'neutral' site. Otherwise I see no reason for us to change from actual attendance to paid attendance.

PGY Tiercel · Post by **PGY Tiercel** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:48 am

Warthog wrote:
Matela, the numbers you are quoting are 'butts in the seats' number. Christopher/Campbell stated that we are going to use 'paid tickets' for the count. I don't think they quoting those numbers other then 22,000 something for the Wisconsin game.

For us to need 22,000 paid for the Miami game to get to the 15,000 average, that means we must have averaged about 10,000 paid for the three games at the Doyt. I just don't see us getting 22,000 paid for the Miami game.

There must be some archaic NCAA rules that will not let us count actual attendance at a 'neutral' site. Otherwise I see no reason for us to change from actual attendance to paid attendance.

So the question remains, If we need more people to reach 15K with the Wisconsin game (By counting paid tickets) then we do by counting butts in the seat, why not just drop the Wisconsin game as a home game, and move to a plan of getting more people to show up. Its a numbers game. If we have a better shot by counting people in the stadium, I think that is the method to use for this season.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:50 am

So confused... and angry... and befuddled...

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:51 am

So in other words, the game in Cleveland was useless and a waste of money?

Globetrotter · Post by **Globetrotter** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:56 am

Butts in seats vs tickets?

Can you explain this difference to me?

Shouldnt it be the same number.

Are we not including students? or the Band? Neither pays to get in. Why would we do that?

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:58 am

BGDrew wrote:So in other words, the game in Cleveland was useless and a waste of money?

Not if we are actually allowed to count 20K+ of that attendance. We at least broke even, according to Greg Christopher, and anything we can count over 15,000 is a bonus. Even if we can't count it and have to rely on the four "true" home games, I don't think it's useless or a waste of money at all.

The thing that still gets me is, on top of getting hosed with the Fall Break (students are still sissies for that

) game last year, losing out on a date with Boise State at home this year (thanks MAC and OU for keeping your heads up your asses!) likely hurts just as much, although I forget where that was supposed to sit on the schedule and what game replaced it.