Dropping Season tickets

[Redwingtom]

Do people really wait in line to get in? I have never waited for even five seconds to get into Perry Stadium. Never seen a line-I can't imagine that is the case if you have more than four gates and fewer than 20,000 fans in attendance. Never waited at UT either or any other MAC venue I've ever been to. Granted, I've been to maybe only twenty games there but if you have a five minute wait to get in you have serious problems.

Yes, They changed the entrances and now we only have two on each side. One for students and one for non-students with only 2 ticket takers at each entrance. If you get there just a little before game time you will wait in a line. And the lines are not identified well with any type of signage to let you know which line you are in. And I assume you always entered on the visiting side which has fewer fans.

I think it was more of a problem this year because with the main parking lot being closed most all fans were coming in on the West side compounding the problem. Of course, a well run organization would have recognized this and made a temporary change to accommodate a temporary situation.

The main problem I have with the music, referee microphone, and BG-SU chick is that it is embarrassing for an institute of higher learning. Have we no one at this university who can stage an event? I've seen better production at a grade school play.

P.S.: Can't we put some microphones in front of the band and amplify them over the speaker system so they can be heard better between plays? Or does the NCAA prohibit this? I know they have microphones in front of the bands at Ford Field for the Bowl game.

[factman]

.....not to mention the scanners that worked about 50% of the time, and that we decidedto use thme and only bought about 6 or some such number.

[transfer2BGSU]

I'm not going to tell anyone else how to spend their money. I will continue to purchase my two season tickets. For that, I get a parking pass that allows me to park outside of the south end zone. I got invited to a dinner at the beginning of the season in the Falcon Club area where I could pick up my tickets and meet some of the coaches and members of the team. I was happy with that.

I'm not going to whine, pout, or cry about needing anything else. Just tee up the damn football and let's kick off the new season!

[hammb]

I definitely agree that all of these complaints are secondary to the quality of the football team. If the team is good, people will come out to watch the games, we've proven that over the years. However, I think we've also proven that at the MAC level it is VERY difficult to maintain a winning team year in/year out. Have some success and your coach will bolt and you're rebuilding again. That's the nature of the game at this level.

With that in mind, creating a gameday atmosphere that is legitimately fun and not a chore would go a LONG ways towards getting people in the stands when you do get back to those lean years. If you're the athletic department you can't just shrug off all these issues and say, "well if the team were better, more people would show up." That just doesn't fly. Clean up these issues so that the entire Doyt Perry experience is a good one. If people remember the great experience they always have at Doyt Perry they are going to be far more likely to show up when the team isn't as good. The bottom line is that we shouldn't have to be having these discussions. If we want to play D1 football, then we should start acting like it.

The other thing I agree with gmartin on, and I started a thread as such a few weeks ago, is that we see VERY little value as season ticket holders. To me, I buy the tickets as a donation to the Athletic Department. I like my seats, but I could sit within a few seats/rows of them every game just by buying cheaper GA tickets. The Doyt Dollars last year were a GREAT idea, but then this year they were gone. They really need to do SOMETHING to make people want to become season ticket holders. Hell, just look 25 miles north...UT was selling season tickets for cheaper than BG that included food vouchers, souvenir vouchers, parking vouchers, etc. That's the sort of stuff that helps build fan loyalty and improving the gameday experience. Sure those were for lousy seats, but I bet that promotion was a resounding success for them (and I believe they carried it forward to hoops as well).

The quality of the team will always be the most important thing, but I don't think it's asking that much for improvements in the areas being discussed in this thread. And like I posted earlier, I guarantee that the people who have the power to change these things are WELL aware of this very thread...let's hope it's not falling on deaf ears.

[MarkL]

The main problem I have with the music, referee microphone, and BG-SU chick is that it is embarrassing for an institute of higher learning. Have we no one at this university who can stage an event? I've seen better production at a grade school play.

I'm pretty sure there's some people out there who are die-hard BG fans who would have been around games for years that would love a job like this. Especially somebody who is interested in getting into the business of athletics. (BGFalconFromCincy - I hope you are reading this right now ... I know you've before mentioned you would like to work in the athletic department if possible ...)

[Warthog]

The other thing I agree with gmartin on, and I started a thread as such a few weeks ago, is that we see VERY little value as season ticket holders. To me, I buy the tickets as a donation to the Athletic Department. I like my seats, but I could sit within a few seats/rows of them every game just by buying cheaper GA tickets.

I was going to mention this as well. I can get my free/cheap ticket every week and still sit where ever the heck I like. In fact, many times I have sat right next to hammb. His ticket cost, what, $15, while I might have gotten mine for $5 or something like that. Unless the ushers start making you sit in the actual seat that is on your ticket (which would really piss people off too), there isn't a real value in the season ticket to me.

[BGFan]

The other thing I agree with gmartin on, and I started a thread as such a few weeks ago, is that we see VERY little value as season ticket holders. To me, I buy the tickets as a donation to the Athletic Department. I like my seats, but I could sit within a few seats/rows of them every game just by buying cheaper GA tickets.

I was going to mention this as well. I can get my free/cheap ticket every week and still sit where ever the heck I like. In fact, many times I have sat right next to hammb. His ticket cost, what, $15, while I might have gotten mine for $5 or something like that. Unless the ushers start making you sit in the actual seat that is on your ticket (which would really piss people off too), there isn't a real value in the season ticket to me.

We have ushers? Who knew?!

[musicman2343]

P.S.: Can't we put some microphones in front of the band and amplify them over the speaker system so they can be heard better between plays? Or does the NCAA prohibit this? I know they have microphones in front of the bands at Ford Field for the Bowl game.

I would be willing to guess that those microphones were for the TV coverage. To my knowledge, it's not prohibited to amplify the band, but let's face it, with our sound system.....

[gmartin]

Come on people. We can never find an usher because they are under the stands drinking up all the hot chocolate.

[BGFalconfromCincy]

Come on people. We can never find an usher because they are under the stands drinking up all the hot chocolate.

mystery solved!!!!!!!!!!!

[Redwingtom]

P.S.: Can't we put some microphones in front of the band and amplify them over the speaker system so they can be heard better between plays? Or does the NCAA prohibit this? I know they have microphones in front of the bands at Ford Field for the Bowl game.

I would be willing to guess that those microphones were for the TV coverage. To my knowledge, it's not prohibited to amplify the band, but let's face it, with our sound system.....

Oh believe me, that thought crossed my mind while typing. But again, they stage productions in the music building all the time so I know we have someone at the university that can handle this.

And for Ford Field, I can guarantee you that they are for the stadium PA system as well as a buddy of mine after a couple drinks went down to the mic and managed to tilt it down and speak into it and we could hear him in the stadium. Yeah, it was pretty funny

[Tech83]

This thread has........

[h2oville rocket]

..UT was selling season tickets for cheaper than BG that included food vouchers, souvenir vouchers, parking vouchers, etc. That's the sort of stuff that helps build fan loyalty and improving the gameday experience. Sure those were for lousy seats, but I bet that promotion was a resounding success for them (and I believe they carried it forward to hoops as well).

The Fan Plan has been a huge success- our horrendous upper deck seats, some with blocked views, were nearly full even when the lower portion was near empty. People didn't even walk down and get the better seats. Two families would purchase these tickets and divide them up for the season, people were giving them as gifts and a whole lot of new Rocket fans were born. Two sisters at our church are buying them for basketball and one is a huge UM fan. This plan has probably been the best marketing tool UT has used in ages and in spite of two horrible home losses to start the season we outdrew last year's numbers by about 3,000 per game.

I can get tickets dirt cheap as a former letter winner but choose to upgrade by a few rows and purchase full price tix for daughter and self in hoops. I figure the money is going to the right place and I get a few extra bennies like pre-game meals in the Grogan Room for basketball, invites to various functions I don't often attend, etc. But I have certainly given some thought to saving substantial bucks and taking the Varsity T or Fan Plan option- I understand where GM is coming from.

[Tech83]

Who would want to go watch a UT game?

[h2oville rocket]

Who would want to go watch a UT game?

Good point. I can certainly understand that BG fans wouldn't want to, especially the UT-BG game.