Just saw the post on Facebook that student tickets are still available...for Homecoming. That's pathetic.

(Yes, I realize I'm not there, but no excuse for student tickets to ever be available on Homecoming gameday.)

They wouldn't show up even if they claimed them. People always thought it was cool to get so wasted that you didn't even considering going to the game.

(11-02-2013 10:06 AM)JMUSuperfan2000 Wrote:  Just saw the post on Facebook that student tickets are still available...for Homecoming. That's pathetic.

(Yes, I realize I'm not there, but no excuse for student tickets to ever be available on Homecoming gameday.)

Really get sick of watching what few students we get now stream out of the stadium at halftime like they have something more important to do on a beautiful fall afternoon . .what happened to our growing SDC ?
is there any effort on campus to improve attendance ??

If students are not going to claim the allotment given to them for tickets or are going to continue to leave early, start to cut the amount we give to students and start selling those tickets. Today's student turnout was deplorable. Homecoming, beautiful day, not an early kick-off and a game against an opponent they probably have heard of. Students get into games "free" by the student fees they pay. If they choose not to attend games, lets double down on the benefit we get by taking in extra ticket sales by selling the unclaimed student ticket allotment.

(11-02-2013 11:26 PM)dlive54 Wrote:  If students are not going to claim the allotment given to them for tickets or are going to continue to leave early, start to cut the amount we give to students and start selling those tickets. Today's student turnout was deplorable. Homecoming, beautiful day, not an early kick-off and a game against an opponent they probably have heard of. Students get into games "free" by the student fees they pay. If they choose not to attend games, lets double down on the benefit we get by taking in extra ticket sales by selling the unclaimed student ticket allotment.

I'm all in favor of taking tickets away from students and selling them to buying customers on waiting lists. The problem with that idea is, we first have to sell the OTHER tickets in the non-student sections before you start to take student tickets away.
I believe we did lower student allotments in the 2011 season and sold some as single game tickets.
Even bcs schools have had to take tickets away from students and resell to other customers. It's all about demand.

Exactly, picking on students for not showing up to Homecoming is unfair when the entire upper deck was sparse yesterday. I wonder if $38 for Homecoming is too much to pay in the eyes of Alumni who perceive our football product as "small time."

Attendance has sucked all year. I can't say it enough. People just aren't interested in FCS football. You don't need an independent study or a pissing match from the faculty senate. There's nobody there. Simple as that. And, we know people want to be there. JMU football gets attention like a hot chick who gained weight.

Don't we give students something like 7,000 - 8,000 tickets (this is only based on what I have read on the boards so if I am wrong, someone correct me)??? Do you know how many FBS schools (and some BCS schools) that don't have that many students at games??? We are likely always going to have student tickets available if that is the case. However, its not like those student tickets are holding back people that want to purchase tickets. Making those seats available would likely mea unsold seats.

Personally, I don't understand how a student who has free tickets wouldnt want to spend a few hours on a saturday in a beautiful stadium cheering on the school they go to. But when I look around the country, I feel like it is silly for us to expect 7,000+ students to show up to our football games.

(11-03-2013 10:26 AM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  Personally, I don't understand how a student who has free tickets wouldnt want to spend a few hours on a saturday in a beautiful stadium cheering on the school they go to. But when I look around the country, I feel like it is silly for us to expect 7,000+ students to show up to our football games.

Then you weren't at JMU prior to 2004. It's not about FCS. It's about being non-competitive in the FCS National Championship hunt for 5 years running.

(11-03-2013 10:26 AM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  Don't we give students something like 7,000 - 8,000 tickets (this is only based on what I have read on the boards so if I am wrong, someone correct me)??? Do you know how many FBS schools (and some BCS schools) that don't have that many students at games??? We are likely always going to have student tickets available if that is the case. However, its not like those student tickets are holding back people that want to purchase tickets. Making those seats available would likely mea unsold seats.

Personally, I don't understand how a student who has free tickets wouldnt want to spend a few hours on a saturday in a beautiful stadium cheering on the school they go to. But when I look around the country, I feel like it is silly for us to expect 7,000+ students to show up to our football games.

I don't know the exact number but I think you're in the ballpark. When the stadium was first expanded it was actually difficult for students to get tickets. For what students (or their parents) pay in fees, I can't advocate cutting back on their allotment. I said it in another thread but I have three ideas. Two are obvious. Win and move to FBS. The other one is just let students show up with their JAC cards like it used to be. Fact is, students are lazy. I'm not sure of the process but don't they have to go online and get tickets now? You remember how college was. I couldn't plan out my ramen noodle supply. It's not like this is Clemson.

(11-03-2013 10:35 AM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 10:26 AM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  Don't we give students something like 7,000 - 8,000 tickets (this is only based on what I have read on the boards so if I am wrong, someone correct me)??? Do you know how many FBS schools (and some BCS schools) that don't have that many students at games??? We are likely always going to have student tickets available if that is the case. However, its not like those student tickets are holding back people that want to purchase tickets. Making those seats available would likely mea unsold seats.

Personally, I don't understand how a student who has free tickets wouldnt want to spend a few hours on a saturday in a beautiful stadium cheering on the school they go to. But when I look around the country, I feel like it is silly for us to expect 7,000+ students to show up to our football games.

I don't know the exact number but I think you're in the ballpark. When the stadium was first expanded it was actually difficult for students to get tickets. For what students (or their parents) pay in fees, I can't advocate cutting back on their allotment. I said it in another thread but I have three ideas. Two are obvious. Win and move to FBS. The other one is just let students show up with their JAC cards like it used to be. Fact is, students are lazy. I'm not sure of the process but don't they have to go online and get tickets now? You remember how college was. I couldn't plan out my ramen noodle supply. It's not like this is Clemson.

Let's say that we cut student tickets from 7,000 to 3,000 (thus creating demand, making students pay attention, etc). What happens to those other 4,000 seats? We have seats for sale now as it is so they would basically go unsold.

I just don't see a solution.

(11-03-2013 10:46 AM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 10:35 AM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 10:26 AM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  Don't we give students something like 7,000 - 8,000 tickets (this is only based on what I have read on the boards so if I am wrong, someone correct me)??? Do you know how many FBS schools (and some BCS schools) that don't have that many students at games??? We are likely always going to have student tickets available if that is the case. However, its not like those student tickets are holding back people that want to purchase tickets. Making those seats available would likely mea unsold seats.

Personally, I don't understand how a student who has free tickets wouldnt want to spend a few hours on a saturday in a beautiful stadium cheering on the school they go to. But when I look around the country, I feel like it is silly for us to expect 7,000+ students to show up to our football games.

I don't know the exact number but I think you're in the ballpark. When the stadium was first expanded it was actually difficult for students to get tickets. For what students (or their parents) pay in fees, I can't advocate cutting back on their allotment. I said it in another thread but I have three ideas. Two are obvious. Win and move to FBS. The other one is just let students show up with their JAC cards like it used to be. Fact is, students are lazy. I'm not sure of the process but don't they have to go online and get tickets now? You remember how college was. I couldn't plan out my ramen noodle supply. It's not like this is Clemson.

Let's say that we cut student tickets from 7,000 to 3,000 (thus creating demand, making students pay attention, etc). What happens to those other 4,000 seats? We have seats for sale now as it is so they would basically go unsold.

I just don't see a solution.

The solution is obvious.

Students not showing up on a beautiful day vs Villanova will also not show up on a beautiful day vs Texas-San Antonio.
I blame our increasing obsession with technology and laziness as to why people aren't showing. Tv and iPads are more convenient then spending a day with friends.

(11-03-2013 01:55 PM)Potomac Wrote:  Students not showing up on a beautiful day vs Villanova will also not show up on a beautiful day vs Texas-San Antonio.
I blame our increasingly obsession with technology and laziness as to why people aren't showing. Tv and iPads are more convenient then spending a day with friends.

So they won't show up for the CAA? Won't show up for CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt, etc?

Sooooo...are you saying we discontinue the program? Or no matter what we do, no one is coming?

Guessing you're a glass is half empty kind of person.

I never found spending a day with friends to be a convenience. Fact is, as long as we remain in the small time, they won't care. Even the good OOC opponents we've had are gone. The App. State game a few years ago was electric and nobody left down 21-0. Noboby wants or cares for FCS.

It might be because I have a brother that went to ECU and that I am familiar with CUSA but CUSA opponents are much more appealing to the general public than our current CAA opponents. Potomac used Texas-San Antonio as a no-name...well, of course, that school JUST started playing football. Of course no one knows them. But names like UTEP, Southern Miss, UAB, Marshall, etc have recognition.

Agreed that unless we are playing big name BCS opponents, the students won't care about the opponent unless it's a rival. But most students write us off just because we are FCS. FBS football holds a greater perception and greater national recognition than any FCS school.

Case and point - Potomac mentioned Texas-San Antonio but I would doubt Texas-San Antonio is mentioning JMU on their message boards (although I admit I couldnt find their message boards so if someone can prove otherwise, please feel free).

(11-03-2013 02:17 PM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 01:55 PM)Potomac Wrote:  Students not showing up on a beautiful day vs Villanova will also not show up on a beautiful day vs Texas-San Antonio.
I blame our increasingly obsession with technology and laziness as to why people aren't showing. Tv and iPads are more convenient then spending a day with friends.

So they won't show up for the CAA? Won't show up for CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt, etc?

Sooooo...are you saying we discontinue the program? Or no matter what we do, no one is coming?

Guessing you're a glass is half empty kind of person.

We'll grab the attention of a few of them, but when bama students don't show up for their game against ga state, it shows that winning and perception of opponent means more to casual fans than anything else.

(11-03-2013 04:28 PM)Potomac Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 02:17 PM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 01:55 PM)Potomac Wrote:  Students not showing up on a beautiful day vs Villanova will also not show up on a beautiful day vs Texas-San Antonio.
I blame our increasingly obsession with technology and laziness as to why people aren't showing. Tv and iPads are more convenient then spending a day with friends.

So they won't show up for the CAA? Won't show up for CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt, etc?

Sooooo...are you saying we discontinue the program? Or no matter what we do, no one is coming?

Guessing you're a glass is half empty kind of person.

We'll grab the attention of a few of them, but when bama students don't show up for their game against ga state, it shows that winning and perception of opponent means more to casual fans than anything else.

North Dakota State
Eastern Illinois
Eastern Washington
McNeese State
Montana St
Coastal Carolina
Towson
Sam Houston
Fordham
Maine

...that's the top 10 in FCS right now. Now tell me which one of those winning programs would increase student attendance.

Perception (as you stated...I think...kinda confused on your last post) is everything. Our students view us as a step below no-name FBS schools. So while your average student doesn't care about [insert CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt team here], they would at least recognize that JMU is not a step down from Division 1 football.

(11-03-2013 04:34 PM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 04:28 PM)Potomac Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 02:17 PM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  

(11-03-2013 01:55 PM)Potomac Wrote:  Students not showing up on a beautiful day vs Villanova will also not show up on a beautiful day vs Texas-San Antonio.
I blame our increasingly obsession with technology and laziness as to why people aren't showing. Tv and iPads are more convenient then spending a day with friends.

So they won't show up for the CAA? Won't show up for CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt, etc?

Sooooo...are you saying we discontinue the program? Or no matter what we do, no one is coming?

Guessing you're a glass is half empty kind of person.

We'll grab the attention of a few of them, but when bama students don't show up for their game against ga state, it shows that winning and perception of opponent means more to casual fans than anything else.

North Dakota State
Eastern Illinois
Eastern Washington
McNeese State
Montana St
Coastal Carolina
Towson
Sam Houston
Fordham
Maine

...that's the top 10 in FCS right now. Now tell me which one of those winning programs would increase student attendance.

Perception (as you stated...I think...kinda confused on your last post) is everything. Our students view us as a step below no-name FBS schools. So while your average student doesn't care about [insert CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt team here], they would at least recognize that JMU is not a step down from Division 1 football.

Excellent point by showing the top 10 and asking which of these would the students care about. I'd say some MAY care a little about ndsu, but 2-10 won't move the needle one bit.
The problem is you have students listening to their tech and UVA friends, maybe even odu. They're taking their "no one cares about your division 2 school" comments seriously.
Purple hazed said he had a student said it was hard for her to care because her brother from tech is always laughing at her for rooting for that D2 team. It sounds stupid I know.

(11-03-2013 05:35 PM)Potomac Wrote:  Excellent point by showing the top 10 and asking which of these would the students care about. I'd say some MAY care a little about ndsu, but 2-10 won't move the needle one bit.
The problem is you have students listening to their tech and UVA friends, maybe even odu. They're taking their "no one cares about your division 2 school" comments seriously.
Purple hazed said he had a student said it was hard for her to care because her brother from tech is always laughing at her for rooting for that D2 team. It sounds stupid I know.

The girl should laugh at her brother because his team couldn't beat a 6-5 "D2" team