(11-23-2014 10:39 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 09:53 AM)Tribal Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 07:09 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 03:24 AM)hktribefan Wrote:  It did happen at JMU. On their homecoming. Stadium looked empty on TV.

No it didn't. Show me the 8k attendance figure.

I think he meant Bridegeforth wasn't "full" as it wasn't yesterday, either. Nonetheless, we should be more concerned about the product on the field at this point.

I got it, but he made specific comments about a game at JMU that had 20k+ in attendance. hktribefan should let me know when W&M fills a 25k+ stadium for any sport

Ooh, ooh, I'll play.

Navy/Norfolk 1981: 26,000
Tech/Norfolk 1975: 28,000

Both were noted as W&M home games.

Also: 54,000 vs. UVA in 2009. Technically a UVA home game - sure felt like a W&M home game as the clock ticked down!

Now, if we could mushroom to 20,000 students...

(11-23-2014 12:17 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 10:39 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  I got it, but he made specific comments about a game at JMU that had 20k+ in attendance. hktribefan should let me know when W&M fills a 25k+ stadium for any sport

Ooh, ooh, I'll play.

Navy/Norfolk 1981: 26,000
Tech/Norfolk 1975: 28,000

Both were noted as W&M home games.

Also: 54,000 vs. UVA in 2009. Technically a UVA home game - sure felt like a W&M home game as the clock ticked down!

Now, if we could mushroom to 20,000 students...

You're smarter than this. And since I know there's no chance for a thoughtful or sincere response, I'll just say have fun living in the past.

I thought we had a decent crowd to start the game, given a late start, with colder conditions than many local fans experience. It did not fill back in well after the half.

(11-23-2014 12:35 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 12:17 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 10:39 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  I got it, but he made specific comments about a game at JMU that had 20k+ in attendance. hktribefan should let me know when W&M fills a 25k+ stadium for any sport

Ooh, ooh, I'll play.

Navy/Norfolk 1981: 26,000
Tech/Norfolk 1975: 28,000

Both were noted as W&M home games.

Also: 54,000 vs. UVA in 2009. Technically a UVA home game - sure felt like a W&M home game as the clock ticked down!

Now, if we could mushroom to 20,000 students...

You're smarter than this. And since I know there's no chance for a thoughtful or sincere response, I'll just say have fun living in the past.

It was said in fun partially - BUT - you made the claim without really knowing any history (which is anything from yesterday past). Just because it happened before you were paying attention doesn't make it false.

Bottom line, sincerely, the fact is JMU has excellent support, great support in my view , no one should argue that. JMU also has 20,000 students so playing the "we're bigger" card in a snide kind of way here - well you should be smarter than that as well.

Hyper Duke -- JMU is bigger. So yes, your real numbers are always larger in almost everything. But I stayed to the end of the W&M v. JMU game this year. The place, on a cold, uncomfortable night, had a good crowd to begin with and emptied out at half time. I was in an upper deck section that probably seated a thousand -- there were less than 20 people at the end. Last night Zable, on a cold, uncomfortable night, at a good crowd to begin with an emptied out at half time. I was among few in my section at games end. Cold weather drives away fans regardless of what team you are talking about. That was the only point. Not that W&M ever has better crowds in real numbers.

If you do attendance/enrollment, I feel like JMU and WM would be about equal. JMU certainly draws better, and has better support, but is also much larger.

At this very moment, there are 22 individuals browsing the W&M CSNBBS Board; they are the "core" W&M fan base with some visitors.

At the same time, there are approximately 110 individuals browsing the JMU CSNBBS Board. Mostly, these people are the JMU fan base.

This level of interest in athletics from both schools seems to be the same, day in, day out. So, it is probably fair to say that JM has five to six times as many folks interested in its sports teams as does W&M.

I suspect this is partly the result of a substantially larger undergraduate enrollment at JMU than at W&M. And partly the result of a more intense interest in, and support of, athletics at JMU.

Perhaps a way to measure at least at some level the support at JMU is what appears to be an outbid of Liberty for the playoff game. Liberty has lined their coffers through their on-line programs, and JMU, a state school, leveraged funds to the max to build their larger stadium. Yet, even with a heavy debt load, it appears they outbid the wealthy private school?

(11-23-2014 01:46 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  It was said in fun partially - BUT - you made the claim without really knowing any history (which is anything from yesterday past). Just because it happened before you were paying attention doesn't make it false.

Bottom line, sincerely, the fact is JMU has excellent support, great support in my view , no one should argue that. JMU also has 20,000 students so playing the "we're bigger" card in a snide kind of way here - well you should be smarter than that as well.

To be honest, those two games in Norfolk (away games against large fanbase teams) occurred before I was born. Not that they were Tribe home games...

Wasn't playing anything in a snide way at all. YOU posted that attendance at JMU was poor for the 11/1 game at JMU. I only began the comparison after you made that false statement. When attendance numbers 25k, you can't claim there was poor attendance. People not in seats & poor attendance are different things. The real attendance figure of 8665 pales in comparison to the 25k you mocked.

Turns out I don't need to be "smarter than that"; I'm just right.

(11-23-2014 01:59 PM)wrnbldg Wrote:  Hyper Duke -- JMU is bigger. So yes, your real numbers are always larger in almost everything. But I stayed to the end of the W&M v. JMU game this year. The place, on a cold, uncomfortable night, had a good crowd to begin with and emptied out at half time. I was in an upper deck section that probably seated a thousand -- there were less than 20 people at the end. Last night Zable, on a cold, uncomfortable night, at a good crowd to begin with an emptied out at half time. I was among few in my section at games end. Cold weather drives away fans regardless of what team you are talking about. That was the only point. Not that W&M ever has better crowds in real numbers.

Not trying to get into a d!ck-measuring contest. Just took exception to hktribe's false claim about 11/1 attendance at JMU & now sitting bull's liberal attempt at claiming games in Norfolk 30 years ago as "home games".

(11-23-2014 03:15 PM)TribeNomad Wrote:  Perhaps a way to measure at least at some level the support at JMU is what appears to be an outbid of Liberty for the playoff game. Liberty has lined their coffers through their on-line programs, and JMU, a state school, leveraged funds to the max to build their larger stadium. Yet, even with a heavy debt load, it appears they outbid the wealthy private school?

This is undoubtedly because they know they would be crucified by our fanbase after botching the bid process in 2004 & again in 2011. They knew it was very possible we'd pair up with Liberty & would have to bid an exorbitant amount in order to keep their jobs (or at minimum not spend the entire Thanksgiving holiday calling donors apologizing).

(11-23-2014 03:26 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  This is undoubtedly because they know they would be crucified by our fanbase after botching the bid process in 2004 & again in 2011. They knew it was very possible we'd pair up with Liberty & would have to bid an exorbitant amount in order to keep their jobs (or at minimum not spend the entire Thanksgiving holiday calling donors apologizing).

I'd be careful using the word crucified around Liberty fans

Ha, thanks noise. "We really crucified their quarterback there!" Yeah, not sure that'd go over too well with the Fightin' Falwells.

(11-23-2014 03:21 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 01:46 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  It was said in fun partially - BUT - you made the claim without really knowing any history (which is anything from yesterday past). Just because it happened before you were paying attention doesn't make it false.

Bottom line, sincerely, the fact is JMU has excellent support, great support in my view , no one should argue that. JMU also has 20,000 students so playing the "we're bigger" card in a snide kind of way here - well you should be smarter than that as well.

To be honest, those two games in Norfolk (away games against large fanbase teams) occurred before I was born. Not that they were Tribe home games...

Wasn't playing anything in a snide way at all. YOU posted that attendance at JMU was poor for the 11/1 game at JMU. I only began the comparison after you made that false statement. When attendance numbers 25k, you can't claim there was poor attendance. People not in seats & poor attendance are different things. The real attendance figure of 8665 pales in comparison to the 25k you mocked.

Turns out I don't need to be "smarter than that"; I'm just right.

I think you know I enjoy your visits, I like your posts and know you like us, you are often here and always welcome here in my view.

But no, you are not right. I have no opinion on the 11/1 game at JMU as I wasn't there , didn't see it, and have never commented on that. That was your buddy HK here. I was only trying to give you a little history lesson because your comment back to HK was just flat out false (and I thought a bit snotty to be honest).

My comment was JMU has great support but with 20,000 students, to try and make some sort of statement here in this subject thread seemed a bit lame.

(11-23-2014 08:39 PM)Sitting bull Wrote:  I think you know I enjoy your visits, I like your posts and know you like us, you are often here and always welcome here in my view.

But no, you are not right. I have no opinion on the 11/1 game at JMU as I wasn't there , didn't see it, and have never commented on that. That was your buddy HK here. I was only trying to give you a little history lesson because your comment back to HK was just flat out false (and I thought a bit snotty to be honest).

My comment was JMU has great support but with 20,000 students, to try and make some sort of statement here in this subject thread seemed a bit lame.

Snotty is a funny adjective. I'm gonna start using that more. Alright, that's enough out of me on this. You guys wanna come hang out in the teepee this Saturday?

Would be funnier if you built a little chapel.

(11-23-2014 03:24 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 01:59 PM)wrnbldg Wrote:  Hyper Duke -- JMU is bigger. So yes, your real numbers are always larger in almost everything. But I stayed to the end of the W&M v. JMU game this year. The place, on a cold, uncomfortable night, had a good crowd to begin with and emptied out at half time. I was in an upper deck section that probably seated a thousand -- there were less than 20 people at the end. Last night Zable, on a cold, uncomfortable night, at a good crowd to begin with an emptied out at half time. I was among few in my section at games end. Cold weather drives away fans regardless of what team you are talking about. That was the only point. Not that W&M ever has better crowds in real numbers.

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Not trying to get into a d!ck-measuring contest. Just took exception to hktribe's false claim about 11/1 attendance at JMU & now sitting bull's liberal attempt at claiming games in Norfolk 30 years ago as "home games".

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These games were considered to be "Home Games" for W&M by both schools but were played in Norfolk because the Norfolk stadium would accomodate more fans. We also played "Home" basketball games in Norfolk against some big time opponents because the BB court on campus [Blow Gym] seated only about 1,000 and the bigger schools refused to play in W&M's crackerbox gym.

Yale-Harvard had a swell turnout. But, they no longer have to study once they're admitted.

(11-24-2014 07:30 AM)Tribal Wrote:  Yale-Harvard had a swell turnout. But, they no longer have to study once they're admitted.

They should close Swem during home football games! Probably more students there than the bleachers last Saturday night.

Now that the season is in the books, I looked at the attendance for the home games this year. The average attendance at each game was 8,991, the high being against Villanova with 10,764 (the only game to break 10,000), and the low being against Delaware with 7,614. With this year's capacity of 11,686, that's 76.94% on the year. To give some perspective, average attendance rose every year from 2004 (8044.4, 65.62%) to 2010 (11289.6, 92.09%), with the exception of a drop between 2007-2008. This year's number was the lowest average since 2004 or 2005 (depending on if you use total attendance or percent of capacity). After the playoff run in 2004, buzz around the program grew, and the new facilities (lights, field, Laycock center) helped grow the product on the field. Beating UVa and making another playoff run in 2009 fueled great attendance in 2010. 2010 had three of five contests sell out, and only one game under 10,000 (a game against Rhode Island that I believe was over fall break). 2011 had a dip down to an average of 10977.6, or 89.55%; even though it's a decrease from the previous year, that's a good number, and again three of five games sold out. A 5-6 season followed by a 2-9 season seems to have hurt attendance. Mediocre seasons resulting in close misses of the playoffs two years in a row does not help either.

Looking to next year, I think there are a few things that will potentially increase attendance. Since we don't play UVa until the third week of the season (most likely), the chance for an early home game before students get too much work is probably. Freshmen usually pack the first game, but this year since it was not until week 3, there were a lot of other things going on (I recall sorority rush for one). A week one home game would be great and a good win helps keep those newbies coming back. Then there's our FBS game against UVa. That is a program that keeps thinking about getting better, but never seems to do it. Those games are always tough, but UVa presents the best opportunity for a good performance. Good performances in those games seem to energize people (obviously a win is better, but competing creates positive buzz), so that's a great opportunity there. Many people have said if the product on the field is better, attendance is better. I completely agree, and I hope the product improves. Offense brings back some weapons, and if we can get a receiver or two to stand out along with Dedmon, we could have a very dynamic offense. Defense has work to do and although some major contributors are graduating, we do bring back some big play makers. The Zable renovation will also generate buzz with the program. It will help in recruiting as well as the game day experience. Both of those translate into higher attendance. I don't think it's public, but I'd be interested in knowing what season ticket sales has done. Keeping season ticket sales growing is important, and getting younger alums in those seats is essential for the long term success of the program. Hopefully we can regroup this off-season, generate some excitement in spring practice, and regain some stronger support next fall. Go Tribe!