(07-02-2015 12:17 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:44 AM)Doggone Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:34 AM)JB04 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 10:27 AM)RedandBlackAttack Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 10:10 AM)Who You Crappin? Wrote:  The students aren't the problem. Why do people continue to push this? Time to stop trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist and focus on getting the general public to come to the games.

They are definitely not but some people on this board seem to think so!

100% agree. I have to say I have never seen a D1 stadium that dedicates one entire half of the stadium to students. It sometimes seems low because all 8,000-10,000 seats on the "student side" is not full...but that is a big area to fill.

NIU does not dedicate one half of the stadium to students. The east side also has General Admission Seating for anyone. It has always been a combination of students and General Admission fans.

Yup around 6k of the East side capacity is reserved for the Students.

In 2013 someone in athletics said there have never been more than 5k students to show up at a game and yes that includes 2003 and 2004.

I still find this dubious. It's hard to believe NIU could get +28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up.

(07-02-2015 01:45 PM)BarsemaBone2 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 12:17 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:44 AM)Doggone Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:34 AM)JB04 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 10:27 AM)RedandBlackAttack Wrote:  They are definitely not but some people on this board seem to think so!

100% agree. I have to say I have never seen a D1 stadium that dedicates one entire half of the stadium to students. It sometimes seems low because all 8,000-10,000 seats on the "student side" is not full...but that is a big area to fill.

NIU does not dedicate one half of the stadium to students. The east side also has General Admission Seating for anyone. It has always been a combination of students and General Admission fans.

Yup around 6k of the East side capacity is reserved for the Students.

In 2013 someone in athletics said there have never been more than 5k students to show up at a game and yes that includes 2003 and 2004.

I still find this dubious. It's hard to believe NIU could get +28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up.

To those of you who say we're unfairly dumping on the students, lighten up. There was an article published on HuskieWire on how to boost student attendance and this thread was posted on how to boost student attendance so since the subject came up it seems fair to comment on, you know, how to boost student attendance, no? My comment was that we seemingly have expertise on campus that could help with the analysis if anyone is inclined to look at that issue so why not tap into it. Of course the students aren't the only piece of the attendance puzzle but that was the subject of the article.

(07-02-2015 06:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  ... an article published on HuskieWire .... on how to boost student attendance .... seems fair to comment on...

NIU1981, are you crazy? No you can't comment on an article about "boosting" attendance unless you know how to not make WhoYouCrappin'? believe you weren't labeling students as a problem, even though NIU007 says they could be part of the problem due to "how many typically show up?" And of course HuskieJohn has to bring facts into the discussion, noting that 2010 had a student average of 4106 which mathematically challenges the thinking of Morris White -- a relative newbie who obviously has no knowledge of the past and could tweet a challenge that had no historical basis -- the reality of which was further clairified by BarsemaBone2, who also noted the mathematic improbability of having "+28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up." So best advice, don't comment on an article that had a seemingly positive notion of boosting attendance because it's going to: a) offend someone, b) call into question which past administrations lied about attendance and to what extent, or c) lead people to take sides on guacamole with or without peas.

(07-02-2015 11:02 AM)NIU75 Wrote:  Bottom line it is the week day games. It is tough getting home with the kids at midnight if we go at all.

Correct! But the MAC and its member teams made their bed with ESPN and now have to sleep in it. They can't complain about attendance in November when they have created the cause.

(07-02-2015 07:14 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:02 AM)NIU75 Wrote:  Bottom line it is the week day games. It is tough getting home with the kids at midnight if we go at all.

Correct! But the MAC and its member teams made their bed with ESPN and now have to sleep in it. They can't complain about attendance in November when they have created the cause.

Yes, I would love to show up more to watch games, but weekdays are impossible. I would love to go to a NIUvsToledo game, i haven't been to a weekday game since I was a student. I usually try to make a weekend for my trips to DeKalb, go with a group of alumni, socialize with my active fraternity brothers who usually throw some kind of event during home game weekends.

Back to back home games are awful as well!

(07-02-2015 06:30 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  ... an article published on HuskieWire .... on how to boost student attendance .... seems fair to comment on...

NIU1981, are you crazy? No you can't comment on an article about "boosting" attendance unless you know how to not make WhoYouCrappin'? believe you weren't labeling students as a problem, even though NIU007 says they could be part of the problem due to "how many typically show up?" And of course HuskieJohn has to bring facts into the discussion, noting that 2010 had a student average of 4106 which mathematically challenges the thinking of Morris White -- a relative newbie who obviously has no knowledge of the past and could tweet a challenge that had no historical basis -- the reality of which was further clairified by BarsemaBone2, who also noted the mathematic improbability of having "+28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up." So best advice, don't comment on an article that had a seemingly positive notion of boosting attendance because it's going to: a) offend someone, b) call into question which past administrations lied about attendance and to what extent, or c) lead people to take sides on guacamole with or without peas.

Hey man, guacamole with peas is ****** up.

(07-02-2015 08:28 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:30 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  ... an article published on HuskieWire .... on how to boost student attendance .... seems fair to comment on...

NIU1981, are you crazy? No you can't comment on an article about "boosting" attendance unless you know how to not make WhoYouCrappin'? believe you weren't labeling students as a problem, even though NIU007 says they could be part of the problem due to "how many typically show up?" And of course HuskieJohn has to bring facts into the discussion, noting that 2010 had a student average of 4106 which mathematically challenges the thinking of Morris White -- a relative newbie who obviously has no knowledge of the past and could tweet a challenge that had no historical basis -- the reality of which was further clairified by BarsemaBone2, who also noted the mathematic improbability of having "+28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up." So best advice, don't comment on an article that had a seemingly positive notion of boosting attendance because it's going to: a) offend someone, b) call into question which past administrations lied about attendance and to what extent, or c) lead people to take sides on guacamole with or without peas.

Hey man, guacamole with peas is ****** up.

+1 who in the hell makes guacamole with peas

(07-02-2015 07:43 PM)HuskieAlumnus03 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 07:14 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:02 AM)NIU75 Wrote:  Bottom line it is the week day games. It is tough getting home with the kids at midnight if we go at all.

Correct! But the MAC and its member teams made their bed with ESPN and now have to sleep in it. They can't complain about attendance in November when they have created the cause.

Yes, I would love to show up more to watch games, but weekdays are impossible. I would love to go to a NIUvsToledo game, i haven't been to a weekday game since I was a student. I usually try to make a weekend for my trips to DeKalb, go with a group of alumni, socialize with my active fraternity brothers who usually throw some kind of event during home game weekends.

Back to back home games are awful as well!

Why are back to back Sat games so bad?

I don't think back to back home games are awful, but when you only have three Saturday home games like last year and they're all in consecutive weeks, that blows.

Last year's home schedule was literally as bad of a schedule as you could dream up.

(07-03-2015 07:35 AM)7 Wrote:  I don't think back to back home games are awful, but when you only have three Saturday home games like last year and they're all in consecutive weeks, that blows.

Last year's home schedule was literally as bad of a schedule as you could dream up.

With crap weather added.

(07-03-2015 07:40 AM)BarsemaBone2 Wrote:  

(07-03-2015 07:35 AM)7 Wrote:  I don't think back to back home games are awful, but when you only have three Saturday home games like last year and they're all in consecutive weeks, that blows.

Last year's home schedule was literally as bad of a schedule as you could dream up.

With crap weather added.

And no hot dogs.

(07-02-2015 06:30 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  ... an article published on HuskieWire .... on how to boost student attendance .... seems fair to comment on...

NIU1981, are you crazy? No you can't comment on an article about "boosting" attendance unless you know how to not make WhoYouCrappin'? believe you weren't labeling students as a problem, even though NIU007 says they could be part of the problem due to "how many typically show up?" And of course HuskieJohn has to bring facts into the discussion, noting that 2010 had a student average of 4106 which mathematically challenges the thinking of Morris White -- a relative newbie who obviously has no knowledge of the past and could tweet a challenge that had no historical basis -- the reality of which was further clairified by BarsemaBone2, who also noted the mathematic improbability of having "+28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up." So best advice, don't comment on an article that had a seemingly positive notion of boosting attendance because it's going to: a) offend someone, b) call into question which past administrations lied about attendance and to what extent, or c) lead people to take sides on guacamole with or without peas.

Check with Korcek, I hear he has all the answers.

(07-03-2015 09:25 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:30 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  ... an article published on HuskieWire .... on how to boost student attendance .... seems fair to comment on...

NIU1981, are you crazy? No you can't comment on an article about "boosting" attendance unless you know how to not make WhoYouCrappin'? believe you weren't labeling students as a problem, even though NIU007 says they could be part of the problem due to "how many typically show up?" And of course HuskieJohn has to bring facts into the discussion, noting that 2010 had a student average of 4106 which mathematically challenges the thinking of Morris White -- a relative newbie who obviously has no knowledge of the past and could tweet a challenge that had no historical basis -- the reality of which was further clairified by BarsemaBone2, who also noted the mathematic improbability of having "+28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up." So best advice, don't comment on an article that had a seemingly positive notion of boosting attendance because it's going to: a) offend someone, b) call into question which past administrations lied about attendance and to what extent, or c) lead people to take sides on guacamole with or without peas.

Check with Korcek, I hear he has all the answers.

You don't appreciate history if you think otherwise.

(07-04-2015 01:16 AM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(07-03-2015 09:25 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:30 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  ... an article published on HuskieWire .... on how to boost student attendance .... seems fair to comment on...

NIU1981, are you crazy? No you can't comment on an article about "boosting" attendance unless you know how to not make WhoYouCrappin'? believe you weren't labeling students as a problem, even though NIU007 says they could be part of the problem due to "how many typically show up?" And of course HuskieJohn has to bring facts into the discussion, noting that 2010 had a student average of 4106 which mathematically challenges the thinking of Morris White -- a relative newbie who obviously has no knowledge of the past and could tweet a challenge that had no historical basis -- the reality of which was further clairified by BarsemaBone2, who also noted the mathematic improbability of having "+28k into the stands 3 times in 2003 with less than 5k students showing up." So best advice, don't comment on an article that had a seemingly positive notion of boosting attendance because it's going to: a) offend someone, b) call into question which past administrations lied about attendance and to what extent, or c) lead people to take sides on guacamole with or without peas.

Check with Korcek, I hear he has all the answers.

You don't appreciate history if you think otherwise.

+1

(07-02-2015 08:25 AM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2015/.../index.xml

Yippy another attendance thread!

I hate to say it but the Chicago market may never change in the favor of NIU. Pro sports seems to rule the roost in Chicago/Illinois. Lets hope the new scheduling helps a ton, it should certainly help sell some more season tickets and more single games.

A few ideas for NIU to incorporate that will grow attendance

1) Band Day- NU schedules at least one during the non conference part of the season and the bands plus their parents, family members and leaders bring at least 5K into Ryan Field. Why NU doesn't do this every non conference game I do not know

2) UW Whitewater first Saturday home game is Hall of Fame Game, that brings in alumni
2nd game is Family & Alumni Game with family centered activies (Facepainting, clowns etc)
3rd game is Student Appreciation Day honoring student organizations that bring in the most game attendees and other activities
4th game is Homecoming
5th game is Shriners Game and Senior Day. Senior Day brings in parents of players who may not always attend and Shriners brings in members of an organization who may not attend other games because this one brings together like minded fraternal organization members.

NIU has a band day literally every year.

And homecoming.

And hall of fame Saturday.

And Senior Day.

(07-07-2015 08:30 AM)7 Wrote:  NIU has a band day literally every year.

And homecoming.

And hall of fame Saturday.

And Senior Day.

On top of that we typically have Faculty Day, Veterans/First Responders Day, Agriculture Day (though I have NEVER seen anything different about this one), Boy Scout Day and Chamber of Commerce Day.



The improved home OOC will help.
Building the East premium structure will help.

Most of the improvement has to come from us the bigger fans bringing people.

But no Student Appreciation or Shriners Day. There are thousands of Shriners in metro Chicago they have a huge HQ near Rt 53 and Army Trail.

Ideas that are working for other programs than NIU may want to use.