(11-15-2017 10:44 PM)armour248 Wrote:  If it makes anyone feel better, the Toledo-BG "rivalry" game is a ghost town as well. BG is 2-8 but that's probably the biggest conference rivalry​ game. Thanks MAC

Last year in Toledo we had 35,000 at the game on a Saturday. They need to ditch these games. Toledo has done ok on weeknight games because our athletic department really pushes season tickets and our on campus and downtown pep rallies each week have really helped drum up interest. The renovation at the Glass Bowl has helped too.

(11-16-2017 08:06 AM)JB04 Wrote:  

(11-16-2017 06:29 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  

(11-16-2017 04:53 AM)PrideinthePack2 Wrote:  There needs to be a boycott (even from the most loyal fans) on a weeknight game.

There already is

Yep, already is. I would love to hear Frazier’s thoughts on it. If it is even an option, what the future of weekday games looks like, how he feels about them, etc. I want to support football but these hurt my football spirit, nothing against the team and players (i feel bad for them playing in that in front of few fans on a school night)

(11-16-2017 02:54 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 11:08 PM)NIU70 Wrote:  From 1966 to about 2016, I missed maybe 10 home games, if that, that's 51 seasons. This year I missed all 3 weekday night games. Look what this has done to me, and I was one of the most loyal fans. This has so damaged NIU football, to the extent that it may never recover.

Your account really needs to be heard by STF and NIU/MAC administrators.

STF and the NI/MAC administrators feel the same way most everyone on this board feels. While I a reminder to them is good, your message needs to get to the MAC offices.

MAC email links

Steinbrecher does not have an email address listed

Mid-American Conference
Attn: Dr. Jon Steinbrecher
24 Public Square
15th Floor
Cleveland, OH 44113

(11-16-2017 08:17 AM)Stpetebeachrocketfan Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 10:44 PM)armour248 Wrote:  If it makes anyone feel better, the Toledo-BG "rivalry" game is a ghost town as well. BG is 2-8 but that's probably the biggest conference rivalry​ game. Thanks MAC

Last year in Toledo we had 35,000 at the game on a Saturday. They need to ditch these games. Toledo has done ok on weeknight games because our athletic department really pushes season tickets and our on campus and downtown pep rallies each week have really helped drum up interest. The renovation at the Glass Bowl has helped too.

Also helps Toledo is something like 8 times the size of DeKalb

(11-15-2017 11:08 PM)NIU70 Wrote:  From 1966 to about 2016, I missed maybe 10 home games, if that, that's 51 seasons. This year I missed all 3 weekday night games. Look what this has done to me, and I was one of the most loyal fans. This has so damaged NIU football, to the extent that it may never recover.

Exactly right.

I am even too exhausted with the topic to even discuss beyond simply saying exactly right.

Hmmmm

hmmmm

Random question:

What has attendance done under Frazier?

There are "reasons" which others may call "excuses," but what are the pure numbers?

Moving homecoming a couple of years ago-- how did that go? Weeknight games (plural-- gameS) in November. How is that going? There was a deal by the MAC to play some games - but how did that turn into this?

Personal anecdote: I too am a loooong time huskie fan. I have only made one game so far this year, largely for personal family health and other issues. Yesterday, once again, (also for the EMU game) I fully intended to go. At least as of about 3 pm. My daughter had asked about going, somewhat ambivalent. I was slow to respond, also somewhat ambivalent! But by 3 pm the decision was made to go. I called the ticket office and reached a gentleman whose name I know not. I asked whether there were $10 tickets (their availability is not the point here.) He answered that there were $20 seats on the west side and $10 seats on the east side. I then asked how I got the tickets, and he said I could buy them over the phone or get them at the box office. I said, (and here comes the point) do I have to go to the west side to get them? He said yes. I said, I have to go to the west side to come back to the east side? What ever happened to the box office on the east side? He said, after a pause, "In all my time here, I never heard of a box office on the east side." Me: "How long have you been here?" A: "six months." hmmm I told him that I have been around MUCH longer than that, and there was/is a box office on the east side at the south end zone, and asked (I thought helpfully) that maybe he could note it and pass it on up the chain that at least one fan inquired about it and thought that it was unnecessarily inconvenient to have a fan go to the west side to get a ticket to come back to the east side when they could just sell the ticket on the east side. If you are late to the game (whose start time almost guarantees that any working fan will likely be late), or just plain cold, or just lazy-- doesn't matter. The point is that the response that I got was something like, "you can get them on the west side - click."

I am not saying he hung up on me. I am not saying he was particularly rude in any way. What I am saying is that he showed ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in the views of a fan who called in TO PURCHASE TICKETS. Nope. He could care less. And there is no way that anyone above him will hear the concern. PERIOD.

And that, to me, sums up my experience for I do not know how long. Exclude Cary Groth and exclude Jim Phillips, and the answer is that sums up my experience since ALWAYS.

I did not purchase the tickets over the phone because I was going to check and see who I could get to come with me. I had three lined up to go-- plus me. Alas, after the phone call (not solely because of the phone call) the wind went out of the sails, and we all ended up not going.

Just for what it's worth.

When I first parked I heard the stadium PA announcer and wondered why. Then remembered that it was senior night, and I was still walking up to the stadium when they were announcing the seniors. And I got out of work as fast as I could, added a few layers of clothes and drove straight to DeKalb, and still didn't get there in time to be in the stadium for that. I feel bad for the players, there must have been 50 people in the stadium then.

And now they've started doing the Red Black chant on the little screens on each side of the stadium - too late. Everyone's gone already. Almost like they're adding insult to injury at that point.

(11-16-2017 11:47 AM)chihuskie Wrote:  Hmmmm

hmmmm

Random question:

What has attendance done under Frazier?

There are "reasons" which others may call "excuses," but what are the pure numbers?

Moving homecoming a couple of years ago-- how did that go? Weeknight games (plural-- gameS) in November. How is that going? There was a deal by the MAC to play some games - but how did that turn into this?

Personal anecdote: I too am a loooong time huskie fan. I have only made one game so far this year, largely for personal family health and other issues. Yesterday, once again, (also for the EMU game) I fully intended to go. At least as of about 3 pm. My daughter had asked about going, somewhat ambivalent. I was slow to respond, also somewhat ambivalent! But by 3 pm the decision was made to go. I called the ticket office and reached a gentleman whose name I know not. I asked whether there were $10 tickets (their availability is not the point here.) He answered that there were $20 seats on the west side and $10 seats on the east side. I then asked how I got the tickets, and he said I could buy them over the phone or get them at the box office. I said, (and here comes the point) do I have to go to the west side to get them? He said yes. I said, I have to go to the west side to come back to the east side? What ever happened to the box office on the east side? He said, after a pause, "In all my time here, I never heard of a box office on the east side." Me: "How long have you been here?" A: "six months." hmmm I told him that I have been around MUCH longer than that, and there was/is a box office on the east side at the south end zone, and asked (I thought helpfully) that maybe he could note it and pass it on up the chain that at least one fan inquired about it and thought that it was unnecessarily inconvenient to have a fan go to the west side to get a ticket to come back to the east side when they could just sell the ticket on the east side. If you are late to the game (whose start time almost guarantees that any working fan will likely be late), or just plain cold, or just lazy-- doesn't matter. The point is that the response that I got was something like, "you can get them on the west side - click."

I am not saying he hung up on me. I am not saying he was particularly rude in any way. What I am saying is that he showed ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in the views of a fan who called in TO PURCHASE TICKETS. Nope. He could care less. And there is no way that anyone above him will hear the concern. PERIOD.

And that, to me, sums up my experience for I do not know how long. Exclude Cary Groth and exclude Jim Phillips, and the answer is that sums up my experience since ALWAYS.

I did not purchase the tickets over the phone because I was going to check and see who I could get to come with me. I had three lined up to go-- plus me. Alas, after the phone call (not solely because of the phone call) the wind went out of the sails, and we all ended up not going.

Just for what it's worth.

Pretty sad indeed. I have experienced crap like this over the years, even when attempting to upgrade my seats that would have resulted in a lot of extra money for them. I donate a lot and feel like a third-rate customer. The problem is that our Athletics department and ticket office are at the FCS level while the team is trying to compete at an FBS level. The conference sucks, and the midweek games are ruining the conference and its member teams. And, the sad thing is that those who can do something to change it do not seem to care. I'm afraid next year will be the same, and I will cancel my premium season tickets that I have held for many years.

Beyond the obvious things we've been bitching about for years...player safety and educational priorities should be brought up. We just played our 5th game in 26 days. That cannot be good health wise for any of the players...and nearly everyone on the team probably has some minor or lingering issue after 10 games of college football. The midweek travel is brutal as well. It's especially bad for NIU since we are a significant distance further from the rest of the MAC schools. Will our team even spend Thanksgiving with their families? If they do, they'll be leaving by early afternoon on Thursday for Mt Pleasant, then on the field hitting each other by 11am central. It's all insane.

(11-16-2017 12:16 PM)armour248 Wrote:  Beyond the obvious things we've been bitching about for years...player safety and educational priorities should be brought up. We just played our 5th game in 26 days. That cannot be good health wise for any of the players...and nearly everyone on the team probably has some minor or lingering issue after 10 games of college football. The midweek travel is brutal as well. It's especially bad for NIU since we are a significant distance further from the rest of the MAC schools. Will our team even spend Thanksgiving with their families? If they do, they'll be leaving by early afternoon on Thursday for Mt Pleasant, then on the field hitting each other by 11am central. It's all insane.

Really good points you've made. Excellent points - all need to be included to the emails we all need to be sending to the MAC office, Sean T. Frazier, and the interim president of NIU.
EVERY MAC fan needs to be screaming at the top of their lungs via emails & social media & not let up. Email the media too. These weeknight games must stop!

(11-15-2017 09:03 PM)Big_Man Wrote:  This was 2010 game vs Toledo. That team isn't much different than this team on the field tonight. Listen to he crowd. Look at the crowd shots. Not even close.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI3jrBb566Q

Attendance at that game was 18,000+ It was also the ONLY week night game that season (except the Thanksgiving week game).

I go back to part of our lack of attendance is half of our games are on week nights. For every working Huskie fan, that means showing up late to half the games. I can see sacrificing time off for one week night game. But 5+ cmon.

Same goes for students. A good majority of students have classes on week nights. You can only miss so many classes before your grades take a hit.

Oh, and if youre wondering, the highest attended game at NIU this season, drew 16,722. The last time Huskie Stadium had 20,000+ fans at a NIU game? 2014.

#ditchtheMACTION

(11-16-2017 01:40 PM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 09:03 PM)Big_Man Wrote:  This was 2010 game vs Toledo. That team isn't much different than this team on the field tonight. Listen to he crowd. Look at the crowd shots. Not even close.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI3jrBb566Q

Attendance at that game was 18,000+ It was also the ONLY week night game that season (except the Thanksgiving week game).

I go back to part of our lack of attendance is half of our games are on week nights. For every working Huskie fan, that means showing up late to half the games. I can see sacrificing time off for one week night game. But 5+ cmon.

Same goes for students. A good majority of students have classes on week nights. You can only miss so many classes before your grades take a hit.

Oh, and if youre wondering, the highest attended game at NIU this season, drew 16,722. The last time Huskie Stadium had 20,000+ fans at a NIU game? 2014.

#ditchtheMACTION

Ahhhh miss the days when the crowd was big enough that he Thundersticks mattered.... 7000 not enough fans for Thundersticks.

(11-16-2017 04:53 AM)PrideinthePack2 Wrote:  There needs to be a boycott (even from the most loyal fans) on a weeknight game.

Did you see the attendance, there already is.

(11-16-2017 02:17 PM)BDB5yp Wrote:  

(11-16-2017 01:40 PM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 09:03 PM)Big_Man Wrote:  This was 2010 game vs Toledo. That team isn't much different than this team on the field tonight. Listen to he crowd. Look at the crowd shots. Not even close.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI3jrBb566Q

Attendance at that game was 18,000+ It was also the ONLY week night game that season (except the Thanksgiving week game).

I go back to part of our lack of attendance is half of our games are on week nights. For every working Huskie fan, that means showing up late to half the games. I can see sacrificing time off for one week night game. But 5+ cmon.

Same goes for students. A good majority of students have classes on week nights. You can only miss so many classes before your grades take a hit.

Oh, and if youre wondering, the highest attended game at NIU this season, drew 16,722. The last time Huskie Stadium had 20,000+ fans at a NIU game? 2014.

#ditchtheMACTION

Ahhhh miss the days when the crowd was big enough that he Thundersticks mattered.... 7000 not enough fans for Thundersticks.

The weather was much nicer for that game, but I think the main thing is what HH said above - it was the only weekday game. It was also a big game against a good opponent.
Off-topic - but what a fun team that was to watch. Harnish, Spann, Moore, Daniels, Palmer, Ashford, Coffman, Progar, Lynch (running over people). They had very good players at a lot of positions.

(11-16-2017 01:40 PM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 09:03 PM)Big_Man Wrote:  This was 2010 game vs Toledo. That team isn't much different than this team on the field tonight. Listen to he crowd. Look at the crowd shots. Not even close.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI3jrBb566Q

Attendance at that game was 18,000+ It was also the ONLY week night game that season (except the Thanksgiving week game).

I go back to part of our lack of attendance is half of our games are on week nights. For every working Huskie fan, that means showing up late to half the games. I can see sacrificing time off for one week night game. But 5+ cmon.

Same goes for students. A good majority of students have classes on week nights. You can only miss so many classes before your grades take a hit.

Oh, and if youre wondering, the highest attended game at NIU this season, drew 16,722. The last time Huskie Stadium had 20,000+ fans at a NIU game? 2014.

#ditchtheMACTION

That was the last weeknight game I was able to attend.

I’m sure all the MAC schools would prefer better attendance at the mid-week games but if I remember correctly each MAC school gets $800k from the tv contract so these mid-week games aren’t going away any time soon. They make too much money. Even on Saturday games NIU attendance has been way down so I guess they figure the TV money helps the budget and we accept a small turnout. You can scream, send emails, write your congressman but all you have to do is follow the money on this one. MACTION is here to stay.

(11-18-2017 06:03 AM)flair6 Wrote:  I’m sure all the MAC schools would prefer better attendance at the mid-week games but if I remember correctly each MAC school gets $800k from the tv contract so these mid-week games aren’t going away any time soon. They make too much money. Even on Saturday games NIU attendance has been way down so I guess they figure the TV money helps the budget and we accept a small turnout. You can scream, send emails, write your congressman but all you have to do is follow the money on this one. MACTION is here to stay.

$800,000 isn't all that much. They could schedule another money game like Nebraska or Wisconsin and make that money or more. I'd rather have that than play Idaho at home and Tuesday/Wednesday night games.

I have been a season ticket holder since 1975 and with chairbacks since they were instituted. During that 42 years, I have missed very few home games. However, if next year's schedule continues with only 2 home Saturdays, I seriously doubt that I will be renewing. I would love to know what our high-point has been for season tickets and where we are currently.

(11-18-2017 09:25 AM)HuskieDave Wrote:  I have been a season ticket holder since 1975 and with chairbacks since they were instituted. During that 42 years, I have missed very few home games. However, if next year's schedule continues with only 2 home Saturdays, I seriously doubt that I will be renewing. I would love to know what our high-point has been for season tickets and where we are currently.

I’d email STF this very statement and see what comes back

(11-18-2017 09:28 AM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  

(11-18-2017 09:25 AM)HuskieDave Wrote:  I have been a season ticket holder since 1975 and with chairbacks since they were instituted. During that 42 years, I have missed very few home games. However, if next year's schedule continues with only 2 home Saturdays, I seriously doubt that I will be renewing. I would love to know what our high-point has been for season tickets and where we are currently.

I’d email STF this very statement and see what comes back

Does anyone have his e-mail address. I'm doing the same.

For MACtion games, maybe they should move The Yard to Huskie Stadium and play the games in the Chessick Practice Center. The Chessick Practice Center would hold all the fans, cut down on wind and be much warmer than sitting outside.