(09-02-2021 09:58 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  Ourland, I've said the same thing. Rather than make HRS a place to go where you have to miss other games, make it the worlds largest sports bar. Encourage the watching of other games. I've suggested high top tables and charging points at the tip of the concourse with TVs everywhere... make the area where the HOF names are a scrolling billboard. Put in massive FREE wifi so people can stream other games on their devices... OR do their quantum mechanics research. SOME of this has been done... but on a limited basis... see the 'mini suites' in Grungy's pictures.

The challenge seems to be that we are trying to monetize every single action... and the reality is that we need BUTTS IN THE SEATS. Pull some food trucks onto the concourse and make pre and post-game food and drink (and watching the next game while the kids run on the field or in a bouncy castle, basketball hoop game or pitching speed gun on the concourse) a 'thing'. Once the butts are in the seats, you can start to charge for A FEW things... like a $5 wrist band for the 'kid zone', the 'lounge' or whatever... and more importantly, if we EVER move (by OUR choice) to another conference with better draws, we can tell our regulars... Hey, I know we've been giving this away for free up to now, but with our move to the Pac12 for next season, we will need to start charging for this.

People would understand THAT.

Instead we've gotten... I know this was free in the SWC, but now that we're in CUSA 4.6 (and not at the top of it) we need to start charging for it??

Yeah we're definitely on the same page. Fans could sit in their seats and watch other games on the giant screens, or hang out in the shade on the upper concourse to do the same in a sports bar-type environment. It could be a big attraction to casual fans who may not necessarily be big on Rice football, but who do love college football in general. It would also be a great way to bring fans to Rice Football. Get them hooked on the product and the exciting game day experience. If the product is bad on any particular season, there would still be plenty of other football to watch around the stadium. If it works, beef up the concessions and bring in the food trucks. Why hasn't this already been done at other stadiums across the country? No one has an attention span these days. People are bored easily. Entertain them. Give them plenty of other options to watch. We used to bet at the dog track in LaMarque. Between the live races, we could also bet on other races going on across the nation. It kept us engaged and having fun, and spending money. Installing video screens everywhere would be a similar concept, minus the betting.