(06-16-2022 09:34 AM)gusrob Wrote:  

(06-16-2022 09:29 AM)TigerFan38134 Wrote:  

(06-16-2022 08:47 AM)gusrob Wrote:  

(06-16-2022 08:17 AM)Claw Wrote:  

(06-16-2022 07:51 AM)TigerFan38134 Wrote:  The stadium itself is lackluster, but anyone that goes to a game their walks away impressed solely by the atmosphere. The student participation is a huge part of that. They fill up well over 1/4 of the whole stadium, and I truly believe that they get those numbers due to the fact that many of them can walk out of there dorm, walk a 1/4 of a mile, cooler in tow, drinking a bud light, to hang out for hours before game time. they never have to drive, park, etc. The Liberty Bowl will be far superior, but I don't see football ever filling the student section for any conference game outside of a championship. We have had some promising years in basketball, but I don't think the SS at the Forum is filled very often no matter who the opponent is. Not many kids want/cant pay to drive across town, pay to park, then spend 10$ on a coke or $15 on a beer. Memphis has priced it's 2 main athletic programs out of reach from a normal student.

Interesting point. Perhaps a student ID in the student section of the renovated stadium should get you discount cokes and corn dogs. It is something to consider.

Absolutely. Non revenue generating sports offer free coke and pizza to get students in the building. Plenty of times I've walked to Elma Roane Fieldhouse from Robinson Hall (70 yards) to get free pizza and coke for girls bball and volleyball. Engaging students is important for both game experience and alumni buy-in later. Giving food and drink to students (as well as a cheering item) would pay for itself in the long run.

Shuttle students, and not just at before game. Have buses continually run between campus and game site on game days.

Get the students involved! Cal understood this, hence the Blue Crew. These are cheap, easy interventions. They can be managed by a low level employee and scholarship students earning scholly hours.

I'm not sure if snacks and trinkets are enough to get them there. Cal DID do a good job with the Blue Crew, but that has fallen off significantly since his departure. I think the overall separation of facilities is the biggest hurdle. It's far more difficult to get a non-sports student to a game when travel becomes involved. Like I said before, the Liberty Bowl will be a much better venue than many others in the AAC, but the fact it's disconnected from campus will always hurt attendance, especially when it comes to student participation. I don't think there are enough giveaways to offset the inconvenience of having off-site facilities.

It's difficult as a fan to see how disconnected our 2 main sports are from the actual college experience. I would be curious to know the percentage of student allotment seats are used for on campus sports compared to off campus sports. I know I would definitely be more inclined to go watch the women's team play basketball if I lived on campus as opposed to having to drive there, so I wonder if those on campus feel the same when it comes to living on campus and going off campus. And to be honest, who would rather deal with the headache of riding a shuttle across town to a game at LBMS than to walk across campus to a venue similar to UCF's?

You're spot on. So what should we do?

It's too late at this point as they have already made plans to revamp the LBMS. With younger people leaning more towards convenience than experience, I don't think you get the student involvement without getting OC facilities. Is that a guarantee fix? No, but you're far more likely to get college kids looking for something to do on a Saturday to walk to a game rather than deal with shuttles or parking. I love Tigers sports, but the parking situation kept me from going to many football games when I lived in Memphis. The stadium should be within a mile of campus, with eateries and other knick knack places to hang out in between. The die hard kids will suffer through the thought of shuttles, overpriced parking, and expensive beer, but that's it unless it's a big game, like Gameday which got the whole city to show up. The administration is too worried about boosters and revenue that current students, which turn into charitable alumni in the future.

If anyone thinks that an OCS facility doesn't makes a huge difference, I definitely recommend going to a "relevant" school on gameday and see the difference. It's frustrating going to games at UCF and seeing the entire campus flooded with people and the stands so full that they physically shake. I will personally miss those games going forward!