This board is the official discussion place for the Bucs Football & Friends Foundation. Slappy, GoBucs, and friends come on here and continue to ignore and distort the facts, try to rewrite the history of the last eight years, and basically defend the current ETSU athletic model and those in charge of it. They say that they support the return of football if the money is found outside the current athletic budget to fund it, and they try to paint those on here who disagree with this current athletic model as not supporting the current lineup of athletic teams. They are just unable to refute what us "complainers" and "whiners" have been angry about these past eight years, thus, they try to distract from the core issue. ETSU DID NOT drop football because it was losing money or because of a dire financial situation in 2003. Let me give you the reason football was dropped and ETSU had to leave the Southern Conference. Wayne Miller, a spokesperson from the ETSU athletic department said in 2007, and I quote, "the decision to fully fund each of our sports required that we decrease the number of sports. The decision to pick football was a tough one" His description of the current ETSU athletic model has been 100% verified by the facts of the past eight years. And, these distractors have the audacity to stake out the position that football's return should be conditional on the funds being raised outside the current athletic budget to bring it back. It should be noted and highlighted -- its an athletic budget that has grown over 60% these past eight years.

And they wonder why we're angry and continue to challenge the current ETSU athletic model, a model that has not been duplicated by a single regional university - or by any other institution in America.

And this embarrassment will come to an end this coming January. ETSU will, like its peer schools, use a combinatin of ticket sales, 1A guarantee money, donations and athletic budget money to easily fund football at the 1AA level. Other sports will be appropriately funded and ETSU will have a marching band and return to being a genuine regional state university. Tennis coaches and trumpet players will no longer be making athletic decisions at ETSU. The time cannot come soon enough.

(09-27-2011 10:21 AM)Buc66 Wrote:  This board is the official discussion place for the Bucs Football & Friends Foundation. Slappy, GoBucs, and friends come on here and continue to ignore and distort the facts, try to rewrite the history of the last eight years, and basically defend the current ETSU athletic model and those in charge of it. They say that they support the return of football if the money is found outside the current athletic budget to fund it, and they try to paint those on here who disagree with this current athletic model as not supporting the current lineup of athletic teams. They are just unable to refute what us "complainers" and "whiners" have been angry about these past eight years, thus, they try to distract from the core issue. ETSU DID NOT drop football because it was losing money or because of a dire financial situation in 2003. Let me give you the reason football was dropped and ETSU had to leave the Southern Conference. Wayne Miller, a spokesperson from the ETSU athletic department said in 2007, and I quote, "the decision to fully fund each of our sports required that we decrease the number of sports. The decision to pick football was a tough one" His description of the current ETSU athletic model has been 100% verified by the facts of the past eight years. And, these distractors have the audacity to stake out the position that football's return should be conditional on the funds being raised outside the current athletic budget to bring it back. It should be noted and highlighted -- its an athletic budget that has grown over 60% these past eight years.

And they wonder why we're angry and continue to challenge the current ETSU athletic model, a model that has not been duplicated by a single regional university - or by any other institution in America.

replying to this post...i know its like driving my car off a cliff, but i just... cant... turn...the wheel. Here goes nothing. at the top of the board it says "Buccanneer Nation, the official forum of etsu athletics". nothing about the BFFF. I thought it was for all fans, not just the football folks. my bad. none of my posts distort the "facts". maybe they dont align with the "facts" as you see them. i dont believe you will find in any of my posts any defense of the administration. i have not defended the reasoning for the dropping of football, nor have i refuted what you folks believe is the masterplan behind the dropping of the sport. Never. your problem with me is, what i say does not align with your view that the elimination of football has resulted in a complete disaster for the university,community, and the world. enrollment is at an all time high (up 25% since they dropped football). they have (or are in the process) of building three (four if you count golf) sports venues ON CAMPUS since they dropped football. although not nearly ideal, we have reconfigured the the Dome for BBall. hell, even Brooks got a makeover. most all of the sports etsu sponsors are successful in the grand scheme of things of small sub-regional universities, which is what we are. all those things are good. Why not get behind them instead of just chastizing it all with one big swipe? listen, what i have tried to engage with you guys is a plan B, or C (if B has become browbeating the new president). cause after 8 years, plan A aint gettin' it. I have tried to point out that football has left without a wimper from the community in large. Its never been supported through attendance/donations. ok, say they agree to re-structure the current athletic funding to include football. what are you cutting? soccer, dont think so: tennis...nope, golf...nope...baseball, no way. ok, now that we have that covered, where are you going to play? those are the reasons that, i guess, i have the audacity to ask how, financially, is it going to be done. Where is this ground swell of local attendance coming from? never been well attended, why now? what this boils down to TODAY is this: should the administation have cut football. No. Has it caused damage to our athletic standing in the ranks of the NCAA landscape? Most definately. Is there farther to fall...very possibly. but here is the kicker...they did drop it. Erased it from the landscape of etsu. Has it affected the university as a whole...to a large majority...not a bit. In fact there was record enrollement again this year. Students voted against bringing it back overwhelmingly just 5 years ago. I know the vote structure was flawed, but the voter turnout (interest) was terrible. yeah, we (i) long for a real homecoming and fall football games, but life has gone on for now. I applaud the fight, but i dont understand how supporting what etsu has is sticking your head in the sand or siding with administration. You better have a plan C, because all this reactionary bitchin' (plan A)after the fact has gotten you (us) nowhere and plan B has a low probability of working in this current economic environment.

P.S...This post was drafted as delicately as i possibly can as not to offend or denigrate any stance. If it does, thats a you problem.

Ignore and distort? Not hardly. The only ignoring and distorting going on here is that ETSU used to have a poorly supported mediocre football program and a good number of people that post here seem to fail to remember that.

What I really do on here is to drop a few gauntlets to try & get you folks to think. I know thinking is maybe not something you would like to do, but you need to. Now someone go & highlight that last statement and respond to it and we can argue.

Slappy's right - Plan A hasn't worked, and there's no Plan B. What amazes me is that there seems to be this opinion on here that just bringing back football would be good enough. There is no conviction whatsoever to bring back a quality product. There is no conviction to do anything differently that what has been done before. There is also no conviction to do so to improve athletics as a whole. There seems to be a strong opinion that when any 'minor' sport wins, to take that success through the mud, and denigrate it. "It's really not any good because that minor sport has too much support." Make sense? Not to me. Because what you need right now is athletic success. ETSU is actually doing pretty well there. If the athletic program as a whole sucks, football is dead on arrival. Why do you think that if athletics does poorly, this will help bring back football? What conference wants a crappy athletic program?

Resource-wise, soccer has been supported, and has been successful. Isn't this a model for a successful football program?

(09-28-2011 07:05 AM)GoBucsGo Wrote:  Ignore and distort? Not hardly. The only ignoring and distorting going on here is that ETSU used to have a poorly supported mediocre football program and a good number of people that post here seem to fail to remember that.

What I really do on here is to drop a few gauntlets to try & get you folks to think. I know thinking is maybe not something you would like to do, but you need to. Now someone go & highlight that last statement and respond to it and we can argue.

Slappy's right - Plan A hasn't worked, and there's no Plan B. What amazes me is that there seems to be this opinion on here that just bringing back football would be good enough. There is no conviction whatsoever to bring back a quality product. There is no conviction to do anything differently that what has been done before. There is also no conviction to do so to improve athletics as a whole. There seems to be a strong opinion that when any 'minor' sport wins, to take that success through the mud, and denigrate it. "It's really not any good because that minor sport has too much support." Make sense? Not to me. Because what you need right now is athletic success. ETSU is actually doing pretty well there. If the athletic program as a whole sucks, football is dead on arrival. Why do you think that if athletics does poorly, this will help bring back football? What conference wants a crappy athletic program?

Resource-wise, soccer has been supported, and has been successful. Isn't this a model for a successful football program?

See, there you go again gobucsgo, lie and disorting. I clearly stated in my post that there is a Plan B possibility. Plan B is to brow beat the new president into submission...just like Plan A has developed into. What they dont have is a Plan C. You just cant seem to get it through your head that athletics success simply cannot happen without football. All of of the etsu sports should suck, that way we bring back football to lead us to the promise land. You see, most conferences look for overall athletic program failure ANDa mediocre, underfunded, undersupported football program as keys to membership into the big time. When will you learn?

That is 100 percent incorrect. I've said on here NUMEROUS times that in order to bring it back there must be an all in mentality to win. No more half ass acres, which is difficult when you think about ETSU's past. (See dome, dorms with beds that were too short, etc...) I've said all along when it comes back, it needs an ON CAMPUS stadium that's more than some steel and big bolts. It's got to have proper parking, ticketing areas, concessions, souvenir areas and everything that can possibly be done to promote a positive gameday experience for ALL FANS, whether it be families with small children or young alums who are sneaking flasks full of bourbon into the stadium, for that matter old alums do the same thing. With that, you keep the dome up and have one of the most unique indoor practice facilities in the nation. Replace the astro turf we have left over with field turf.
The problem is ETSU it's more than just bringing back football. It's changing an entire culture. ETSU's culture in athletics over the years has been that of doing things on the cheap and half-assing whatever they can. It's making sure people do understand that it's more than just results on the field, realistically teams aren't going to be in the top five every year. (See Bama from 95-2008, LSU from 76-2003, etc...) But, if we provide what ETSU currently doesn't in basketball, a positive gameday experience for all, players, coaches, fans, visitors from other teams then it'll succeed.
Oh yea, speaking of doing things on the cheap, how long did it take to BUILD the soccer field, and better yet actually get the lights installed?
Did softball ever get a pressbox or is there still a gaping hole behind homeplate where it should be? Goes to half-assing.
Keep chasing the rainbow...
And yes it can be done, and it should be done by tiering sports. Furman isn't spending what ETSU does on soccer, yet they're ranked ahead of them. I don't have exact figures but I've asked around and they're not dumping that much into it. Most teams don't, they fund it based on what is important to their university community.
Lastly, you'll bring up money and I'm sure some ETSU can't stuff. There is no can't, it's will. The amount of revenue generated through private giving to athletics is atrocious. While you can't hold a gun to someone's head for 20 dollars, you can damn sure make a better effort to appeal to your alums for money. Mailers to my parents house don't work. It goes back to what I said in a previous thread about alumni chapters meeting up at basketball, everytime there's trips during hoops to Nashville, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and hell even Charlotte/Memphis, someone at ETSU needs to take some responsibility/leadership, contact alums (Nashville has Stacey King and former women's soccer player Rebecca Murray, just to start) and start getting things planned out. Email, social networking, snail mail, word of mouth. Hey, we're playing __________ on this weekend down there, let's all get together, have drinks, talk ETSU, bring up happy moments, and host a good party and oh by the way, you work in some tickets to the games in said town for the alums and their families to go to. I know ETSU is only concerned about the high end donors, but the bottom line is if you've got 10,000 people giving 100 bucks a year, those 10,000 are more likely to bring families, spend money on concessions, buy shirts (By the way prices on shirts are WAY TOO HIGH, gotta get some economically priced gear) which make up the difference in what some of the bigger donors spend, which ultimately, gives you more money.
I say this simply by looking at the numbers, look at your concession/merch numbers, ticket sales and private giving. ETSU has GOT TO GET all of those up, especially in basketball. Oh, and as for the start up money, you know what, maybe it has to come from student fees and possibly a little maneuvering to use bonds and debt service, so what. ETSU needs to do what is necessary to improve the curb appeal of its' university, my wife and I talked about it last night actually. She asked me if/when we have kids (scary that there could be a Buclover, Jr. out there someday) if they wanted to go to ETSU how I felt about it. I asked her what she thought and she laughed and asked me about the poetry slam, apple butter, and whatever else is going on at homecoming. Nevermind I spent the next 20 minutes explaining alums like Kenny Chesney, Kevin Triplett, CEO of Eastman Credit Union, David Hyatt (President of Motor Racing Network), Tim Busfield, Stacey King, Gerald Sensabaugh, Mike Smith, not to mention the countless advances in rural medicine and doctors ETSU has churned out. She simply said ya don't have a football program, I don't want our kids racing out of town every weekend to go somewhere to watch college football live, unless they get to go to school there free.

So what am I 100% incorrect on? Success isn't good? Mediocrity is the way to the promise land?

Furman spends 'way less' on soccer? You sure about that one? I just took a look @ their stadium and they have stands on both sides and they said it cost $1 million when built. If they spent $1 mill, I would say that means they care about it.

All your suggestions relative to football I absolutely agree with - a positive game experience brings people back. An example is in the much maligned soccer team. Those games are great. The stands are comfortable, the sight lines are all very good, and the grassy hill across the way is also a good idea. But you have to get there, and although I know higher ed in TN is extremely well-funded (this is sarcasm), it's gonna cost some significant money. When you have your own football foundation, you would think a lot of money could be raised there, but no one has given me any figure as to how much has been raised, just that "It's going on." I've seen rants in the paper over the years that were very unimpressive. You could increase student fees without a vote, as I know you've pointed out 3 million trillion times they have done. However, they have far from maxed those out and the increases thus far have been relatively slight.

I heard a snippet yesterday on the sports monster, and Kasey Marler was saying ETSU should bring football back. I was totally behind what he said. He didn't malign any of the current sports, didn't trash any current AD or President, just that with the enrollment we have now, we should be able to make it happen. Plan A AND B aren't working. So try Plan C -- a different approach -- quit whining and yelling that the administrators are a bunch of idiots, and start moving in a positive direction. Or don't.

(09-28-2011 08:30 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  That is 100 percent incorrect. I've said on here NUMEROUS times that in order to bring it back there must be an all in mentality to win. No more half ass acres, which is difficult when you think about ETSU's past. (See dome, dorms with beds that were too short, etc...) I've said all along when it comes back, it needs an ON CAMPUS stadium that's more than some steel and big bolts. It's got to have proper parking, ticketing areas, concessions, souvenir areas and everything that can possibly be done to promote a positive gameday experience for ALL FANS, whether it be families with small children or young alums who are sneaking flasks full of bourbon into the stadium, for that matter old alums do the same thing. With that, you keep the dome up and have one of the most unique indoor practice facilities in the nation. Replace the astro turf we have left over with field turf.
The problem is ETSU it's more than just bringing back football. It's changing an entire culture. ETSU's culture in athletics over the years has been that of doing things on the cheap and half-assing whatever they can. It's making sure people do understand that it's more than just results on the field, realistically teams aren't going to be in the top five every year. (See Bama from 95-2008, LSU from 76-2003, etc...) But, if we provide what ETSU currently doesn't in basketball, a positive gameday experience for all, players, coaches, fans, visitors from other teams then it'll succeed.
Oh yea, speaking of doing things on the cheap, how long did it take to BUILD the soccer field, and better yet actually get the lights installed?
Did softball ever get a pressbox or is there still a gaping hole behind homeplate where it should be? Goes to half-assing.
Keep chasing the rainbow...
And yes it can be done, and it should be done by tiering sports. Furman isn't spending what ETSU does on soccer, yet they're ranked ahead of them. I don't have exact figures but I've asked around and they're not dumping that much into it. Most teams don't, they fund it based on what is important to their university community.
Lastly, you'll bring up money and I'm sure some ETSU can't stuff. There is no can't, it's will. The amount of revenue generated through private giving to athletics is atrocious. While you can't hold a gun to someone's head for 20 dollars, you can damn sure make a better effort to appeal to your alums for money. Mailers to my parents house don't work. It goes back to what I said in a previous thread about alumni chapters meeting up at basketball, everytime there's trips during hoops to Nashville, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and hell even Charlotte/Memphis, someone at ETSU needs to take some responsibility/leadership, contact alums (Nashville has Stacey King and former women's soccer player Rebecca Murray, just to start) and start getting things planned out. Email, social networking, snail mail, word of mouth. Hey, we're playing __________ on this weekend down there, let's all get together, have drinks, talk ETSU, bring up happy moments, and host a good party and oh by the way, you work in some tickets to the games in said town for the alums and their families to go to. I know ETSU is only concerned about the high end donors, but the bottom line is if you've got 10,000 people giving 100 bucks a year, those 10,000 are more likely to bring families, spend money on concessions, buy shirts (By the way prices on shirts are WAY TOO HIGH, gotta get some economically priced gear) which make up the difference in what some of the bigger donors spend, which ultimately, gives you more money.
I say this simply by looking at the numbers, look at your concession/merch numbers, ticket sales and private giving. ETSU has GOT TO GET all of those up, especially in basketball. Oh, and as for the start up money, you know what, maybe it has to come from student fees and possibly a little maneuvering to use bonds and debt service, so what. ETSU needs to do what is necessary to improve the curb appeal of its' university, my wife and I talked about it last night actually. She asked me if/when we have kids (scary that there could be a Buclover, Jr. out there someday) if they wanted to go to ETSU how I felt about it. I asked her what she thought and she laughed and asked me about the poetry slam, apple butter, and whatever else is going on at homecoming. Nevermind I spent the next 20 minutes explaining alums like Kenny Chesney, Kevin Triplett, CEO of Eastman Credit Union, David Hyatt (President of Motor Racing Network), Tim Busfield, Stacey King, Gerald Sensabaugh, Mike Smith, not to mention the countless advances in rural medicine and doctors ETSU has churned out. She simply said ya don't have a football program, I don't want our kids racing out of town every weekend to go somewhere to watch college football live, unless they get to go to school there free.

i can agree with most everything you say lover, and the areas i dont are minor with respect to the big picture. To moan and groan about stadium completion dates and snafus is not that important. When dealing with the beauracracy of a state institution, things take a little more time. The end result is we have a very nice soccer stadium (i know its friggin soccer) and a nice softball ball field. Im sure when teh baseball field is done, it will be nice. Problems with the culture at etsu is certainly true. We have MUCH bigger problems within athletics than not having football. We just happen to have both. Change in the culture is long overdue, however, i dont know that a new president will make any major administrative changes in the athletics department (except for one particular candididate). Like i have said, unless they have a particular vision for re-organizing the athletic department, and most academic type candidates wont, its going to be a tough sell for the footballers. To an untrained eye, etsu athletics is doing just fine. Do i agree...no way...but i, you and many others are more invested than the vast majority. That is why a Plan C is neccessary.

(09-28-2011 09:40 AM)GoBucsGo Wrote:  So what am I 100% incorrect on? Success isn't good? Mediocrity is the way to the promise land?

Furman spends 'way less' on soccer? You sure about that one? I just took a look @ their stadium and they have stands on both sides and they said it cost $1 million when built. If they spent $1 mill, I would say that means they care about it.

All your suggestions relative to football I absolutely agree with - a positive game experience brings people back. An example is in the much maligned soccer team. Those games are great. The stands are comfortable, the sight lines are all very good, and the grassy hill across the way is also a good idea. But you have to get there, and although I know higher ed in TN is extremely well-funded (this is sarcasm), it's gonna cost some significant money. When you have your own football foundation, you would think a lot of money could be raised there, but no one has given me any figure as to how much has been raised, just that "It's going on." I've seen rants in the paper over the years that were very unimpressive. You could increase student fees without a vote, as I know you've pointed out 3 million trillion times they have done. However, they have far from maxed those out and the increases thus far have been relatively slight.

I heard a snippet yesterday on the sports monster, and Kasey Marler was saying ETSU should bring football back. I was totally behind what he said. He didn't malign any of the current sports, didn't trash any current AD or President, just that with the enrollment we have now, we should be able to make it happen. Plan A AND B aren't working. So try Plan C -- a different approach -- quit whining and yelling that the administrators are a bunch of idiots, and start moving in a positive direction. Or don't.

ditto...well said

Look at the funding spent on a sport like Soccer. It's not big elsewhere, if it were, Calabrese would be gone to a so called bigger program.
My post above has been my stance on bringing football back all along, the problem is in order to do that you have to clean house.
And to the untrained eye ETSU isn't doing well athletically. Our basketball facility is a dump, we're not drawing what we need to, concession food is lousy, bathrooms are terrible, etc... These are all things that point to leadership. All of the issues ETSU suffers from are self-inflicted wounds given from years of ineptitude and people not listening the few times they backed into having qualified people to run the ship.
Furman had a Daddy Warbucks build it for them.
As for the stadium issues, it again goes back to leadership. A soccer field that should've been ready by 05 opened three years later without lights and a scoreboard. These are things that point towards the half ass activities of ETSU's leadership. I haven't yelled, or screamed. I've just said the same things I've said for years. Quit trying to half ass things, quit being lazy, get off your ass and get football. I don't know if it interferes with somebody's nap or maybe their own trips to Ole Miss, or Tennessee or wherever (Nothing like seeing children of ETSU coaches wearing of all things Ole Miss gear, great example that is), but it's at the cost of the place they work and community they live in.
That is what is unacceptable to me, and the people who have cut their money, stopped making an effort to come up for games, etc... I know it's why I did. I still come out when they play down here, but the days of my coming up for games are done. It's not worth the trip anymore.

(09-27-2011 11:01 AM)bucfan81 Wrote:  And this embarrassment will come to an end this coming January. ETSU will, like its peer schools, use a combinatin of ticket sales, 1A guarantee money, donations and athletic budget money to easily fund football at the 1AA level. Other sports will be appropriately funded and ETSU will have a marching band and return to being a genuine regional state university. Tennis coaches and trumpet players will no longer be making athletic decisions at ETSU. The time cannot come soon enough.

You dream

(09-28-2011 10:47 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Look at the funding spent on a sport like Soccer. It's not big elsewhere, if it were, Calabrese would be gone to a so called bigger program.
My post above has been my stance on bringing football back all along, the problem is in order to do that you have to clean house.
And to the untrained eye ETSU isn't doing well athletically. Our basketball facility is a dump, we're not drawing what we need to, concession food is lousy, bathrooms are terrible, etc... These are all things that point to leadership. All of the issues ETSU suffers from are self-inflicted wounds given from years of ineptitude and people not listening the few times they backed into having qualified people to run the ship.
Furman had a Daddy Warbucks build it for them.
As for the stadium issues, it again goes back to leadership. A soccer field that should've been ready by 05 opened three years later without lights and a scoreboard. These are things that point towards the half ass activities of ETSU's leadership. I haven't yelled, or screamed. I've just said the same things I've said for years. Quit trying to half ass things, quit being lazy, get off your ass and get football. I don't know if it interferes with somebody's nap or maybe their own trips to Ole Miss, or Tennessee or wherever (Nothing like seeing children of ETSU coaches wearing of all things Ole Miss gear, great example that is), but it's at the cost of the place they work and community they live in.
That is what is unacceptable to me, and the people who have cut their money, stopped making an effort to come up for games, etc... I know it's why I did. I still come out when they play down here, but the days of my coming up for games are done. It's not worth the trip anymore.

lover, i have to admit, i cant figure you out. Some of your posts are completely rational and lucid...then you flip. I dont want to talk soccer, because i dont personally care, but...it is big elsewhere. Calebrese will be gone to a bigger program after this year or next (he all but turned down the nc state job last year). He has done an unbelievable job. So you choose not to make the trip to games because the concessions and bathrooms are bad? Furman had a daddy warbucks? You're making excuses. Who has the BFFF fingered as our daddy for the new football stadium? You and I know the limitations of the current administration, but to the untrained eye...athletics is doing fine.

(09-28-2011 11:20 AM)Goldfinger Wrote:  

(09-27-2011 11:01 AM)bucfan81 Wrote:  And this embarrassment will come to an end this coming January. ETSU will, like its peer schools, use a combinatin of ticket sales, 1A guarantee money, donations and athletic budget money to easily fund football at the 1AA level. Other sports will be appropriately funded and ETSU will have a marching band and return to being a genuine regional state university. Tennis coaches and trumpet players will no longer be making athletic decisions at ETSU. The time cannot come soon enough.

You dream

Am I missing something here? Is Mullins also retiring in January?

Yes. I'm not going to drive five hours for crappy parking, stale popcorn and no stadium cups (which keeps me from mixing a drink during the game, and yes we've all done it) not to mention a product that isn't very good outside of the home team. It's not worth the effort to see em lose at home to Stetson, I can stay down here and see it on the web, have good food and not waste the money on airplane bottles.
Sarcasm aside, what I'm suggesting is SOME MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS need to made and made NOW. Look at the numbers. Concession sales are a joke. Is it bad food? Long lines? Whatever it is, people aren't purchasing food/drink. That has got to be fixed one way or another.
Merch/wearables. It's high priced. Where can you get economically priced ETSU gear? There isn't any that I've seen. Families, especially in the Tri-Cities can't afford 20 and 30 bucks for T-Shirts for everyone. The prices have to come down somehow. Think of it this way. Everyone has seen the liquor store Froogal MacDoogal, there's one here in Nashville and one in Columbia, SC. Most of us have stopped at the SC location on the way to the beach. Anyway, the booze in that store are sold at minimal markup (this is one of those things you have to trust me on), bought in bulk and sold cheaper than anywhere else in the country. Because of that, people sacrifice driving into the seediest part of Nashville to shop there all hours of the day and night. He sells so much quantity that it overrides the need to jack up the price too much. The same can be done for ETSU, get your prices down in the concessions, and on the wearables. For goodness sake the founder of Pal's is an ETSU alum, and I'm sure there are several others who are in the food industry that are from ETSU that can help there. Improve the quality, lower the cost, BOTH can be done. It truly is about customer service these days. Fans=customers. Better yet, haul your asses down here and observe how everyone is at Bridgestone Arena for concerts and hockey games. It's incredible. Look at what they do from the standpoint of getting entertainment dollars out of people in a place where there's NFL and SEC football, music venues literally every 20 feet and pro basketball three hours away. They didn't quit when this team was packing it's bags for Wnnipeg three years ago, instead, they fought. They found the things that were wrong and fixed them. Improved product on the ice, improved customer service, including the construction of the convention Center/adjacent parking garage that opens fairly soon. They've won the community over with service at the arena. People go and have a great time, even though outside of the fans in Cellblock 303 not many people fully understand what's happening in the game.
Now I'm not saying ETSU should convince Vince Gill and Alice Cooper to come play halftime, but there are things they can add on using the resources at the university to add to the experience. It goes back to effort, and not accepting the status quo that is at ETSU, which currently stinks.

(09-28-2011 12:52 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Yes. I'm not going to drive five hours for crappy parking, stale popcorn and no stadium cups (which keeps me from mixing a drink during the game, and yes we've all done it) not to mention a product that isn't very good outside of the home team. It's not worth the effort to see em lose at home to Stetson, I can stay down here and see it on the web, have good food and not waste the money on airplane bottles.
Sarcasm aside, what I'm suggesting is SOME MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS need to made and made NOW. Look at the numbers. Concession sales are a joke. Is it bad food? Long lines? Whatever it is, people aren't purchasing food/drink. That has got to be fixed one way or another.
Merch/wearables. It's high priced. Where can you get economically priced ETSU gear? There isn't any that I've seen. Families, especially in the Tri-Cities can't afford 20 and 30 bucks for T-Shirts for everyone. The prices have to come down somehow. Think of it this way. Everyone has seen the liquor store Froogal MacDoogal, there's one here in Nashville and one in Columbia, SC. Most of us have stopped at the SC location on the way to the beach. Anyway, the booze in that store are sold at minimal markup (this is one of those things you have to trust me on), bought in bulk and sold cheaper than anywhere else in the country. Because of that, people sacrifice driving into the seediest part of Nashville to shop there all hours of the day and night. He sells so much quantity that it overrides the need to jack up the price too much. The same can be done for ETSU, get your prices down in the concessions, and on the wearables. For goodness sake the founder of Pal's is an ETSU alum, and I'm sure there are several others who are in the food industry that are from ETSU that can help there. Improve the quality, lower the cost, BOTH can be done. It truly is about customer service these days. Fans=customers. Better yet, haul your asses down here and observe how everyone is at Bridgestone Arena for concerts and hockey games. It's incredible. Look at what they do from the standpoint of getting entertainment dollars out of people in a place where there's NFL and SEC football, music venues literally every 20 feet and pro basketball three hours away. They didn't quit when this team was packing it's bags for Wnnipeg three years ago, instead, they fought. They found the things that were wrong and fixed them. Improved product on the ice, improved customer service, including the construction of the convention Center/adjacent parking garage that opens fairly soon. They've won the community over with service at the arena. People go and have a great time, even though outside of the fans in Cellblock 303 not many people fully understand what's happening in the game.
Now I'm not saying ETSU should convince Vince Gill and Alice Cooper to come play halftime, but there are things they can add on using the resources at the university to add to the experience. It goes back to effort, and not accepting the status quo that is at ETSU, which currently stinks.

very lucid, very funny, and also...very true

(09-28-2011 12:52 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Yes. I'm not going to drive five hours for crappy parking, stale popcorn and no stadium cups (which keeps me from mixing a drink during the game, and yes we've all done it) not to mention a product that isn't very good outside of the home team. It's not worth the effort to see em lose at home to Stetson, I can stay down here and see it on the web, have good food and not waste the money on airplane bottles.
Sarcasm aside, what I'm suggesting is SOME MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS need to made and made NOW. Look at the numbers. Concession sales are a joke. Is it bad food? Long lines? Whatever it is, people aren't purchasing food/drink. That has got to be fixed one way or another.
Merch/wearables. It's high priced. Where can you get economically priced ETSU gear? There isn't any that I've seen. Families, especially in the Tri-Cities can't afford 20 and 30 bucks for T-Shirts for everyone. The prices have to come down somehow. Think of it this way. Everyone has seen the liquor store Froogal MacDoogal, there's one here in Nashville and one in Columbia, SC. Most of us have stopped at the SC location on the way to the beach. Anyway, the booze in that store are sold at minimal markup (this is one of those things you have to trust me on), bought in bulk and sold cheaper than anywhere else in the country. Because of that, people sacrifice driving into the seediest part of Nashville to shop there all hours of the day and night. He sells so much quantity that it overrides the need to jack up the price too much. The same can be done for ETSU, get your prices down in the concessions, and on the wearables. For goodness sake the founder of Pal's is an ETSU alum, and I'm sure there are several others who are in the food industry that are from ETSU that can help there. Improve the quality, lower the cost, BOTH can be done. It truly is about customer service these days. Fans=customers. Better yet, haul your asses down here and observe how everyone is at Bridgestone Arena for concerts and hockey games. It's incredible. Look at what they do from the standpoint of getting entertainment dollars out of people in a place where there's NFL and SEC football, music venues literally every 20 feet and pro basketball three hours away. They didn't quit when this team was packing it's bags for Wnnipeg three years ago, instead, they fought. They found the things that were wrong and fixed them. Improved product on the ice, improved customer service, including the construction of the convention Center/adjacent parking garage that opens fairly soon. They've won the community over with service at the arena. People go and have a great time, even though outside of the fans in Cellblock 303 not many people fully understand what's happening in the game.
Now I'm not saying ETSU should convince Vince Gill and Alice Cooper to come play halftime, but there are things they can add on using the resources at the university to add to the experience. It goes back to effort, and not accepting the status quo that is at ETSU, which currently stinks.

And they do not even sell werables on the grand stand level any more. Just a boarded up booth where they used to sell them. Usually only one side of concessions is open. The other side boarded up. And all this down sliding AFTER the school gives up football. Sigh.......

That's what I'm saying, ya gotta push that stuff. Hell, you're not going to sell it if you're not putting forth real effort and leadership. That's all I want. If these things happen at ETSU, you will see an increase in attendance, participation from the community and student body, as well as alums.

Hey, I'm all for these improvements, and I agree the game experience could be much better if improved. I hate when they don't have concessions on the floor, for example. My daughter (4 years old) always wants a Sprite and sometimes popcorn, and climbing up all those stairs, sometimes carrying her with me, really sucks. But, a great workout. Plus, the men's bathroom on the floor is a 2-holer. As big as that place is, and that is the only men's bathroom on the ground level available? It should be better, I totally agree.

So see, we agree on something.

The merchandise is so much better than it used to be, it's tough to complain, although I agree it could still be better. I hope the next Prez, or someone, will decide to not only market better, but improve game experience for fans.

These are things I've been saying since I started posting, and I'll keep saying it until I see a press release noting the significant changes that's so shiny it makes Mike White's bald ass head jealous and begging for turtle wax.