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2018 HOME GAME TIMES
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NIU007 Offline
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Post: #61
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-08-2018 07:10 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  
(06-08-2018 12:40 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  There hasn't been a single game in the past several years that I couldn't at least stream whether midweek or Saturday. I would generally prefer games on Saturdays, but this idea that midweek games are the reason for poor attendance just is not based in reality.

I also do believe that the ESPN deal is part of the reason MAC schools are able to be competitive recruiting against local schools in the south which has been important to several of the conference's top programs.

You can't point to Maction as the ONLY cause of decreased fan attendance, true. But you also can't use it as the ONLY reason for any increase in recruiting. Too much has changed in college football and society to pinpoint these changes.

At the end of the day, how much help has recruiting gained? The MAC is still at or near the bottom of the G5. And prior to Maction, the mac would occasionally put a team into the top 25. Feels the same to me.

For fans who like to attend as many games as possible, the weeknight games just create a defeated feeling because you know you're going to miss some games you'd otherwise attend. It would be the same if there was a really big ticket price jump that you just couldn't afford.

Yea I've been asking that and I don't see any numbers that indicate that MACtion has actually helped.
06-08-2018 08:21 AM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #62
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-08-2018 08:21 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  
(06-08-2018 07:10 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  
(06-08-2018 12:40 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  There hasn't been a single game in the past several years that I couldn't at least stream whether midweek or Saturday. I would generally prefer games on Saturdays, but this idea that midweek games are the reason for poor attendance just is not based in reality.

I also do believe that the ESPN deal is part of the reason MAC schools are able to be competitive recruiting against local schools in the south which has been important to several of the conference's top programs.

You can't point to Maction as the ONLY cause of decreased fan attendance, true. But you also can't use it as the ONLY reason for any increase in recruiting. Too much has changed in college football and society to pinpoint these changes.

At the end of the day, how much help has recruiting gained? The MAC is still at or near the bottom of the G5. And prior to Maction, the mac would occasionally put a team into the top 25. Feels the same to me.

For fans who like to attend as many games as possible, the weeknight games just create a defeated feeling because you know you're going to miss some games you'd otherwise attend. It would be the same if there was a really big ticket price jump that you just couldn't afford.

Yea I've been asking that and I don't see any numbers that indicate that MACtion has actually helped.

I don't see how it can possibly help when the games are played in cold and virtually empty stadiums while the announcers minimize the importance of the game by continually promoting the big Saturday SEC and ACC games. I'm sure very few, if any, recruits' eyes are glued to their TVs and yelling, "Dang!! I want to play in the MAC!"
(This post was last modified: 06-08-2018 08:28 AM by Dog Fan.)
06-08-2018 08:27 AM
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wmubroncopilot Offline
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Post: #63
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
I doubt it makes a ton of difference to Midwest recruits but I kind of wonder how many from Florida, etc would have even heard of WMU, Toledo, NIU if not for ESPN coverage.

It's not just the game itself. The highlights always get play on SportsCenter, they get promoted to some degree all week long.

As streaming gets more and more ubiquitous I think the midweek games will need to be re-evaluated but I don't think we're there yet.
06-08-2018 10:49 AM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #64
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-08-2018 10:49 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  I doubt it makes a ton of difference to Midwest recruits but I kind of wonder how many from Florida, etc would have even heard of WMU, Toledo, NIU if not for ESPN coverage.

It's not just the game itself. The highlights always get play on SportsCenter, they get promoted to some degree all week long.

As streaming gets more and more ubiquitous I think the midweek games will need to be re-evaluated but I don't think we're there yet.

Okay, you live in Anchorage, Alaska. I get it. I assume you get ESPN in Anchorage. Just like the others who don't live in the Midwest, you want to watch the games on TV. However, there are those of us local fans who would prefer to go to the games, but we're not about to do that for a 6:00 p.m. Tuesday or Wednesday game. Thus, the decrease in attendance and season ticket sales. Revenues are so down at NIU that we are forced to play 3 out of the 4 OOC games at the big boy schools for the cash payouts.
(This post was last modified: 06-08-2018 11:01 AM by Dog Fan.)
06-08-2018 11:00 AM
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NIU007 Offline
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Post: #65
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-08-2018 10:49 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  I doubt it makes a ton of difference to Midwest recruits but I kind of wonder how many from Florida, etc would have even heard of WMU, Toledo, NIU if not for ESPN coverage.

It's not just the game itself. The highlights always get play on SportsCenter, they get promoted to some degree all week long.

As streaming gets more and more ubiquitous I think the midweek games will need to be re-evaluated but I don't think we're there yet.

Yes, we get more exposure but the question is, how has that particular exposure helped the MAC?
06-08-2018 01:00 PM
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wmubroncopilot Offline
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Post: #66
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-08-2018 11:00 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  
(06-08-2018 10:49 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  I doubt it makes a ton of difference to Midwest recruits but I kind of wonder how many from Florida, etc would have even heard of WMU, Toledo, NIU if not for ESPN coverage.

It's not just the game itself. The highlights always get play on SportsCenter, they get promoted to some degree all week long.

As streaming gets more and more ubiquitous I think the midweek games will need to be re-evaluated but I don't think we're there yet.

Okay, you live in Anchorage, Alaska. I get it. I assume you get ESPN in Anchorage. Just like the others who don't live in the Midwest, you want to watch the games on TV. However, there are those of us local fans who would prefer to go to the games, but we're not about to do that for a 6:00 p.m. Tuesday or Wednesday game. Thus, the decrease in attendance and season ticket sales. Revenues are so down at NIU that we are forced to play 3 out of the 4 OOC games at the big boy schools for the cash payouts.

Again, a game being on ESPN or not doesn't make any difference to me because I will watch every WMU and many MAC games anyway, and just about every FBS game is available to stream if you know how to find them.

The difference is that nobody outside of diehards is going to watch MAC games on TV on Saturdays because they are buried on channels few people get and there are other options that people are more interested in. Lots of random sports fans tune in as they're channel flipping etc. during the midweek games. You can see this through social media.

The effect is debatable and diminishing as more and more people ditch cable anyway. I don't think midweek games are a long term solution but I do believe they serve a purpose for now. And again, I rarely see a November game on any day that draws much of a crowd.

The revenue issue, by the way, is not going to be in any way solved by even a few thousand more fans per game (and that is a very generous assumption).
06-08-2018 02:41 PM
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Rabid Squirrel Offline
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Post: #67
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-08-2018 02:41 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  
(06-08-2018 11:00 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  
(06-08-2018 10:49 AM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  I doubt it makes a ton of difference to Midwest recruits but I kind of wonder how many from Florida, etc would have even heard of WMU, Toledo, NIU if not for ESPN coverage.

It's not just the game itself. The highlights always get play on SportsCenter, they get promoted to some degree all week long.

As streaming gets more and more ubiquitous I think the midweek games will need to be re-evaluated but I don't think we're there yet.

Okay, you live in Anchorage, Alaska. I get it. I assume you get ESPN in Anchorage. Just like the others who don't live in the Midwest, you want to watch the games on TV. However, there are those of us local fans who would prefer to go to the games, but we're not about to do that for a 6:00 p.m. Tuesday or Wednesday game. Thus, the decrease in attendance and season ticket sales. Revenues are so down at NIU that we are forced to play 3 out of the 4 OOC games at the big boy schools for the cash payouts.

Again, a game being on ESPN or not doesn't make any difference to me because I will watch every WMU and many MAC games anyway, and just about every FBS game is available to stream if you know how to find them.

The difference is that nobody outside of diehards is going to watch MAC games on TV on Saturdays because they are buried on channels few people get and there are other options that people are more interested in. Lots of random sports fans tune in as they're channel flipping etc. during the midweek games. You can see this through social media.

The effect is debatable and diminishing as more and more people ditch cable anyway. I don't think midweek games are a long term solution but I do believe they serve a purpose for now. And again, I rarely see a November game on any day that draws much of a crowd.

The revenue issue, by the way, is not going to be in any way solved by even a few thousand more fans per game (and that is a very generous assumption).

I’d wonder how many 16 and 17 year olds are watching esnp2? As you mentioned, there was more bang for your buck with cable when the MAC first signed this deal. My guess is kids don’t sit in front of the tv and channel flip like older folks. And it’s not really appointment television. So are you really even reaching your target audience on espnU?
06-08-2018 03:41 PM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #68
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
IMO, the ESPN deal does little or nothing for recruiting. The only thing it does it put a few coins in the coffers. But, are the few coins worth it vs. soured relationships with fans, season ticket holders, and donors, resulting in fans canceling their season tickets and donations? It's not surprising that our average attendance of almost 20K a few years ago is now at 12K or less.
06-08-2018 03:51 PM
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Post: #69
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-08-2018 03:51 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  IMO, the ESPN deal does little or nothing for recruiting. The only thing it does it put a few coins in the coffers. But, are the few coins worth it vs. soured relationships with fans, season ticket holders, and donors, resulting in fans canceling their season tickets and donations? It's not surprising that our average attendance of almost 20K a few years ago is now at 12K or less.

I think the two biggest myths I have heard in recent memory were 1) ESPN Deal helps recruiting and 2) extra practices for bowl games make or break the following season. I totally agree DF
06-10-2018 05:28 PM
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NIUTrekker Offline
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Post: #70
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
I don't dispute that midweek games in November impacts attendance. However, there's a bigger issue across the CFB landscape. There's so much entertainment that football is no longer the center of the universe. Moreover, when the games are televised, there's even less incentive to attend in-person. Case in point, when we have a P5 opponent (BC) in DeKalb and can't fill the stands, there are issues. This isnt STF's fault. It's the new paradigm for college sports, especially for the MAC. The question is how do we deal with it to ensure NIU football is financially viable in the long-term. Personally, I think we should focus on quality experience for fewer fans in attendance while making the televised game even more exciting.

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06-10-2018 06:44 PM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #71
2018 HOME GAME TIMES
(06-10-2018 06:44 PM)NIUTrekker Wrote:  I don't dispute that midweek games in November impacts attendance. However, there's a bigger issue across the CFB landscape. There's so much entertainment that football is no longer the center of the universe. Moreover, when the games are televised, there's even less incentive to attend in-person. Case in point, when we have a P5 opponent (BC) in DeKalb and can't fill the stands, there are issues. This isnt STF's fault. It's the new paradigm for college sports, especially for the MAC. The question is how do we deal with it to ensure NIU football is financially viable in the long-term. Personally, I think we should focus on quality experience for fewer fans in attendance while making the televised game even more exciting.

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Agreed. And that's why I think they should be coddling and catering to the season ticket holders and donors they currently have.
06-10-2018 07:48 PM
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DiehardHuskie Offline
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Post: #72
RE: 2018 HOME GAME TIMES
As I always walk around in some form of NIU gear, I've had numerous conversations with random NIU fans that come up to me and start talking about Huskie football. In fact, the last couple of months, I've had three such conversations -- at the grocery store, gas station, and on the train. All three guys I spoke with were season ticker holders, including one who was a long-time chair back, that said they have not renewed their season tickets the past couple of years solely because of the weeknight games -- too difficult to attend, can't tailgate and the weather is awful.

Not sure how people can say the midweek games are not impacting attendance.
(This post was last modified: 06-11-2018 04:11 PM by DiehardHuskie.)
06-11-2018 04:09 PM
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