https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/spor...275345001/

This is going to be something every football school is going to have to look into in the near future. The Cajuns have their priorities right with their stadium remodel being more about fan comfort than capacity expansion too. Getting fans to choose being inside the stadium vs in a comfy armchair in the A/C is going to get harder and harder.

Georgia Southern tested the student tailgating lot idea out, but it ultimately flopped when students weren't allowed to bring alcohol in the lot. A lot of the students who were tailgating and drinking were underaged and the rules and heavy police presence around the student lot meant most everyone stayed in the neighborhoods adjacent to the stadium where most of the tailgate parties happen.

Another thing our students wanted was free wifi in the stadium, and this season is the first one we will be implementing it. There should be enough to allow 20k simultaneous connections.

(05-30-2019 08:55 AM)TrueBlueDrew Wrote:  Another thing our students wanted was free wifi in the stadium, and this season is the first one we will be implementing it. There should be enough to allow 20k simultaneous connections.

Or enough for two or three a-holes trying to streamcast the game via cellphones.

[attachment=9890]

This area behind the stadium is our designated "Student Tailgate area" (AKA 'The Pines') so we've longed offered an area for students and greeks to hang and party before gameday conveniently located to the stadium

I think the problem with our students is many I have spoken to and heard off handily have complained about the amount they pay for "athletic student fees" and not getting any kind of return on it, in terms of amenities or a student club level. I think going forward we'll need to start creating some type of VIP area that students can congregate and hang where they also have access to food and drinks not necessarily offered to General Admission

(05-30-2019 09:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  

(05-30-2019 08:55 AM)TrueBlueDrew Wrote:  Another thing our students wanted was free wifi in the stadium, and this season is the first one we will be implementing it. There should be enough to allow 20k simultaneous connections.

Or enough for two or three a-holes trying to streamcast the game via cellphones.

I wouldnt do it. let em watch the game or use their data...

Student indifference to college and HS athletics has been an ongoing concern. What the heck! Do they think they're in school to study and learn?!? The world is spinning out of control. I even saw a "changing table" in the men's room!

(05-30-2019 10:01 AM)runamuck Wrote:  

(05-30-2019 09:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  

(05-30-2019 08:55 AM)TrueBlueDrew Wrote:  Another thing our students wanted was free wifi in the stadium, and this season is the first one we will be implementing it. There should be enough to allow 20k simultaneous connections.

Or enough for two or three a-holes trying to streamcast the game via cellphones.

I wouldnt do it. let em watch the game or use their data...

Students these days are all about the gram and Snapchat and **** like that.

Believe it or not, access to this does make a difference in their minds.

However, on a normal gameday, the saturation of all the people in the stadium overwhelms the bandwidth of the 4G network in Statesboro as it is not designed to handle on demand data requests of that magnitude. The infrastructure just isn't that beefy because it's only 6 days out of the year that it's really required. This means that mobile data is basically dead in the stadium.

I love checking scores on other games while we're in breaks and stuff like that, but even that is a struggle with the bandwidth issues we've been seeing.

This was our solution to that problem. Now, while students are in the stadium, they can share all they want to on social media and you've now turned games into ~4 hour advertisments for the school within each person's social network, to include prospective students. It's a good decision to do it.

(05-30-2019 08:22 PM)wewererebels Wrote:  Student indifference to college and HS athletics has been an ongoing concern. What the heck! Do they think they're in school to study and learn?!? The world is spinning out of control. I even saw a "changing table" in the men's room!

actually, more men are changing their children's diapers these days, and they actually enjoy it!! I used some of those men's room changing tables myself when I was changing my son's diapers at Walmart or Publix.

(05-31-2019 01:11 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(05-30-2019 08:22 PM)wewererebels Wrote:  Student indifference to college and HS athletics has been an ongoing concern. What the heck! Do they think they're in school to study and learn?!? The world is spinning out of control. I even saw a "changing table" in the men's room!

actually, more men are changing their children's diapers these days, and they actually enjoy it!! I used some of those men's room changing tables myself when I was changing my son's diapers at Walmart or Publix.

As a first time father, I must admit it would be nice if more Men's rooms had changing tables rather than having to do it on the sink counter or on my lap squatting down lol

(05-30-2019 10:12 PM)eaglewraith Wrote:  Students these days are all about the gram and Snapchat and **** like that.

Believe it or not, access to this does make a difference in their minds.

However, on a normal gameday, the saturation of all the people in the stadium overwhelms the bandwidth of the 4G network in Statesboro as it is not designed to handle on demand data requests of that magnitude. The infrastructure just isn't that beefy because it's only 6 days out of the year that it's really required. This means that mobile data is basically dead in the stadium.

I love checking scores on other games while we're in breaks and stuff like that, but even that is a struggle with the bandwidth issues we've been seeing.

This was our solution to that problem. Now, while students are in the stadium, they can share all they want to on social media and you've now turned games into ~4 hour advertisments for the school within each person's social network, to include prospective students. It's a good decision to do it.

I've never had an issue using data in the stadium. It slows down definitely, but it still works. I have AT&T and I think Verizon users experience the most problems which is ironic because Verizon is one of GS's sponsors lol.

Completely agree about the social media presence. I brought up the same point on GSUFans. It's very important to not underestimate the power of social media influencers in today's millennial culture. There's a really interesting documentary on Netflix about how someone weaponized social media influencers in order to sell thousands of tickets to a music festival that wasn't real.

There are sorority girls at GS that have upwards of 20k followers on instagram. I bet that's true for every Sun Belt school. If that girl goes to a game and makes posts of her having fun, that's a free advertisement for GS Athletics that's reached 20k people and all we had to do was provide WiFi.

Louisiana used to have their student tailgating on the east side of the stadium, but didn't really offer anything except a space.

A couple of years ago, they moved tailgating down the street from the stadium. They added a DJ, tailgate tents and offered other stuff. Attendance was great, but they didn't make their way to the stadium.

Now they will get the preferred area, plus music, plus discounted food and drink.

The horse has been led to the water. Now we'll see if they go one more step and get their butts into the game.