MAC attendance up a sliver amount but far under the FBS
average.


https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...-1996/amp/

Attendance is not a concern to the MAC. Just as long as they can get their games on ESPN3 and ESPN+ and some of the midweek games on the bigger boy ESPN channels. If attendance were any concern of the MAC, they would have never entered into the ESPN contract.

(03-14-2020 06:55 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Attendance is not a concern to the MAC. Just as long as they can get their games on ESPN3 and ESPN+ and some of the midweek games on the bigger boy ESPN channels. If attendance were any concern of the MAC, they would have never entered into the ESPN contract.

It is unfortunate that TV drives things but they had to go where the money is.

Big Dance Attendance=0.

(03-14-2020 06:55 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Attendance is not a concern to the MAC. Just as long as they can get their games on ESPN3 and ESPN+ and some of the midweek games on the bigger boy ESPN channels. If attendance were any concern of the MAC, they would have never entered into the ESPN contract.

I don't blame the MAC for trying to make the ESPN arrangement to work. That said it is time to admit that it did not work and it will never work.

It is time to move on. Given how few cameras ESPN brings to our games and the piss poor production quality it should be possible for the conference to find a reasonable alternative as soon as possible. Are there escape clauses in our contract? If not do some pre-planning so an alternative can be found in an orderly manner.

Good points and a hope for some better resolution, but the current contract runs through 2026 and ESPN is tangled up in content issues due to the coronavirus crisis zapping its college and other content. It is highly unlikely to be in any way favorable to a change that affects future guaranteed content. I agree, however, that now is the time to study and acquire information to prepare for the future. The same could be said of the NCAA studying student-athlete compensation, the CFP studying changes in the playoff structure, and NIU studying its marketing and other strategies. Lots of study time available.

This Corona hysteria train has left the station and is not going to be stopped. Football season will not occur this year, college or pro. Do you guys think Bowers will stay for 2021 season? I would not feel great about that.

(03-15-2020 03:19 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  This Corona hysteria train has left the station and is not going to be stopped. Football season will not occur this year, college or pro. Do you guys think Bowers will stay for 2021 season? I would not feel great about that.

Idk, maybe. He could use the year to get his master's or something. Plus this could be an extra redshirt for Fletcher.

15,500 attendance while squirming under the ESPN boot = 19,000+ if playing mostly Saturdays again with the occasional Friday 7pm game?

#DitchESPNasap

I'm re-posting this from another thread. Hope you don't mind.

Has anyone calculated the revenues from concession sales to X number of free attendees vs. the revenues from concession and ticket sales to the current smaller number of paying fans?

Would you make more money selling hot dogs, beers and jerseys to 25,000 people who got in for free (or $1) than you would selling $15 tickets to 10,000 people who also bought hot dogs, beers and jerseys?

It would be interesting to see the number of free fans you would need to generate more overall revenue than you would with the current number of paying fans.

You would also want to factor in any local hotel/restaurant spending from fans, asking the city to kick in some dollars in exchange for making the games free.

This might only work for the weeknight games, but I'd be curious to know if enough local families (even non-fans looking for a family night out) would come to a free football game to make the math work.

Any attendance figures from the MAC are suspect if they count tickets sold and not actual butts in the seats

(03-17-2020 08:53 AM)Huckin Fuskie Wrote:  I'm re-posting this from another thread. Hope you don't mind.

Has anyone calculated the revenues from concession sales to X number of free attendees vs. the revenues from concession and ticket sales to the current smaller number of paying fans?

Would you make more money selling hot dogs, beers and jerseys to 25,000 people who got in for free (or $1) than you would selling $15 tickets to 10,000 people who also bought hot dogs, beers and jerseys?

It would be interesting to see the number of free fans you would need to generate more overall revenue than you would with the current number of paying fans.

You would also want to factor in any local hotel/restaurant spending from fans, asking the city to kick in some dollars in exchange for making the games free.

This might only work for the weeknight games, but I'd be curious to know if enough local families (even non-fans looking for a family night out) would come to a free football game to make the math work.

Not a good idea IMO. You'd have to lower season ticket prices for one. You can't tell the season ticket holders they're paying for a game that single game buyers get for free. I also think people tend to "force" themselves out if they've already bought a ticket even if they don't feel like going. If it's free and bad weather, people will stay home and say - no loss, it was free. And even if the season ticket holders stay home, NIU has that ticket revenue in hand.

You'd probably only try it on weeknights. And thats when people aren't in the yard(lost money), are leaving at half time, and not drinking as much in the game(more lost money).

Finally, giving stuff away diminishes the value of your product. I know NIU football is not at its apex as it is, but it doesn't need that kind of image.

(03-19-2020 06:20 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-17-2020 08:53 AM)Huckin Fuskie Wrote:  I'm re-posting this from another thread. Hope you don't mind.

Has anyone calculated the revenues from concession sales to X number of free attendees vs. the revenues from concession and ticket sales to the current smaller number of paying fans?

Would you make more money selling hot dogs, beers and jerseys to 25,000 people who got in for free (or $1) than you would selling $15 tickets to 10,000 people who also bought hot dogs, beers and jerseys?

It would be interesting to see the number of free fans you would need to generate more overall revenue than you would with the current number of paying fans.

You would also want to factor in any local hotel/restaurant spending from fans, asking the city to kick in some dollars in exchange for making the games free.

This might only work for the weeknight games, but I'd be curious to know if enough local families (even non-fans looking for a family night out) would come to a free football game to make the math work.

Not a good idea IMO. You'd have to lower season ticket prices for one. You can't tell the season ticket holders they're paying for a game that single game buyers get for free. I also think people tend to "force" themselves out if they've already bought a ticket even if they don't feel like going. If it's free and bad weather, people will stay home and say - no loss, it was free. And even if the season ticket holders stay home, NIU has that ticket revenue in hand.

You'd probably only try it on weeknights. And thats when people aren't in the yard(lost money), are leaving at half time, and not drinking as much in the game(more lost money).

Finally, giving stuff away diminishes the value of your product. I know NIU football is not at its apex as it is, but it doesn't need that kind of image.

I wish the Yard were around when I was a student. I would have been so illegally drunk.