The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

I was just looking at the blazer boosters website, and I found the roster of current boosters. Is it true there's only ~1700 or so blazer boosters? I thought the number would be a lot higher.

Lack boosters & fans is probably the single largest barrier to us moving conferences. We are below programs like Southern Miss, ODU, WKU, Charlotte & UTSA in number of boosters and we need that number to explode with the new stadium for us to make the leap to a better conference.

Yeah I was kind of shocked at that number. I thought it'd be a lot higher. It's not a high bar to be considered a booster either.

I would guess that the single biggest motivator (at most schools) to be a booster is for season ticket access.
While more a follower than a big fan, I used to be an Iowa booster, just bc it was required to get my super crappy season tickets.

One of the benefits of a smaller stadium (hopefully) will be increased season ticket buyers, which will naturally lead to more boosters.

(02-24-2021 02:37 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  I would guess that the single biggest motivator (at most schools) to be a booster is for season ticket access.
While more a follower than a big fan, I used to be an Iowa booster, just bc it was required to get my super crappy season tickets.

One of the benefits of a smaller stadium (hopefully) will be increased season ticket buyers, which will naturally lead to more boosters.

One benefit of the new stadium will be the ability for UAB to sell ALL tickets for specific seats. We will be able to finally eliminate those who buy the cheapest seats or use free promotional tickets and then "squat" in the 50 yard line sections like they always could do at Legion Field. Now, if you buy a seat, you can be legally entitled to move anyone out who "squats" in your ticketed seat.m Perhaps UAB can check to make sure that city ordinance is still enforceable.

UAB sold those seats. People literally showed you their tickets. You don’t want to believe it, I don’t know what more we can do. While I understand the basis of your argument, it wasn’t an issue, and you know that.

(02-24-2021 08:00 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  UAB sold those seats. People literally showed you their tickets. You don’t want to believe it, I don’t know what more we can do. While I understand the basis of your argument, it wasn’t an issue, and you know that.

What about those seat certificates tho

(02-24-2021 09:07 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(02-24-2021 08:00 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  UAB sold those seats. People literally showed you their tickets. You don’t want to believe it, I don’t know what more we can do. While I understand the basis of your argument, it wasn’t an issue, and you know that.

What about those seat certificates tho

We have beaten this horse to death, but under the SC contract (as in a legal document), any one playing a football game at Legion Field could NOT legally sell SC covered seats (about 5,000 50 yd line seats) until the week of each individual game (Monday before a Saturday game) and then only for ticket's face value (NO PREMIUM). Did someone at UAB break the law? If they violated the SC contracts -- YES!!! Would they expect anyone to call them on it? Probably not since it did not involve one of the state's P5 schools.

When UAB leaves Legion Field, they put all of this behind them and look forward to advance sale of ALL tickets with whatever premium they think will be paid just like they do at AU and UA and at Bartow Arena. In a few short years, I will expect that premium at Protective to be about the same as at least equivalent location seats at Bartow Arena (midcourt=midfield).

BTW, I paid the $100 dollars for Blazer Boosters even though I probably won't be able to attend games. Have a good time at the new stadium. It is about time we got one.

(02-24-2021 02:37 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  I would guess that the single biggest motivator (at most schools) to be a booster is for season ticket access.
While more a follower than a big fan, I used to be an Iowa booster, just bc it was required to get my super crappy season tickets.

One of the benefits of a smaller stadium (hopefully) will be increased season ticket buyers, which will naturally lead to more boosters.

Exactly what I'm thinking. I expect the booster count to dramatically increase with it being tied to season tickets.

(02-24-2021 02:02 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  Lack boosters & fans is probably the single largest barrier to us moving conferences. We are below programs like Southern Miss, ODU, WKU, Charlotte & UTSA in number of boosters and we need that number to explode with the new stadium for us to make the leap to a better conference.

So, given the landscape, 2021 is do or die...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(02-25-2021 12:39 AM)blazr Wrote:  

(02-24-2021 02:02 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  Lack boosters & fans is probably the single largest barrier to us moving conferences. We are below programs like Southern Miss, ODU, WKU, Charlotte & UTSA in number of boosters and we need that number to explode with the new stadium for us to make the leap to a better conference.

So, given the landscape, 2021 is do or die...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But, with all these division titles and conference championships, I thought we were on a roll and there was nothing to worry about? Why hasn't the number of boosters exploded with all this success?

There is only one thing that will make our booster and fan bases explode and a new stadium ain't it. We need big wins over P5 programs or elite G5's. So far we don't have a single one of those since The Return.

If we want to increase our number of boosters in football and men's basketball, BEAT SOMEBODY. Nobody outside the die-hard core of UAB fans cares about CSUK division titles and championships. Might as well win the SoCon or OVC.

(02-25-2021 09:00 AM)BlazerGreen Wrote:  

(02-25-2021 12:39 AM)blazr Wrote:  

(02-24-2021 02:02 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  Lack boosters & fans is probably the single largest barrier to us moving conferences. We are below programs like Southern Miss, ODU, WKU, Charlotte & UTSA in number of boosters and we need that number to explode with the new stadium for us to make the leap to a better conference.

So, given the landscape, 2021 is do or die...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But, with all these division titles and conference championships, I thought we were on a roll and there was nothing to worry about? Why hasn't the number of boosters exploded with all this success?

There is only one thing that will make our booster and fan bases explode and a new stadium ain't it. We need big wins over P5 programs or elite G5's. So far we don't have a single one of those since The Return.

If we want to increase our number of boosters in football and men's basketball, BEAT SOMEBODY. Nobody outside the die-hard core of UAB fans cares about CSUK division titles and championships. Might as well win the SoCon or OVC.

It takes time to build a booster base. UAB has only had three years of success after twenty years of sabotage. Our booster base did not spike after beating LSU and Miss State. For the most part boosters are created by alumni who became die hard fans while attending the university. They become boosters after they establish themselves and can afford it. That is not something created in three years. It takes even longer for the casual fan with no direct tie to the university to reach that stage.

(02-25-2021 09:00 AM)BlazerGreen Wrote:  

(02-25-2021 12:39 AM)blazr Wrote:  

(02-24-2021 02:02 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  Lack boosters & fans is probably the single largest barrier to us moving conferences. We are below programs like Southern Miss, ODU, WKU, Charlotte & UTSA in number of boosters and we need that number to explode with the new stadium for us to make the leap to a better conference.

So, given the landscape, 2021 is do or die...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But, with all these division titles and conference championships, I thought we were on a roll and there was nothing to worry about? Why hasn't the number of boosters exploded with all this success?

There is only one thing that will make our booster and fan bases explode and a new stadium ain't it. We need big wins over P5 programs or elite G5's. So far we don't have a single one of those since The Return.

If we want to increase our number of boosters in football and men's basketball, BEAT SOMEBODY. Nobody outside the die-hard core of UAB fans cares about CSUK division titles and championships. Might as well win the SoCon or OVC.

I officially distance myself from this ridiculous red herring and the intentional misunderstanding of what I posted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah our conference sucks, but I feel like uab is doing what it can to build a solid long term fan and booster base for the future. Certainly light years ahead of where we were a decade or two ago. Big wins would help, but it’s not going to cause a huge long term increase in the danbaee or boosters overnight.

(02-25-2021 12:39 AM)blazr Wrote:  

(02-24-2021 02:02 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  Lack boosters & fans is probably the single largest barrier to us moving conferences. We are below programs like Southern Miss, ODU, WKU, Charlotte & UTSA in number of boosters and we need that number to explode with the new stadium for us to make the leap to a better conference.

So, given the landscape, 2021 is do or die...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My opinion is that the AAC will wait until the COVID crisis is behind us and then see if the BIG 12 is going to add teams - probably at their expense. The AAC (my opinion) will then choose from stable URBAN universities like those in Atlanta, B'ham, Charlotte, San Antonio and such. Will the presence of a pro sports team in a city be considered a positive or negative in the minds of AAC Presidents? Undoubtably the financial backing of a program will be considered since money "drives the bus" in college sports. UAB has some time to evaluate the effects of its new stadium and other added facilities on its finances - how much time is not up to UAB.

I think I read on the AAC board that they got their CCG w/ only 11 teams exception extended thru the 2022 season. That doesn’t seem likely to me, but I’m sure it was extended for 2021.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(02-25-2021 05:46 PM)blazr Wrote:  I think I read on the AAC board that they got their CCG w/ only 11 teams exception extended thru the 2022 season. That doesn’t seem likely to me, but I’m sure it was extended for 2021.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:As the American Athletic Conference looks toward the future as an 11-member league, the NCAA has granted its permission for the AAC to hold a football championship game in 2020 and 2021.

NCAA rules say that in order to host a championship game, a conference must have either a round-robin format, a round-robin divisional format, or receive special approval. With 11 members and a commitment to four non-conference games, the AAC appears to have taken the latter approach.

The Big 12 Conference famously hosts a championship game, despite lacking the 12 members necessary to establish divisional play. However, with 10 member schools, that league can simply schedule a full-round robin.

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/college...nd%202021.

(02-25-2021 12:02 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Yeah our conference sucks, but I feel like uab is doing what it can to build a solid long term fan and booster base for the future. Certainly light years ahead of where we were a decade or two ago. Big wins would help, but it’s not going to cause a huge long term increase in the danbaee or boosters overnight.

Then what will cause a big increase in the fan base in the long term? Winning CSUK championships? All the die hard Blazer fans that graduate from UAB every season?

I am unconvinced that UAB football will ever be able to depend on student and alumni attendance. Most UAB students and UAB grads are not fans of our athletic programs. The ones that aren't fans of other schools just don't care about sports that much (this has always been a large segment of the student body).

We have to become Birmingham's team and this market doesn't care if UAB wins CSUK. They don't and won't take notice if that is our ceiling.

Beat somebody and keep doing it if you want our booster numbers to grow. Same for attendance, football or basketball.

(02-25-2021 08:21 PM)BlazerGreen Wrote:  

(02-25-2021 12:02 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Yeah our conference sucks, but I feel like uab is doing what it can to build a solid long term fan and booster base for the future. Certainly light years ahead of where we were a decade or two ago. Big wins would help, but it’s not going to cause a huge long term increase in the danbaee or boosters overnight.

Then what will cause a big increase in the fan base in the long term? Winning CSUK championships? All the die hard Blazer fans that graduate from UAB every season?

I am unconvinced that UAB football will ever be able to depend on student and alumni attendance. Most UAB students and UAB grads are not fans of our athletic programs. The ones that aren't fans of other schools just don't care about sports that much (this has always been a large segment of the student body).

We have to become Birmingham's team and this market doesn't care if UAB wins CSUK. They don't and won't take notice if that is our ceiling.

Beat somebody and keep doing it if you want our booster numbers to grow. Same for attendance, football or basketball.

the reason we do not have a reasonable following of alumni is because we SUCKED for 20 years. there was no reason for students to become fans. From 1995 through 2013 UAB had three winning seasons and none of those was after 2004. That is why we do not have alumni support. College kids want to have fun and watching you team lose year after year is not fun. It is fun to go to football games again. The problem is its only been fun for four years and it takes decades to build booster support through alumni. That is one of the main reasons the BOT has been fighting UAB athletics since its inception. They are not worried that we will overshadow them on the field. They are worried that UAB will build a fan base that gives money to UAB instead of UAT.

Yeah that’s an easy answer lol.. we were awful for so long, thus our alumni and booster base is still pretty small. The attendance, involvement from students, and game day/tailgating experience we have now is night and day better than what it was a decade ago. We have to slowly keep building the fan and alumni booster base. We’ve done a good job so far of that since the return from what I’ve seen. Sprinkle in an upgraded conference, continued success, and some occasional big wins and we are on our way..