And you know that's been happening to people for years. Now it's catching up with us big-time. They don't even sell game programs anymore.

And Shawnty got a promotion?

(09-29-2021 12:51 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I gave my Wyoming tickets to some friends who attended the game. I spoke with them after the game to find out how they liked it. They said that if I ever have tickets to give away again, please do not contact them. They had a terrible time and we all know the reasons. No pre-game atmosphere and then they unloaded to me about the concessions. They were stuck in the long lines only to find out that a lot of the food had run out. So, we lost a couple more fans who would have maybe attended more games.

That’s a bad look. Especially since the game was really exciting and yet they still didn’t want to return.

Maybe NIU can be the first school to allow fans to bring there own food into the game. People with limited resources would like that and they’d still sell the same amount of concessions probably. I’m bringing spaghetti.

(09-29-2021 01:20 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  And you know that's been happening to people for years. Now it's catching up with us big-time. They don't even sell game programs anymore.

And Shawnty got a promotion?

No programs?? OMG, that's the first thing I buy when I get to the games. Now they don't sell them anymore? This is so embarrassing. I'm sure may of the visiting fans would like to buy a program to find out more about the Huskies and NIU.

(09-29-2021 01:28 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:20 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  And you know that's been happening to people for years. Now it's catching up with us big-time. They don't even sell game programs anymore.

And Shawnty got a promotion?

No programs?? OMG, that's the first thing I buy when I get to the games. Now they don't sell them anymore? This is so embarrassing. I'm sure may of the visiting fans would like to buy a program to find out more about the Huskies and NIU.

Well the last couple of years they didn't really have a "program" It was a "yearbook" which talked about NIU but it was produced at the beginning of the year and wasn't specific to a particular game, so didn't change from one game to the next, as far as I could see. I didn't see anything at all for sale either of the 2 home games this year.

We're going backwards. Next, we'll be playing our football games on a soccer field.

They used to "fix" the game program with an update "insert," but that may be gone with the rest of it.

Like a lot of other people, I bee-otched over the water/concessions fiasco at the Wyoming game, even tossing in a "how-come" about not hooking up with the Lions big local car show fund-raiser the same day.

But going back, looking ahead, scoping the overall landscape, I have shifted into ok-now-I'm-kinda-worried mode.

In a continuing financial crisis, marketing/promotions/advertising are the first to go. You see cuts of non-essential programs (band ... since restored ... and cheerleaders, Silverettes shifted to self-funded club status). You see consolidation (e.g., recreation now under athletics). Lots of people get bigger titles than actual salary/benefit increases (lot of assistant ad's in there now). Big facility plans get whittled down (see from 2014-15) to just administrative, program and operations "improvements" (diversity, student-athlete mental health) and socio/politics (STF appt to national FBS diversity council).

As it worsens, the basics start slipping (Wyoming game). A really bad sign. Ignoring the car show = nobody is even looking around for opportunities. They're locked in survival/self-preservation mode. To come out of that, some resources are tapped. If not, it's because there's nothing to tap.

Like it or not, without some kind of big infusion, or incredible glorified success, this is where NIU is at for at least a while. Reality can bite.

(09-29-2021 01:36 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:28 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:20 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  And you know that's been happening to people for years. Now it's catching up with us big-time. They don't even sell game programs anymore.

And Shawnty got a promotion?

No programs?? OMG, that's the first thing I buy when I get to the games. Now they don't sell them anymore? This is so embarrassing. I'm sure may of the visiting fans would like to buy a program to find out more about the Huskies and NIU.

Well the last couple of years they didn't really have a "program" It was a "yearbook" which talked about NIU but it was produced at the beginning of the year and wasn't specific to a particular game, so didn't change from one game to the next, as far as I could see. I didn't see anything at all for sale either of the 2 home games this year.

We're going backwards. Next, we'll be playing our football games on a soccer field.

Yes, they used to have a "yearbook" that was sold at every game. But, they also had scorecards specific to each game. I think the yearbook was $5 and the scorecard was $2. I bought the yearbook once and then a scorecard for each game. The scorecard had the rosters.

I have been looking to purchase a program at both games……nothing. I assume they have completely stopped selling them, but, I for one, really miss them.

(09-29-2021 01:43 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:36 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:28 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:20 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  And you know that's been happening to people for years. Now it's catching up with us big-time. They don't even sell game programs anymore.

And Shawnty got a promotion?

No programs?? OMG, that's the first thing I buy when I get to the games. Now they don't sell them anymore? This is so embarrassing. I'm sure may of the visiting fans would like to buy a program to find out more about the Huskies and NIU.

Well the last couple of years they didn't really have a "program" It was a "yearbook" which talked about NIU but it was produced at the beginning of the year and wasn't specific to a particular game, so didn't change from one game to the next, as far as I could see. I didn't see anything at all for sale either of the 2 home games this year.

We're going backwards. Next, we'll be playing our football games on a soccer field.

Yes, they used to have a "yearbook" that was sold at every game. But, they also had scorecards specific to each game. I think the yearbook was $5 and the scorecard was $2. I bought the yearbook once and then a scorecard for each game. The scorecard had the rosters.

Yea I guess I bought a yearbook once and a scorecard once but didn't like how it was organized so I didn't buy any more. So maybe they didn't have enough demand for them. The programs used to have info about both teams, and I was not impressed with what they were selling.

(09-29-2021 02:06 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:43 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:36 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:28 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:20 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  And you know that's been happening to people for years. Now it's catching up with us big-time. They don't even sell game programs anymore.

And Shawnty got a promotion?

No programs?? OMG, that's the first thing I buy when I get to the games. Now they don't sell them anymore? This is so embarrassing. I'm sure may of the visiting fans would like to buy a program to find out more about the Huskies and NIU.

Well the last couple of years they didn't really have a "program" It was a "yearbook" which talked about NIU but it was produced at the beginning of the year and wasn't specific to a particular game, so didn't change from one game to the next, as far as I could see. I didn't see anything at all for sale either of the 2 home games this year.

We're going backwards. Next, we'll be playing our football games on a soccer field.

Yes, they used to have a "yearbook" that was sold at every game. But, they also had scorecards specific to each game. I think the yearbook was $5 and the scorecard was $2. I bought the yearbook once and then a scorecard for each game. The scorecard had the rosters.

Yea I guess I bought a yearbook once and a scorecard once but didn't like how it was organized so I didn't buy any more. So maybe they didn't have enough demand for them. The programs used to have info about both teams, and I was not impressed with what they were selling.

I didn't mind the yearbook and scorecard idea. I usually bring guests to the game and would buy one of each for them. It's something they kept as a souvenir of the game. It had useful information on NIU, the team, coaches, etc. Now apparently they are selling nothing. This is getting worse by the minute. I suppose we should feel extremely lucky that they open the gates and let us watch the game. I can't believe that STF is not embarrassed by this. But, maybe he's not because he doesn't care about the common fans anyway. I do know that in the Skybox where the mega donors sit, they used to give out the programs for free. Maybe they still do.

(09-29-2021 12:51 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I gave my Wyoming tickets to some friends who attended the game. I spoke with them after the game to find out how they liked it. They said that if I ever have tickets to give away again, please do not contact them. They had a terrible time and we all know the reasons. No pre-game atmosphere and then they unloaded to me about the concessions. They were stuck in the long lines only to find out that a lot of the food had run out. So, we lost a couple more fans who would have maybe attended more games.

Wow.

Similar story with me. Brought a group of 14 guys, friends of my son, all 25ish. Mix of alums and non alums. They were so excited for the game, rented a house in town for the weekend, had t shirts made for the group, came to my tailgate by 8am. Concessions were such a disaster, card readers not working, they left at halftime.

Apologies to anyone who needs it for earlier rant, but it seems DF is right ... it's all going wrong and getting worse.

NIU has no resources to tap, so the upswing is going to have to come from coaching and student-athletes. And it is. See below. Add gymnastics, wrestling and CC/track&field successes.

So ... FB is looking better. Zig-zag but better. Go 6-6/7-5, get in some minor bowl and win the damn thing. MBB recruiting is looking great; win one or two of those "big" road games and make some national ripples. M's soccer is WINNING; NCAA tournament or whatever? (don't know how that works)

Said before: the hard way is not just for the programs. Hard times have made it for fans too. Upset? Disgruntled?

Don't cut back if you don't need to. Target donations. Screw the office paperwork, meetings, appointments to fancy commissions and other c--p. Put it on the field, court, mat, pitch, whatever. Coaches and athletes have shown that's where the strength is. Still is.

Concerned they shift funding around? Attach a condition: Additional funding. Not for replacement/transfer of other funding or cuts.

GO HUSKIES!

(09-29-2021 12:51 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I gave my Wyoming tickets to some friends who attended the game. I spoke with them after the game to find out how they liked it. They said that if I ever have tickets to give away again, please do not contact them. They had a terrible time and we all know the reasons. No pre-game atmosphere and then they unloaded to me about the concessions. They were stuck in the long lines only to find out that a lot of the food had run out. So, we lost a couple more fans who would have maybe attended more games.

To be honest, these friends sound ungrateful.

You give them free tickets and they ***** about it.

IMO, Dog Fan was being honest, and the people he gave tickets to were being honest. Giving someone tickets does not mean they're required to have a good time. If they didn't they didn't, and whose fault is that?

It's getting harder to put a positive spin on things.

(09-29-2021 12:51 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I gave my Wyoming tickets to some friends who attended the game. I spoke with them after the game to find out how they liked it. They said that if I ever have tickets to give away again, please do not contact them. They had a terrible time and we all know the reasons. No pre-game atmosphere and then they unloaded to me about the concessions. They were stuck in the long lines only to find out that a lot of the food had run out. So, we lost a couple more fans who would have maybe attended more games.

Please tell me this is a typical Dogfan joke. Hotdogs? The Grotto? Please? This is embarrassing and sad ...there are High schools with better atmospheres and fan bases than us right now ...

Meanwhile, in Hawaii, they're playing in a soccer stadium with no fans. Because the Aloha Stadium is condemned and still no decision made on its replacement.

(09-29-2021 09:31 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  IMO, Dog Fan was being honest, and the people he gave tickets to were being honest. Giving someone tickets does not mean they're required to have a good time. If they didn't they didn't, and whose fault is that?

It's getting harder to put a positive spin on things.

No one is saying they have to go again. Just decline if offered.

But to get free tickets from someone and then ***** about it. That's tacky.

Whatever happened to people being grateful for a gift? If you don't like it fine...smile and say thank you. It's really not that hard.

I'm guessing Dog Fan enjoys games enough (or finds having them to be of some kind of importance to him) to have tickets to the events. Its really disrespectful to **** on that.

(09-29-2021 09:31 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  IMO, Dog Fan was being honest, and the people he gave tickets to were being honest. Giving someone tickets does not mean they're required to have a good time. If they didn't they didn't, and whose fault is that?

It's getting harder to put a positive spin on things.

Yes, these are longtime friends. We met at NIU as students. We are honest with each other. These are friends I often take to the games, and we complain together about the state of things at the games. I asked them how everything was and they told me. They were hungry and wanted food. They were in the concessions lines for what seemed like an eternity only to have food they planned to buy run out. Due to all the problems at this and other games, I don’t think they’ll be going to another game - with or without me. I do not blame them.

(09-29-2021 10:16 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I also have four on the West side. Chairbacks plus premium benefits. Looks like I’ll only be able to get to one game this year (if the weather is decent). That will turn out to be one hell of an expensive game for me! But as everyone has said, I view it as a donation to the program.

same here, I look at it as a small donation to the program.

(09-29-2021 01:43 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  They used to "fix" the game program with an update "insert," but that may be gone with the rest of it.

Like a lot of other people, I bee-otched over the water/concessions fiasco at the Wyoming game, even tossing in a "how-come" about not hooking up with the Lions big local car show fund-raiser the same day.

But going back, looking ahead, scoping the overall landscape, I have shifted into ok-now-I'm-kinda-worried mode.

In a continuing financial crisis, marketing/promotions/advertising are the first to go. You see cuts of non-essential programs (band ... since restored ... and cheerleaders, Silverettes shifted to self-funded club status). You see consolidation (e.g., recreation now under athletics). Lots of people get bigger titles than actual salary/benefit increases (lot of assistant ad's in there now). Big facility plans get whittled down (see from 2014-15) to just administrative, program and operations "improvements" (diversity, student-athlete mental health) and socio/politics (STF appt to national FBS diversity council).

As it worsens, the basics start slipping (Wyoming game). A really bad sign. Ignoring the car show = nobody is even looking around for opportunities. They're locked in survival/self-preservation mode. To come out of that, some resources are tapped. If not, it's because there's nothing to tap.

Like it or not, without some kind of big infusion, or incredible glorified success, this is where NIU is at for at least a while. Reality can bite.

When you talk about incredible glorified success, I feel like NIU was on cloud nine when it played FSU, and for some reason, the athletic department has been on a decline ever since with Frazier. Its almost like the program is circling the drain in several areas, especially Huskie stadium and the fan experience. Frazier did have some big ideas early but some of them never happened. Maybe he should concentrate on blocking and tackling and start to rebuild little by little.

(10-01-2021 08:17 AM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:43 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  They used to "fix" the game program with an update "insert," but that may be gone with the rest of it.

Like a lot of other people, I bee-otched over the water/concessions fiasco at the Wyoming game, even tossing in a "how-come" about not hooking up with the Lions big local car show fund-raiser the same day.

But going back, looking ahead, scoping the overall landscape, I have shifted into ok-now-I'm-kinda-worried mode.

In a continuing financial crisis, marketing/promotions/advertising are the first to go. You see cuts of non-essential programs (band ... since restored ... and cheerleaders, Silverettes shifted to self-funded club status). You see consolidation (e.g., recreation now under athletics). Lots of people get bigger titles than actual salary/benefit increases (lot of assistant ad's in there now). Big facility plans get whittled down (see from 2014-15) to just administrative, program and operations "improvements" (diversity, student-athlete mental health) and socio/politics (STF appt to national FBS diversity council).

As it worsens, the basics start slipping (Wyoming game). A really bad sign. Ignoring the car show = nobody is even looking around for opportunities. They're locked in survival/self-preservation mode. To come out of that, some resources are tapped. If not, it's because there's nothing to tap.

Like it or not, without some kind of big infusion, or incredible glorified success, this is where NIU is at for at least a while. Reality can bite.

When you talk about incredible glorified success, I feel like NIU was on cloud nine when it played FSU, and for some reason, the athletic department has been on a decline ever since with Frazier. Its almost like the program is circling the drain in several areas, especially Huskie stadium and the fan experience. Frazier did have some big ideas early but some of them never happened. Maybe he should concentrate on blocking and tackling and start to rebuild little by little.

I think much of the problem is that he came from a P5 program. He's not used to having to do a lot with a little. I don't think he has any idea of how to even put bandaids on the problems much less fix them. Some, I'm sure, we just don't have the money for. But I don't see many efforts in that direction.

(09-29-2021 01:43 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:36 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:28 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 01:20 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  And you know that's been happening to people for years. Now it's catching up with us big-time. They don't even sell game programs anymore.

And Shawnty got a promotion?

No programs?? OMG, that's the first thing I buy when I get to the games. Now they don't sell them anymore? This is so embarrassing. I'm sure may of the visiting fans would like to buy a program to find out more about the Huskies and NIU.

Well the last couple of years they didn't really have a "program" It was a "yearbook" which talked about NIU but it was produced at the beginning of the year and wasn't specific to a particular game, so didn't change from one game to the next, as far as I could see. I didn't see anything at all for sale either of the 2 home games this year.

We're going backwards. Next, we'll be playing our football games on a soccer field.

Yes, they used to have a "yearbook" that was sold at every game. But, they also had scorecards specific to each game. I think the yearbook was $5 and the scorecard was $2. I bought the yearbook once and then a scorecard for each game. The scorecard had the rosters.

I believe 2009 was the last year of the media guide. I know there’s a PDF online but the printed copy was always nice to have.