You just got hired...

[Triple B]

2 minutes ago, NAS Gone to Paradise said:

Well it’s obvious you are very into sports,  but not everyone is.   Do you support USF School of Theatre and the Arts.   

Not surprisingly, you totally missed the point of the "earn my support" comment. Go back and read the post Brad was responding to and try again ..................... or not.

[Brad]

It's a canned response he's used before....

[Triple B]

6 minutes ago, Brad said:

It's a canned response he's used before....

He's apparently into the Theatre and Arts .................. not that there's anything wrong with that.

[puc86]

1 minute ago, Triple B said:

He's apparently into the Theatre and Arts .................. not that there's anything wrong with that.

Maybe we should make a board for that.

[charsibb]

My sister graduated in '79 and is probably a good example of those alumni who don't support the school.

She never went to any on-campus events as a student, she simply drove to campus, took her classes, and left. No theater, no sports, no clubs, no school spirit at all. And she's never stepped foot on campus since. This from a high school cheerleader.

We've had 40 years since then to shed the commuter school label, and we've made progress, but no, we haven't yet earned the undying loyalty of the majority. We may scoff at the "cults" of Gators and Noles (especially in the State House), but they've managed to do it and we haven't. Hell, FAMU and BCC are probably both better at it than we are. Miami and the myriad other state schools are in our boat too.

Maybe the University at large needs to become more of a cult. In a good way, of course, if that's possible.

[Triple B]

1 hour ago, puc86 said:

Maybe we should make a board for that.

The Trough ..... Brad has all the bases covered in here.

[bullsbucsfan426]

2 hours ago, Brad said:

This concept is difficult for me.  I tend to support just about every school team I am connected to.  I support USF because I went there.  I support three highs schools and two middle schools because my kids went there.  I support two other high schools because I coached at them.  

That support ranges from buying tickets to games and attending (even though my kids are gone) to donating for equipment and uniforms.

What is it that one's alma mater must do to earn the purchase of a ticket?  Win?

That makes it sound as if USF is failing at a deeper level.  It's not Athletics, it's the school.  People go and have no attachment?  Sports is the easiest way to stay attached.  

I'm not criticizing you or your point, just trying to figure it out.  When my phone rang 20-21 years ago asking if I wanted to donate to a non-existent football program, the answer was an enthusiastic YES!  Just as I had  been donating to Athletics and was a season ticket holder to basketball.  Went to games in the dome as a student, and wanted to continue that post-graduation.  Had I waited around for USF to earn my support, I might have been lost.  ****, I could be running something called the GatorSwamp.com had I been that remiss.

This is more an observation I have based on what I've seen when trying to get people to buy tickets. I personally believe USF deserves support because they are my alma mater, because they are doing yeoman's work in helping students from underprivileged backgrounds get a chance to move ahead in life, and because if I don't support them with donations and season ticket purchases, then my credibility is damaged when trying to get any one else to support the team, whether they're 0-12 or 13-0. I sat through the abyss in 2012, 2013, and 2014 and honestly while I won't call it a religious or spiritual experience, pushing myself through that made the joys in 2015-2017 truly enjoyable, and prepared me to know how to handle defeat. Walking out of Raymond James in 2014 to loud UCF chants was a frankly painful experience-and watching us embarrass Temple, Cincy, and UCF the next year felt like my patience had been worth it. 

Yet there seem to be many from my graduating class (and before and after classes) who don't share the same views. When the Big 12 was knocking on the door of the AAC to potentially raid us, I remember talking to my next door neighbor. I urged and urged him to buy season tickets to show his support for the program-and all he could talk about was how getting into the Big 12 would take us to another level. He didn't want to invest in the program to make it worthy of a spot in the Big 12-he wanted USF to be in the big 12 before it was worthy of his attention. I have had others who have made similar comments when I suggest just going to a game, let alone buying season tickets. I will give full credit to one of my fellow alumni, who shares seats with me-last year he drove from work in ORLANDO to attend weeknight games. That is a mark of true dedication. He is actually running for State Representative this year, and once his campaign kicks off next week I will be happy to share more information about him, but the man bleeds green and gold and this is the type of alumni we need to reach out to. 

It is my belief, that given this apathy among alumni, that USF needs to cast a wider net. Most of the small towns around Tampa LOVE football. They go and watch it regularly. But who are they watching? The Bucs? The Gators, Seminoles, Canes, or Knights? Why?! We are not making our case to these potential fans. I get that USF has limited resources, yet we do have one resource that we leave untapped-alumni like me, who take our time, buy tickets, donate, try to persuade our friends to attend games on our dime. Does USF Athletics have an alumni ambassador program? Does USF Athletics make its presence known at community events all around the Tampa Bay area? USF has a very large alumni base-that doesn't hear from them when it comes to USF athletics. Reaching out is the first step. If we reach out to 100 people, maybe we get 10 people agreeing to come to a USF athletics event (note that this doesn't have to be a game, could be as little as a mixer event with food and drinks and CCS and one or two other coaches). There's over 300,000 alumni-even one percent of them is 3000 ticket buyers-and even at the lowest price that's an extra 300k a year in ticket revenue. And all of this could be helped by an ambassador program of committed USF alumni. 

[BDYZR]

bbfan, I think maybe you answered part of the problem with your comments and questions.

Don' want to invest until we're in the P5. Same people probably won't buy a lotto ticket until it's $100mil.

How involved are you, and others, involved with the Alumni Assoc.? I think this question goes back to the gist of the thread. Marketing, but the Alumni that care about athletics absolutely MUST be more involved with the athletic side of the Alumni Association. BE HERD!

Edited May 28, 2018 by BDYZR

[Ricky the Bull]

I think that they need to do what they did in the program's infancy:  have CCS hit as many Civitan, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc. meetings he can to let them know what is going on at USF and why we are a program that they can get behind.

They could also get more involved with youth organizations and mentoring, including offering tickets, practice passes, facilities and campus tours to kids and their parents.  To get kids to be Bulls fans early will pay dividends.

Some of the work will involve us, the fans.  WE need to invite family, coworkers, friends, and neighbors to events/games to spark their interest.

Sure, there are a lot of people who already have allegiances, but plenty that do not and have the potential to become true fans and season ticket holders.

 

 

[NewEnglandBull]

3 hours ago, bullsbucsfan426 said:

This is more an observation I have based on what I've seen when trying to get people to buy tickets. I personally believe USF deserves support because they are my alma mater, because they are doing yeoman's work in helping students from underprivileged backgrounds get a chance to move ahead in life, and because if I don't support them with donations and season ticket purchases, then my credibility is damaged when trying to get any one else to support the team, whether they're 0-12 or 13-0. I sat through the abyss in 2012, 2013, and 2014 and honestly while I won't call it a religious or spiritual experience, pushing myself through that made the joys in 2015-2017 truly enjoyable, and prepared me to know how to handle defeat. Walking out of Raymond James in 2014 to loud UCF chants was a frankly painful experience-and watching us embarrass Temple, Cincy, and UCF the next year felt like my patience had been worth it. 

Yet there seem to be many from my graduating class (and before and after classes) who don't share the same views. When the Big 12 was knocking on the door of the AAC to potentially raid us, I remember talking to my next door neighbor. I urged and urged him to buy season tickets to show his support for the program-and all he could talk about was how getting into the Big 12 would take us to another level. He didn't want to invest in the program to make it worthy of a spot in the Big 12-he wanted USF to be in the big 12 before it was worthy of his attention. I have had others who have made similar comments when I suggest just going to a game, let alone buying season tickets. I will give full credit to one of my fellow alumni, who shares seats with me-last year he drove from work in ORLANDO to attend weeknight games. That is a mark of true dedication. He is actually running for State Representative this year, and once his campaign kicks off next week I will be happy to share more information about him, but the man bleeds green and gold and this is the type of alumni we need to reach out to. 

It is my belief, that given this apathy among alumni, that USF needs to cast a wider net. Most of the small towns around Tampa LOVE football. They go and watch it regularly. But who are they watching? The Bucs? The Gators, Seminoles, Canes, or Knights? Why?! We are not making our case to these potential fans. I get that USF has limited resources, yet we do have one resource that we leave untapped-alumni like me, who take our time, buy tickets, donate, try to persuade our friends to attend games on our dime. Does USF Athletics have an alumni ambassador program? Does USF Athletics make its presence known at community events all around the Tampa Bay area? USF has a very large alumni base-that doesn't hear from them when it comes to USF athletics. Reaching out is the first step. If we reach out to 100 people, maybe we get 10 people agreeing to come to a USF athletics event (note that this doesn't have to be a game, could be as little as a mixer event with food and drinks and CCS and one or two other coaches). There's over 300,000 alumni-even one percent of them is 3000 ticket buyers-and even at the lowest price that's an extra 300k a year in ticket revenue. And all of this could be helped by an ambassador program of committed USF alumni. 

Your first point is spot on. Assuming one likes sports and assuming one graduated from USF then they need to get their asses out and support their alma mater. Your next door neighbor is the poster child for terrible fair weather Tampa fans. Your friend from Orlando is the opposite. I wish there was some way to tell those who did not support us when we were in the ACC to piss off when we are in the Big12...but that would obviously be detrimental. Based on your numbers the final synopsis is our alumni suck.