Attendance!!!!!

[cee]

I would like to see an OCS ASAFP too.  But to use UM as an example is a little ridiculous.  Miami is up there w/ Atlanta on the Worst Sports Town list.  I went to the game there a couple of weeks back.  That place is the biggest dump of an athletic facility I've ever been to.  Plus the fact that maybe 5% of the people in the stadium actually went to UM.  I really don't think that the OCS is the problem here.  We need to concentrate on winning fringe, non-alumni fans over.  There is obviously a huge football market out there.  Just think of all the people out there that would like to see the Bucs play at the RayJay, but can't b/c the games are sold out.  Those are the people we need to be getting right now.  I really think that our marketing dept needs to step it up, there is a market out there for the Bulls!

well pittsburgh has a great winning tradition, is located in a great football town, and is playing in a nice OFF CAMPUS stadium, yet they have the same problems selling out games (even when they were winning last year)... its those offcampus stadiums, man-- they definitely dont help the cause

[Apis Bull]

No, I really don't know why Pitt, who, according to you, sold out their OCS but don't sell out Heinz field now.  Again, I do think an OCS helps with a schools identity, but I don't buy it's the reason for our poor attendance.

[USFMikeB]

Cee is evidently so one tracked in his dead brain that he fails to recognize that all examples of this situation happen to be in big cities.  Why is that important?  Because there is a lot of other stuff to do in cities.  Universities in cities simply have lower attendance for their sports.

Putting a stadium on campus is NOT some magic elixir that will suddenly resolve our attendance problems.  In fact, it will likely reduce the number of casual football fans that live in the Tampa Bay area that actually attend because that puts the stadium in one of the extreme fringes of the region.  Additionally, the reality is that adding a few thousand students on a weekly basis isn't going to resolve it either.  Student participation is better now than it was before, but just isn't going to increase all that much.  Finally, added student attendance isn't going to pay for a stadium, since they get in for free and spend less money at games.  The revenue stream has to come from alumni, so we need to strengthen the alumni participation.

[cee]

Cee is evidently so one tracked in his dead brain that he fails to recognize that all examples of this situation happen to be in big cities.  Why is that important?  Because there is a lot of other stuff to do in cities.  Universities in cities simply have lower attendance for their sports.

USC is in the 2nd largest city in the country, has a stadium across the street from campus, sells out its games, UCLA is in the same city, has a stadium 10 mins (at least) from campus, doesnt sell out its games.. georgia tech is located in atlanta, has a stadium on campus, sells out its games, miami is in miami, has a stadium 10 mins from campus (at least), doesnt sell out its games. believe me, i've lived in both ATL and LA and i can tell you BOTH are crappy sports towns, but people still turn out to their games because of what the on campus stadium environment provides.

[cee]

Putting a stadium on campus is NOT some magic elixir that will suddenly resolve our attendance problems.

i never said it was the end-all cure either.  but just winning wont sell out games if the stadium is off campus, which is my point.. like i've said, miami has won titles despite the fact that no one goes to their games.. look at the top of the orange bowl tonight during this miami/gatech game.. a bcs-in-conference game between opponents with winning records, and the top part of the bowl is nearly empty.. same thing can be said for ucla games

[79 Bull]

DANG ! Lots more than I thought at the soccer game.

Excellent !

I walked into the soccer game at half time and if those bleachers hold 4,000 it sure looked like it was 3/4 full - I would have guessed 2,500 to 3,000 were there.

[USFMikeB]

USC is in the 2nd largest city in the country, has a stadium across the street from campus, sells out its games, UCLA is in the same city, has a stadium 10 mins (at least) from campus, doesnt sell out its games.. georgia tech is located in atlanta, has a stadium on campus, sells out its games, miami is in miami, has a stadium 10 mins from campus (at least), doesnt sell out its games. believe me, i've lived in both ATL and LA and i can tell you BOTH are crappy sports towns, but people still turn out to their games because of what the on campus stadium environment provides.

USC is on a tear, and has good support to attend their games, UCLA sux.  Nobody goes to Miami games out of fear for their life and belongings.  There are alternative reasons out there.  You just have some sort of fixation on this, and refuse to look at anything contrary.

[USFMikeB]

Trying to say that the basketball games are poorly attended because of things like a soccer game is also a fallacy.  Bball hasn't had strong support from students in YEARS.  There are students that park next to the Sundome and don't know that there's a game they can go to for free.

[79 Bull]

Speaking of students attending games.....

Walking into the soccer game last night at the half and there were 2 student soccer games going on right outside the stadium.  If those students are such soccer fanatics to play the game on a Friday night at 8:30, why weren't they in the stadium supporting their team in the NCAA championships?

[TripleB]

You just have some sort of fixation on this, and refuse to look at anything contrary.

He's just too thickheaded to acknowledge what everybody is telling him.

Most everyone in here would LIKE an on-campus stadium somewhere down the line. He thinks he's making a compelling argument for having one NOW and he's doing just the opposite by throwing UM out there as some kind of warped justification ....

He has made no rational argument for pushing to get one NOW ......... because there's not one.

B. An on-camp