1010 Not So Happy Hour discussion of Bulls' fan apathy

[Costa]

Regarding marketing for USF, the higher ups dont really do anything. Look at their twitter accounts, they dont ever promote USF athletics. The only one that does is Bill M, and he isnt even part of marketing. USF needs an overhaul over the entire marketing dept, starting at the top.

[Costa]

As for fans showing up only when we win, I think that are fans have been trained to see USF games like Bucs games. Playing all of our home games in an NFL stadium has given our games an "NFL" feel to them, and not a college-type atmosphere. So its only natural for our fans to act like NFL fans. Pretty sad.

[TheUpperHand]

Regarding marketing for USF, the higher ups dont really do anything. Look at their twitter accounts, they dont ever promote USF athletics. The only one that does is Bill M, and he isnt even part of marketing. USF needs an overhaul over the entire marketing dept, starting at the top.

This. Marketing department is apathetic as well. However, commercials and billboards can only help so much. If they have it in their mind that they're not going ... they're not going. Not many times that a commercial made me change my mind about something.

Maybe start bringing fans by force. Promote "Drag a friend to Ray Jay day" and give a Papa John's coupon for every person that kidnaps a friend and brings them to the game.

[bulls sec 235]

It is definitely a complex issue. I have had 8 tickets since day one. The ownership of the 8 tickets was split by four families each with two tickets. Group one left after the 2nd year due to job relocation. Group 2 left a few years later because they started having children and thus other priorities. Group 3 left this year because his kids grew up and are now either in college or getting ready to go to college and thus money needs to be expended else where.

Fortunately, I found another group who picked up the extra 6 seats and they are avid fans that go every week.

I use to think I was an avid fan but lately my interest has waned. I have started asking myself whether I really want to waste 3 hours watching this team lose. They were suppose to win the Big East this year. Now we have already lost to Pitt and U Conn.

And the scheduling of home games is not good. Three home games on consecutive weekends? Playing a pansy the first game is expected. Playing 2 more pansies is boring. And playing all these pansies does not toughen up our team.

And it only gets worse.... as the Big East appears on the brink of falling apart. Adding UCF? YUCK!

But I do not feel like an OCS is the answer. An erecter set stadium like USF? Uh, no thanks.

We use to have a competitive, engergetic team that was fun to watch. What the heck happened?

[Bullshiznitz]

The reality of the situation, and what most don't want to hear....is that a big part of the problem is "time".  Trying to compare our attendance to established programs is crazy.  UF alumni who are 40, 50, 60 all were going to UF when they fielded a football team for the entire time there.  They have generations who have grown up Gator fans (I'm just using UF for my example, but applies to any long standing program).  So when they have alumni who move away, or who have financial troubles, or who are just apathetic football fans, or any other possible reason to not attend a game, they have thousands upon thousands more alumni to draw from to fill their stadium no matter who they play.  To me its the same as foolishly trying to compare the Yankees attendance with the Rays.  The Yankees literally have 2 to 3 times more people in NYC to draw from than the Rays do (not to mention having been around the entire time any one who lives in NYC has been around). 

It takes time to build a fan base that can overcome outside aspects to always provde a rabid fanbase.  What, we've only had football for a little less than 15 years.  And only around 10 of those at D-I.  Anyone over 35 or so either never had football at USF while they were there, or at most a year or two of I-AA football.  Thats a vast majority of your alumni base that never got to attend a football game as a student.  And while we here can believe that all those people if football fans should be USF fans, the reality of the situation is that a vast majority of them are not going to switch the primary allegiance (who ever they grew up rooting for).  It stinks, but thats more or less the truth.  To compound the problem,  a good portion of the recent grads are probably having trouble finding employment, or if they have, the pay is going to be so low, they may find attending football as a low priority for them rigt now.  Its just going to take time. Period.  As long as USF can somehow remain in a relevant conference where we are playing games that matter, then in another decade, you'll see a big difference.  And in another 20 years, an even bigger difference. 

[Triple B]

I thought the discussion was fan apathy, and then a successfull program. IMO there will never be a championship without passionate fans in the stands.

IMO a stadium full of passionate fans is paramount to winning. So, from that perspective, I'll take the fans.

I'll take 10-12 wins a year and consider USF a success

you can have success without a huge fan base. ask miami. tcu. boise state.

you can have a huge fan base without success on the field ask. south carolina.

it;s the chicken and the egg problem.

I believe we will have success and then get fans in the stands.

I guess you guys believe we will have to have fans in the stands before success.

LOL ... Keep straying further and further away from the original argument about a "successful program". I repeat, there are different measurements of success and you are strictly focusing on on the field results ... which is fine but, IMO, it's not the ONLY definition of a "successful program". It's hard for me to call a football program that's averaged around 80K for the last 12 years or so, unsuccessful ...

[Minotaur]

I used to be a rabid fan. I wasted hours and hours when I should've been working worrying about who what and when USF was doing. After my well publicized fall I was able to put sports and the Bulls in their proper perspective. The college took my money in exchange for a degree. I had a good experience at USF and am loyal to a fault, but athletics are only entertainment. As an entertainment vehicle the Bulls are not that entertaining. They make tailgating a headache, I do not purchased adult beverages in the stadium because the money goes to glaziers so I go thirsty, the on field product is spotty and mostly dull and getting good season tickets is both cost prohibitive and troublesome. Even if you have good seats you have to sit down and cheer when told to cheer or leave. I found going to the games to be over rated after my tailgating group broke up so I rarely go anymore and I am the target audience. If I were attacking the apathy problem at you USF I would begin with the Alumni Association reaching out and making homecoming an event. When I say that I mean a can't miss event for all of Tampa/St Pete. Starting with a concert after the game, a carnival in the parking lot, loads of ex players on hand in uniform shaking hands and signing autographs and a welcoming atmosphere not just to the high dollar donors but to the entire area. If they make one game that fun and inclusive it may have a giant affect. Then I could get people to tailgate with me, they may enjoy the games and return and a butterfly effect may grab hold. Half assed business and marketing as usual is not working. There is opportunity just look at the Lightning and the changes they made trying to gain customers and you will see that the standard status quo is not enough to garner fans these days.

[Bull94]

I thought the discussion was fan apathy, and then a successfull program. IMO there will never be a championship without passionate fans in the stands.

IMO a stadium full of passionate fans is paramount to winning. So, from that perspective, I'll take the fans.

I'll take 10-12 wins a year and consider USF a success

you can have success without a huge fan base. ask miami. tcu. boise state.

you can have a huge fan base without success on the field ask. south carolina.

it;s the chicken and the egg problem.

I believe we will have success and then get fans in the stands.

I guess you guys believe we will have to have fans in the stands before success.

LOL ... Keep straying further and further away from the original argument about a "successful program". I repeat, there are different measurements of success and you are strictly focusing on on the field results ... which is fine but, IMO, it's not the ONLY definition of a "successful program". It's hard for me to call a football program that's averaged around 80K for the last 12 years or so, unsuccessful ...

this argument started with a radio guy's idea that in order to have success you need to have a rabid fan base. I don't think he meant success in the pocket book. maybe he did. I assumed he meant success on the field.

why would a fan ever care about how much money we generate? I think they are more interested in wins than they are dollars and cents. at least i am.

Notre dame can take their fat bank account and big crowd. I'll take the W any day.

[Costa]

I used to be a rabid fan. I wasted hours and hours when I should've been working worrying about who what and when USF was doing. After my well publicized fall I was able to put sports and the Bulls in their proper perspective. The college took my money in exchange for a degree. I had a good experience at USF and am loyal to a fault, but athletics are only entertainment. As an entertainment vehicle the Bulls are not that entertaining. They make tailgating a headache, I do not purchased adult beverages in the stadium because the money goes to glaziers so I go thirsty, the on field product is spotty and mostly dull and getting good season tickets is both cost prohibitive and troublesome. Even if you have good seats you have to sit down and cheer when told to cheer or leave. I found going to the games to be over rated after my tailgating group broke up so I rarely go anymore and I am the target audience. If I were attacking the apathy problem at you USF I would begin with the Alumni Association reaching out and making homecoming an event. When I say that I mean a can't miss event for all of Tampa/St Pete. Starting with a concert after the game, a carnival in the parking lot, loads of ex players on hand in uniform shaking hands and signing autographs and a welcoming atmosphere not just to the high dollar donors but to the entire area. If they make one game that fun and inclusive it may have a giant affect. Then I could get people to tailgate with me, they may enjoy the games and return and a butterfly effect may grab hold. Half assed business and marketing as usual is not working. There is opportunity just look at the Lightning and the changes they made trying to gain customers and you will see that the standard status quo is not enough to garner fans these days.

Pretty much everything you said is spot-on. With our current situation at Ray Jay, tailgating is truly a headache. The fact that the games have an overall NFL feel to them makes them less fun (like a college game should be) when you have some ass-wad behind you telling you to sit down because he cant see sitting in his seat when we just scored.

Every major event at other schools, such as homecoming, are an absolute joke at USF. Homecoming, for instance, at UF is a huge deal. They have a concert and comedy act inside the swamp, and the entire student body participates in it. What do we have? A crappy "carnival" with some lame, washed up hip-hop artist in the middle of a field on campus. Really awesome.

USF just does everything second rate. Thats why no one gets involved. Make people WANT to get involved by putting on good events, no half-ass planned events.

[KB]

making homecoming an event. When I say that I mean a can't miss event for all of Tampa/St Pete. Starting with a concert after the game, a carnival in the parking lot

Since USF schedules 3 pansies a year, which I wish they would change but I don't think they will, they should schedule 1 of them in November.  That way they can make it the HC game at 3pm and be able to schedule better events around HC, both pregame and postgame.  For the past several years HC has been a BE game and the TV time has been up in the air.  Hard to plan around not knowing what time the game will be.  

HC should be a draw no matter who you play.  

Of course this could all change when we go to a 12 team BE.  Not as many OOC games I would guess.  That could actually increase attendance.