Game Day experience at Ray Jay

[CousinRicky]

I know there is a thread on student experience. This is coming at it from a different perspective.

We have 8 tickets - 2 for ourselves, 4 for 2 other couples and we bring different people to each game with the last 2. The other 4 and most of the people that rotate in are in their 50's and 60's. Every game I'm hearing more and more complaints about the volume of the music and, of course, the music selection. I think they could handle the music selection but the volume of the music, advertisements and even the announcements seems to get louder every week and year.

I figure the younger people on here will tell me to have everyone turn off their hearing aids or don't bother coming to the games. I understand their taste in music is different than ours. You want to entertain the students since many aren't there for football. But does USF risk losing some of the older and more wealthy fans by cranking it up like they do? I'm afraid some of our friends will back out because of this.

I've been to many away games and can't remember any stadium where this was such an issue.

I'll be writing to someone once I know who to write to. But looking is see if anyone else feels the same way.

[pmcbri2]

I know there is a thread on student experience. This is coming at it from a different perspective.

We have 8 tickets - 2 for ourselves, 4 for 2 other couples and we bring different people to each game with the last 2. The other 4 and most of the people that rotate in are in their 50's and 60's. Every game I'm hearing more and more complaints about the volume of the music and, of course, the music selection. I think they could handle the music selection but the volume of the music, advertisements and even the announcements seems to get louder every week and year.

I figure the younger people on here will tell me to have everyone turn off their hearing aids or don't bother coming to the games. I understand their taste in music is different than ours. You want to entertain the students since many aren't there for football. But does USF risk losing some of the older and more wealthy fans by cranking it up like they do? I'm afraid some of our friends will back out because of this.

I've been to many away games and can't remember any stadium where this was such an issue.

I'll be writing to someone once I know who to write to. But looking is see if anyone else feels the same way.

I agree 100%...the volume is getting too loud and the amount of ads and comments from the PA guy is getting out of hand. The game day experience would be so much better with less PA announcements and music.

[USFMikeB]

Just out of curiosity, how do you support the assertion that it's getting louder?

[Ghost]

I can see how they might not like the music. But it's music that gets you pumped up. What selections do you think would be better/more enjoyable?

I, personally, dont have an issue with the volume really. Not to say I wouldnt mind it being turned down and getting a crowd cheer or chant going instead(**cough**tradition**cough**). I suppose it is because I am young. Football stadiums are supposed to be loud as hell. If the fans cant get something going themselves, then music is the next best thing.

[Ghost]

Also, I would like our PA guy to be funny and charismatic the way the ND and UF announcers are. Not just boring and robotic. We need to get Kevin Hart to be our PA guy.

[CousinRicky]

Just out of curiosity, how do you support the assertion that it's getting louder?

Just our, and our friends, hearing. It is just deafening at times - to us. I realize they only have the speakers at one end of the field so they need some extra wattage to have people at the other end hear it. We are closer to the north endzone, away from the speakers by a bit. About the 35 on the north side.

[CousinRicky]

I can see how they might not like the music. But it's music that gets you pumped up. What selections do you think would be better/more enjoyable?

I, personally, dont have an issue with the volume really. Not to say I wouldnt mind it being turned down and getting a crowd cheer or chant going instead(**cough**tradition**cough**). I suppose it is because I am young. Football stadiums are supposed to be loud as hell. If the fans cant get something going themselves, then music is the next best thing.

Football stadiums SHOULD be loud, I agree. But not artificially. If your fans can't do it, live with it. Don't get me started about baseball games and how fans don't cheer unless some pumped it Mexican Hat Dance or some other other song gets them started.

I know there is a huge age difference but I do remember days in baseball when there were no organs or anything to "lead" the cheers. People would actually decide to make noise on their own and not wait to be led to slaughter by some organ playing dude.

I blame the Mets. They might have been the first to introduce an organ player leading the cheers. It is has gone totally downhill from there. People sit on their hands nowadays until they get "cued" by the sound guy.

[dh5158]

I don't really have a problem with the loudness. I don't particularly like the same stuff being played over and over again. I detest all the advertising too. I think the band should play more. A few years ago, the band played all the time. I don't know what's going on.

[USFMikeB]

Here's why I'm asking: I don't think they're adding additional wattage to the loudspeakers between weeks in order to make them louder each week. Perhaps they've got a volume control, and they're adjusting it. However, I just have a difficult time seeing how this could be supported, and it can't be getting louder every single time, there would be a limit at some point.

In all honesty, i think that doing anything other than providing feedback that they're too loud would be laughed at. You started out this thread by talking about how people in your group might not go anymore, and I think that telling them that people won't go because of the loudspeakers would be laughed at. They may not laugh at you directly, but once you're off the phone with them, they'll be making fun of you across the office:

- Dude, you're not going to believe what this guy just told me

- Oh yeah, what'd he say?

- He says the loudspeakers are too loud and they don't like the music being played

- Really?

- Yeah, but the best part is that he said that we're risking losing future ticket sales because its too loud

- Doesn't he realize that it's supposed to be a loud environment at a football game, that's part of the home field advantage?

- If it's too loud, you're too old!

- Yep, tell grandpa to watch the games on TV!

- I know, people will complain about ANYTHING!

[usfbullrider]

I thought the atmosphere was pretty good, everyone was having a pretty good time until the end from where I was sitting.