We all know the large majority of the 17-19k that are there for virtually every game, go because of the name on the front of OUR jerseys regardless of the name on the other jerseys. If it were the other way around at most places then why the hell would someone pay $100 per ticket to sit in the freaking nose bleeds and 4 hours of traffic to watch OU play UTEP?
Disappointing attendance total
- Thread starter Babe the Blue Ox
- Start date
I really think the attendance problem is directly related to the "tired" game day presentation. Going to a TU game is like stepping back in time. This past weeks big new effort was to have the PA announcer getting the lame ass crowd to chant Golden Hurricane. At least they were trying and I appreciate it, but football game day experiences have evolved over the past few decades and TU is still stuck in the 1980's.
We have a hot coach who plays an exciting brand of football and he wins. Obviously, the football product alone is not enough to attract the fans and it shows.
TU should really send someone to a Dallas Cowboys game to simply study the experience. Then go visit a mid size college that does it right. Heck, Jenks and Union have a better game day experience. Football is a long game with lots of TV timeouts. You need loud music that is timely, fun and energetic. Some Turnpike Troubadours would be great! You need entertainment that's not corny. You need cheerleaders and dancers up and down the aisles getting the place going. Goldie should be walking the concourse with the prettiest cheerleader we have and taking pictures with fans.
A football game is entertainment and people choose where to spend their entertainment dollars. The BOK does great. The casinos are obviously doing great. TU simply has to provide a better entertainment experience if they want to compete. It really would not be that hard. Problem is that leadership at TU leadership just seems apathetic to it.
We have a hot coach who plays an exciting brand of football and he wins. Obviously, the football product alone is not enough to attract the fans and it shows.
TU should really send someone to a Dallas Cowboys game to simply study the experience. Then go visit a mid size college that does it right. Heck, Jenks and Union have a better game day experience. Football is a long game with lots of TV timeouts. You need loud music that is timely, fun and energetic. Some Turnpike Troubadours would be great! You need entertainment that's not corny. You need cheerleaders and dancers up and down the aisles getting the place going. Goldie should be walking the concourse with the prettiest cheerleader we have and taking pictures with fans.
A football game is entertainment and people choose where to spend their entertainment dollars. The BOK does great. The casinos are obviously doing great. TU simply has to provide a better entertainment experience if they want to compete. It really would not be that hard. Problem is that leadership at TU leadership just seems apathetic to it.
Already been mentioned, but Drillers also are great at this. 99% of people there have no idea who the opponent is and couldn't tell you the next day if Drillers won or lost.
I used to go every year to the Drillers' Clunker Car Night. I'd buy 10 programs for my 10 chances to win one of those five hunks of crap. And the last one was usually given away in the 7th or 8th inning so of course I stayed.
For whatever reason, the Drillers don't do it anymore and I always remind them about it when the promo schedule comes out.
By gawd, clunker cars are silly and fun!
For whatever reason, the Drillers don't do it anymore and I always remind them about it when the promo schedule comes out.
By gawd, clunker cars are silly and fun!
People spend $100 to attend an OU or OSU game for the experience. It's obviously a better view from the TV. However, you miss the experience. Feeling part of the excitement after a big play as the crowd noise is deafening. Being part of the chants. Attending the tailgate and eating and drinking under the tents. THE EXPERIENCE is why people go to games. Create a better experience and attract larger crowds.
They started by trying to sell tailgate spots in the Lorton Village lot just west of the Stadium this year. $250 gets you 10 endzone tickets and 1 tailgate spot. That's not bad at all. My question to TU is this...you have 100's of RED, BLUE, and GREEN lot spots not being used for football games. Why not sell even more individual tailgate spots (or even 4 lined spots) to a group good for one car and use the other 3 spaces to tailgate in. I know the TailGators do that at the Wesley Foundation. The lot just north and west of sorority row is largely empty. The lot west of Wesley has a good number of remaining spaces as well. Both of those are no more than a 3-4 minute walk from the Dobbs' Gate off of 8th street. I don't know what else they can do unless you start positioning the craft beer carts or other food trucks around campus prior to a game.
I don't have an answer which would solve our attendance problem. I fairly confident there's not a single answer out there. I do believe it's important for the University to understand that people go to college football games for reasons other than just to watch a game (which they could do at home) and then work to improve those areas. College football games are a place to enjoy food, drink and friends who share a common interest (the team).
Who else are we going to play? According to our future non-conference schedules, we have an opening for a home game in 2020 but no road openings until 2024. There aren't may opponents that will agree to those terms outside of Sunbelt and maybe some CUSA schools.
Yeah, you bracketed the problem when it comes to scheduling. Now if by some miracle the American became a power conference, would that help things for us? Is that even a possibility?
We are in a vicious cycle for the foreseeable future of needing the bigger paydays from one off road games which puts us in a hole at home.
But that really only matters to football diehards. The people we could attract simply for the entertainment factor aren't going to be as concerned about what is on the opponent jersey.
But that really only matters to football diehards. The people we could attract simply for the entertainment factor aren't going to be as concerned about what is on the opponent jersey.
Why don't they just get rid of most of the parking requirements on campus for football games outside of the GHC and a couple lots right near the stadium. That's one of the most annoying things about game day. Remove barriers to entry and more people will come. There is no reason to have as many parking attendants around campus as they do.
I agree but there is not a shortage of close by parking. I drove up 20 minutes before the game started last week and parked in the BAH lot because there were empty spaces. Other times I have parked at USA South or USA North apartments. Regardless where you are on campus, you are still no more than a 5-7 minute walk to the stadium and the tailgate area around the 11th St 'U' and not more than a 1-2 minute walk from any of the numerous shuttle stops on campus that will drop you at the stadium. Please stop pushing parking as an issue.
There are a million different excuses and reasons. The 12 day window for TV doesn't help because people can't schedule around that.
It's freaking hot here until October. That is a known fact. We need to play at night as much as possible until 10/1 every year. The east side fade is quick and ugly when it's hot and sunny.
It's freaking hot here until October. That is a known fact. We need to play at night as much as possible until 10/1 every year. The east side fade is quick and ugly when it's hot and sunny.
Parking is an issue. People who aren't TU grads won't know where to park. The good thing about drillers games now is that there are some free areas to park that are less than one block away from the stadium
Slot machines and black jack tables under the stadium and some pole dancers for LEC and friends. Attendance problems solved...you're welcome.
Nuke holy toledo!!!
Nuke holy toledo!!!
Exactly. I'm not a TU alum so all those buildings Bla mentioned mean nothing to me. Every time I've tried to park on the TU campus every lot I saw said "permit parking only" or someone was standing at the entrance to an empty lot telling me I can't park there. Maybe things have changed in the last 20 years but here if you park at UNR where it says permit only you get a hefty ticket and/or towed.
TUBla says they don't patrol the lots giving tickets during the games, other times yeah.
Honestly, even if they give you a "ticket" it's not really a ticket. It's a TU campo ticket that doesn't really mean anything to anyone who isn't a student. Campo has no real authority to inforce any laws or ordinances. They are there to keep students safe and on game days, they direct traffic. If you park in an open lot and you have a ticket in your window when you get back, there is literally zero consequence.
I was a big fan of the instrumental hip hop that was being played during timeouts. It probably isn’t mass appealing to the fans as a group but the team really enjoys it.
WE all know that, but some family that just wants to have a good time a-la a drillers game probably wouldn't. Every single lot on campus has a sign that says "permit parking only". If I were TU, I would at least open the large lots south of TUPAC (like the one behind the engineering / law buildings) with big signs that said FREE GAMEDAY PARKING and the parking attendants at the GHC type lots should direct people to those places.
But that would take away some of their incentives for donation to the Hurricane Club.
I don't think they're going to quit the GHC just because there is some free parking quite a bit farther than around the stadium / Reynolds Center.
The new food options and vendors walking up and down the aisles selling drinks was an improvement of the last few years in my opinion.
Provide a pre-game event:
Meet and great former players.
Free hot dogs for all ticket holders.
Pep rally.
Meet and great former players.
Free hot dogs for all ticket holders.
Pep rally.
They have done each of those things multiple times. They have had numerous autograph sessions prior to games, given away free hotdogs to anyone who wants them on over on chapman commons, and they do a small pep rally with the band before every game.
It's literally what we've done for years. Maybe he doesn't actually go to games?
This game was only on ESPN3, but maybe this article can shed some light on these issues across the sports genre.
http://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/clev...ce.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
http://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/clev...ce.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
You would think that, but people can be freaking soft. Personally, I would be there if it was 110 to support the cities team that I grew up in, but when people are too soft to come to a game when it's only 80.. that's their problem, not TUs
I have no idea how a typical family affords an MLB outing. And there's also so little incentive to go to any individual game when there's another 80+ on the home slate.
No one is denying attendance has a variety of stressors in 2017, it's just that we seem to be disproportionately affected by all of them.
Winning helps.
Playing home games against teams with a local fan base or fan favorites:
KU, KSU, ark, Missouri, iowa, colotado, colorado st. Air force, boisie, utah, az and az st, texas, baylor, tcu,
Playing home games against teams with a local fan base or fan favorites:
KU, KSU, ark, Missouri, iowa, colotado, colorado st. Air force, boisie, utah, az and az st, texas, baylor, tcu,
To add to this they added a pop-up corner store, at least on the east side. It is FANTASTIC and significantly faster than the normal concession stands.
Let me know your plan to get a 1-1 with Texas... or about 10 others on that list.
I agree 100% with improving the pre game outmosphere. It is horrible. We have very capable marketing majors who could assist with eliminating that problem if ever asked to do so. Tulsa has changed so much over the years demographically that you can't just throw free or discounted tickets out there and expect people to show up. I see the same pre game atmosphere/activities there now that I did 17 yrs ago when I played my last game and that isn't a good thing!
There are many people in Tulsa now that grew up in another state and have no about Tulsa Football. Add that onto the fact that you play sub average teams at home on top of not being very good and you have a recipe it for what we see now.
I get it that some teams don't want to come to Tulsa but I'm tired of hearing those tired and lame excuses. The AD and staff get paid a lot of money to make that happen and their inability to do that has hurt us.
My solutions are:
1) Revamp pregame and halftime activities
2) Work more strategically with City of Tulsa and Chamber of Commerce to coordinate other major events to occur the same weekend of home games to improve attendance
3) Set up a council of current and former student athletes that serve a one yr term to advise the AD on new and creative ways to improve.
(Council could travel as a group to other similar markets to explore opportunities to improve TU)
The biggest takeaway here is use the resources you already have at the School of Business (free labor) in a more strategic manner and involve the former student athletes more into the planning (not just asking for donations). There are so many smart alumni that have so many ideas but nobody is tapping into that!
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