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Post by hcgrad94 on Oct 2, 2017 16:47:05 GMT -5
Could it be that our fans see us as "losers" across the Board and would prefer to tailgate rather than enter? Basically. The only way to get them back is to create a fun environment in the stadium (not to send a letter). The environment inside Fitton was never anything special, but it was always far better than it is right now with these new policies in place. More security + more rules = no students. Not exactly rocket science. The security presence has nothing to do with the students not going to the games. Lack of winning is the biggest issue. The reality is students at our level don't go to games unless it is an event of some kind. And even if 15% of our student body does make it in, which would be a high % for any school, that only equates to about 425 students.
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Post by hc87 on Oct 2, 2017 18:00:39 GMT -5
Yeah....this isn't an issue (low attendance) endemic only to HC. I've noticed some sparse attendance (relative to say, 1995?) at even B1G and SEC games (upper sections nearly empty at places like Florida, Wisconsin etc) this year.
That being said, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Improve the atmosphere, program etc and we could still get relatively decent crowds (10-15K) at Fitton for some games. It's still a great background/venue/event for people to get together...a bunch of 87er's couldn't join me at Homecoming and we have already made plans to get together for the Colgate game.
Weather didn't help matters last Saturday either.
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Post by rgs318 on Oct 2, 2017 18:08:49 GMT -5
Bucknell wins the honesty award again this week with their announced 'crowd' (that's the wrong word) of 1900 for their game vs Monmouth. HC does not have a conscience saying 7600 were there on Saturday. The end zone camera showed a decent size crowd in the home stands. The visitor's side looked almost barren. That number may not have been that far off.
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Post by hchoops on Oct 2, 2017 18:14:33 GMT -5
Bucknell wins the honesty award again this week with their announced 'crowd' (that's the wrong word) of 1900 for their game vs Monmouth. HC does not have a conscience saying 7600 were there on Saturday. The end zone camera showed a decent size crowd in the home stands. That was for the first half only
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Post by rgs318 on Oct 2, 2017 18:24:15 GMT -5
That may be true, but is there a rule that you only count if you are there for both halves?
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Post by jkh67 on Oct 2, 2017 19:03:42 GMT -5
Much as I hate to say it, I think we're all kicking a dead horse here. I-AA (aka FBS) football is dying in the greater North-East. The product is essentially blah, the teams are generally mediocre, and the environments are almost all very old school and uninteresting to young people today. I live in Delaware and even a school like UD with a formidable history of gridiron success is finding fan interest tapering off. And even if you have a winner, so what? Sure, you get to go to an NCAA play-off game or two. But that doesn't generate much fan interest and teams from the North-East generally don't do very well in a format dominated by state schools from Southern and Western states with lots more money to spend and different ideas about admissions standards for athletes. Tiddly-winks, anyone?
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Post by hchoops on Oct 2, 2017 19:13:03 GMT -5
That may be true, but is there a rule that you only count if you are there for both halves? Maybe not, but the team certainly notices.
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Post by hcpride on Oct 2, 2017 19:18:21 GMT -5
Much as I hate to say it, I think we're all kicking a dead horse here. I-AA (aka FBS) football is dying in the greater North-East. The product is essentially blah, the teams are generally mediocre, and the environments are almost all very old school and uninteresting to young people today. I live in Delaware and even a school like UD with a formidable history of gridiron success is finding fan interest tapering off. And even if you have a winner, so what? Sure, you get to go to an NCAA play-off game or two. But that doesn't generate much fan interest and teams from the North-East generally don't do very well in a format dominated by state schools from Southern and Western states with lots more money to spend and different ideas about admissions standards for athletes. Tiddly-winks, anyone? Given that, are we better served by giving up schollies (120 if you count matching women) and going the Georgetown route? Spending our dollars on academics. Or pursue a NESCAC model? Or giving football up altogether? Lack of student and fan interest.
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Post by hcpride on Oct 2, 2017 19:22:11 GMT -5
That may be true, but is there a rule that you only count if you are there for both halves? Sometimes you count if you are not there at all (but do buy a ticket).
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Oct 2, 2017 19:32:27 GMT -5
As I mentioned before, if I were in the AD, I would distribute a free ticket to every student and count the 2600-2700 with mailboxes on campus in the attendance. BC attendance for the ND game was given as 44,5000. Which is capacity . Were 44,500 tickets collected at the gate? --almost certainly not.
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Post by hchoops on Oct 2, 2017 19:39:16 GMT -5
Besides those few who check the box score, whom would you be fooling ?
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Post by rgs318 on Oct 2, 2017 19:49:33 GMT -5
As I mentioned before, if I were in the AD, I would distribute a free ticket to every student and count the 2600-2700 with mailboxes on campus in the attendance. BC attendance for the ND game was given as 44,5000. Which is capacity . Were 44,500 tickets collected at the gate? --almost certainly not. Students back in the day got a book of passes to all HC home games on the first day we arrived on campus (covered by tuition). If you wanted to bring a date you could get a friend's unused ticket.
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Post by rgs318 on Oct 2, 2017 19:51:13 GMT -5
Much as I hate to say it, I think we're all kicking a dead horse here. I-AA (aka FBS) football is dying in the greater North-East. The product is essentially blah, the teams are generally mediocre, and the environments are almost all very old school and uninteresting to young people today. I live in Delaware and even a school like UD with a formidable history of gridiron success is finding fan interest tapering off. And even if you have a winner, so what? Sure, you get to go to an NCAA play-off game or two. But that doesn't generate much fan interest and teams from the North-East generally don't do very well in a format dominated by state schools from Southern and Western states with lots more money to spend and different ideas about admissions standards for athletes. Tiddly-winks, anyone? Given that, are we better served by giving up schollies (120 if you count matching women) and going the Georgetown route? Spending our dollars on academics. Or pursue a NESCAC model? Or giving football up altogether? Lack of student and fan interest. My quick answer would be no. Actually "HELL NO." OK?
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Oct 2, 2017 21:37:29 GMT -5
As I mentioned before, if I were in the AD, I would distribute a free ticket to every student and count the 2600-2700 with mailboxes on campus in the attendance. BC attendance for the ND game was given as 44,5000. Which is capacity . Were 44,500 tickets collected at the gate? --almost certainly not. Students back in the day got a book of passes to all HC home games on the first day we arrived on campus (covered by tuition). If you wanted to bring a date you could get a friend's unused ticket. In the early 1970's we got into football games free with a student ID. For basketball we bought season tickets --I think it might have been $3.50 per game, equal to $20.00 today
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Oct 3, 2017 7:24:57 GMT -5
Students back in the day got a book of passes to all HC home games on the first day we arrived on campus (covered by tuition). If you wanted to bring a date you could get a friend's unused ticket. In the early 1970's we got into football games free with a student ID. For basketball we bought season tickets --I think it might have been $3.50 per game, equal to $20.00 today But the games back then would still have been in the Auditorium, right? Which would have cost HC to rent.
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Post by bikeman on Oct 3, 2017 7:30:18 GMT -5
Forget about the casual Worcester area fans for now. I know many alumni and former diehard fans who don't go anymore because the product sucks. The PL name carries a hugh stigma as well. If people that used to love HC athletics have lost interest, forget about everyone else. Changing leagues or totally dominating the PL for years is the only hope for wider interest. Neither, I fear, is going to happen.
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Post by cmo on Oct 5, 2017 18:54:05 GMT -5
Much as I hate to say it, I think we're all kicking a dead horse here. I-AA (aka FBS) football is dying in the greater North-East. The product is essentially blah, the teams are generally mediocre, and the environments are almost all very old school and uninteresting to young people today. I live in Delaware and even a school like UD with a formidable history of gridiron success is finding fan interest tapering off. And even if you have a winner, so what? Sure, you get to go to an NCAA play-off game or two. But that doesn't generate much fan interest and teams from the North-East generally don't do very well in a format dominated by state schools from Southern and Western states with lots more money to spend and different ideas about admissions standards for athletes. Tiddly-winks, anyone? Given that, are we better served by giving up schollies (120 if you count matching women) and going the Georgetown route? Spending our dollars on academics. Or pursue a NESCAC model? Or giving football up altogether? Lack of student and fan interest. Make sure you save the receipt for the new indoor field. 😃
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