2014 Dome Attendance Spike?

[Bayside44]

Early season wins. That's it. The fans and likers of football in general aren't tuning into late season runs to be bowl eligible.

 

[Statesman1]

Early season wins. That's it. The fans and likers of football in general aren't tuning into late season runs to be bowl eligible.

Yup winning is the answer. In sports, you can't be both bad and boring, and for too long SU was both. At least now we are not that bad but we are still not quite a truly exciting brand of football. SU football will be an "event" when we actually have a legit chance to win the FSU/Clemson games- not carnival barkers and chicken spiedies in mid November.

 

[upperdeck]

undefeated NC FSU on a a 20 game winning streak with the Heisman winning QB is a bigger draw than Clemson.. it will help not being 2-2 as well.

 

[OrangePA]

Agree with everything yous said, but a lot of the "attendance problems" could be fixed with some basic marketing and some easy and in-expensive gameday atmosphere things done around the Dome on gamedays. They have 6 home games a year, they need to plan 6 "events" a year. Make those 6 Saturday's something special. They already have the money of the "die-hard football fans"...now its time to expand and get the money of the "casual fan" and the locals who like "events" by catering to them. The price of going to a game at SU is great...can't get any cheaper. Season tickets are cheap and you can get single game tickets even cheaper on the street or with specials like 4 for $44. But make the overall experience more than just a game to draw in people who don't know a football from a wristwatch.

A lot of it is "winning"...win more and more people will show up. But a big part of it is the University's inability to realize that they are in the "ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS" on those 6 Saturday's and they need improve everything around the actual game on those 6 days a year. I had season tickets for 30 or so years, I gave them up, but I still go to every game. But I interact with so many people in my every day life who just don't have SU football on their radar. You get them to get SU football on their radar from making the atmosphere on those 6 Saturday's "FUN"...its FUN whether SU wins or loses. Those people don't want to go to a game, they want to go to a local EVENT and socialize and party. It should be a state fair like atmosphere around the Dome on those 6 Saturday's. Tents and Vendors selling shirts, hats, variety's of food...the whole thing. Make it an all day event.

It's not about marketing.

They market a lot.

It's winning - multiple nine or ten win seasons will impact.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

Winning will cure both attendance and recruiting woes. Now if we can just get the football team to comply.

 

[Crusty]

We probably need one more winning season before we can expect any kind of attendance growth. When the average casual fan has the opinion that we are "pretty good", are on the rise and are fun to watch, we have a chance to get some attendance momentum.

Marrone's 25-25 record might have been spectacular to the hard core fans but after GRob's 10-37, it is easy to see why we have not had much traction yet. Let's face it 35 - 62 over eight years is no the stuff of which sellouts are made. We're 15-11 for the last two years and an 9-4 season would probably do wonders next year - perhaps no so much as for 2014 but subsequent seasons.
Defense does not sell except to hardcore fans. Over the last 7 seasons we have averaged 22.1 points per game. We are, in a word, boring to the average fan. In a world when the NFL is setting records year after year for points scored, we are not very exciting. Have we had our exciting games in the past few years? Sure, but very few and even fewer high scoring ones.

Season Avg. PPG​

2007 16.4
2008 18.1
2009 21.2
2010 22.2
2011 24.2
2012 30.0
2013 22.7

We need exciting playmakers that can produce exciting plays like Estime's punt return, ACE's 50 yard diving TD catch, Hunt's TD scrambles and designed runs. We are finally getting a few of these players and there is great promise that we can produce exciting offenses in the next few years.

Marketing always helps but in the final analysis it is the product that counts.

As one famous alum was fond of saying, "Win baby, just win!"​

 

[anomander]

it was nice to see Shafer got a mostly standing ovation yesterday during the hoops game. he was also walking through the tunnel and got another one from the people in the section where he responds with some fist pumps. honestly besides the people on this board, and the die hards that follow the program (which is less then you would want) most people had no idea who Shafer was. I think he has endeared himself to the common fan and is starting to create a a buzz behind the program. its still no where near it's gotta be but its getting closer. it helps we should be 2-0 heading into the Maryland game.

 

[Crusty]

it was nice to see Shafer got a mostly standing ovation yesterday during the hoops game. he was also walking through the tunnel and got another one from the people in the section where he responds with some fist pumps. honestly besides the people on this board, and the die hards that follow the program (which is less then you would want) most people had no idea who Shafer was. I think he has endeared himself to the common fan and is starting to create a a buzz behind the program. its still no where near it's gotta be but its getting closer. it helps we should be 2-0 heading into the Maryland game.

That's depressing.

 

[All4SU]

SU Marketing needs to bring excitement to the Dome similar to what NW has done. During TV timeouts, Cuse should give away a vehicle if someone can kick a 40 yd FG or one year free tuition if a student/fan can throw a pass through a car tire from 30 yds out. NW football has increased attendance over 10k per game in last three years due to improved football marketing.
Lastly, SU needs to redo its marching band by increasing size with more brass, improving song selection and starting the Orange Girls similar to the Mizzou Golden Girls. There are too many flutes and chunky flag twirlers just don't cut it anymore...

With all due respect, and in my opinion, not one of those things has an impact on attendance.

 

[44PRIDE]

Syracuse 2014 isn't the same town as it was in 1995. Look at the sheer number of well paying factory jobs that have left the area. (NVG, Carrier, Miller, Lockheed, SRC...much less all the 2nd tier jobs) Along with that, we've lost an entire generation of young talent that moved out of the area.

Fans are more selective with how they spend their money. Do I think we could get a few sellouts next year? Sure. But I highly doubt that we could come close to averaging 40K...much less 45k for the season.

 

[All4SU]

Outside of the hardcore 20-25,000 SU fans, most other folks in the Syracuse area know very little about the team. Some think they know, but they are embarrassingly ignorant. Others just plain don't know . We as fans have operated in a siege mentality for too long. For the last decade, we gravitated to other hardcore fans, following the team, giving our support, but not being nearly vocal enough. That has to end. You want to get more support into e Dome? Talk it up to folks who don't follow it. Sell them on the idea that SU is coming back, on the excitement of being at the Dome fort he BC game, on the affordability of tickets. Invite them to a tailgate. Make it an event. Syracuse area residents are passive, and need to feel like lots of other people are into something before they tentatively check things out. We need a grass roots effort. And that starts with the hardcore fans.

 

[VaSaltine]

SU Marketing needs to bring excitement to the Dome similar to what NW has done. During TV timeouts, Cuse should give away a vehicle if someone can kick a 40 yd FG or one year free tuition if a student/fan can throw a pass through a car tire from 30 yds out. NW football has increased attendance over 10k per game in last three years due to improved football marketing.
Lastly, SU needs to redo its marching band by increasing size with more brass, improving song selection and starting the Orange Girls similar to the Mizzou Golden Girls. There are too many flutes and chunky flag twirlers just don't cut it anymore...

More tuba please

 

[Orangejet]

With all due respect, and in my opinion, not one of those things has an impact on attendance.

I agree but was making a comment about football marketing. Winning and playing exciting offensive football will put fannies in the Dome.

 

[storange]

baby steps... sell out FSU and get 3 games in the low 40s. Keep it rising a little each year.

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

It's all a synergy. More wins > better recruits > more fans > more support > more wins. But the fans have to be an active part of the equation. The program will only go so far if 25-30k listless "fans" show up. Good players and TV cameras want to go where there is high energy. HCSS and the team are doing their part. The fans need to step up, too, now to keep the momentum going.

 

[BlackKnight76]

I'd be thrilled with 41+ per game, even if it should be higher based on the schedule.

 

[rrlbees]

Yup winning is the answer. In sports, you can't be both bad and boring, and for too long SU was both. At least now we are not that bad but we are still not quite a truly exciting brand of football. SU football will be an "event" when we actually have a legit chance to win the FSU/Clemson games- not carnival barkers and chicken spiedies in mid November.

It's not the only answer. A big part of the problem is marketing and is pricing. I know plenty of people who would go to more games if they didn't have to spend hundreds to take the family. The pricing and donation structure has to be revamped.

 

[rrlbees]

It's not about marketing. They market a lot. It's winning - multiple nine or ten win seasons will impact.

OPA, they market very little in CNY. In fact less than that.

 

[Stevenson]

It will go down. We are playing ND at MetLife and Jethro is pissed.

 

[rrlbees]

We probably need one more winning season before we can expect any kind of attendance growth. When the average casual fan has the opinion that we are "pretty good", are on the rise and are fun to watch, we have a chance to get some attendance momentum. Marrone's 25-25 record might have been spectacular to the hard core fans but after GRob's 10-37, it is easy to see why we have not had much traction yet. Let's face it 35 - 62 over eight years is no the stuff of which sellouts are made. We're 15-11 for the last two years and an 9-4 season would probably do wonders next year - perhaps no so much as for 2014 but subsequent seasons. Defense does not sell except to hardcore fans. Over the last 7 seasons we have averaged 22.1 points per game. We are, in a word, boring to the average fan. In a world when the NFL is setting records year after year for points scored, we are not very exciting. Have we had our exciting games in the past few years? Sure, but very few and even fewer high scoring ones. Season Avg. PPG 2007 16.4 2008 18.1 2009 21.2 2010 22.2 2011 24.2 2012 30.0 2013 22.7 We need exciting playmakers that can produce exciting plays like Estime's punt return, ACE's 50 yard diving TD catch, Hunt's TD scrambles and designed runs. We are finally getting a few of these players and there is great promise that we can produce exciting offenses in the next few years. Marketing always helps but in the final analysis it is the product that counts. As one famous alum was fond of saying, "Win baby, just win!"

One more winning season isn't going to change the fact that for a single game and what many view as good seats, it costs $600 for a family of 4., As to the record in the previous 8 years, you left out the 16-20 the prior 3. It's been an 11 year run.

 

[SUfaninAZ]

It's not the only answer. A big part of the problem is marketing and is pricing. I know plenty of people who would go to more games if they didn't have to spend hundreds to take the family. The pricing and donation structure has to be revamped.

Then why haven't changes been made? :noidea:

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I'm encouraged that people are coming around to the idea that it isn't enough to win, we also need to entertain. Style matters.

 

[DPCuse]

More night games. They seem to draw better. A lot of my age friends have kids who have games Saturday afternoons and can't make the SU games. But they'd like to.

 

[rrlbees]

It will go down. We are playing ND at MetLife and Jethro is pissed.

You're right. The MetLife deal does hurt Dome attendance. A conscious decision was made on that. That's why I laugh at people who complain about Dome attendance.

 

[rrlbees]

It's all a synergy. More wins > better recruits > more fans > more support > more wins. But the fans have to be an active part of the equation. The program will only go so far if 25-30k listless "fans" show up. Good players and TV cameras want to go where there is high energy. HCSS and the team are doing their part. The fans need to step up, too, now to keep the momentum going.

Just remember, you're one of those listless fans..