Attendance plan

[sufandu]

I get what you're saying, and it is true, but it's not just southern vs. northeastern culture. Penn State and Ohio State are rust belt cold weather teams that draw 90k+. There are no P5 state schools in the northeast, and that's a huge part of the difference.

Instead of comparing SU to Tennessee, compare us to Vanderbilt. I'll save you some time...we outdraw them.

You proved my point. It doesn't matter if it's in the north or the south, it's about the culture. I compared us to Tennessee because they are both urban campuses and I'm familiar with them, living in Knoxville. The post I responded to was talking about the location/setting as being a reason for a lack of interest/fun. The point was Tennessee has a similar setting with crappy places for tailgaiting and bad parking, yet none of that matters. The fact that there are no P5 state schools in the northeast should benefit us. It leaves us as the biggest college football show in the state. Why would I compare us to Vanderbilt? They will forever be UT's little brother. Thankfully, we don't have that kind of situation.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

The fact that there are no P5 state schools in the northeast should benefit us. It leaves us as the biggest college football show in the state. Why would I compare us to Vanderbilt? They will forever be UT's little brother. Thankfully, we don't have that kind of situation.

It hurts because it means Syracuse has no universities to share the "culture" with. Our football culture is not suprisingly, relatively similar to Boston College. It's not hard to figure out why. And make no mistake, having [Insert State name] University on the front of one's sweatshirt is a big deal. When Penn State is on, the entire State rallies behind it. It also means kids can go to school there less expensively, they stay relatively closer to the school after they graduate, and they remain more connected to it. All of that impacts attendance.

Syracuse is the little brother of the NY Giants, NY Jets, and Buffalo Bills. Because we aren't State U, and there is no State U to root for, NY is not-surprisingly a "pro" State.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Back to the Original poster I agree 100% and is a great way to help (as will winning).

Living in Indiana I dont expect to make a home game but I do enjoy traveling to several away ones annually. For as cheap as the tickets are in some places I would be all for this. How about we go in as the SyracuseFan.com section and offer the tickets to a different charity or non profit every game. This would be a small investment for those on here.

That would be a great gesture, but I am not sure it is sustainable long term as a means of consistently drawing more fans. But every fan helps.

 

[Ish88888]

College football culture amongst the schools who pack 70-100k per game starts with fun outside the stadium. Massive amounts of tailgaters that even at times starts in campers the night before. A true year after year winner would bring more people, as would AC and a more comfortable fan experience. The layout and parking challenges coupled with the spread out pre game festivities doesn't quite create that pre game atmosphere that brings in people in hoards.

I'm not saying SU , being boxed in within the city limits is going to be PSU someday but it would certainly help to have a thoughtful plan of attack to really maximize the tailgating experience and building that culture to get many more people on campus to take part in all of the fun. I think to an extent that will always be a limiting factor because of the red tape and just general challenges all around. Winning , Dome improvements and campus improvements will for sure help, it's just going to take longer and still fluctuate vs every game being truly an " Event ".

Great post. I have met so many visiting fabs through the years that loved the dome, ots liberal tailgating scene, and mostly the fact that alcohol was served in the stadium til HT. Most loved the experience and its a real advantage that should manifest with better attendance. Anyone know just how many current stadiums are "wet" and allow booze on campus and in stadium? Last i knew about 15-20?

 

[TexanMark]

Great post. I have met so many visiting fabs through the years that loved the dome, ots liberal tailgating scene, and mostly the fact that alcohol was served in the stadium til HT. Most loved the experience and its a real advantage that should manifest with better attendance. Anyone know just how many current stadiums are "wet" and allow booze on campus and in stadium? Last i knew about 15-20?

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...dium-ncaa-where-you-can-drink-beer/528530002/

52 out of 129

 

[Ish88888]

This map shows where you can drink beer inside U.S. college football stadiums

52 out of 129

Wow! Thanks TM. Alot more schools than i thought. Alot of southern schools complain they cant drink once in the stadium.

 

[TexanMark]

Wow! Thanks TM. Alot more schools than i thought. Alot of southern schools complain they cant drink once in the stadium.

There has been a huge uptick in the last 5 years...it is all about revenue

 

[dooey139]

Seen on Facebook... :rolling:

 

[syracuse95]

Why would I compare us to Vanderbilt? They will forever be UT's little brother. Thankfully, we don't have that kind of situation.

Tennessee is a bad comparison to SU because it’s a large state school which draws most of its student body (over 80%) from within the state of Tennessee. Same with Ohio State (75%). Same with Penn State (70%). Same with LSU (80%). Etc. Etc. These state schools end up with vast numbers of alumni that live within 2-3 hours drive of the football stadium. They all have a built-in floor to their attendance, because all those alumni have a tie to the university. They will go to games even if the team is bad, because they feel affiliated with the university and it's nearby.

Syracuse is a small private university which draws 30% of its student body from NY state (most of those from NYC and Long Island). Vanderbilt is a small private university that draws less than 10% of its student body from Tennessee. The vast majority of their alumni don't live anywhere near campus. That's why Vandy is a more apt comparison. That's, not coincidentally, why Vandy and SU draw similar numbers of fans to games.

The lack of other P5 programs in the NE to compete with SU for fans doesn't matter, because most non-alums outside Onondaga county don't feel any affinity or affiliation with SU. I grew up in NY state less than 100 miles from Syracuse, and most kids I went to HS with were not SU fans. I wasn't either, until I went to college there.

Culture isn't created in a vacuum. It has a lot to do with where the student body comes from, and where the alumni go after graduating. Private schools not named Notre Dame or USC are fighting an uphill battle.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

Tennessee is a bad comparison to SU because it’s a large state school which draws most of its student body (over 80%) from within the state of Tennessee. Same with Ohio State (75%). Same with Penn State (70%). Same with LSU (80%). Etc. Etc. These state schools end up with vast numbers of alumni that live within 2-3 hours drive of the football stadium. They all have a built-in floor to their attendance, because all those alumni have a tie to the university. They will go to games even if the team is bad, because they feel affiliated with the university and it's nearby.

Syracuse is a small private university which draws 30% of its student body from NY state (most of those from NYC and Long Island). Vanderbilt is a small private university that draws less than 10% of its student body from Tennessee. The vast majority of their alumni don't live anywhere near campus. That's why Vandy is a more apt comparison. That's, not coincidentally, why Vandy and SU draw similar numbers of fans to games.

The lack of other P5 programs in the NE to compete with SU for fans doesn't matter, because most non-alums outside Onondaga county don't feel any affinity or affiliation with SU. I grew up in NY state less than 100 miles from Syracuse, and most kids I went to HS with were not SU fans. I wasn't either, until I went to college there.

Culture isn't created in a vacuum. It has a lot to do with where the student body comes from, and where the alumni go after graduating. Private schools not named Notre Dame or USC are fighting an uphill battle.

All of that may be true. But, it has little to do with attendance. In the McNabb, etc. era, the Dome was packed. Obviously, not with all alums. Same deal now - win and attendance will follow. That's because people, regardless of their connection, like to see a winning team. They will not spend their hard-earned entertainment dollar on a loser (football in the Northeast is entertainment, not religion.)

 

[MadNY3]

Seen on Facebook... :rolling:
View attachment 140802

THIS is evidence of smart marketing.

Enough with showing bad-ass still photos of players. The competition and the rally is against all the other “entertainment” people consider within a 90ish-mike radius.

And they are making an early push.

Smart. Impressive.

 

[JEF44]

Let's plant Apple trees in the quad!

 

[shu 49]

I have a plan to increase attendance in the dome for football. Next year, in addition to my 2 tickets in 319, I am going to buy 2 season tickets in the end zone and make them available to whoever will use them. Am hoping this will catch on here but, if not, will go it alone. I can no longer look around the 1/2 to 2/3 filled dome without doing something about it.

I get six in end zone 212 b seat and love it only 750 for year. Can’t beat it.

 

[juse5]

I have a plan to increase attendance in the dome for football. Next year, in addition to my 2 tickets in 319, I am going to buy 2 season tickets in the end zone and make them available to whoever will use them. Am hoping this will catch on here but, if not, will go it alone. I can no longer look around the 1/2 to 2/3 filled dome without doing something about it.

Ive been thinking alot about this the last 15 years. I wonder if when renovating the Dome we could get rid of the non basketball side endzone seats. Almost a horseshoe shape. Make the area a lounge/standing room bar or patio type deal or restaurants. Cut seating to like 40k. Every game would appear full and we could have some cool setup for fans. Maybe do a hall of fame area or something. The only issue i see is those seats are used for basketball bleachers.

 

[SmilinBob]

What I'd like to see is when they redo the Dome it's 44K and keep the prices the same for those who were there for the 4-8 years and before and raise/or keep the price up for the other seats. I say this in confidence that Babers will continue to win and this will be a hot ticket because of supply and demand. If people think they're missing something, they'll want in.

 

[corpjet]

Ive been thinking alot about this the last 15 years. I wonder if when renovating the Dome we could get rid of the non basketball side endzone seats. Almost a horseshoe shape. Make the area a lounge/standing room bar or patio type deal or restaurants. Cut seating to like 40k. Every game would appear full and we could have some cool setup for fans. Maybe do a hall of fame area or something. The only issue i see is those seats are used for basketball bleachers.

There is something to this, get away from tradition seating, think outside the box.

Also love the idea of making it 44k, create demand with a low supply of tickets.

 

[juse5]

There is something to this, get away from tradition seating, think outside the box.

Also love the idea of making it 44k, create demand with a low supply of tickets.

Ive always liked the idea of 44k as well.

 

[sufandu]

It hurts because it means Syracuse has no universities to share the "culture" with. Our football culture is not suprisingly, relatively similar to Boston College. It's not hard to figure out why. And make no mistake, having [Insert State name] University on the front of one's sweatshirt is a big deal. When Penn State is on, the entire State rallies behind it. It also means kids can go to school there less expensively, they stay relatively closer to the school after they graduate, and they remain more connected to it. All of that impacts attendance.

Syracuse is the little brother of the NY Giants, NY Jets, and Buffalo Bills. Because we aren't State U, and there is no State U to root for, NY is not-surprisingly a "pro" State.

I think you make two good points. The 'State' thing is huge. I think that goes back to the way the university system evolved in our country. Private universities came along first and were so prevalent in the northeast the state sytems lagged compared to other areas of the country that lacked the concentration of private schools.

Second. The northeast is a pro sports region. Again, look at the concentration of pro sports teams compared to other regions. People take pride in their pro team whereas in other regions, especially the south, all of the pride comes from their state universities. The whole southeast had, what, 3 pro football teams until the 90's. The Northeast has had 6 since the 60's, 7 if you include Washington, which most people would.

 

[whobut03]

THIS is evidence of smart marketing.

Enough with showing bad-ass still photos of players. The competition and the rally is against all the other “entertainment” people consider within a 90ish-mike radius.

And they are making an early push.

Smart. Impressive.

100% agree.

 

[sufandu]

Tennessee is a bad comparison to SU because it’s a large state school which draws most of its student body (over 80%) from within the state of Tennessee. Same with Ohio State (75%). Same with Penn State (70%). Same with LSU (80%). Etc. Etc. These state schools end up with vast numbers of alumni that live within 2-3 hours drive of the football stadium. They all have a built-in floor to their attendance, because all those alumni have a tie to the university. They will go to games even if the team is bad, because they feel affiliated with the university and it's nearby.

Syracuse is a small private university which draws 30% of its student body from NY state (most of those from NYC and Long Island). Vanderbilt is a small private university that draws less than 10% of its student body from Tennessee. The vast majority of their alumni don't live anywhere near campus. That's why Vandy is a more apt comparison. That's, not coincidentally, why Vandy and SU draw similar numbers of fans to games.

The lack of other P5 programs in the NE to compete with SU for fans doesn't matter, because most non-alums outside Onondaga county don't feel any affinity or affiliation with SU. I grew up in NY state less than 100 miles from Syracuse, and most kids I went to HS with were not SU fans. I wasn't either, until I went to college there.

Culture isn't created in a vacuum. It has a lot to do with where the student body comes from, and where the alumni go after graduating. Private schools not named Notre Dame or USC are fighting an uphill battle.

The post I responded to mentioned schools that routinely have 70,000-100,000. All of those are state universities, including Tennessee. I was refuting his assertion that attendance is linked to fun outside of the stadium by saying Tennessee's ability to to have fun taligating etc is similar to ours, therefore it's a relevant comparison. If you don't think that's true, bring it up to the poster I responded to for comparing us to those schools in the first place.

If you can name an urban private school with an on campus stadium where the logistics present the same challenges as SU that does a better job at creating a fun atmosphere, I would be interested to hear that.

 

[Trueblue25]

44k in an enclosed dome is perfect. If we become a consistent 7-10 win team (we’re capable of more with babers imo) then that is a reasonable capacity capable of frequent sell outs.

 

[UnknownOrange]

FWIW 44K is the number in the original reno that the University is aiming for. Not sure if that's changed

 

[Trueblue25]

We should try to achieve a game day atmosphere like Oregon at Autzen. Not like Tennessee, or say PSU.

We have quality over quantity. 40-44,000 orange fans will make deafening noise. That’s enough to capture the “sea of orange” dino needs.

 

[OrangeAl]

It hurts because it means Syracuse has no universities to share the "culture" with. Our football culture is not suprisingly, relatively similar to Boston College. It's not hard to figure out why. And make no mistake, having [Insert State name] University on the front of one's sweatshirt is a big deal. When Penn State is on, the entire State rallies behind it. It also means kids can go to school there less expensively, they stay relatively closer to the school after they graduate, and they remain more connected to it. All of that impacts attendance.

Syracuse is the little brother of the NY Giants, NY Jets, and Buffalo Bills. Because we aren't State U, and there is no State U to root for, NY is not-surprisingly a "pro" State.

NY is just not oriented toward having one university representing it. SUNY at Buffalo is NY's biggest State U football program right now. A couple of years ago they tried marketing themselves as New York's team and wore uniforms with New York in large font and Buffalo in small font. The locals were offended and they dropped that approach.

 

[sufandu]

NY is just not oriented toward having one university representing it. SUNY at Buffalo is NY's biggest State U football program right now. A couple of years ago they tried marketing themselves as New York's team and wore uniforms with New York in large font and Buffalo in small font. The locals were offended and they dropped that approach.

That needed to happen in the '50's if it was going to stick. It may have actually helped if they had invested in large campus more centrally located in the state in rural area akin to Penn St, at least from the standpoint of unifying the state behind one school for sports.