College venues

[Cheriehoop]

Yet I guarantee we'll have a huge thread with posters upset that the court isn't moved to the center of the dome for Duke. Then another thread complaining they can't get a decent seat for some big game.

 

[GooseMutt]

There are still 10,000 more people sitting there than avg venues. Eyes don’t lie. Dome worked just fine for all the great teams and players we’ve had. The dome is Cuse! And it’s getting a major facelift. Embrace it.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

There are still 10,000 more people sitting there than avg venues. Eyes don’t lie. Dome worked just fine for all the great teams and players we’ve had. The dome is Cuse! And it’s getting a major facelift. Embrace it.

Yup. Our average attendance is higher than the capacity of all but like 5 other venues.

Other than a few valid points about ticket costs and distance from Court (which is uncontrollable), this thread is dumb. Totally a first world problem.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Yup. Our average attendance is higher than the capacity of all but like 5 other venues.

Other than a few valid points about ticket costs and distance from Court (which is uncontrollable), this thread is dumb. Totally a first world problem.

Makes you wonder, if SU built a 18,000 seat basketball arena (which would still be large by college standards), how much would tickets cost??

 

[Cusefan0307]

Makes you wonder, if SU built a 18,000 seat basketball arena (which would still be large by college standards), how much would tickets cost??

I'd venture 30-50 percent more depending on the game. Seasons would definately be higher and it would anger a lot of people.

 

[310Pigpen]

Yeah, attendance is incredible. Consider we haven’t had a really good regular season since 2014, but attendance has remained consistent for mediocre teams.

Atmosphere is another discussion. It’s good for maybe 5 games a year, and IMO has taken steps backwards recently IMO.

I recall in the past when the student section had gotten weak, there was a big time focus to improve it. And it worked, for a couple years at least. Have they done anything recently?

They don’t do the “who’s he?” “So what”, etc. anymore. The big heads are long gone. Just seems like there’s not much going on there in recent years. I miss the anything can happen feel of past Dome years.

I agree that student engagement has rapidly declined the past 5 years or so. And I should know, I’ve sat next to them for 8 years.

 

[OrangeDW]

There are still 10,000 more people sitting there than avg venues. Eyes don’t lie. Dome worked just fine for all the great teams and players we’ve had. The dome is Cuse! And it’s getting a major facelift. Embrace it.

I agree. At the same time, I hope steps can be taken to get that place feeling alive more often. I think the main thing is trying to re-establish a large and loud student section. I remember something back maybe a decade or so(?) about Boeheim going to dorms and trying to drum up student interest?

Here’s an article I found that talks a bit about “Otto’s Army”. Do they still do this stuff?

Syracuse student section cranks up numbers and volume in the Dome

 

[cto]

Otto's Army was great when it started ... and while it was led by Dan Lyons and Ben (BNORO). After they graduated, it seems no one picked up the mantle of leadership .. and it seems to have disappeared.

It was at its peak around 2010-11 when Trevor Cooney was visiting as a high school student. I remember this clearly because he asked me and CherieHoop for an "Otto's Army" tee-shirt. After we gave him one, we realized we might have committed an NCAA violation.

 

[AlaskaSU]

to simulate the Manley atmosphere we could make a dirt floor and use an air gun to spray dust.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Otto's Army was great when it started ... and while it was led by Dan Lyons and Ben (BNORO). After they graduated, it seems no one picked up the mantle of leadership .. and it seems to have disappeared.

It was at its peak around 2010-11 when Trevor Cooney was visiting as a high school student. I remember this clearly because he asked me and CherieHoop for an "Otto's Army" tee-shirt. After we gave him one, we realized we might have committed an NCAA violation.

Well they were just giving them away to everyone and he just got one of those free give-away T-shirt’s.

Gumby too, as a student at ESF was an unabashed fan in Otto’s Army who even lost weight later to became an SU cheerleader back then. I sit right next to the students in section 105 and have for about 18 years after being in section 312 for ages. Sadly, the students seem to have lost their inventiveness and enthusiasm. Things go in phases though and hopefully the ‘too cool for this’ attitude that seems to be in vogue, passes too. Tough for student leaders to lead kids who don’t want to be seen as followers. It may also depend on how outgoing, and engaged sports team members are connecting with their fellow non playing students too.

 

[Hoo's That]

Otto's Army was great when it started ... and while it was led by Dan Lyons and Ben (BNORO). After they graduated, it seems no one picked up the mantle of leadership .. and it seems to have disappeared.

It was at its peak around 2010-11 when Trevor Cooney was visiting as a high school student. I remember this clearly because he asked me and CherieHoop for an "Otto's Army" tee-shirt. After we gave him one, we realized we might have committed an NCAA violation.

I'm going to turn you in!! I'm going to turn you in!!

 

[AlaskaSU]

T Shirt Gate.

 

[20Plus]

Watch five minutes of Maryland and Purdue

Purdue’s Home Court and college spirit in general is far superior to ours!

 

[Alsacs]

The fans and season ticket holders are awesome. That is the one thing that can’t be even be discussed. Our fanbase is large and passionate. The Dome is hard to get loud when the noise has nowhere to bounce off as it’s a large Dome.
No complaints at all with the noise or atmosphere. The fact we still get 20k+ on average is awesome.

 

[20Plus]

The fans and season ticket holders are awesome. That is the one thing that can’t be even be discussed. Our fanbase is large and passionate. The Dome is hard to get loud when the noise has nowhere to bounce off as it’s a large Dome.
No complaints at all with the noise or atmosphere. The fact we still get 20k+ on average is awesome.

I strongly disagree with some of this. The loyalty and dedication to the program from the season-ticket holder’s cannot be denied

but the type of fan your participation at the games versus that most college venues have sitting in the stands absolutely not

 

[tbonezone]

i like the courts with the elevated floors and moats around them .

 

[Cusefan0307]

The fans and season ticket holders are awesome. That is the one thing that can’t be even be discussed. Our fanbase is large and passionate. The Dome is hard to get loud when the noise has nowhere to bounce off as it’s a large Dome.
No complaints at all with the noise or atmosphere. The fact we still get 20k+ on average is awesome.

A lot of season ticket holders in my section have not been to one home game yet this season. Obviously I figure they will show up to Georgetown, but it’s a disadvantage for us against mid majors. I’ve had friends and family fill those seats when they have been there but they have tickets in worse viewing sections.

Anyway I do business for my job with a UW grad and it’s an interesting comparison in both price and attendance. He pays a high donor fee and less ticket price, but they only had 6000 in a 10000 seat arena on Sunday.

 

[Cusefan95]

These are examples tonight it’s just seems like more of a college atmosphere spirit also are students are more interested in other college activities then sports. The student section has deteriorated steadily over the last 20 years.

Crowds in general are radically different than 20 years ago. I remember going to New Jersey Devils playoff games in the ‘90s, where even for first round games 90% of the crowd was in their seat paying attention to the game. I went to one last year where probably 25% of the crowd was on their phone, and another 25% was milling around the arena. Expecting us to have crowds that were as intense as 20 years ago is probably not realistic - the world has changed.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Otto's Army was great when it started ... and while it was led by Dan Lyons and Ben (BNORO). After they graduated, it seems no one picked up the mantle of leadership .. and it seems to have disappeared.

It was at its peak around 2010-11 when Trevor Cooney was visiting as a high school student. I remember this clearly because he asked me and CherieHoop for an "Otto's Army" tee-shirt. After we gave him one, we realized we might have committed an NCAA violation.

I felt that student attendance and participation was much better for football this year than it has been in recent years. My daughter, who is a frosh this year, went to every game and said there was a lot of enthusiasm for the games.

Hoops is tougher right now. She is pre-occupied with finals, as are most of her friends. And she has a helluva lot more work than I ever did. So, hoops is more of an afterthought. She is spending the entire weekend studying and just feels that she cannot take the time to go to G'town game. And, even though she grew up in an Orange household, Georgetown really doesn't mean anything special to her the way it does too me. To her, NC and Duke are the really big games...

I think you will see student attendance and enthusiasm pick up in January because the pressure of finals will be over and there will be more attractive names coming to the dome. And, it will really help if we are climbing the rankings...

 

[rrlbees]

I felt that student attendance and participation was much better for football this year than it has been in recent years. My daughter, who is a frosh this year, went to every game and said there was a lot of enthusiasm for the games.

Hoops is tougher right now. She is pre-occupied with finals, as are most of her friends. And she has a helluva lot more work than I ever did. So, hoops is more of an afterthought. She is spending the entire weekend studying and just feels that she cannot take the time to go to G'town game. And, even though she grew up in an Orange household, Georgetown really doesn't mean anything special to her the way it does too me. To her, NC and Duke are the really big games...

I think you will see student attendance and enthusiasm pick up in January because the pressure of finals will be over and there will be more attractive names coming to the dome. And, it will really help if we are climbing the rankings...

Yep, student attendance for football was up 35%. So that’s great. It may not be where people would like but it’s heading in the right direction which is unheard of around the country where most everyone is having attendance issues.

As to finals and attendance, you’re dead on there too. Next week is finals week. Many tend to not take them as serious as they do but many do take academics very serious. My son is a senior and he’s been engrossed with his senior capstone project. He finally wraps that up this afternoon with a presentation and he’ll be able to exhale. After Gtown we won’t see students for a month. Then I’d expect them to get their groove back.

 

[OttoMets]

I felt that student attendance and participation was much better for football this year than it has been in recent years. My daughter, who is a frosh this year, went to every game and said there was a lot of enthusiasm for the games.

Hoops is tougher right now. She is pre-occupied with finals, as are most of her friends. And she has a helluva lot more work than I ever did. So, hoops is more of an afterthought. She is spending the entire weekend studying and just feels that she cannot take the time to go to G'town game. And, even though she grew up in an Orange household, Georgetown really doesn't mean anything special to her the way it does too me. To her, NC and Duke are the really big games...

...

This is exactly how it should be. Good for your daughter - more kids should do that. (When I was a freshman, I should've had those priorities.)

I'm not sure it explains the basketball attendance, though. The student section's been light all season. And I have a hunch that porches on Euclid and bars on Marshall Street will be packed as always tomorrow.

 

[Hoo's That]

Crowds in general are radically different than 20 years ago. I remember going to New Jersey Devils playoff games in the ‘90s, where even for first round games 90% of the crowd was in their seat paying attention to the game. I went to one last year where probably 25% of the crowd was on their phone, and another 25% was milling around the arena. Expecting us to have crowds that were as intense as 20 years ago is probably not realistic - the world has changed.

I've found that these are the type of folks who talk incessantly about "The Game Day Experience". Why are you there? If anything, it's a lot less expensive to be on your phone at home or wander around a mall/shopping area. Of course there should be a pleasant atmosphere, but folks, try to remember you're there for the game.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I agree that student engagement has rapidly declined the past 5 years or so.

That seems to coincide with the offense going into the toilet. Probably coincidence.

On a more hopeful note, are any of the dome improvements targeting the basketball atmosphere? Seats closer to the court, more pullout seating with better sight lines...

 

[HoustonCuse]

Some of the complaints are having your cake and eating it too type things. It may be unrealistic to expect that we have 25k+ at every game and also expect that every single fan is locked in on the game and hyper passionate. Overall, I will still take our larger attendance. When key game moments happen, we have 50,000 lungs or more powering crowd noise. When the game is at a more quiet point, we still have 12,000 passionate fans that any other team has making noise. The larger dome dissipates that 12,000 person noise down some, but you can't materialize a new arena out of thin air so it's not worth worrying too much about. For big games, there is no bigger atmosphere in the college game than the Carrier Dome. I'll take that.

 

[LGO85]

There doesn't seem to be any reason for the students to be connected to the experience. In 2018 cheers aren't enough. Neither is welcome to the jungle. It needs to be an event that kids (students) want to go to, not their parents.