Gameday traditions

[nzm136]

Miami has the smoke, Penn State has the blue busses, Alabama has the ABC’s, Notre Dame has the gold and the old stadium, UGA/’Ole Miss has the quad walk (I can’t remember which one), U$C has the ceremonial payment to the players, Clemson touches the rock, Wisconsin has “jump around,” and Auburn has the victory trees.

What should we have as a school, and what do you do personally? I know that Wisconsin’s “jump around” is during the game, and Auburn’s victory trees are after the game, but I want to focus on pregame activities. Also, I am more concerned about traditions that involve fans, but I am open to all traditions.
I ask because although we have a rich tradition, most of our traditions have been forgotten. For instance, the Saltine Warrior is no more, No Hoodo is dead, and the cannon is forgotten. I feel like we should revive something.

 

[OrangePA]

Bring back the TD Cannon!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I know one tradition that has to go...

Key shaking.

 

[anomander]

people going to the games

 

[nzm136]

people going to the games

This is kind of my point. The B1G plays a very boring style of football, teams like PSU, tOSU, and Michigan have stadiums that are so big that the nose bleeds have nose bleeds, and the weather is cruddy for many of the games (rain, snow, and cold wind). Yet their fans go to the games because tailgating before the game is a ton of fun. There may be 110,000 people in Beaver Stadium, but there are 150,000 people getting drunk and partying before the game in the grass around Beaver Stadium. As I see it, we have a stadium where there isn't a bad seat in the house, we have warm (dry) weather all year round inside the dome, and, ever since we built the dome, we have had an entertaining style of play*. Despite our advantages, other schools have done a MUCH better job of turning the game into an event. I think Syracuse's problem is that Saturday is game day, and not event day. The school should try to revive traditions to turn it into an event. This might include some kind of program to promote tailgate celebrations, some kind of "monument walk," or something else. However, the pep band in the quad just isn't enough. We need to think big.

Furthermore, I am also interested in what everyone does individually. For instance, I drink Saranac (or some other New York beer, like Genny, if I can't get my hands on Saranac) while I watch every away game.



*Admittedly, we haven't always had the talent to have an entertaining product, but that is mostly due to old practice facilities and GRob's general ineptness. However, those problems were not because of a boring style of play.

 

[Jaka]

This is kind of my point. The B1G plays a very boring style of football, teams like PSU, tOSU, and Michigan have stadiums that are so big that the nose bleeds have nose bleeds, and the weather is cruddy for many of the games (rain, snow, and cold wind). Yet their fans go to the games because tailgating before the game is a ton of fun. There may be 110,000 people in Beaver Stadium, but there are 150,000 people getting drunk and partying before the game in the grass around Beaver Stadium. As I see it, we have a stadium where there isn't a bad seat in the house, we have warm (dry) weather all year round inside the dome, and, ever since we built the dome, we have had an entertaining style of play*. Despite our advantages, other schools have done a MUCH better job of turning the game into an event. I think Syracuse's problem is that Saturday is game day, and not event day. The school should try to revive traditions to turn it into an event. This might include some kind of program to promote tailgate celebrations, some kind of "monument walk," or something else. However, the pep band in the quad just isn't enough. We need to think big.

Furthermore, I am also interested in what everyone does individually. For instance, I drink Saranac (or some other New York beer, like Genny, if I can't get my hands on Saranac) while I watch every away game.



*Admittedly, we haven't always had the talent to have an entertaining product, but that is mostly due to old practice facilities and GRob's general ineptness. However, those problems were not because of a boring style of play.

Just think about that, they have more people who go and tailgate and don't even go to the games then we have going to the games. I read something where at LSU, there tailgating scene is 9 miles long! I tried to say the same thing as you but apparently Syracuse is a great tailgating scene. There is def enough people in CNY to have a big gameday environment. Its hard though to have an intelligent conversation about it though because people get too defensive.

 

[anomander]

Just think about that, they have more people who go and tailgate and don't even go to the games then we have going to the games. I read something where at LSU, there tailgating scene is 9 miles long! I tried to say the same thing as you but apparently Syracuse is a great tailgating scene. There is def enough people in CNY to have a big gameday environment. Its hard though to have an intelligent conversation about it though because people get too defensive.

Whoever says Syracuse has a good tailgating scene is out of their mind . All the noon kickoffs don't help either

 

[Jaka]

Whoever says Syracuse has a good tailgating scene is out of their mind . All the noon kickoffs don't help either

Noon starts have go to be the worst idea for football ever.

 

[Boston Tiger]

Just think about that, they have more people who go and tailgate and don't even go to the games then we have going to the games. I read something where at LSU, there tailgating scene is 9 miles long! I tried to say the same thing as you but apparently Syracuse is a great tailgating scene. There is def enough people in CNY to have a big gameday environment. Its hard though to have an intelligent conversation about it though because people get too defensive.

Nine miles is an exaggeration. The furthest I ever had to park for an LSU game was about a mile away, and that's because my nephews didn't want to hit the road until around 2PM for a 7 o'clock game. You can get an on campus spot within a half mile of the stadium if you leave at 11AM or so.I could see nine mile traffic jams, though.

LSU's tailgating has gone too far in recent years, and there are a lot of people who are simply worn out by game time. Too many people go for the party and don't really care about the game anymore. The AD has had to jack up prices so far that the average Joe Fan can't afford tickets, and there are now a lot of people who only go to games to be seen rather than to rabidly support their Tigers.

I happen to like seeing the SU band on the quad, but I'm biased since my daughter is in the band. A visit to the Varsity after a big win is also fun to see. But I haven't really picked up on the sort of energy on the campus for the few games I've attended that seems to be there for any Tiger game.

 

[Jaka]

Nine miles is an exaggeration. The furthest I ever had to park for an LSU game was about a mile away, and that's because my nephews didn't want to hit the road until around 2PM for a 7 o'clock game. You can get an on campus spot within a half mile of the stadium if you leave at 11AM or so.I could see nine mile traffic jams, though.

LSU's tailgating has gone too far in recent years, and there are a lot of people who are simply worn out by game time. Too many people go for the party and don't really care about the game anymore. The AD has had to jack up prices so far that the average Joe Fan can't afford tickets, and there are now a lot of people who only go to games to be seen rather than to rabidly support their Tigers.

I happen to like seeing the SU band on the quad, but I'm biased since my daughter is in the band. A visit to the Varsity after a big win is also fun to see. But I haven't really picked up on the sort of energy on the campus for the few games I've attended that seems to be there for any Tiger game.

That is just what I read. It said that there were all these people around the street so the guy thought he was close to the stadium, then 9 miles later he got there. The way the article was worded it sounded like that's how far out it went. I'll defer to your actual experience. Death Valley at night always seems electric on TV.

 

[Jeepers]

It's different for a private school. Way less alums. Plus, "Syracuse" is tied to the university, so it's more difficult to build state pride. But we should be able to lock down from Albany to Rochester, at least.

Anyway, agree about lack of traditions. I hope Marrone brought some of the behind the scenes things back from when he was in school, as I bet quite a bit of that was lost.

Flipping the banners is a good one, but I have no idea how old that is.

 

[xc84]

Just think about that, they have more people who go and tailgate and don't even go to the games then we have going to the games. I read something where at LSU, there tailgating scene is 9 miles long! I tried to say the same thing as you but apparently Syracuse is a great tailgating scene. There is def enough people in CNY to have a big gameday environment. Its hard though to have an intelligent conversation about it though because people get too defensive.

I have not seen anyone who said SU's tailgating can't be improved. The main negative comments about tailgating have been about "we must have one lot" and that will somehow cure all and that multiple lots somehow make tailgating impossible. First, it ain't gonna happen (one big lot) so let's work with what is feasible. What we have are many lots and there are tailgaters in them. And believe it or not, the people tailgating are having fun. To improve: First, if we get more wins, we get more people. It's a proven fact. That will increase tailgating. Second, the university needs to step it up by generating more excitement in the lots. e.g. Send the cheerleaders to lots. Send the band. Have the band march up the hill before each game. etc. Create an atmosphere where it is clear the university appreciates the pre-game parties.

 

[AirForceOrange]

How about anyone who has a ticket to the game, gets to go on top of the Dome and bounce around? Kind of like a large bouncy castle?

 

[All4SU]

Miami has the smoke, Penn State has the blue busses, Alabama has the ABC’s, Notre Dame has the gold and the old stadium, UGA/’Ole Miss has the quad walk (I can’t remember which one), U$C has the ceremonial payment to the players, Clemson touches the rock, Wisconsin has “jump around,” and Auburn has the victory trees.

What should we have as a school, and what do you do personally? I know that Wisconsin’s “jump around” is during the game, and Auburn’s victory trees are after the game, but I want to focus on pregame activities. Also, I am more concerned about traditions that involve fans, but I am open to all traditions.
I ask because although we have a rich tradition, most of our traditions have been forgotten. For instance, the Saltine Warrior is no more, No Hoodo is dead, and the cannon is forgotten. I feel like we should revive something.

1 touch the Ernie Davis statue.
2 Watch the marching band on the steps of Hendricks Chapel.
3 bring back the cannon
4 stay until the alma mater after the game and sing with the players
5 flip the banner at the varsity

 

[sufandu]

This is kind of my point. The B1G plays a very boring style of football, teams like PSU, tOSU, and Michigan have stadiums that are so big that the nose bleeds have nose bleeds, and the weather is cruddy for many of the games (rain, snow, and cold wind). Yet their fans go to the games because tailgating before the game is a ton of fun. There may be 110,000 people in Beaver Stadium, but there are 150,000 people getting drunk and partying before the game in the grass around Beaver Stadium. As I see it, we have a stadium where there isn't a bad seat in the house, we have warm (dry) weather all year round inside the dome, and, ever since we built the dome, we have had an entertaining style of play*. Despite our advantages, other schools have done a MUCH better job of turning the game into an event. I think Syracuse's problem is that Saturday is game day, and not event day. The school should try to revive traditions to turn it into an event. This might include some kind of program to promote tailgate celebrations, some kind of "monument walk," or something else. However, the pep band in the quad just isn't enough. We need to think big.

Furthermore, I am also interested in what everyone does individually. For instance, I drink Saranac (or some other New York beer, like Genny, if I can't get my hands on Saranac) while I watch every away game.



*Admittedly, we haven't always had the talent to have an entertaining product, but that is mostly due to old practice facilities and GRob's general ineptness. However, those problems were not because of a boring style of play.

Syracuse people have a "prove it to me before I'll support you" mind set. I'm not referring to the people on here, but the casual fans that need to show up if we hope to pack out the dome. Many of them come to games because it's the place to be, not because they love the team. That's why we can get nearly as many for a basketball game as we can for football. The community doesn't feel a natural connectedness to the school the same way B1G or SEC schools do. Is part of that private versus state schools? I'd say that's a part of it. Many of the alumni at those state schools live close to the school before and after attending them. We know many SU alumni are from and return to NYC or DC. Could we make a better game day environment, and would that help? I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. I think part of the problem is Syracuse views it self as a pro town, not a college town (I think that's the case with the northeast as a whole). That's why there are so many Giants, Bills, and Yankees fans. Many fanbases in the south (I don't know about the B1G) having only a passing interest when compared to their colleges.

I'm down with bringing back the cannon. When did it go away? I don't remember ever having it (maybe I'm too young). Opening up at least part of spring practice could be a good idea. Maybe go a step further and go out of the way to invite local kids from around the area. As long as attendance stays low, give some tickets to boys and girls clubs as well as local schools, and not just Syracuse city schools, but surrounding counties as well. The schools could use them as ways to award kids for good grades or have a lottery system where they have to stay out of trouble to be eligible. I think SU needs something to expand and strengthen community connection to the school.

 

[OttoMets]

The university should lease spots on the perimeter of the Quad and Hendricks Field for the season for a token amount; tailgaters could set up tents and do their thing. Actually encouraging (rather than simply permitting) tailgating would go a long way in improving the party atmosphere.

Not having noon games would help, too.

I've also thought that the city could relax parking and drinking restrictions on gamedays and allow on-street parking on the west side of Comstock (temporarily displacing the bicycle lane) and tailgating on the planting strip on that side of the street, creating a continuous party from Manley to campus. Would be pretty sweet.

 

[TexanMark]

I have an idea to get our students involved:

At halftime of each game have two student organizations (greek, academic, etc..) roll these in a race. (It could be between quarters too)

Winning group gets $200 or something like that for their orgainzation.

The last game of the year the two organizations with the fastest times race in a grand final for $500.

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/human-sized-hamster-ball.html

 

[OttosBestFriend]

Noon starts have go to be the worst idea for football ever.

They don't seem to hurt the NFL teams located in the Central time zone

 

[AirForceOrange]

Whoever says Syracuse has a good tailgating scene is out of their mind . All the noon kickoffs don't help either

You should see tailgating at FSU games...it is part of the whole game experience.

I have seen: Big screen TVs with portable sat TV powered by generators. All types of parties, from basic to full blown tiki bars. All types of games, footballs thrown around, etc. Have seen truck with medium sized, enclosed trailers used to set up the tailgate stuff.

Now I have never been to an SU tailgate...last I went to an SU game of any sport I was not old enough...so I can't say which is better, but I have seen FSU's fans and they definitely know how to tailgate!

 

[All4SU]

The university should lease spots on the perimeter of the Quad and Hendricks Field for the season for a token amount; tailgaters could set up tents and do their thing. Actually encouraging (rather than simply permitting) tailgating would go a long way in improving the party atmosphere.

Not having noon games would help, too.

I've also thought that the city could relax parking and drinking restrictions on gamedays and allow on-street parking on the west side of Comstock (temporarily displacing the bicycle lane) and tailgating on the planting strip on that side of the street, creating a continuous party from Manley to campus. Would be pretty sweet.

The parking issue will never go away. Emergency vehicles require access, and the liability is too great should something happen during a game, and parking is unrestricted.

 

[rrlbees]

Player walk.

Sent using my Commodore 64 on Tapatalk 5.3

 

[OttoMets]

The parking issue will never go away. Emergency vehicles require access, and the liability is too great should something happen during a game, and parking is unrestricted.

For which, the Quad or Comstock? Either way, wasn't thinking of blocking emergency access - on Comstock, just proposing that they close a bicycle lane (while keeping both motor vehicle lanes and the northbound bicycle lane open) for six or eight hours on gamedays. No problem for through traffic. A little inconsiderate for bicyclists, though traffic should be going slowly enough that they can share the southbound lane with cars.

 

[bnoro]

I thought Syracuse's tailgate for Metlife was pretty good even if the weather was terrible.

Parking lots/tailgating on the quad would definitely be cool to see (even if it won't ever happen)

 

[SU2NASA]

The Saltine Warrior

 

[Jaka]

I have not seen anyone who said SU's tailgating can't be improved. The main negative comments about tailgating have been about "we must have one lot" and that will somehow cure all and that multiple lots somehow make tailgating impossible. First, it ain't gonna happen (one big lot) so let's work with what is feasible. What we have are many lots and there are tailgaters in them. And believe it or not, the people tailgating are having fun. To improve: First, if we get more wins, we get more people. It's a proven fact. That will increase tailgating. Second, the university needs to step it up by generating more excitement in the lots. e.g. Send the cheerleaders to lots. Send the band. Have the band march up the hill before each game. etc. Create an atmosphere where it is clear the university appreciates the pre-game parties.

No one said we need one lot or that tailgating is impossible with the current setup. People were only suggesting that a centralized location would be better. The more parking around the stadium the better, that is common sense. If better parking doesn't affect attendance then we might as well get rid of the lots by the Dome and use them for dorms. People were implying tailgating is impossible? I never read that. All people are saying is that if the university someday builds a new stadium, one with parking around the stadium might be better. Tailgating can be greatly improved at Syracuse. We are offering suggestions. Winning obviously helps, but all it takes is another 4-8 season and were back to 30,000 actual fans or less. I think the move to the ACC will help but eventually the fans will get used to it. I too thinks it starts and stops with administration and whether or not they have someone who gets college football.

By the way, I am perfectly fine with the current setup, but that doesn't mean it was designed perfectly.