It's So Bad...

[Nick44]

It's so bad that the FAN BASE is doing more damage to the football program than the Greg Robinson era did. Again, the .A.N B.A.S.E. is doing more damage than the Greg Robinson era did.

Dave Rahme hit it on the head when he said - recruits like Syracuse, they like the program, they like the coaching staff, but when they see those empty seats they go elsewhere. It's that simple.

I've been to all 3 home games thus far and its becoming an epidemic. There had to be 29,000 there tops. Of those 29,000, they were late too arrive and were itching to leave in the 3rd if Syracuse had given up one more score. At least they came though.

Many will say it's the level of opponent that we are playing. Does anyone really believe we'll hit a sellout when Maryland or BC or Virginia comes to play? Based on these past 10-15 home games, I doubt it. Maybe 35,000 will show.

I am certainly sensitive to those who have other legitimate obligations or cannot afford financially to bring the family out to a game. But for those who would rather catch the score in the Sunday newspaper or watch it on TV, I shake my head. You're not a fan, merely a contributor to this epidemic.

 

[orange03]

While you make some points, who are you to call someone a fan or not? I live next to a guy who defines the term bleeding orange, but has NEVER attended a game, he just doesn't like to. So he must not be a real fan then.

Fact is the last 10 years turned off a lot of people. Whether it's right or wrong it's a fact. Fickle or not, when they start winning consistently and start fielding a better team, the attendance will improve.

 

[DomeStranger]

While you make some points, who are you to call someone a fan or not? I live next to a guy who defines the term bleeding orange, but has NEVER attended a game, he just doesn't like to. So he must not be a real fan then.

Fact is the last 10 years turned off a lot of people. Whether it's right or wrong it's a fact. Fickle or not, when they start winning consistently and start fielding a better team, the attendance will improve.

Right ... I believe the decline in attendance started when the fans were told to, "get a life". That's exactly what they did.

That being said ... as Marrone's vision comes to fruition that fans will be back ... it just takes time.

I put a lot of the blame on the university though. There just isn't a demand for the tickets and there needs to be. At this point it appears obvious they are not going to sell 10,000 single game tickets for any opponent. I think they should drop the prices however low they have to, to get 40,000 season ticket holders. Then when you get to the point when they are actually filling the place near capacity you can start raising the prices back to where they need to be.

It the age of technology and computers, this is how I would do it: In the beginning of the season around August 1st would take all the season tickets needed to get to 40,000 and I would put them all on online auction (ebay). That way the tickets would get sold no matter what. Worst case scenario, you give away some season tickets for $10. But you know what a buzz that would create when people start hearing about $10 season tickets to be had? The buzz will create it's own advertising that will get people thinking they want season tickets and the majority of the tickets will get sold for market value.

 

[BleedsOrange44]

Right ... I believe the decline in attendance started when the fans were told to, "get a life". That's exactly what they did.

That being said ... as Marrone's vision comes to fruition that fans will be back ... it just takes time.

I put a lot of the blame on the university though. There just isn't a demand for the tickets and there needs to be. At this point it appears obvious they are not going to sell 10,000 single game tickets for any opponent. I think they should drop the prices however low they have to, to get 40,000 season ticket holders. Then when you get to the point when they are actually filling the place near capacity you can start raising the prices back to where they need to be.

It the age of technology and computers, this is how I would do it: In the beginning of the season around August 1st would take all the season tickets needed to get to 40,000 and I would put them all on online auction (ebay). That way the tickets would get sold no matter what. Worst case scenario, you give away some season tickets for $10. But you know what a buzz that would create when people start hearing about $10 season tickets to be had? The buzz will create it's own advertising that will get people thinking they want season tickets and the majority of the tickets will get sold for market value.

problem with lowering prices is we already have the cheapest seats for almost any BCS program. Tickets are affordable. Price is an excuse, nothing more.

 

[suloyalfan]

I was just thinking that they should close off 10,000 seats and pack all of the people into the remaining seats. At least then the stands will be full. When demand increases and there is demand for the tickets, then they can open the seats back up. The seating sections could be covered by large tarps up in the upper deck. It would be a way to pack in the people who are at the game so there aren't so many open seats. That section down by the students in the endzone also needs to be filled with people. I don't know why that section would be left so empty. I'm not sure who it's reserved for, but yesterday it was empty.

 

[DomeStranger]

problem with lowering prices is we already have the cheapest seats for almost any BCS program. Tickets are affordable. Price is an excuse, nothing more.

Any Byrne Dairy may have cheaper milk than anyone in the country, but if they have too much of it, they'd rather sell it for half price instead of throwing it away.

 

[Fjoinkay]

I think the fans will come back, but the question is how many? I'm beginning to believe the people who say SU has 25,000 fans who will come every week, another 10,000 who will come when the team is winning consistently and another 10,000 who will come for big events.

Rahme is a great writer, and I read everything he says about SU football. But I sometimes cringe when he writes things like...if SU loses to Toledo it's "season could start to slip away". I'm certain that his doom and gloom attitude (it's rare to see these days!) wouldn't bother me if more SU fans showed up for the games. Perhaps it's unfair to think that his attitude influences the public perception? It could be that his attitude is influenced by the public perception. Either way, I just want more fans to go to the games.

 

[Antz201]

Uconn ticket prices are way cheaper... 88 dollars for cuse vs 50 dollars for UCONN.. for the same seats.

 

[upperdeck]

if every seat was free yesterday we still wouldnt have had much more than 30K in the bldg.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Its a boring product with terrible ushers, bad music, antiquated halftime entertainment and fans so stupid and lame they make the most noise when SU has the ball and needs to hear the signals and snap counts. When the media tells the SU fans that they have stars, they will attend. In the Jason Hart years, SU was still winning lots of games., however no one went (realtive to SU BBall standards) because it was boring basketball. On the whole, SU fans suck.
Also, on the whole, the northeast doesn't do college sports in general, college FB in particular.

 

[MadNY3]

Robinson did much more damage than the fan base. You're kidding, right?

Program is on a winning track now. It wasnt with Robinson (and it had started before him as well), but the GRobian Era is a big reason for the attendance apathy.

 

[gocusecaz]

if every seat was free yesterday we still wouldnt have had much more than 30K in the bldg.

from where I was sitting in section 323, looking across at the home side of the field, I was amazed at all the orange seats that I could see. I don't know how it was on with the other side, but I think it is a problem when a lot of the prime seat ticket holders don't show. I'm not talking about potential season ticket holders, but the already cash in the coffers ones. I know that it wasn't a conference game, but Toledo was not going to be a pushover.

 

[sufandu]

In Bud Poliquin's article he mentioned that some people left right when overtime was about to begin. I can't imagine that. Before I moved away I had season tickets for a 4 years and never left a game early, much less when we had a chance to win. As far as competition, I know that I never cared who they were playing. I went to watch Syracuse not someone else. I know it's not a direct comparison, but Tennessee had around 100,000 when they played Montana this year. I'm not saying we need to be like them (because you have alot of "fans" in TN that are fans because it's the culture, not because they know or care anything about football), but I'll never understand how someone leaves a tied game at 3:30 on a saturday afternoon that's about to go into overtime.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Any Byrne Dairy may have cheaper milk than anyone in the country, but if they have too much of it, they'd rather sell it for half price instead of throwing it away.

Those $100 dollar cheap seat season tickets were genius. I held them for a season and would do it again if it weren't for youth basketball taking up my Saturdays.

 

[hoopsupstate]

If you can't get your own student body to attend then you have a big problem. They are the ones who should get free tickets. That would add 2-3000 per game. The ones that were there yesterday were great, but there were a lot of gray seats in their section.

 

[kingottoiii]

While you make some points, who are you to call someone a fan or not? I live next to a guy who defines the term bleeding orange, but has NEVER attended a game, he just doesn't like to. So he must not be a real fan then.

Fact is the last 10 years turned off a lot of people. Whether it's right or wrong it's a fact. Fickle or not, when they start winning consistently and start fielding a better team, the attendance will improve.

Your friend is an awful fan and please tell him to go root for another team ASAP. How can you "bleed orange" and not EVER support the program. He is part of the problem. He doesn't deserve SU FB. People like him are why SU struggles to take the next step. Real fans are there to support the program through thick and thin. Jerks like your friend think that the team is there for their personal enjoyment. REAL FANS ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THE TEAM. IT IS ABOUT SU FB NOT YOU!!!! CNY FB fans suck ass. I wish SU could blackout all home games. The only people who deserve to see the games live are the ones who actually care by showing up. The team was 8-5 last year. We were playing a Toledo team that any fan with FB knowledge knows would be good enough to win the Big East. Yet we can't get 30k to show up for a game? Please TGD move every game to the Meadowlands. these morons who "bleed orange" and do NOTHING to support the team. Real fans in the P12, B1G, SEC, B12, and ACC travel all over the country to support their team. Fake fans do not show up to home games and complain about a 3.5 hour drive to see a "home game" once a year.

 

[OttoMets]

It's so bad that the FAN BASE is doing more damage to the football program than the Greg Robinson era did. Again, the .A.N B.A.S.E. is doing more damage than the Greg Robinson era did.

A bit hyperbolic, don't you think?

 

[Dick_in_MI]

Right ... I believe the decline in attendance started when the fans were told to, "get a life". That's exactly what they did.

.

To a point. The fact is, we've never been a football town. In McNabb's years, we averaged mid-40's...and in his senior year we had the most potent offense in school history. Now when you have a "once in a generation QB" and an offense that scores more points than you will likely see again in your lifetime at SU, wouldn't you think we could consistantly sell out our smallish stadium? You'd think so, but you'd be wrong.

In 2001, we had a 10 win season but only averaged low 40's in attendance and had two games in the mid-30's. Do you know how rare 10-win seasons are at SU? Wouldn't you think that would put some real butts in the seats? You'd think so, but again you'd be wrong

The decline to current levels may have happened over time but we never had consistant sellouts or even big crowds to begin with. I think the challange of getting a respectable and consistantly large gameday crowd is a huge hurdle at SU and one that we have historically struggled with. There are no easy answers.

 

[orange03]

Another guy who thinks he can define what a fan is. What a joke.

Also, Toledo would finish at best 5th in the Big East. There a decent team, but people are pumping them up to make themselves feel better.

And just fyi, the guy who I'm talking about donates money every year to the University and has sent three kids there. Certainly much more than you'll probably ever do.

 

[44cuse]

Its a boring product with terrible ushers, bad music, antiquated halftime entertainment and fans so stupid and lame they make the most noise when SU has the ball and needs to hear the signals and snap counts. When the media tells the SU fans that they have stars, they will attend. In the Jason Hart years, SU was still winning lots of games., however no one went (realtive to SU BBall standards) because it was boring basketball. On the whole, SU fans suck.
Also, on the whole, the northeast doesn't do college sports in general, college FB in particular.

+1 this nails it perfectly. NE does not do college sports well and Cuse fans not that great.

Bingo

44cuse

 

[Cadillac]

Not reading this whole thing. Has someone said MY MY MY ENTERTAINMENT DOLLAR yet?

 

[Cadillac]

Wear orange. The most important thing you can do is use your body to cover up the hideous silver. Make noise on 3rd down, or don't; don't really care. Baby steps.

If it seems like a chore, or you can't be bothered, cut a check to the AD.

Otherwise, you're part of the problem.

 

[OrangeAl]

As to me I have A level BBall and FB tickets.

Well, hail to the king!
We know the problem is a lethargic fan base. But I doubt that beating them up will get them into the Dome anytime soon.
The product is exciting this year (maybe too exciting for people who think we should just steamroll anybody outside the Top 25). The Orangemen have a way of coming through in the clutch. The tickets are available at cheap prices. It's a mystery why we aren't filling the Dome.
Whether the problem lies with the students, the locals or the NYC alumni, we should recognize that we have a great opportunity to return to our glory days if we all pull together.

 

[Blaster]

Its a boring product with terrible ushers, bad music, antiquated halftime entertainment and fans so stupid and lame they make the most noise when SU has the ball and needs to hear the signals and snap counts. When the media tells the SU fans that they have stars, they will attend. In the Jason Hart years, SU was still winning lots of games., however no one went (realtive to SU BBall standards) because it was boring basketball. On the whole, SU fans suck.
Also, on the whole, the northeast doesn't do college sports in general, college FB in particular.

I was gonna make a thread about this that the dome needs to have a Quiet!!! flash on the board also. I always love watching the Colts fans when indy plays at home. When payton has the ball you can hear a pin drop in that place. The thing i think is the funniest is that not only are the fans loud but many times nassib is breaking huddle and they are blasting music so i guess the ppl up stairs dont even get it.