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Message: [QUOTE="Tornado91, post: 2850, member: 355"] The football team's relationship with the community is more like a professional team's than most of the college teams we compare it to. There are proportionately fewer alumni in the area, and a majority of local fans (probably even board members) have no direct tie to the university. Beside Notre Dame, USC, and maybe a few others that don't come to mind at the moment, private school fanbases are limited to scattered alums and families and smaller groups of non-affiliated folks. That makes it tough enough, and a horribly embarrassing football decade that (unfortunately) exacerbates the poor regional self esteem (bad weather, bad economy, ugly girls...oops) seals the deal for a lot of people. As a former CNYer living out of the area - but close enough to make a trip up from SE PA for a game - there are a couple of problems for me. First off, this year's schedule is absurd. A THURSDAY NIGHT GAME ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. I was set to bring my wife, brother-in-law (Wake Forest alum) and his wife (also Wake Forest alum) and make a weekend out of it. Obviously not happening. Not for the Friday games, either. Work problem. And while I can't wait to make it to the Fine Lot and meet some of the board members, the overall tailgating scene at Syracuse is weak compared to most other schools it wants to compete with. Northern schools are handicapped enough by the weather, but if PARKING (not even talking about tailgating here) is even a discussion point, it's a problem. I'm twice as likely to go to a game if the trip includes a good tailgate - twice the value for my trip. And having been to many college games at many venues across the country, tailgating makes college games what they are. The Dome tends to be a little sterile, but as a season ticket holder in the late '90s, I still thought it was pretty good. The hill is a fun spot to roll to after games, but it doesn't replace a great tailgate scene within a reasonable proximity to the stadium. A stadium can be on the periphery of a campus (i.e. PSU), not so much across town (i.e. Pitt), but if there isn't anywhere to tailgate or congregate or have a good time without travel hassles, then a big draw is missing. I guarantee that with a strong tailgating scene, Syracuse would be more likely to draw local and regional alums (and non-alums) back for games. Not sure how many, but definitely more than are coming now. Maybe a south campus stadium would change that...maybe it wouldn't. Anyway, that probably came across harsher than I intended. I still think that when they start winning, attendance and enthusiasm will improve. It's going to take more than a couple of 8-5 seasons, though, for a lot of the naysayers to acknowledge the team as anything more than a third-rate program. I feel like it could get there with Marrone, but unless there's a better culture around the games, attendance will always struggle. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?