@Oklahoma

[rrlbees]

Matt, I get what you're saying, I do. There's just no evidence to support your points. We brought Florida State to the Dome in 2004, when at the very least SU was still competitive, and we got 40K. That's just not moving the needle. Season tickets also declined that year from 2003. Gross is not an idiot, he sees this data and knows that even if we put Oklahoma on the Dome schedule the turnout and season ticket sales won't get a huge bump.

We'll be in the ACC. We'll get Florida State and Clemson on the home schedule, I assume in alternating years. We'll get either Miami or Virgina Tech in the Dome 2 out of every 3 years. There's going to be a "marquee" game or two on our home schedule every year going forward, no matter who we're playing OOC.

I would prefer to see big time OOC opponents play in the Dome. I just understand why Gross cut the deal that he did.

You have to also remember during that time there was a pretty strong anti-P feeling. Regardless of what the target is for attendance, whether it be 40K average and 45K for a bigger team or something higher or lower, these decisions will lower the bar from that. It's the chicken or the egg. Which came first? Dod we get small crowds because we lose or do we lose because we get small crowds? It's obvious the fans have been taken out of the equation completely even with the small decisions like an LOI event, staff reaching out to fans, etc. So they are putting all their eggs in the money basket in hopes that with facilities and coaching alone, they can win enough games to start bringing fans back. Might work, might not. I am more of a fan of using multiple strategies and not putting all my eggs in that one basket.

 

[rrlbees]

:bang: :bang::bang:

That doesn't help.

Yep, that's the attitude that helps keep the fans away.

 

[kcsu]

First of all do we even know if we are playing OU this year? TOS is reporting no. Second a game in NYC each year is a great thing for our program and will not hurt Local ticket sales one bit. It is counter intuitive but it will actually help as it will sell recruits basically assuring them of a National game each year. Second the press exposure is something that can never be duplicated in Syracuse. Third it hits our funding base right between the eyes. I firmly believe that this is a huge plus for our program and dont see any downside now that we have a full ACC schedule to fill the dome

 

[rrlbees]

First of all do we even know if we are playing OU this year?

No we don't know that we are in fact playing OU. Nothing has been officially announced.

 

[rrlbees]

Second a game in NYC each year is a great thing for our program and will not hurt Local ticket sales one bit.

OK.

 

[Scooch]

You have to also remember during that time there was a pretty strong anti-P feeling. Regardless of what the target is for attendance, whether it be 40K average and 45K for a bigger team or something higher or lower, these decisions will lower the bar from that. It's the chicken or the egg. Which came first? Dod we get small crowds because we lose or do we lose because we get small crowds? It's obvious the fans have been taken out of the equation completely even with the small decisions like an LOI event, staff reaching out to fans, etc. So they are putting all their eggs in the money basket in hopes that with facilities and coaching alone, they can win enough games to start bringing fans back. Might work, might not. I am more of a fan of using multiple strategies and not putting all my eggs in that one basket.

The thing is, I'm not sure that all the "fan friendly" stuff really moved the needle. I mean SU really has done a lot of good stuff for the fans in recent years. Maybe it's not ideal, but it's been a lot better than in the past. Ticket prices were slashed to the bone, more was done to create an atmosphere on campus, etc.

Meanwhile I'm a part of two fanbases, the Red Sox and Patriots, that for years were downright hostile to their fans. And yet when those teams were doing well you couldn't get into games. When SU football has been good (e.g. 1987-1998) crowds were good, but never consistenly great (e.g. 36K for season opener against Vandy in 1991, 42K for Rutgers in 1998, etc). I mean 1998 should have been a sold out season before the first game was kicked off (Tennessee, VaTech and Miami on the home schedule), and it wasn't. I have no idea why.

I don't like to pile on the SU fanbase like some others. It's not bad, it's often limited by no more than a numbers game, but it's not great. And sometimes I just wonder what else SU can do. Win and hope for the best, I think it's largely come to that.

 

[cusestudent]

You have to also remember during that time there was a pretty strong anti-P feeling. Regardless of what the target is for attendance, whether it be 40K average and 45K for a bigger team or something higher or lower, these decisions will lower the bar from that. It's the chicken or the egg. Which came first? Dod we get small crowds because we lose or do we lose because we get small crowds? It's obvious the fans have been taken out of the equation completely even with the small decisions like an LOI event, staff reaching out to fans, etc. So they are putting all their eggs in the money basket in hopes that with facilities and coaching alone, they can win enough games to start bringing fans back. Might work, might not. I am more of a fan of using multiple strategies and not putting all my eggs in that one basket.

Bees I completely understand your thought process here, and I do agree that there should at the very least a 2-1-1 strategy going on for these games, and I don't like the long term commitment either. In my opinion, Gross is chasing the $$$ so that he can secure the facilities, and I feel that maybe there is a plan to completely renovate the Dome (just speculation) with the money grab. I agree that we need to use multiple strategies, and the LOI event and other fan events, junior day, etc has been a huge weakness in the strategy; my guess is Gross isn't involved in a lot of those things (?). What I do know is that attendance has sucked, and it sucks for the die hards in CNY, but the CNY fans don't exactly deserve to be coddled anymore. I think this might be a strategy to try and ignite the alumni base in NYC for better season ticket turnouts from the alums that are four or five hours away to come to the home games the way they go to basketball games. I think Darryl Gross is an extremely smart and in-tune man, so I'm going to put my trust in him that he will find away to help turn the program around.

 

[cusestudent]

Is the bonus for this game $1 million or $2 million? I lost track of the exact figure but if that money is all dumped back into a new practice facility we, as fans, should be ecstatic. To get better players we need better facilities. When the program gets back to respectability we will be able to get more big names back in the dome. As of now, there is no draw for a big time program to come to the dome and drop their SOS win or lose when they can travel much shorter distances and play a team ranked similar. Penn State did well by us in respecting the NE roots and playing us at the Dome as part of the series but ND coming to the Dome at this point was a likely nonflyer.

I definitely agree with your analysis here on the idea that big name teams don't want to come here when they can stay closer to home and play a team of a similar caliber. Gross is from USC and they have a big alumni base in NYC so it made sense for them. PSU is the top team in this region and NYC is the biggest market so it makes sense for them. ND has an enormous alumni base and following in NYC so of course they will jump at the chance to play even a DIII team in NYC. What does a non-regional team get out of travel across the country to play a down trodden program in a rust belt city everyone forgot about? As far as the bonus for the game I'm not sure, but I know that it's in the millions, and that's a big deal for this program. Better facilities are a must.

 

[KaiserUEO]

im a day late and a game short of playing at Giants Stadium on this, but if the options are another d1aa or a waxing at the hands at okla, take the waxing. the d1aa win wont count anyway.

if anything, it provides a chance for any potential NFLer on the Orange to play against other potential NFLers.

okie should go to the Dome, but a 1-1-1 would be nice.

theres a gap in the schedule where we need to get the Orange to the home of the 4x SuperBowl Champion New York Football Giants, who have never cheated to win a Bowl, unlike a team up in the boston area.

get it done, Doctaw