Student Attendance Issues

[FrancoPizza]

I've said before but it is easier to identify with players on a team such as Basketball or Soccer when their faces aren't hidden behind helmets and there aren't over 85 members on a team. There is a loss of a personal connection to the football team.

Ok then we need to develop translucent silicone helmets.

 

[OrangeAl]

Does this current generation that's in college have a name? I think the millennials are post-college now.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Does this current generation that's in college have a name? I think the millennials are post-college now.

Hopefully not because labeling a group of people and making vague judgments off of their age is maybe the dumbest thing ever.

 

[Stevenson]

I have a kid at Michigan State and the student section is full unless they are playing Rutgers, then everyone sleeps in, or just parties.
I have a kid at Syracuse (who, BTW, goes to every game) and the student section is empty unless we are playing a top 5 team.

The difference between the two is the size of the two student bodies and the recent performance of the teams in question.

just win baby!

 

[Trueblue25]

Saw more impressive student crowds on a consistent basis at UB than I have during my last two years of being an SU season ticket holder.

Price of tickets may be the cause? Theres no beer at ub stadium.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

Does this current generation that's in college have a name? I think the millennials are post-college now.

Yeah. "Kids these days..."

 

[FrancoPizza]

Does this current generation that's in college have a name? I think the millennials are post-college now.

 

[JeffCuse]

Lack of success is clearly a factor...but not the only one. I know that student attendance has been an issue for a long time at SU. Even when I was a student there, I remember being surprised how many people i knew never went to games. And this was the late 90s

I also suspect that its an issue that the sport is built around TV. From the times of the games, to the way they stop and start. Students are still sleeping for a noon kickoff and are not going to commit 4 hours to a prime time game.

 

[All4SU]

And adults will ALWAYS complain about the students, because adults are constantly on an insufferable nostalgia trip.

I prefer to think that us old folks compare generations simply because we can. A young person has no frame of reference. It’s not nostalgia as much as it is simply perspective. It may or may not be accurate. But it is.

 

[UnknownOrange]

Saw more impressive student crowds on a consistent basis at UB than I have during my last two years of being an SU season ticket holder.

Price of tickets may be the cause? Theres no beer at ub stadium.

If students have basketball seats - football seasons cost $20 more.

Student attendance is an issue literally in every stadium.

 

[Trueblue25]

If students have basketball seats - football seasons cost $20 more.

Student attendance is an issue literally in every stadium.

Why do they cost the students anything at all? Should be free in my opinion. They pay too much for college as it is.

 

[Scooch]

I prefer to think that us old folks compare generations simply because we can. A young person has no frame of reference. It’s not nostalgia as much as it is simply perspective. It may or may not be accurate. But it is.

Well, on the other hand, old folks likely have little perspective on what a younger generation values and prioritizes. If it's simply observing facts, such as "those in the age 18-22 cohort are less likely to be sports fans than those in the age 40+ cohort", that's fair. If it's more along the lines of "kids these days, they don't like what I liked and they're wronnnggg!!!" then it's a boring waste of time.

 

[All4SU]

Well, on the other hand, old folks likely have little perspective on what a younger generation values and prioritizes. If it's simply observing facts, such as "those in the age 18-22 cohort are less likely to be sports fans than those in the age 40+ cohort", that's fair. If it's more along the lines of "kids these days, they don't like what I liked and they're wronnnggg!!!" then it's a boring waste of time.

I’ll guve you that. But it’s no different than a kid saying, “old people, they don’t like what I like and they’re wronnnggg!!!”

 

[UnknownOrange]

Why do they cost the students anything at all? Should be free in my opinion. They pay too much for college as it is.

Haha that's a whole different argument

 

[Trueblue25]

Haha that's a whole different argument

Fair enough. Should offer bulk ticket packages to on campus/recognized and academically eligible greek life and athletic clubs/teams. Significantly discounted tickets rewarding high gpa’s/philanthropic/service achievements maybe


Encoorporating greeklife and on campus associations more will undoubtedly make for a better college atmosphere. SU has to make it affordable.

 

[All4SU]

SU should refund money to any student who stays for the entire game.

 

[cuse10]

Why do they cost the students anything at all? Should be free in my opinion. They pay too much for college as it is.

That was a dilemma for me during my Junior and Senior year. I didn't get them my last year at SU because I opted to stay in the dorms and my brother was also going to school, so it would have been unreasonable to ask my parents to come out of their pockets for tickets when they already had multiple responsibilities.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Smart phones, internet, distractions, economy play a part for sure. But, a current SU student or recent high school student only has seen our woes on the football field and to some extent on the court as well. They either are too lazy to look up or simply don’t know about late 90s Dome rocking with McNabb. They have seen a couple of upsets in fball and generally really some of the worst football in P6. Basketball the team is flirting with NITs, bans, and an unlikley F4 sprinkled in the past six years or so. I don’t think recent college kids or high school care about Carmelo or follow is game. They haven’t won an ACCT game. If the results and more winning happens then momentum and a surge in student attendance will follow, IMO.

 

[gbo]

Win.

Then figure out if you have a problem that can be solved. Until then, really hard to sell mediocrity.

Winning helps but certainly isn't the main problem. Clemson even struggles with student attendance.

 

[Hoo's That]

Winning helps but certainly isn't the main problem. Clemson even struggles with student attendance.

^^This, plus a lot of folks on a lot of boards think that increased wins will fill their stadiums. Even fans of teams that aren't rebuilding from doldrums say this. Attendance will, of course, increase, but there still will be a lot of easily visible empty seats. One thing is for certain, the times are whole lot different now when compared to the past. I really don't know if things will go back.

 

[Scooch]

I’ll guve you that. But it’s no different than a kid saying, “old people, they don’t like what I like and they’re wronnnggg!!!”

It is a bit different though. Typically the younger folks aren't asking older folks to change their behavior. Whereas the older folks are passing judgement and pining for those darn whippersnappers to act differently. Generally speaking, of course.

 

[Moontan]

Winning helps but certainly isn't the main problem. Clemson even struggles with student attendance.

Isn’t part of that ecause the AD “re-envisioned” the student seating process. I saw lots of comments that the “old way”worked fine and that there was no need to change things. Perhaps this only applied to seating in the hill.

 

[Ish88888]

Many young people of today are frugal. Attending a sporting event is very expensive especially if God forbid you want food or drink. I can sit at home and stream any game I want online for free in HD with my friends with a $15 30 rack of beer and a $15 large pizza that we all split the payment on. We can play our own music in the background. No one is telling us to sit down or to quiet down (though not a problem in the student section). The tedium of commercial breaks, timeouts, and halftime is mitigated by being able to do other things. If the game is a blowout or otherwise poor product we don't have to feel obligated to continue watching.

Young people today are still very interested in sports, but the prices have to come down and the breaks need to be shorter.

I dont buy it, while alot of us spend 2 or 3k a season on tix, food, travel, and accommodations ; these kids can see ACC football from some great seats for $200 for both fb and hoops for the YEAR . Zero travel, a few cheap beers in the dorm and an already paid for by daddy cafe 21 meal . Gimme a break.

 

[gbo]

Isn’t part of that ecause the AD “re-envisioned” the student seating process. I saw lots of comments that the “old way”worked fine and that there was no need to change things. Perhaps this only applied to seating in the hill.

This is true but it wasn't perfect. Clemson used to do block seating for clubs and greeks but those students didn't always come to the games. To fix that problem, they did away with block seating but we still don't fill up. I agree with Hoo's That in that I don't see the problem changing. Priorities just aren't what they once were for students for better or worse.

And it's not only students. Clemson rarely sells out games and we won a championship a little over a year ago.

 

[Toga]

Pre game panty raids. You're welcome.