What would you do?

[Orangeyes]

There is no doubt there will be tweaks to how future Madness events are conducted.

I have jotted down several suggestions that I'm going to send to Daryl.

I would like to add your thoughts as well.

 

[rrlbees]

Nothing that probably isn't already on your list.

1. Play whatever music you want, but no live acts.

2. Free tixs to season ticket holders, up to a maximum of the number of season tickets you have +2. Distributed by SU only.

3. Free admission to SU students with ID at door.

4. Other outlets sell tickets for $10 to non-season ticket holders.

5. Trade in your gun/knife for a ticket program.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[Orangeyes]

1. Distribute tickets to SU students as you have in the past.

2. Send vouchers to season ticket holders, regardless of sport and all donors with the proviso they can redeem the voucher for as many Madness tickets as they would like up to a stated limit so that their families can enjoy the evening.

3. Loyal SU fans who live in area's far away from the ticket distribution center's get shut out of this event. I know there are many who grumble about this. There are season ticket holders or folks who travel to home games in that demographic.

4. Distribute the tickets to youth basketball groups, Boys & Girls clubs, high schools, junior highs and elementary schools with conditions that adult supervision is required for admittance.

5. Have tickets available through SU Alumni groups

 

[orangefan13]

This could be a really good thing. Time to better the dull midnight madness.

 

[sutomcat]

There is no doubt there will be tweaks to how future Madness events are conducted.

I have jotted down several suggestions that I'm going to send to Daryl.

I would like to add your thoughts as well.

My thoughts...

This was originally an event for fans but in recent years, it has become more of an event for recruits. The reason for live rap is to impress recruits. The reason for free tickets is to ensure a large crowd to impress recruits. All the hype/elaborate intros is to impress recruits.

They might hope the fans like it too but I think SU tries really hard to get its top targets here and tries really hard to wow them when they are here.

I don't see anything wrong with this and I don't care that the crowd is significantly different than it normally is for SU basketball games (there are lots of young kids who appear to be major fans of rap).

The ticket distribution is and always has been a mess. Season ticket holders should be able to get tickets with a phone call or a visit to a web site. I think 99% would much prefer going to a web site like we go to now to pay, clicking on a link, indicating how many tickets are desired (with limits) and printing them off from there, like we can when we order extra tickets for real games.

It is a real pain to have to take time off work to go to a credit union and wait in line for a long time to get tickets to a free event. They are typically 'sold out' in a couple of hours so the window of availability is very narrow. I hate it and every season ticket holder I know hates it.

I have no problem letting people pick up tickets that way too, but give season ticket holders a chance to get tickets conveniently.

Regarding the problems with security, if you want to schedule what is in effect a rap show, you need to provide security accordingly. Bring in a significant number of additional security people and police and I think they should seriously think about electronically wanding people upon entry into the Dome.
It costs money but you can't ignore this problem in the future. Either do it and do it right or don't do it period.

 

[SkanSU]

Hey TC. Agree with you whole heartlessly. If you are going to have hip hop or rap artists than continue to expect the crowd u got. Not there for the basketball but for the music. If that's how u play it than jack up the security as well as police presence; be quick to pull the trigger and eject anyone who gets out of hand; and wand them or make everyone go through metal detectors. This has given SU as well asSyracuse a bad name.

 

[OttoMets]

...If that's how u play it than jack up the security as well as police presence; be quick to pull the trigger and eject anyone who gets out of hand; and wand them or make everyone go through metal detectors. This has given SU as well asSyracuse a bad name.

This is important, though Daryl doesn't exactly have control over it.

They have plenty of security, just as they do at all football and basketball games. But while ushers and the yellow jackets tend to do a good job, SPD and DPS need to be reminded that they're not there to watch the proceedings.

Engage in some proactive law enforcement. People don't get stabbed in the blink of an eye - these are incidents that build over the course of several minutes. When there's a mob of people getting wild in the concourse, jump in there and break it up. Remove people from the building. That's what you're getting paid to do.


I've been to one Midnight Madness, in fall 2010. It was lame. The crowd was, in a purely negative way (and with representives from different races and socio-economic backgrounds) different from that at other Dome events. I won't return.

I do, however, resent the "inner-city" and "rap fan" generalizations made in the other thread. It's a free event. Riff-raff seems to pop up at free (and nearly free) events (i.e., State Fair), especially when there's not a lot of supervision or overwhelming peer pressure to behave appropriately (consider, for instance, the difference between Taste of Syracuse and the summertime Arts & Crafts Festival in Columbus Circle). And riff-raff comes in all colors and has a variety of musical tastes.

We can assume that the madness event is considered important by the athletic department; in the arms race era of college athletics, the basketball program can't afford to not hold this event while its peer schools are conducting events of their own. If that's the case, SU ought to limit free tickets to students and season ticketholders. Some on here gripe about lack of benefits given to season ticketholders; this seems a fine place to start (and kill two birds with one stone, controlling attendance). Sell tickets to the general public. It'd probably cut attendance in half. That'd kill the atmosphere, but it'd also make a repeat of Friday night highly unlikely.

I'd also consider moving the game out of the Dome - it's too big for the crowds they're getting now, much less a smaller group. With Manley currently out of commission, that's probably not realistic.

 

[Alsacs]

Just spend $10k for security and keep it the same. Weapons should never get into the Dome to begin with. If we just frisked people on the way in it would be fine. The crowd isn't that large to begin with, and if that is not possible just get rid of the Rap act or have it after the game at another place.

 

[priestp]

The Chief of SU public safety needs to be fired. This guy is in way over his head. He has been hiding in his bunker since this happened. It is his job to be the "experienced law enforcement agent" for the university. He bobbled this completely. It is not the job of the Syracuse police nor the Chancellor or AD to be the one to determine proper security staff. The Chief failed to do his job.

 

[OttoMets]

The Chief of SU public safety needs to be fired. This guy is in way over his head. He has been hiding in his bunker since this happened. It is his job to be the "experienced law enforcement agent" for the university. He bobbled this completely. It is not the job of the Syracuse police nor the Chancellor or AD to be the one to determine proper security staff. The Chief failed to do his job.

With the budget that office has, campus should be a virtually crime-free place.

Questioning people's intentions and work ethic might rub some the wrong way, but DPS is loaded with pension-earning ex-cops who are looking to draw a paycheck for doing as little as possible. Shame on them, and shame on the DPS chief and every superior of his who have long looked the other way on this problem.

 

[dollarbill44]

I would add they should definitely remove the plastic caps from water bottles at concession stands. Safety first!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I would add they should definitely remove the plastic caps from water bottles at concession stands. Safety first!

When plastic caps are outlawed, only outlaws will carry extra plastic caps.