Why College Football Is Studying Major League Soccer

[Scooch]

people have it in their minds that baseball stadiums were packed in the mid 20th century. that looks like the crowd at yankee stadium when maris hit 61

NY Yankees average attendance:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/yankatte.shtml

1951: 25,326
1961: 21,444
1971: 13,219
1981: 30,175
1991: 23,009
2001: 40,807
2011: 45,107

Irrefutable evidence that the Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers suck, while Gen X and Millenials are amazing.

 

[Millhouse]

Michigan did a survey of students of what is their most significant factor in attending games. Out of the 7 options, sitting with their friends was #1, in-stadium wifi was 7th out of 7.

"The first survey that had 6,000 respondents was taken after the fourth home game and responses — including 76 percent saying they did not approve of general admission — were shared with the athletic department.

“It just didn’t really work,” he said.

A second survey administered with the athletic department gave a better gauge of what students want. They were asked to rank what’s most important for their game-day experience, and No. 1 was being able to sit with friends. Interestingly, students said having Wi-Fi was the lowest priority."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140606/SPORTS0201/306060041#ixzz3874BlIBJ

emphasizing wifi looks like old guys trying way too hard to appear like they get it. lots of goofy assumptions about what the young people need these days

 

[Pyle]

2. This is one thing I enjoyed about the World Cup is there aren't any timeouts. You are in and out in 2 hours. With all the TV timeouts in football you are trapped in a stadium for 3-4 hours, and that doesn't count the traffic jam trying to leave the game. With the new technology they should reduce some of the TV timeouts and use holograms on the field for sponsors, or something similar to what soccer does.

I do not understand you guys saying that a football game is too long. This isn't baseball with 160+ games. There are 12 regular season games and only 6 of them at home. SU games are an event in my household. Home games are all day events. I don't want it to be shorter. I get to the Hill a good 3 hours before kickoff and sometimes hang out for an hour after the game depending on who's still in my area. It's 6 days out of 365. You really can't give up a few days out of the year and just go with it? Keep your 2 hour soccer games, it's part of the reason I don't go to more BB games. The games are so short that it's barely worth the hassle of driving up to the dome, fighting traffic, and walking up the hill in the bitter cold for a game that's over in less time that it took me to get there and get back out. At least with football the ratio of time spent getting to and leaving the event vs time spent enjoying myself is within reason.

 

[Alsacs]

Michigan did a survey of students of what is their most significant factor in attending games. Out of the 7 options, sitting with their friends was #1, in-stadium wifi was 7th out of 7.

"The first survey that had 6,000 respondents was taken after the fourth home game and responses — including 76 percent saying they did not approve of general admission — were shared with the athletic department.

“It just didn’t really work,” he said.

A second survey administered with the athletic department gave a better gauge of what students want. They were asked to rank what’s most important for their game-day experience, and No. 1 was being able to sit with friends. Interestingly, students said having Wi-Fi was the lowest priority."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140606/SPORTS0201/306060041#ixzz3874BlIBJ

Interesting. How the can't Michigan guarantee friends sit together that is amazing. Just do general admission I mean that is dumb. Wifi is more important though than you think pretty much every stadium for football is increasing their bandwidth.

 

[Alsacs]

emphasizing wifi looks like old guys trying way too hard to appear like they get it. lots of goofy assumptions about what the young people need these days

Wifi matters for younger generation. I am 28 use my iphone a lot more than I should, but if I am going to spend 3-4 hours at a game while a lot of others are going I want to have access to that information. How is that a goofy assumption. I would camp out at the Dome for basketball games before SU improved its wifi nowadays they have better wifi, but I would have to do my reading/writing during that time instead of being able to surf the web unless I got lucky wifi is important.

 

[SU2NASA]

In soccer the fans make the atmosphere not the team

They also have no hockey or basketball teams. That's 82 total sporting events that they don't have that most major sports cities do.

 

[SU2NASA]

Interesting. How the can't Michigan guarantee friends sit together that is amazing. Just do general admission I mean that is dumb. Wifi is more important though than you think pretty much every stadium for football is increasing their bandwidth.

They did with assigned seating. You could go in with friends and guarantee sitting together, and seating was by class with seniors getting the best seats and so on. With general admission it was a cluster. It dissuaded upperclassman students that wanted to tailgate up til gametime with going and sitting in the nosebleeds when they instead could watch from their big screen and not have to deal with the free-for-all it had become.

When I went to UofM it was assigned seating and it worked fine. They thought they could increase demand by doing first-come seating like basketball and it backfired.

Obviously it isn't as important as its made out to be when a survey of one of the largest student sections in the nation rates it last, well behind cheaper food. And that's coming from a stadium that has zero cell reception from an hour before gametime til an hour after.

 

[Pyle]

In soccer the fans make the atmosphere not the team

I'll take team inspired atmosphere all day...

 

[OrangePA]

i'm with you on football being too long but there's something to be said for stoppages. if i'm going to sit through a bunch of passes back to the goalie, I better not be in the bathroom when a goal miraculously happens.

C'mon Millhouse, can't you hold it for 45 minutes?

One thing that most Americans don't truly get yet - that the beauty of the game is not necessarily the score - it's the movement of the ball - the possession and manipulation of the ball.

That is what Americans cannot do yet at a world class level.

And that is what Americans do not see when they watch their little bundles of joy play the game - they see kick and chase and swarming.

 

[Millhouse]

C'mon Millhouse, can't you hold it for 45 minutes?

One thing that most Americans don't truly get yet - that the beauty of the game is not necessarily the score - it's the movement of the ball - the possession and manipulation of the ball.

That is what Americans cannot do yet at a world class level.

And that is what Americans do not see when they watch their little bundles of joy play the game - they see kick and chase and swarming.

when i get a hall pass to go to a game, i make it count, so no, i can't.

it's best when possession and ball movement leads to scores.

everybody loved spain last world cup and every game was 1-0

too many soccer guys watch it like figure skating - it's too separate from the score.

i'm not some soccer star but i appreciate how good they are at controlling the ball.

you're all in on people getting the wrong idea from watching kids soccer. every kids game blows in every sport. i think americans know that kids sports look nothing like the real thing. that's why they have little kids falling down during every hockey intermission

 

[Pyle]

when i get a hall pass to go to a game, i make it count, so no, i can't.

it's best when possession and ball movement leads to scores.

everybody loved spain last world cup and every game was 1-0

too many soccer guys watch it like figure skating - it's too separate from the score.

i'm not some soccer star but i appreciate how good they are at controlling the ball.

you're all in on people getting the wrong idea from watching kids soccer. every kids game blows in every sport. i think americans know that kids sports look nothing like the real thing. that's why they have little kids falling down during every hockey intermission

Youth baseball in 10 seconds.

Ball, ball, strike ball, ball-walk, ball(runner steals 2nd), ball (runner steals 3rd), strike, strike, ball(runner steals home), ball-walk, repeat until 5 runs scored, switch sides. Final score: 16-12

Youth Basketball in 10 seconds.

Pass in bounds, dribble off foot out of bounds, pass ball in, shoot miss, rebound, shoot miss, rebound, shoot miss, switch possession, dribble, dribble, shoot miss, shoot miss, switch, dribble, pass out of bounds, switch, pass in dribble dribble score. Repeat for 2 12 min halves. Final score: 22-14

Youth Lax in 10 seconds.

Pass ball, no catch, swarm, sticks all hitting ground, players fall over, whistle, repeat. In the event one kid can make it from one end of the field to the other(no passing as that will inevitable lead to change in possesion) he will score as goal tending is non-existent.

Millhouse is 100% correct.

 

[OrangePA]

when i get a hall pass to go to a game, i make it count, so no, i can't.

it's best when possession and ball movement leads to scores.

everybody loved spain last world cup and every game was 1-0

too many soccer guys watch it like figure skating - it's too separate from the score.

i'm not some soccer star but i appreciate how good they are at controlling the ball.

you're all in on people getting the wrong idea from watching kids soccer. every kids game blows in every sport. i think americans know that kids sports look nothing like the real thing. that's why they have little kids falling down during every hockey intermission

I see.

I gave up drinking a few years ago, so I guess I'm in no position to comment.

Actually, it's not just the young kids in the USA - not at all.

It's the high school kids, the college kids and the professional players - and even the men's U.S. National Team.

When I go to a Philadelphia Union game, the ball is in the air way too much - there is way too little possession. And though the quality of play in the MLS has improved a great deal, it has a long way to go.

We as a country at this point do not play a possession game or a skilled game.

That's why we were so ragged - so worn out - against Belgium. In that game and in most games for that matter, our men's team chased and ran nearly the entire game. The Belgians controlled the ball - and the ball doesn't get tired - and that's a fundamental difference between what Americans see on a regular basis and what the world sees.

Scoring of course is the objective of the game, but the flow of the game is what makes it great.

In football, the teams do not score every play - but the play - even a five yard gain - is a lot of fun to watch because we understand the game and appreciate the play itself.

We are getting there with soccer in the US.

But we have a long way to go.

One of these days I bet you'll get it.

 

[Millhouse]

I see.

I gave up drinking a few years ago, so I guess I'm in no position to comment.

Actually, it's not just the young kids in the USA - not at all.

It's the high school kids, the college kids and the professional players - and even the men's U.S. National Team.

When I go to a Philadelphia Union game, the ball is in the air way too much - there is way too little possession. And though the quality of play in the MLS has improved a great deal, it has a long way to go.

We as a country at this point do not play a possession game or a skilled game.

That's why we were so ragged - so worn out - against Belgium. In that game and in most games for that matter, our men's team chased and ran nearly the entire game. The Belgians controlled the ball - and the ball doesn't get tired - and that's a fundamental difference between what Americans see on a regular basis and what the world sees.

Scoring of course is the objective of the game, but the flow of the game is what makes it great.

In football, the teams do not score every play - but the play - even a five yard gain - is a lot of fun to watch because we understand the game and appreciate the play itself.

We are getting there with soccer in the US.

But we have a long way to go.

One of these days I bet you'll get it.

i agree with everything you say about american soccer weakness. lousy first touches, quick to panic. can't hustle your way to world cups. teams that control possession do end up winning usually. if the game would allow those teams to score more, maybe we'd see more of that more attractive style of play. champions league fares better than world cup. maybe the world cup isn't as good as I want it to be.

 

[OrangePA]

i agree with everything you say about american soccer weakness. lousy first touches, quick to panic. can't hustle your way to world cups. teams that control possession do end up winning usually. if the game would allow those teams to score more, maybe we'd see more of that more attractive style of play. champions league fares better than world cup. maybe the world cup isn't as good as I want it to be.

Gosh, I thought it was great.

Lots of multiple goal games - seven against Brazil and four against Spain?!

And lots of come back wins by a number of teams, including the US.

It was a really fun month.

 

[Millhouse]

Gosh, I thought it was great.

Lots of multiple goal games - seven against Brazil and four against Spain?!

And lots of come back wins by a number of teams, including the US.

It was a really fun month.

started out good, ended lousy. the final game always disappoints me

 

[HeaterCuse22]

Wifi matters for younger generation. I am 28 use my iphone a lot more than I should, but if I am going to spend 3-4 hours at a game while a lot of others are going I want to have access to that information. How is that a goofy assumption. I would camp out at the Dome for basketball games before SU improved its wifi nowadays they have better wifi, but I would have to do my reading/writing during that time instead of being able to surf the web unless I got lucky wifi is important.

Doesn't your phone service allow you to use data? How much could you possibly use in a 3 hour span at a live event? I guess I am an old guy now, but when I go to the live event, I am not clamoring to search my phone for anything.

 

[anomander]

I do not understand you guys saying that a football game is too long. This isn't baseball with 160+ games. There are 12 regular season games and only 6 of them at home. SU games are an event in my household. Home games are all day events. I don't want it to be shorter. I get to the Hill a good 3 hours before kickoff and sometimes hang out for an hour after the game depending on who's still in my area. It's 6 days out of 365. You really can't give up a few days out of the year and just go with it? Keep your 2 hour soccer games, it's part of the reason I don't go to more BB games. The games are so short that it's barely worth the hassle of driving up to the dome, fighting traffic, and walking up the hill in the bitter cold for a game that's over in less time that it took me to get there and get back out. At least with football the ratio of time spent getting to and leaving the event vs time spent enjoying myself is within reason.

Hey personally I don't mind the length of the day for football games. I usually am up early tailgating as well. I do think that is a big reason that holds a lot of other people back from going though.

The one thing that does get annoying, and feel could be shortened in the amount, and length of timeouts. But that's just because I don't like all the stoppages to the flow of the game.

 

[anomander]

Doesn't your phone service allow you to use data? How much could you possibly use in a 3 hour span at a live event? I guess I am an old guy now, but when I go to the live event, I am not clamoring to search my phone for anything.

I'm 33 and I would like to go on my phone to check game stats, and out of town scores. When i'm feeling really dangerous I would attempt to go on twitter to look at all the ridiculous comments.

Again this is all hypothetical since I don't have that option.

 

[HeaterCuse22]

SU Sporting event attendance issues for me are:

1. Price - While the cost of a single game season ticket is beyond fairly priced, I have two kids which would want to go to the games, and a wife who also likes SU Sports, so in reality it's four of them. That doesn't include the cost of items at the game, lets be conservative and say with a family $50-$75.00 per game. To make up for this I do go to a couple games a year. (Maybe when the kids leave, I will get them again).

2. Timing - Say what you want about the "leaf rakers" up here but, there is stuff ya need to do, in the fall, to prep for winter. It's not disputable. Plus kids sporting events seem to pile up during the fall season; Soccer, Basketball, Hockey, Fall Baseball. (Maybe when the kids are grown, I will go more).

3. Lastly and it almost a non factor but it is there a little is parking. Its a pain but can be worked around. Walking up and around that hill with a 5 and 7 year old is not fun. (Maybe when they bigger it will become less of a pain)

My thesis statement. Kids prevent me from attending more games.

Certainly not making my list are:

1. Bad hot dogs
2. Doam Foam
3. Wifi
4. Pee Troughs
5. Length of game.

 

[HeaterCuse22]

I'm 33 and I would like to go on my phone to check game stats, and out of town scores. When i'm feeling really dangerous I would attempt to go on twitter to look at all the ridiculous comments.

Again this is all hypothetical since I don't have that option.

Are you saying that you can not get on the internet without wifi, that your phone carrier does not allow the phone to connect via the service provider?

**I responded to this post on my phone, while not on wifi via ATT network.

 

[anomander]

Are you saying that you can not get on the internet without wifi, that your phone carrier does not allow the phone to connect via the service provider?

**I responded to this post on my phone, while not on wifi via ATT network.

I can, but it is extremely extremely slow to the point where it's too frustrating and don't bother. I can't even send text messages 90% of the time.

 

[SU2NASA]

Come on people, you're all missing the real point.

College football is studying MLS because if they can get people to come out and watch paint dry, then just imagine what they could do with a real, exciting product.

 

[HeaterCuse22]

I can, but it is extremely extremely slow to the point where it's too frustrating and don't bother. I can't even send text messages 90% of the time.

What phone and service do you have? I mean could be time for an upgrade? I literally never use wifi, ever. Twitter, text, email, internet all good, never an issue. In fact my phone operates slower on wifi.

 

[Pyle]

SU Sporting event attendance issues for me are:

1. Price - While the cost of a single game season ticket is beyond fairly priced, I have two kids which would want to go to the games, and a wife who also likes SU Sports, so in reality it's four of them. That doesn't include the cost of items at the game, lets be conservative and say with a family $50-$75.00 per game. To make up for this I do go to a couple games a year. (Maybe when the kids leave, I will get them again).

2. Timing - Say what you want about the "leaf rakers" up here but, there is stuff ya need to do, in the fall, to prep for winter. It's not disputable. Plus kids sporting events seem to pile up during the fall season; Soccer, Basketball, Hockey, Fall Baseball. (Maybe when the kids are grown, I will go more).

3. Lastly and it almost a non factor but it is there a little is parking. Its a pain but can be worked around. Walking up and around that hill with a 5 and 7 year old is not fun. (Maybe when they bigger it will become less of a pain)

My thesis statement. Kids prevent me from attending more games.

Certainly not making my list are:

1. Bad hot dogs
2. Doam Foam
3. Wifi
4. Pee Troughs
5. Length of game.

At $99, each game costs about $16.50 per person. So you are correct that comes out to $66.00 for a family of four. Parking can be had for $12. You're up to $78. Tailgating can drastically reduce expenditures inside the Dome however as a father of a 10 and 6 year old I can promise you can't go through a game unscathed. Keep at least $20 or so for sodas, popcorn, and maybe some cotton candy to give them that extra energy burst late in the 2nd half. I share you concerns regarding parking which is why I park at Skytop. First it's the best place to tailgate for kids, much of the area is grass covered and there's an area away from the cars where they can go play football or whatever. My kids love the shuttle, passing Manley, Melo Center, and Greek Row. You get dropped off at the quad where there are lots of activities and free bounce houses for the kids. No hills to walk up or down either direction. Essentially you can do a live game with a family of 4 for around $100 comfortably. Dinner and a movie for the same clan would be just as much if not more. As for leaf raking, yes it has to be done, what's wrong with Sunday or early Sat morning? Heck I'm a rebel, I'll even rake leaves on a Wed after work just so I don't have to worry about it come gameday. I know...mind blown...

Lastly the memories I'm building with my kids are amazing. My 10 year old still remembers going to the Fine tailgate against UCONN on a Friday night during the Grob years. That's almost 5 years ago but he remembers. That is priceless.

 

[anomander]

What phone and service do you have? I mean could be time for an upgrade? I literally never use wifi, ever. Twitter, text, email, internet all good, never an issue. In fact my phone operates slower on wifi.

I have Verizon iPhone4g