Road Crowds vs. Home Crowds

[appstatealum]

I'll take our road crowd any day versus our home crowd, man for man. I'm not saying we don't have a great atmosphere at KBS, as we often do, and when we're rocking and rolling at home it can be absolute fire. I'm just saying, as a fan that travels to between 4 and a full 6/7 road games per season, that person for person, those that "invest" in following the App State roadshow are a more passionate and involved bunch of fans than the "average" fan at The Rock. Either way, we're still all the Appalachian Family...I just think that those that go on the road in support of the Mountaineers make sure to be a little more involved in the actual game, the game that is ultimately the focal point of our spending hard-earned discretionary dollars to follow the team out of Boone. Not to mention, there is something to be said for wearing our Black & Gold gear into hostile territory and usually doing so knowing the home team has a great chance of walking out with their heads down, courtesy of us. A cocky swagger feels kinda better on the road

I agree with you. Having gone to most of the road games this year, the Black and Gold has come strong and the team def benefits from the better weather.

My wife pointed out how Boone doesn't have the same electricity on game days as years prior. Barely any advertising around town and stuff. Back in the day, there were penents and flags lining the streets. Boone ought to be embracing the school Gameday more, ala Athens during Georgia games

[Goapps15]

We play a lot of road games in cities that are easier in our alumni base to get too. For example Atlanta, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, etc. Plus we are going through a run of cool P5s to go too as well. I can’t imagine how weak the home crowds may be next year with the porous schedule we have.

[MAD Doctor]

Apples and oranges. I know the posted question does not question or compare fan loyalty, but I also know there were thousands of “traveling” fans that watched last year’s CCG from their warm, dry living rooms, while the home crowd braved the most miserable of conditions. I’m a season ticket holder who usually travels as well, and I’m amazed at the dedicated physically impaired senior citizens getting off the disability shuttle at KBS in their rain suits to sit in the God awful conditions like yesterday for 4 hours. I can tell you their blood runs black and gold. IMHO both crowds are dedicated Mountaineer family, and both are badly needed.

[App74]

The piped in music selection is better on the road

Email your concerns to Doug.

I emailed my concerns to Doug after the GS game. I don't care about the selection of piped in music. I do care about WHEN it is played. I oppose the piped in music being played between downs.

[bigdaddyg]

Our Football Team seems to play better on the Road this Season. After attending both Carolinas and Georgia State, I'm starting to think that our Road Crowd is better and much more into the games than our Home Crowd. (I am not talking about our students, who do a great job at home). Obviously, we've had better weather in Chapel Hill, Columbia and Atlanta than the back half of our home slate. Your thoughts?

Most of the Appalachian alumni base sits in Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta.

Many of them go to one, maybe two, games a year. Especially exciting if we are playing a P5 team.

So it shouldn’t be too big a shock that we get excited fans, in good weather, against USC or UNC, versus 38 and raining in Boone versus Texas State.

If we host the SB title game and the weather forecast looks good, I’ll be curious to see that crowd. Big time championship game, possibly both ranked (in at least one of the polls), casual fans have actually heard of the Ragin Cajuns.

That’ll be a decent litmus of our hole fan support.

I came to the championship game last year and I think I counted about 12 La fans. The weather was cold and rainy. If the opponent only brings a very small number- that’s a long drive, then we have to make up a huge difference. We aren’t bringing in 25,000 App fans no matter what. Spin this a different way. If our conference foes are ECU, Cincinnati or even Memphis the home crowds are WAY different.
This year the Charlotte crowd was huge and loud. Any Thursday night game is a horrible idea due the many factors already known. That was another miserable 3 hours but my son and I made the 3.5 hour trip. Any night game adds extra expense that some families can’t afford or don’t want to pay- $100+ hotel room, extra meals, etc. It is a huge factor. Couple that with it being on Halloween night on a Thursday- what do you expect?

[APEXAPP89]

I feel as though we’ve lost our 12th man which use to be the weather. Use to thrive on the cold, damp, windy, snowy ,etc conditions. I just don’t see it anymore. I miss it!! I feel we are somewhat soft. May not be a popular statement but it’s how I feel. Praying for 1 more home victory this season!!!

[NewApp]

Our Football Team seems to play better on the Road this Season. After attending both Carolinas and Georgia State, I'm starting to think that our Road Crowd is better and much more into the games than our Home Crowd. (I am not talking about our students, who do a great job at home). Obviously, we've had better weather in Chapel Hill, Columbia and Atlanta than the back half of our home slate. Your thoughts?

Most of the Appalachian alumni base sits in Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta.

Many of them go to one, maybe two, games a year. Especially exciting if we are playing a P5 team.

So it shouldn’t be too big a shock that we get excited fans, in good weather, against USC or UNC, versus 38 and raining in Boone versus Texas State.

If we host the SB title game and the weather forecast looks good, I’ll be curious to see that crowd. Big time championship game, possibly both ranked (in at least one of the polls), casual fans have actually heard of the Ragin Cajuns.

That’ll be a decent litmus of our hole fan support.

I came to the championship game last year and I think I counted about 12 La fans. The weather was cold and rainy. If the opponent only brings a very small number- that’s a long drive, then we have to make up a huge difference. We aren’t bringing in 25,000 App fans no matter what. Spin this a different way. If our conference foes are ECU, Cincinnati or even Memphis the home crowds are WAY different.
This year the Charlotte crowd was huge and loud. Any Thursday night game is a horrible idea due the many factors already known. That was another miserable 3 hours but my son and I made the 3.5 hour trip. Any night game adds extra expense that some families can’t afford or don’t want to pay- $100+ hotel room, extra meals, etc. It is a huge factor. Couple that with it being on Halloween night on a Thursday- what do you expect?

You won't find a $100 a night motel room in Boone on a game day. Just sayin.'

[Deano]

It seems every year we have this discussion about attendance, "Why weren't 30K people there in the stands with it pouring down rain?" "How do we grow our attendance?" While these are important issues and forum boards are filled with opinions, we are still growing our FBS brand. Its easy to get up for a UNC and a USC especially when the weather is perfect. We really consistently have about 25K home fans when the weather is good. If its a great opponent that number could go over 30k like the Miami game. If the weather is bad and we play a bad opponent that number is more like 15K. Our away conference attendance is somewhere around 2-3K. The number that we should really worry about and try to grow and is a good measure of where our program is, is our Yosef Club membership which is somewhere around 3K. That is the true measure of the support we have for our program. These are the season ticket holders and the donors that are the lifeblood of the program. You look at some of the other schools like ECU and their donor numbers dwarf ours by comparison.

[HkyMtneer]

"You won't find a $100 a night motel room in Boone on a game day. Just sayin.'"

Clearly you haven't searched hard enough. Hotels.com will take care of you - Greene's Motel can almost always be had for $100, give or take a few bucks, for a game night. Just make sure and pack some of your own sheets and you're good to go!

[StorminASU]

The piped in music selection is better on the road

Email your concerns to Doug.

I don't attend enough home games to voice that opinion. I was more so playing on the "We Ready" thread that talked about other schools we played on the road having a better system.

I do go to enough to voice that opinion and I honestly think the piped in music has killed some of what made KBS so special. There isn't a moment where ridiculously loud pop music isn't blaring at you, to the point you have to speak loudly to the person next to you. I seldom ever hear the band and the "We Ready" crap is constantly played when we don't have momentum and aren't, in deed, ready.

I have tweeted Doug, but never heard a response. He promised Bugler's dream every game this year and I certainly don't think that's happened. He's an amazing AD, but I don't think the traditions involving our great band have event attempted to be honored.

Hands down, the best atmosphere for a game I've attended this year was USC. We sat in the section right beside the BOD and it was GLORIOUS! So much Hi-Hi-Yikas, bugler's dream, and many other songs I hadn't heard in years. The crowd loved it too. I wasn't the only one thanking them for playing so much and asking why it couldn't happen at home. I guess our fancy, expensive, overly loud speakers trump the atmosphere we built for years up here on the backs of impassioned, engaged fans.

[mike87]

i gotta respectfully disagree that the problem is "them", be it piped music, lack of band or whatever. It's "us". I have tickets right behind the student section in the middle. When we stand and try to get into the game I get the stink eye from those behind me. When i visit and sit on the east side we stand and yell over any piped music they try to play. The whole section does that.

I don't have a problem with folks sitting down and watching the game, i can move to a section where they stand if that's what i choose to do. I just don't think there's a atmosphere problem created by the administration. I really don't think there's an atmosphere problem at all. it's different in different sections, just need to find the one that suits you.

[NewApp]

"You won't find a $100 a night motel room in Boone on a game day. Just sayin.'"

Clearly you haven't searched hard enough. Hotels.com will take care of you - Greene's Motel can almost always be had for $100, give or take a few bucks, for a game night. Just make sure and pack some of your own sheets and you're good to go!

Believe me I have checked. $200 is more like it...if one is available. Rather sleep in my car than in that rat's nest Greene's. We usually end up staying in N Wilkesboro.

[bigdaddyg]

"You won't find a $100 a night motel room in Boone on a game day. Just sayin.'"

Clearly you haven't searched hard enough. Hotels.com will take care of you - Greene's Motel can almost always be had for $100, give or take a few bucks, for a game night. Just make sure and pack some of your own sheets and you're good to go!

Yeah you are right. I just threw a round number out there. Whatever the magical hotel rate number is it still creates an extra burden on lots of folks.

[hapapp]

The piped in music selection is better on the road

Email your concerns to Doug.

I don't attend enough home games to voice that opinion. I was more so playing on the "We Ready" thread that talked about other schools we played on the road having a better system.

I do go to enough to voice that opinion and I honestly think the piped in music has killed some of what made KBS so special. There isn't a moment where ridiculously loud pop music isn't blaring at you, to the point you have to speak loudly to the person next to you. I seldom ever hear the band and the "We Ready" crap is constantly played when we don't have momentum and aren't, in deed, ready.

I have tweeted Doug, but never heard a response. He promised Bugler's dream every game this year and I certainly don't think that's happened. He's an amazing AD, but I don't think the traditions involving our great band have event attempted to be honored.

Hands down, the best atmosphere for a game I've attended this year was USC. We sat in the section right beside the BOD and it was GLORIOUS! So much Hi-Hi-Yikas, bugler's dream, and many other songs I hadn't heard in years. The crowd loved it too. I wasn't the only one thanking them for playing so much and asking why it couldn't happen at home. I guess our fancy, expensive, overly loud speakers trump the atmosphere we built for years up here on the backs of impassioned, engaged fans.

For those of us on the lower level, we never heard the band. If I hadn't read on here that they were sending a 100 member pep band, I wouldn't have known they were there. I did hear and see them postgame as they were leaving the upper deck.

[NewApp]

"You won't find a $100 a night motel room in Boone on a game day. Just sayin.'"

Clearly you haven't searched hard enough. Hotels.com will take care of you - Greene's Motel can almost always be had for $100, give or take a few bucks, for a game night. Just make sure and pack some of your own sheets and you're good to go!

Yeah you are right. I just threw a round number out there. Whatever the magical hotel rate number is it still creates an extra burden on lots of folks.

Exactly.

[/\PP ST/\TE GRAD 09]

"You won't find a $100 a night motel room in Boone on a game day. Just sayin.'"

Clearly you haven't searched hard enough. Hotels.com will take care of you - Greene's Motel can almost always be had for $100, give or take a few bucks, for a game night. Just make sure and pack some of your own sheets and you're good to go!

Believe me I have checked. $200 is more like it...if one is available. Rather sleep in my car than in that rat's nest Greene's. We usually end up staying in N Wilkesboro.

I usually stay in West Jefferson for similar cost reasons. Other option is to split a cabin with a bunch of people. That can be equally as affordable.

[APP93]

Our Football Team seems to play better on the Road this Season. After attending both Carolinas and Georgia State, I'm starting to think that our Road Crowd is better and much more into the games than our Home Crowd. (I am not talking about our students, who do a great job at home). Obviously, we've had better weather in Chapel Hill, Columbia and Atlanta than the back half of our home slate. Your thoughts?

Most of the Appalachian alumni base sits in Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta.

Many of them go to one, maybe two, games a year. Especially exciting if we are playing a P5 team.

So it shouldn’t be too big a shock that we get excited fans, in good weather, against USC or UNC, versus 38 and raining in Boone versus Texas State.

If we host the SB title game and the weather forecast looks good, I’ll be curious to see that crowd. Big time championship game, possibly both ranked (in at least one of the polls), casual fans have actually heard of the Ragin Cajuns.

That’ll be a decent litmus of our hole fan support.

If the SBC championship game is in Boone and if it's a good weather day (dry, no rain/sleet) and there is not 25K+ in KBS than we should never talk about another fan base lack of support or adding more seating capacity. Given everything this team has accomplished this year and the magnitude of that game anything less than 25K would be embarrassing.

I went last year and it was miserable, so don't fault anyone for not attending...but this year and with what's at stake we need to show up big time.

[AppStateMtneer]

I feel as though we’ve lost our 12th man which use to be the weather. Use to thrive on the cold, damp, windy, snowy ,etc conditions. I just don’t see it anymore. I miss it!! I feel we are somewhat soft. May not be a popular statement but it’s how I feel. Praying for 1 more home victory this season!!!

Need to get back to practicing outside earlier like Satterfield did in the off season and not use the indoor practice facility as much (assuming we are using that now)

[bigdaddyg]

I feel as though we’ve lost our 12th man which use to be the weather. Use to thrive on the cold, damp, windy, snowy ,etc conditions. I just don’t see it anymore. I miss it!! I feel we are somewhat soft. May not be a popular statement but it’s how I feel. Praying for 1 more home victory this season!!!

I am not slamming your statement because it is a popular opinion but I really don't get the bad weather thing some folks want to assume has been our advantage. Over the last, say 30 seasons how many crappy weather games have we played at home? We play 6 regular season home games and if you don't count the rainy ones in temperatures above about 60 degrees how many of 180 have truly been played in really bad weather? And of those how many were against an opponent equal to or better than us? Over the past several seasons we have been recruiting more and more kids from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Those guys haven't exactly grown up in the frozen tundra. There seems to be this perception that our players practice and play in crappy conditions all year long. To even say that they need to be practicing in it is a little ridiculous in of itself. What is the point in practicing in a driving rainstorm or in sleet and ice? If we experienced horrible conditions from August until December that would be one thing but typically it isn't terrible the entire season so there isn't this huge advantage that some folks seem to believe that we have. And as far as the last 30 year example goes, except for the transition period we have just been pretty damn good, during the peak FCS years and over the last 4 to 5. I really don't think that the weather thing has really mattered.

[Overcashed]

Hands down, the best atmosphere for a game I've attended this year was USC. We sat in the section right beside the BOD and it was GLORIOUS! So much Hi-Hi-Yikas, bugler's dream, and many other songs I hadn't heard in years. The crowd loved it too. I wasn't the only one thanking them for playing so much and asking why it couldn't happen at home. I guess our fancy, expensive, overly loud speakers trump the atmosphere we built for years up here on the backs of impassioned, engaged fans.

For those of us on the lower level, we never heard the band. If I hadn't read on here that they were sending a 100 member pep band, I wouldn't have known they were there. I did hear and see them postgame as they were leaving the upper deck.

I saw the band walk to the stadium from the tailgate lot and that was basically the last time I saw or heard them outside of a few faint renditions of Hi Hi Yikas. If you were lower you had no real clue they were there unfortunately.