Where are the fans?

[AppRy]

I think I just solved a problem! I made everyone rich and put butts in the seats!

Pork butts?! Now that's a promo!

[bh2oson]

Honestly, our alumni base on average is so young, what REALLY needs to happen is a bunch of us "Championship Era" graduates strike it rich so we can afford multiple trips on back to back weekends!

I think I just solved a problem! I made everyone rich and put butts in the seats!

#BGPMailSatchel How do we get more butts in the seats?

[Saint3333]

Can we change the damn record in that record player? This has been discussed ad nauseam. We get die hards and students the week before Miami. This is the nature of consecutive home games at a destination stadium.

Until this record changes we can't put on the record so many of our fans want to hear.

[Gonzo]

Are we still saying the stadium was full for Howard last year?

Amidst reports of hundreds of students' App Cards not being scanned the official attendace for the 2015 Howard game was 24,314, which is more than KBS' official capacity.

The hill and the West side were full. The sun light drove many from the East side. For some reason I can't find the photo I took. It was a decently attended football game.

[appst89]

For people debating which "excuses" are acceptable for not attending a sporting event, keep in mind no one owes you any excuse for how they decide to spend their time and money.

There was a group of people, most of whom no longer post here, who were more than happy to tell you how much you could afford and exactly what you should do with your money, and to tell you what a terrible fan you were if you didn't do it their way. I really don't miss that.

[JTApps1]

No matter what the cause is, it is pretty sad that so many of our fans are staying home for the opener after the season we had, and the great showing we had last week against UT. Somehow the school has to find a way to get the casual fans back in the stadium.

[DaphneUrquhart]

I see a day in the not too distant future when I will decide between grandchildren's activities and App football. I know I'll end up missing home games from time to time. I'll still have season tickets for as long as I can afford them. I also realize there will be times that my ticket will "count" when my backside is not in its assigned seat at KBS.

Life happens. We all make choices - some easy, some not so easy. We all have financial blessings and woes that vary in severity or altitude from year to year. Right now, I happen to have enough free time and enough dollars to make tailgating and game attendance possible. At the end of the day, I'll stand with my App family whether either of us can make the game or not.

Go Apps! Beat ODU!

[/\PP ST/\TE GRAD 09]

So we pack the stadium with "true fans", then by halftime it looks like a Georgia State type crowd. How true are those fans at that point?

[8993]

I think some are being a little too harsh on here. All fans, both near and far, have to make decisions that reflect their current situation. Fans should not be criticized or belittled if they can't make it to any game, especially when we have two home games in a row. Everybody should be able to make a decision that best reflects their current state (i.e., budgetary concerns, family matters, travel concerns, etc.) without being criticized for it.

Do I want a packed stadium for every game? Of course. Do I hope the next two weeks are both massive sell outs? Duh. Do I feel it is my right to criticize fans for not being at this Saturday's game, even though I don't know their circumstances? Of course not. Let's all just encourage as many fans to come out as possible and wish those who can't make it the best. No reason to think down on them!

[EastHallApp]

To me, the point is that if your stadium isn't full, the answer isn't to try and shame more people into attending. It's to figure out how to make the product appeal to them so more people choose to attend. I think our administration is taking some good steps in that direction, but it's obviously still a work in progress.

[Saint3333]

If people view the OP as shaming, I think you're being a tad defensive.

It's an honest assessment of our fanbase and its demand for home games. The demand for tickets isn't as high as I personal thought it would be given the situation, nothing more, nothing less.

I think we should have kept the half season plan for the opener, homecoming and the last game of the year. Fewer tickets for the opener would drive "demand" for later games as a sense of urgency.

[hapapp]

For people debating which "excuses" are acceptable for not attending a sporting event, keep in mind no one owes you any excuse for how they decide to spend their time and money.

People have the right to come or stay home. I don't begrudge anyone who decides what's in their own interest. For many years many of my Saturdays were occupied with cross country meets and I was only able to get to a couple of games. Retirement has allowed me to not miss a home game since 2010. People have their reasons, whatever they are, to come or not. My point was we can't claim to have such a passionate fanbase if we can't sell out a 24,000 seat stadium.

I'm hopeful, as many have suggested, that the weather will bring a big walk up crowd. In reality, that is generally what contributes to our crowd size, not season ticket holders.

[firemoose]

We are not the only school or the only sport, for that matter, that has been and are still having attendance problems. Especially since 2008/09. And having all your games broadcast on TV isn't helping matters but it's something we have to live with. And we need all the TV money we can get no matter how little it is. Back in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's we had less seats (adding more as time went on) and regional rivalries where schools were able to bring fans of their own. Now we're still in a difficult economy and many of the schools are much further away. And we can see what that does to attendance. The casual fan doesn't know or hasn't taken the time to care about SB teams yet and that will take some time. Depending on what happens with realignment and if we're able to get in a more regional grouping where fans can more easily travel to both schools each year then we'll see things pick back up some. Hard to establish true rivalries when many of your conference schools are hundreds of miles away. There are multiple issues here and they will not be solved overnight. Some may never be solved. Part of that depends on if we can get this new generation of App alumni as excited and engaged as the past generations have been. And winning always helps. But it's a long road ahead and we're not alone.

[appst89]

If people view the OP as shaming, I think you're being a tad defensive.

It's an honest assessment of our fanbase and its demand for home games. The demand for tickets isn't as high as I personal thought it would be given the situation, nothing more, nothing less.

I think we should have kept the half season plan for the opener, homecoming and the last game of the year. Fewer tickets for the opener would drive "demand" for later games as a sense of urgency.

I did not consider your post to be shaming at all, but I'm sure you remember that it used to be a common practice on the MMB. It is a problem and we have to address it. I, too, think the loss of the half-season option is driving some of the lower numbers.

[Saint3333]

I just want to be clear that I support everyone's right to do as they wish on gamedays. It's your money and your time. I miss at least one game a year due to work or this year for my kid's activities.

Hap is spot on that we can't claim to have one of the more passionate fanbases if we can't put butts in the seats. That isn't an accusation versus any one individual and shouldn't be taken as such.

I think we'll have a great crowd this weekend as we always do when the weather is nice, I'd just like to see more seats sold before walkups to take the next step as a fanbase. I know I'm preaching to the choir on here.

[biggie]

Wished I could make it. Darn this moving and kids stuff.

[EastHallApp]

If people view the OP as shaming, I think you're being a tad defensive.

It's an honest assessment of our fanbase and its demand for home games. The demand for tickets isn't as high as I personal thought it would be given the situation, nothing more, nothing less.

I think we should have kept the half season plan for the opener, homecoming and the last game of the year. Fewer tickets for the opener would drive "demand" for later games as a sense of urgency.

OP wasn't that bad, more referring to some responses on this and numerous other threads.

Otherwise I agree with you, except that I am not really surprised after the past couple years. Would have thought demand would be higher for this particular game (home opener), but overall I think a lot of fans have preferred to write off our lowered attendance for various reasons (too cold, too hot, too windy, too Thursday, too Thanksgiving) rather than recognizing it as a trend.

[Saint3333]

I fear I have fallen into that group. I was making excuses to feel better about our situation. At some point this may be the new normal.

[appgrad95&97]

This is who we are. I wish it were different, but.

[Boone Goon]

I'm the one who dropped the gauntlet and said we should all be there...I'll own it.

This is a fan message board, and its populated by our most ardent fans, not our casual, "if the weather is nice, I'll head up the mountain for a game" crowd. I don't understand how we could struggle to get 24K+ to Boone for the home opener...doesn't make any sense to me at all. If it was a Thursday night game I get it, if it was a noon kick-off or an 8 PM game, maybe, but it's 3:30! People can do it as a day trip. Wife can't go? No problem, grab a neighbor and head up the mountain. Let's pack the ROCK!