Declining Game Attendance

biggtfan

biggtfan

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And which generation is it that are accountable for these millennial behaviors?

I am a baby boomer. We went to watch Atlanta United play last night in Orlando. The fans sang the entire game and had a great time. They are analogous to our student section/swarm. The difference is when AU FC is in the dome, the whole crowd sings.

I prefer college football to soccer but I have grown to appreciate the nuance and drama. Putting it down as boring shows a lack of respect for the world's most popular sport.

Animal02 said:
An hour and one half of mostly nothing (kicking a ball around and maybe scoring once), acting hurt over the slightest offense, ambiguous rules (adding time). No wonder millennials enjoy it, it matches their lives. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
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4shotB

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Milwaukee said:
I used to think the same thing Super, but I enjoy soccer just as much as football now. We just need to keep ESPN away from soccer because they'll ruin it like they ruin things.
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I agree...although I will add one caveat. I only watch World Cup just as I only watch the major tournaments in pro golf. The drama in WC (and the majors) just cannot be replicated by a "normal" event, although to be fair I have never watched a Champions League game. 25 years ago I would have likened soccer to lawn darts or croquet. This coming from a guy who is just about to turn 60 and never having kicked a single soccer ball in my life.

I will say this...given the shift in a lot of things if the NFL and college FB cannot find a way to meet revenue targets without stoppage of play for commercial breaks, I predict that soccer will be the most popular sport in the USA within the next 25 - 30 years. I, for one, am drawn to the game for that reason (non-stop). Interestingly enough, it seems like at least the Masters and the Open seem to be televised without a lot of commercial interruption. In addition, my dad, who is one of the biggest sports fans in the universe, will not watch a televised event. His solution is to record the events and skip the commercials. I wonder how many others are doing that as well?
 
4shotB

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Supersizethatorder-mutt said:
Again IMO, the only excitement is the excitement in the stands, which is extremely contagious. The action on the field I still find boring.
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Well, possibly there is a lesson to be learned then from the soccer fans? We are, after all, talking about declining attendance. It doesn't matter (within boundaries of course) what brings the fans to the event....the big picture is that they come. Can we replicate what they do? How? Let's not close our eyes to important lessons that would benefit GT just because we do not like the sport (not saying that you are). Just like we can learn from NASCAR...20 years ago they were a hot ticket. Now you can get tickets to the night race at Bristol without any trouble. What happened? Is FB making the same the same mistakes? I don't know, just saying that the topic IS important and we should look externally as well as internally for solutions.
 

Animal02

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biggtfan said:
And which generation is it that are accountable for these millennial behaviors?

I am a baby boomer. We went to watch Atlanta United play last night in Orlando. The fans sang the entire game and had a great time. They are analogous to our student section/swarm. The difference is when AU FC is in the dome, the whole crowd sings.

I prefer college football to soccer but I have grown to appreciate the nuance and drama. Putting it down as boring shows a lack of respect for the world's most popular sport.
Click to expand...
It is the most popular sport because it doesn't take much equipment or skill to participate.......there are lots of things that are popular that do not deserve respect.
 

gtg970g

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Supersizethatorder-mutt said:
Again IMO, the only excitement is the excitement in the stands, which is extremely contagious. The action on the field I still find boring.
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I'm curious to know if you've been at an AU game. I grew up with friends who played soccer but didn't play myself past 2nd grade rec league. I find the game very exciting to watch (even more so live) and the atmosphere created by the crowd certainly helps as is does with all live events. I find that most people who don't enjoy watching soccer believe the only exciting moments are when goals are scored much like it seems that people who dislike baseball feel that the only exciting moments are when homeruns are hit. I could not disagree more with both sentiments.

As a side tangent I think the trend towards more runs scored via homerun than by putting runners on base has made the game more boring than ever and many former players (including hall of famers) agree with this sentiment.

Two great examples are the NYCFC vs NY Red Bulls from this past week and the Orlando vs DC United game from last weekend. Highlight reels do not justify the excitement of these two games but take a look at the Orlando DC highlights. In the former a team went from 1 score down with a man down less than half way through the match to tie the game and hold on for a 1-1 tie.
 
OldJacketFan

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Animal02 said:
It is the most popular sport because it doesn't take much equipment or skill to participate.......there are lots of things that are popular that do not deserve respect.
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Equipment? True. Skill? WAY more than you give the players credit for! The comes from a 60 plus sports nut who have fallen in love with high lever soccer!
 

senoiajacket

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BuckeyeJacket said:
I would imagine the opposite. The goal is to get the stadium looking more full and this is especially true at the lower levels. I think the earlier you check in, the better the seat.
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Color me skeptical. Once you purchase the pass the AA has the revenue. I think they have very little incentive to provide you with a “high quality” seat. I would expect the most if the time the seats will be in upper North endzone, which I happen to think is a really good perspective to observe the game, especially our offense. I just don’t like being at the very top ....
 
Supersizethatorder-mutt

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4shotB said:
Well, possibly there is a lesson to be learned then from the soccer fans? We are, after all, talking about declining attendance. It doesn't matter (within boundaries of course) what brings the fans to the event....the big picture is that they come. Can we replicate what they do? How? Let's not close our eyes to important lessons that would benefit GT just because we do not like the sport (not saying that you are). Just like we can learn from NASCAR...20 years ago they were a hot ticket. Now you can get tickets to the night race at Bristol without any trouble. What happened? Is FB making the same the same mistakes? I don't know, just saying that the topic IS important and we should look externally as well as internally for solutions.
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Totally agree.
 
Supersizethatorder-mutt

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gtg970g said:
I'm curious to know if you've been at an AU game. I grew up with friends who played soccer but didn't play myself past 2nd grade rec league. I find the game very exciting to watch (even more so live) and the atmosphere created by the crowd certainly helps as is does with all live events. I find that most people who don't enjoy watching soccer believe the only exciting moments are when goals are scored much like it seems that people who dislike baseball feel that the only exciting moments are when homeruns are hit. I could not disagree more with both sentiments.

As a side tangent I think the trend towards more runs scored via homerun than by putting runners on base has made the game more boring than ever and many former players (including hall of famers) agree with this sentiment.

Two great examples are the NYCFC vs NY Red Bulls from this past week and the Orlando vs DC United game from last weekend. Highlight reels do not justify the excitement of these two games but take a look at the Orlando DC highlights. In the former a team went from 1 score down with a man down less than half way through the match to tie the game and hold on for a 1-1 tie.
Click to expand...
No, I have never been to an AU match or any soccer match.
 
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