GAMEDAY!!

[Northeast Stinger]

Attendance for the game was horrible.

31k tickets sold (attendance figure). Hurts me to say it, but I'm confident there were fewer than 20k at the game at 1:15pm, prior to weather pushing folks to the concourses. There was not a section at the stadium that approached 50% capacity pre- or post-weather except for the north student section, which was maybe 60-70%.

Some real damage was done with three consecutive 3 win seasons. I wish that were not the case but sometimes it is not just the discouragement of bad play but the breaking of a habit. I had been a regular Braves ticket holder for many years until the year the season was canceled due to the strike. Once I got out of the habit of going to games it was amazing how much else I found to do with my time.

 

[CuseJacket]

Some real damage was done with three consecutive 3 win seasons. I wish that were not the case but sometimes it is not just the discouragement of bad play but the breaking of a habit. I had been a regular Braves ticket holder for many years until the year the season was canceled due to the strike. Once I got out of the habit of going to games it was amazing how much else I found to do with my time.

What I'm about to say has taken some years for me to admit. It goes against the optimistic narrative you suggest i.e., the issue is due to this coach or that coach.

The stark downtrend started on the tail end of CPJ, pre-Collins and pre-Covid. Remember our home game vs Virginia in 2018? 37k tickets sold. Probably not 30k in the stands.

In some ways our struggles are emblematic of broader CFB attendance trends. A lot of fans did not return post-Covid and with the increasing relevance of easier, at-home watching. Ok good, we're not alone.

In other ways, it at least appears to me as if our issue has become more acute and the bottom has fallen out with respect to our fan base's interest. It is depressing for me to think about, live through real-time in the stadium, etc. I enjoy bringing new fans to games, however the atmosphere and experience has deteriorated to the point where it is harder and not as compelling for me to make those efforts as it used to be. There was not only no jolt from the Key hire, attendance became worse.

Our apathy/lack of interest hit me like a sack of bricks last Saturday. It was the worst showing I've ever seen in my GT fandom. Maybe someone has numbers that put my mind at ease. I'll still do my part for myself and family - I still enjoy the mental escape and pride in being there.

 

[TechBurn]

I normally park at the Varsity... I was shocked that, at 11:00, I was only the second car in the lot!!!! The stadium attendance before the lightning strikes & delay, was sad......

 

[roadkill]

What I'm about to say has taken some years for me to admit. It goes against the optimistic narrative you suggest i.e., the issue is due to this coach or that coach.

The stark downtrend started on the tail end of CPJ, pre-Collins and pre-Covid. Remember our home game vs Virginia in 2018? 37k tickets sold. Probably not 30k in the stands.

In some ways our struggles are emblematic of broader CFB attendance trends. A lot of fans did not return post-Covid and with the increasing relevance of easier, at-home watching. Ok good, we're not alone.

In other ways, it at least appears to me as if our issue has become more acute and the bottom has fallen out with respect to our fan base's interest. It is depressing for me to think about, live through real-time in the stadium, etc. I enjoy bringing new fans to games, however the atmosphere and experience has deteriorated to the point where it is harder and not as compelling for me to make those efforts as it used to be. There was not only no jolt from the Key hire, attendance became worse.

Our apathy/lack of interest hit me like a sack of bricks last Saturday. It was the worst showing I've ever seen in my GT fandom. Maybe someone has numbers that put my mind at ease. I'll still do my part for myself and family - I still enjoy the mental escape and pride in being there.

In-person attendance has a number of headwinds that are pushing it down. The wide availability, particularly in large cities, of many other entertainment options. The ubiquity of large hi-def television where one can see the game as well or better than in-person, and in the comfort of your home. The endless commercial time-outs, while affecting remote viewing as well, can at least be skipped with a DVR. All these things have pushed down our attendance, and poor on-field performance has made it worse. To those who say “winning solves everything” – no it doesn’t. It will help if there’s a “buzz” around GT Football being a winning program, but that will only take it so far.

J. Batt is undoubtedly aware of this. He needs to do more to improve the stadium experience and make game day more of a major local event. He is fighting an uphill battle with many traditional Tech fans who complain about our (relatively low) ticket prices but then in the same breath complain about stadium amenities. Tech also has a smaller, more disbursed alumni fan base than most large state universities, so he is fishing from a smaller pond.

Speaking of improving the stadium experience, I’ve read a number of complaints about the sound at last Saturday’s game. As far as improvements go, this is low-hanging fruit and there is no excuse to not address it. I urge everyone who thought it was bad to send a message to Batt.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

In my imagination I can think of what a well orchestrated effort would look like to improve attendance but I assume others smarter than I are working on it.

Some schools have comprehensive ticket sharing plans for faculty, staff and families involving raffles and elaborate free pre-game buffets. Some schools have a promotion of some kind at every home game that involves a pre-game or half time recognition. Some schools have goody bags for local hotel guest rooms that discuss history of the school and free tours of stadium facilities.

The list goes on but Tech may already be doing some of these and I’m just not aware. My point is that it takes a full court press with a commitment to getting every single potential fan in the stadium at least once.

 

[AUFC]

In my imagination I can think of what a well orchestrated effort would look like to improve attendance but I assume others smarter than I are working on it.

Some schools have comprehensive ticket sharing plans for faculty, staff and families involving raffles and elaborate free pre-game buffets. Some schools have a promotion of some kind at every home game that involves a pre-game or half time recognition. Some schools have goody bags for local hotel guest rooms that discuss history of the school and free tours of stadium facilities.

The list goes on but Tech may already be doing some of these and I’m just not aware. My point is that it takes a full court press with a commitment to getting every single potential fan in the stadium at least once.

Turn the upper north and/or south endzone into a standing room only, shaded, tiered, outdoor beer garden. The demographic Georgia Tech is missing on the most is young alumni - making BDS an attractive, fun, social place to spend 4 hours of your Saturday to us would result in huge gains in attendance numbers. Winning would help too.

 

[g0lftime]

In my imagination I can think of what a well orchestrated effort would look like to improve attendance but I assume others smarter than I are working on it.

Some schools have comprehensive ticket sharing plans for faculty, staff and families involving raffles and elaborate free pre-game buffets. Some schools have a promotion of some kind at every home game that involves a pre-game or half time recognition. Some schools have goody bags for local hotel guest rooms that discuss history of the school and free tours of stadium facilities.

The list goes on but Tech may already be doing some of these and I’m just not aware. My point is that it takes a full court press with a commitment to getting every single potential fan in the stadium at least once.

A group of my frat bro's get together every year for homecoming. Guys come from all over the US. This year we have not been able to get a block for HC game. It is usually about 20 to 30 people. Started trying 2 months ago. They are shooting themselves in the foot. I realize it's one game a year but these are people they beg to contribute. We still don't have tickets. We have been doing this for almost 20 years. It's a recent problem for some reason.

 

[Ramble1885]

What I'm about to say has taken some years for me to admit. It goes against the optimistic narrative you suggest i.e., the issue is due to this coach or that coach.

The stark downtrend started on the tail end of CPJ, pre-Collins and pre-Covid. Remember our home game vs Virginia in 2018? 37k tickets sold. Probably not 30k in the stands.

In some ways our struggles are emblematic of broader CFB attendance trends. A lot of fans did not return post-Covid and with the increasing relevance of easier, at-home watching. Ok good, we're not alone.

In other ways, it at least appears to me as if our issue has become more acute and the bottom has fallen out with respect to our fan base's interest. It is depressing for me to think about, live through real-time in the stadium, etc. I enjoy bringing new fans to games, however the atmosphere and experience has deteriorated to the point where it is harder and not as compelling for me to make those efforts as it used to be. There was not only no jolt from the Key hire, attendance became worse.

Our apathy/lack of interest hit me like a sack of bricks last Saturday. It was the worst showing I've ever seen in my GT fandom. Maybe someone has numbers that put my mind at ease. I'll still do my part for myself and family - I still enjoy the mental escape and pride in being there.

I must disagree and maybe enlighten you. If it wasn't for the rain delay the crowd would've been fine. 31K seems accurate to me. When the team ran out on the field before the delay the crowd noise was great. At the coin toss right before the big delay there DEFINITELY were more people than the UVA game last year. The tailgating scene pregame was the best I've seen in awhile, and it seemed the fanbase had a lot more optimism. I will agree with you that because of the delay the crowd was DEAD. It sucked. But I think Key being hired is slowly bringing people back. Now we have to win, that's the only way to get things back to what they were.

 

[roadkill]

A group of my frat bro's get together every year for homecoming. Guys come from all over the US. This year we have not been able to get a block for HC game. It is usually about 20 to 30 people. Started trying 2 months ago. They are shooting themselves in the foot. I realize it's one game a year but these are people they beg to contribute. We still don't have tickets. We have been doing this for almost 20 years. It's a recent problem for some reason.

This is puzzling. What is your ticket rep saying about the problem? I would be surprised if its already a sellout.

 

[CuseJacket]

I must disagree and maybe enlighten you. If it wasn't for the rain delay the crowd would've been fine. 31K seems accurate to me. When the team ran out on the field before the delay the crowd noise was great. At the coin toss right before the big delay there DEFINITELY were more people than the UVA game last year. The tailgating scene pregame was the best I've seen in awhile, and it seemed the fanbase had a lot more optimism. I will agree with you that because of the delay the crowd was DEAD. It sucked. But I think Key being hired is slowly bringing people back. Now we have to win, that's the only way to get things back to what they were.

You're being overly optimistic, imo. I want to believe you, but I saw it with my own eyes.

I was in the stadium at 12:30. I was in my seats leading up to when the delay was announced at 12:56. I was there when no one went to the concourses until approx 1:15 because there was no weather impacting the stadium.

With that in mind, there was assuredly fewer than 50% in every section of the stadium, save for the north student section. I was actively scanning, rechecking, etc, because there was hardly anything else to do. With that in mind, that brings the max. number to 27500 at the most optimistic. Then when you account for ~30% coverage in most sections - East, West, North, South - it brings the number well within and likely below the 20k range.

For what it's worth, I was not comparing to UVA last year. I mentioned 2018 because that went back two coaches ago.

 

[g0lftime]

This is puzzling. What is your ticket rep saying about the problem? I would be surprised if its already a sellout.

It's not a sellout. Told the guy that coordinates our group nothing for a block of seats together although we have in the past. Puzzling. So far we haven't bought anything and guys are starting to say forget tickets will just stay at the hotel.

 

[UgaBlows]

After the rain delay you could have fit everyone in the stadium into the lower west stands, it was bad and the crowd was dead