Improvements to BDS and game attendance and atmosphere...

Messages
13,443
Location
Augusta, GA
My opinion is that fair weather fans are not going to go to a game to watch their team get their butt kicked. They may go and brave the weather to watch a competitive team that has a chance of winning. If it is too hot/cold/rainy, they are not going to show.

So where were they last Saturday when the weather was great, the kickoff time was great, and it was an accepted fact that we at least had a good chance to win, already having won 4 out of the previous 5 games?
 

majorQ9

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
366
Not to bring the subject back to the original post, but just listened to the last of the interview.

I really did laugh out loud because of his comment "I did not know we had a flagship station".

As far as attendance. Fans come when you win games. This is not the chicken or the egg thing. Start putting winning seasons together and the fans will come. Win enough and the fan base will grow.

My opinion is that fair weather fans are not going to go to a game to watch their team get their butt kicked. They may go and brave the weather to watch a competitive team that has a chance of winning. If it is too hot/cold/rainy, they are not going to show.

I agree that the allotted seat width is too tight. We get the cushioned stadium seats each year, and you sit on top of each other.

2015 had great attendance for the first couple games. Attendance tanked after the team started losing. It's that simple.
 

jacket_fan

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
759
Location
Milton, Georgia
So where were they last Saturday when the weather was great, the kickoff time was great, and it was an accepted fact that we at least had a good chance to win, already having won 4 out of the previous 5 games?

Fair point, but Tech has not shown they are putting winning seasons together. Perhaps many have already written off the season.

I do not recall how many seasons ago it was that ugag was going through a couple of rough seasons and my ugag friends remarked they were not going to Athens again until the dawgs started winning again. I think Tech needs to put together some momentum to get a large number of fans returning.
 
Messages
13,443
Location
Augusta, GA
Fair point, but Tech has not shown they are putting winning seasons together. Perhaps many have already written off the season.

I do not recall how many seasons ago it was that ugag was going through a couple of rough seasons and my ugag friends remarked they were not going to Athens again until the dawgs started winning again. I think Tech needs to put together some momentum to get a large number of fans returning.
But if they showed up for the Miami game, which we won, it just doesn't make any sense at all that they wouldn't show up for the UVA game. We are not talking about one season to the next (I actually agree with you on that), but about one game to the next. A big win should by all rights be followed by a big crowd for another big game.
 

bobongo

Helluva Engineer
Messages
7,580
But if they showed up for the Miami game, which we won, it just doesn't make any sense at all that they wouldn't show up for the UVA game. We are not talking about one season to the next (I actually agree with you on that), but about one game to the next. A big win should by all rights be followed by a big crowd for another big game.

Maybe night games draw more fans? Or maybe Miami is a bigger draw? I dunno, but I was a bit disappointed in the UVa crowd as well.
 

awbuzz

Helluva Manager
Staff member
Messages
12,106
Location
Marietta, GA
Reducing the seating in prime locations would result in a significant financial loss for the AA. Only 67% of seats were sold but I bet 90% of prime locations with significant Tech Fund donation requirements were sold.
There you go again... Dropping in reality. Well done. [emoji106]
 

gtg970g

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
327
Maybe night games draw more fans? Or maybe Miami is a bigger draw? I dunno, but I was a bit disappointed in the UVa crowd as well.
For many families night games are harder to make. 330 in November is perfect. Miami definitely had more fans but not 13k more.
 

awbuzz

Helluva Manager
Staff member
Messages
12,106
Location
Marietta, GA
Before I read all of the thread, I am going to put this out there. This should be like airlines if you take up more than one seat then you should buy two seats. Just because somebody's exercise doesn't mean they should take up my portion of a seat that I paid for. Simple as that.
 

MikeJackets1967

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,844
Location
Lovely Ducktown,Tennessee
Before I read all of the thread, I am going to put this out there. This should be like airlines if you take up more than one seat then you should buy two seats. Just because somebody's exercise doesn't mean they should take up my portion of a seat that I paid for. Simple as that.
If it's going to be like an airline they should give you a coke and a bag of mixed nuts or chex mix;)
 

Milwaukee

Banned
Messages
7,277
Location
Milwaukee, WI
But if they showed up for the Miami game, which we won, it just doesn't make any sense at all that they wouldn't show up for the UVA game. We are not talking about one season to the next (I actually agree with you on that), but about one game to the next. A big win should by all rights be followed by a big crowd for another big game.

I think we were mathematically still in the running for the Coastal headed into Miami week.
 

jacket_fan

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
759
Location
Milton, Georgia
OK mutt you got me. I am going to admit I did not make the game. I had the opportunity to go to the Galapagos Islands. This is only the second home game I have missed since 1985. The other was because my son had a football game. I have been in the East Upper Deck watching attendance drop just like you. I will have to look at the replay to see what the attendance was, so will go with what you said about attendance. Maybe it was that fair weather Tech fans hate Miami as much as I do and could not give a Hoot about the Hoos. One reason there were more fans was because the Miami thug fanbase shows up versus the Virginia fans. Other than that I have no clue why attendance sucked at the game.

My eldest son graduated in 2014 and is now a season ticket holder. But let's face it, he had a lot of brain washing from his father. I have told the story many times that he was conceived in 1990 after the uVa game and he attended the 1990 game in Orlando in his mother, so he had to be a Tech fan. (Humor intended here, but true)

But in general, I believe for Tech to grow attendance, they need to win fans back by winning football games. Success builds on success. I think we have a pretty deep hole from which to climb out.
 

GT_05

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,370
Before I read all of the thread, I am going to put this out there. This should be like airlines if you take up more than one seat then you should buy two seats. Just because somebody's exercise doesn't mean they should take up my portion of a seat that I paid for. Simple as that.

I’d agree if seating was limited. There were 18,000 empty seats last Saturday though. Everybody can take up about a seat and a half right now. That’s the real problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Animal02

Banned
Messages
6,269
Location
Southeastern Michigan
OK mutt you got me. I am going to admit I did not make the game. I had the opportunity to go to the Galapagos Islands. This is only the second home game I have missed since 1985. The other was because my son had a football game. I have been in the East Upper Deck watching attendance drop just like you. I will have to look at the replay to see what the attendance was, so will go with what you said about attendance. Maybe it was that fair weather Tech fans hate Miami as much as I do and could not give a Hoot about the Hoos. One reason there were more fans was because the Miami thug fanbase shows up versus the Virginia fans. Other than that I have no clue why attendance sucked at the game.

My eldest son graduated in 2014 and is now a season ticket holder. But let's face it, he had a lot of brain washing from his father. I have told the story many times that he was conceived in 1990 after the uVa game and he attended the 1990 game in Orlando in his mother, so he had to be a Tech fan. (Humor intended here, but true)

But in general, I believe for Tech to grow attendance, they need to win fans back by winning football games. Success builds on success. I think we have a pretty deep hole from which to climb out.
Galapagos islands definitely worth it. Looking to go back again in a couple of years.
 

awbuzz

Helluva Manager
Staff member
Messages
12,106
Location
Marietta, GA
Before I read all of the thread, I am going to put this out there. This should be like airlines if you take up more than one seat then you should buy two seats. Just because somebody's exercise doesn't mean they should take up my portion of a seat that I paid for. Simple as that.
Should have added that the airlines SHOULD mandate this.
 

TheSilasSonRising

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,729
What money would we lose? It would cost money of course but it’s about the in game experience, make it better and more people would want to come imo. It could also affect recruiting if the stadium looked fuller, kids like that kid of stuff. Not a big deal though, we obviously have different opinions, nothing wrong with that.

Not directly saying this to tech _wreck47, but a lot of these ideas are not taking into account the additional negative recruiting from our opponents that we would be demphasizing football.

That cost can not be calculated but it is very real.

Sadly, as with most things related to GT sports, we can't dream of doing better - only worse. No way we could hire leaders that have a vision of selling out what we have now, and then eventually add to it. That would require vision, dedication, a love of GT.

Wouldn't it be something if we had a fund raising campaign to actually tear down part of our stadium? Think of the great pub.
 
Top