The facts as I see'em

[Captain killem]

Being a sidewalk fan and 200 miles from Tech I would love to go more often but for me it is expensive trying to get tickets and stay in Atlanta. We are planning to make 1 game this year but would love to be there for more but funding won't allow it.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

Personally I do not give a rip how many people go to our games. As long as they have a seat for my butt, I am happy. People spend way too much time worrying about stuff they have no control over. Do what you can do and let the rest of the folks do what they want. If they want to go to a Georgia Tech football game, they most likely will, if not they probably won't. That's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Go Jackets!

 

[GTG768B]

I respect your opinion, but I can assure you, how many people attend our games matters to the student athletes, and to the viewing public at large. As a fan who has watched some football, you can probably name several schools that have similarly sized stadiums to ours that just carry a reputation for being loud and involved in the outcome of the game (hallo Oregon). I have been to BDS for several big games when it was LOUD. Don't stick your head in the sand. Selling out our stadium matters, and can positively impact the game, both in home field advantage, but also in recruiting. There is absolutely no reason not to grow our fanbase. If you aren't changing your strategy and moving forward then you are losing and going backward.

Plus, when you go to a sold-out game, it just feels like there is an additional buzz in the air, so to speak.

 

[UgaBlows]

Very difficult proposition.
Local Atlantans with no college affiliation have a hard time relating with/to GT. They see GT as elitist and much of that feeling is justified. If we made a concentrated and earnest effort to cultivate fans in the Atlanta school system and neighborhoods, I think we could maybe turn the tide in this area.

This is a huge problem, percieved or real- our fanbase, especially Alums are thought of as very snooty and elitist. One definitely gets a vibe from some GT grads that they really don't want or couldn't care less about sidewalk fans.

I really think we should be giving tickets away to local schools and selling very cheap tickets to Atlanta residents to fill up the stands for the Mercer type games, it would help build a new fanbase and pay dividends down the road. Rebrand ourselves as ATL's team. Get some local rappers performing at halftime, hanging on the sidelines etc.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Tech tickets are the cheapest (most affordable) I've ever encountered in college football. Price isn't the issue unless you're being George Constanza.

Then why isn't the stadium full? Honest question, not being a SA.

 

[Animal02]

I am a GT grad living in New Orleans during my residency. I bought Tulane season tickets to their new stadium starting in 2014 when Tech played there and have kept them up. The kids love to go. I can get 4 season tickets for 200$. The cheap price is basically 100% why I go. I am on board with Tech offering cheap seats in the upper north... Try to sell out every game. You can't build fan allegiance without having people experience the product in person (unless we are perenially ranked and beating Georgie with regularity). Hell, make them 5$ until the stadium is full.

They need to get more students in the stands....and get them there early instead of half way through the first quarter.

 

[Animal02]

Then why isn't the stadium full? Honest question, not being a SA.

I am disgusted every week seeing the empty seats in the lower east. I do not care what they have paid for them.....the visual is extremely damaging.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

This is a huge problem, percieved or real- our fanbase, especially Alums are thought of as very snooty and elitist. One definitely gets a vibe from some GT grads that they really don't want or couldn't care less about sidewalk fans.

I really think we should be giving tickets away to local schools and selling very cheap tickets to Atlanta residents to fill up the stands for the Mercer type games, it would help build a new fanbase and pay dividends down the road. Rebrand ourselves as ATL's team. Get some local rappers performing at halftime, hanging on the sidelines etc.

The wife and I call it "TBS" or Tech B**** Syndrome.

It's definitely real.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

I have been going to Georgia Tech football games for more than 50 years. It has always been this way. Big games sell out and games against lesser opponents always have empty seats. I'm sorry to tell you, but Vanderbilt is not a premier football team and actually has a smaller fan base than Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is not going to draw a sellout any where unless they are having a unique season and competing for a Championship, and even then we are not going to sell out games against Mercer, Vanderbilt, Alcorn, etc. I think the GTAA does what it can to promote ticket sales. If you measure your football satisfaction experience based on a sold out stadium you best find another team to root for. It ain't happening at Georgia Tech, unless Clemson, Georgia or some other big name, big brand school comes calling. Being critical of the school and the team for not selling the place out does nothing to help the program or to enhance your credentials as a Georgia Tech football fan.

Go Jackets!

 

[Vespidae]

Jerry -

I have been going to Georgia Tech football games for more than 50 years. It has always been this way. Big games sell out and games against lesser opponents always have empty seats. I'm sorry to tell you, but Vanderbilt is not a premier football team and actually has a smaller fan base than Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is not going to draw a sellout any where unless they are having a unique season and competing for a Championship, and even then we are not going to sell out games against Mercer, Vanderbilt, Alcorn, etc. I think the GTAA does what it can to promote ticket sales. If you measure your football satisfaction experience based on a sold out stadium you best find another team to root for. It ain't happening at Georgia Tech, unless Clemson, Georgia or some other big name, big brand school comes calling. Being critical of the school and the team for not selling the place out does nothing to help the program or to enhance your credentials as a Georgia Tech football fan.

Go Jackets!

I feel your pain. I've been following Tech for 35 years and it is what you describe. However ...

1) we are only talking 14,000 seats here. It is not as if we are landing a man on the moon. And the benefits of full stadiums help in so many areas ... just a thought.
2) If I read it right, the GTAA had no strategic plan until this past year. Perhaps that IS the problem. With planning, alignment and execution ... anything is possible.

Finally, re the snooty Tech alumni. Many of these snooty alumni are business owners, leaders, and wealthy (very wealthy) individuals. Being part of a successful network is a good thing .. not a bad thing. We just have to work at it more ...

 

[UgaBlows]

Finally, re the snooty Tech alumni. Many of these snooty alumni are business owners, leaders, and wealthy (very wealthy) individuals. Being part of a successful network is a good thing .. not a bad thing. We just have to work at it more ...

Oh i agree 100% that anyone who gets through GT with a degree deserves to be very proud of that and also whatever success it brings them, but the attitude that the right to be a true GT fan belongs only to them is poison for our program.

 

[GTRX7]

I think we need to recognize that the last 14,000 is largely dependent upon the opposing fanbase. The reason why Mercer and Ga Southern had better crowds than Vandy (despite being austensible smaller games) is that those teams brought fans. We sell out UGA, Clem, and FSU every time because those teams bring fans. Miami, VT and UNC sort of do, so we sometimes sell out for those. Yes, more Tech fans show up for the big games, but I think the opposing fanbase is the biggest difference between a full stadium and not.

Not saying that is how I want it to be, just how it is.

 

[Deltajacket]

GA400 is a high tech business corridor. It's not infested with hardcore UGA trailer dwellers. Not one GT billboard to be seen anywhere. They have thousands of affluent, tech oriented people in the area yet they do not market to them. Makes zero sense. Our marketing department at the GTAA is a joke.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Price the

Tech tickets are the cheapest (most affordable) I've ever encountered in college football. Price isn't the issue unless you're being George Constanza.

The tightness of most tech men's purse strings is that of George Costanza.

 

[UgaBlows]

I have been going to Georgia Tech football games for more than 50 years. It has always been this way. Big games sell out and games against lesser opponents always have empty seats. I'm sorry to tell you, but Vanderbilt is not a premier football team and actually has a smaller fan base than Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is not going to draw a sellout any where unless they are having a unique season and competing for a Championship, and even then we are not going to sell out games against Mercer, Vanderbilt, Alcorn, etc. I think the GTAA does what it can to promote ticket sales. If you measure your football satisfaction experience based on a sold out stadium you best find another team to root for. It ain't happening at Georgia Tech, unless Clemson, Georgia or some other big name, big brand school comes calling. Being critical of the school and the team for not selling the place out does nothing to help the program or to enhance your credentials as a Georgia Tech football fan.

Go Jackets!

Giving away unused tickets or selling them cheap for games that we know will be low turnout will help build the next generation of GT fans. Things are different at GT now, a big percentage of the students are from far away and never come back after graduation, and our current fanbase has a LOT of older people in it.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I respect your opinion, but I can assure you, how many people attend our games matters to the student athletes, and to the viewing public at large. As a fan who has watched some football, you can probably name several schools that have similarly sized stadiums to ours that just carry a reputation for being loud and involved in the outcome of the game (hallo Oregon). I have been to BDS for several big games when it was LOUD. Don't stick your head in the sand. Selling out our stadium matters, and can positively impact the game, both in home field advantage, but also in recruiting. There is absolutely no reason not to grow our fanbase. If you aren't changing your strategy and moving forward then you are losing and going backward.

Plus, when you go to a sold-out game, it just feels like there is an additional buzz in the air, so to speak.

When I was in highschool, I took a tour of the Textile Engineering facilities (which no longer exists) on a Saturday morning just to get a free ticket to the Clemson game that day. I sat in the old horseshoe endzone (which no longer exists) and needed binoculars just to see the action right in front of me. Ahh, the good ol' days...

BDS (1983) jam packed with screaming yellow jacket fans!!!

 

[Vespidae]

I think we need to recognize that the last 14,000 is largely dependent upon the opposing fanbase. The reason why Mercer and Ga Southern had better crowds than Vandy (despite being austensible smaller games) is that those teams brought fans. We sell out UGA, Clem, and FSU every time because those teams bring fans. Miami, VT and UNC sort of do, so we sometimes sell out for those. Yes, more Tech fans show up for the big games, but I think the opposing fanbase is the biggest difference between a full stadium and not.

Not saying that is how I want it to be, just how it is.

Atlanta is the number one Alumni location for almost every SEC school. That's why it's great when we do play ... it will be packed. And a ton of fun. And if you are a recruit ... very impressive.

 

[GTG768B]

I have been going to Georgia Tech football games for more than 50 years. It has always been this way. Big games sell out and games against lesser opponents always have empty seats. I'm sorry to tell you, but Vanderbilt is not a premier football team and actually has a smaller fan base than Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is not going to draw a sellout any where unless they are having a unique season and competing for a Championship, and even then we are not going to sell out games against Mercer, Vanderbilt, Alcorn, etc. I think the GTAA does what it can to promote ticket sales. If you measure your football satisfaction experience based on a sold out stadium you best find another team to root for. It ain't happening at Georgia Tech, unless Clemson, Georgia or some other big name, big brand school comes calling. Being critical of the school and the team for not selling the place out does nothing to help the program or to enhance your credentials as a Georgia Tech football fan.

Go Jackets!

This is incredibly defeatist.

 

[Vespidae]

My brother in law went to Texas A&M. My family took him to Tuscaloosa for a Bama game. His jaw fell out. "This", he said, "is what I want for A&M".

It takes a vision. That's the start.

 

[AE 87]

When I was in highschool, I took a tour of the Textile Engineering facilities (which no longer exists) on a Saturday morning just to get a free ticket to the Clemson game that day. I sat in the old horseshoe endzone (which no longer exists) and needed binoculars just to see the action right in front of me. Ahh, the good ol' days...

BDS (1983) jam packed with screaming yellow jacket fans!!!

Why does this picture look so familiar????