The most disappointing stat from yesterday was...attendance.

[GT_05]

When I read posts on this topic (and there are many), I think people get caught up in the weeds and miss the bigger questions. There are a number of die hard fans who will suck it up and go no matter what. We need those people and are thankful for them but the issue remains....attendance is declining. If we, as a program, feel that this is an issue, every complaint needs to be heard. And corrected to the extent possible. If the security line was excellent in 95% of the gates but bad at the other 5%, to those 5% security and check in IS a problem and it doesn't matter that you at gate 15 or the couple in gate 75 breezed right in. The issue is that the experience needs to be good for all. Availability of water...needs to addressed so that EVERYONE thinks it is acceptable. Is this REALLY a difficult issue? Noon kickoffs? They may not be eliminated but why not push so that every team shares equally in the burden? I don't like them but I think I might improve my attitude if I believe that we have no more or no less than teams B,C and X.

We cannot continue to sweep under the rug or dismiss out of hand these complaints if we truly want to improve the game day experience. Also, I am not singling you out but just happened to respond to your post. I say we treat the criticisms as real opportunities to improve and not as opportunities to quiet the dissenters. The people who are voicing frustrations are the ones who still want to attend. The people who are not sharing their complaints have probably written the whole thing off as hopeless.

I think what @MWBATL was pointing out was that 1) he was 30 minutes early which may be better wait times than if you show up a few minutes before kickoff and 2) there may be another gate that has less people standing in line so look around.

I had less than a ten minute wait at the northwest gate which I think is great. The last two times I went to a Braves game, it took over thirty minutes to get through the metal detectors.


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[684Bee]

I did. Is that a problem?

Evidently it was for you. I’m not the one who went on a rant of endless complaints.

 

[Dirty Jacket]

The problem with our fan base is, and always has been, the condescending attitude of the “elitist Tech fans” and the majority of our fan base. Maybe this is a problem at every school but our fans are dbags. We’re not the only great academic school trying to compete in big time college football. We attack the intellect of the sidewalk fan on a regular basis and cannibalize our own. Make a thread calling into question why more people don’t show up to games, then attack the fans who voiced their complaints and why they’d rather stay home to watch a game. Obviously this isn’t a big deal if only our elitist fans felt this way but the administration doesn’t really make things easier either. I don’t really care, I know the games I’m coming to already and will give the other tickets away. I bought season tickets to support Todd’s big picture vision. But every time I go to the opening day noon kick against a patsy I promise it’s the last time I’ll bake in the sun for a bad football game but I seem to come back for more.

You want to put butts in the seats?
Be better at football
Be better at football more than once every 5 years
Don’t play a cupcake
Don’t make people line up for free water
Don’t implement fake security measures that slow the flow

Address those, in that order, and butts will be in seats. But this football team has not earned the trust of the average Tech fan.

 

[Wrecked]

I think we as fans care more about the attendance than the AD's do. They have made their business model and its all about the tv revenue, which I understand. However, its going to slowly kill off the sport or basically turn it into a studio show. Attendance is simple economics, you are expecting me to pay for something with my time, money and health which I can get for free. And you are basically relying on my "fandom" to make that choice. Now for my family that is not hard, we have been season ticket holders since the 70's, but you can't really expect to keep that as a successful model going forward.

The complaints of the attending fans don't ever seem to be addressed (games are too long, kickoff times are bad or unknown for scheduling purposes, Tech schedules opponents no one cares about). Its the same year in and year out, yet the AA answers with constraints that make it HARDER to get into the games. I think just some minor steps could help Tech address some of these issues. For season ticket holders let kids in free, I like the discount idea, but make it applicable to all concessions, make parking free in campus lots for season ticket holders, give gameday purchases of merch. Finally my one pet peeve as I collect game programs, 10 for a program is stealing.

Finally, I would identify our sidewalk fans and learn about them. Why Tech, especially in a town dominated by UGA? Ask them what we can do to help them recruit more fans. I have the utmost respect for the sidewalk fans as they have chosen to support our program for no intrinsic reason. I have lived in Orlando and now in Maryland and have never once considered buying UM or UCF tickets, so to those sidewalk fans I tip my hat to you.

 

[Animal02]

The problem with our fan base is, and always has been, the condescending attitude of the “elitist Tech fans” and the majority of our fan base. Maybe this is a problem at every school but our fans are dbags. We’re not the only great academic school trying to compete in big time college football. We attack the intellect of the sidewalk fan on a regular basis and cannibalize our own. Make a thread calling into question why more people don’t show up to games, then attack the fans who voiced their complaints and why they’d rather stay home to watch a game. Obviously this isn’t a big deal if only our elitist fans felt this way but the administration doesn’t really make things easier either. I don’t really care, I know the games I’m coming to already and will give the other tickets away. I bought season tickets to support Todd’s big picture vision. But every time I go to the opening day noon kick against a patsy I promise it’s the last time I’ll bake in the sun for a bad football game but I seem to come back for more.

You want to put butts in the seats?
Be better at football
Be better at football more than once every 5 years
Don’t play a cupcake
Don’t make people line up for free water
Don’t implement fake security measures that slow the flow

Address those, in that order, and butts will be in seats. But this football team has not earned the trust of the average Tech fan.

As has been shown multiple times. Playing the "cupcake" and having a extra home game every year makes far more financial sense than playing a "name" that fills the extra 10k of seats.
Tech has no say in the start times.
As far as security issues......have a feeling that much is out of Tech's control......dictated by others, insurance liability etc.

 

[684Bee]

The problem with our fan base is, and always has been, the condescending attitude of the “elitist Tech fans” and the majority of our fan base. Maybe this is a problem at every school but our fans are dbags. We’re not the only great academic school trying to compete in big time college football. We attack the intellect of the sidewalk fan on a regular basis and cannibalize our own. Make a thread calling into question why more people don’t show up to games, then attack the fans who voiced their complaints and why they’d rather stay home to watch a game. Obviously this isn’t a big deal if only our elitist fans felt this way but the administration doesn’t really make things easier either. I don’t really care, I know the games I’m coming to already and will give the other tickets away. I bought season tickets to support Todd’s big picture vision. But every time I go to the opening day noon kick against a patsy I promise it’s the last time I’ll bake in the sun for a bad football game but I seem to come back for more.

You want to put butts in the seats?
Be better at football
Be better at football more than once every 5 years
Don’t play a cupcake
Don’t make people line up for free water
Don’t implement fake security measures that slow the flow

Address those, in that order, and butts will be in seats. But this football team has not earned the trust of the average Tech fan.

Ever been to a game in Clemson, Auburn, Athens, Tallahassee, Knoxville, etc., etc.? Everything that’s being complained about in these threads is amplified, because they have tens of thousands more people there. It’s WAY more difficult and WAY more of a commitment to attend games at those places.

We have it good in Atlanta.

Quit looking for reasons not to attend and not to enjoy yourself. Change your perspective.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

We entered off North Ave to the old West stands with zero wait 30 minutes before kickoff. Don't understand any complaints about security. I thought they were MUCH improved over prior years.

It was apparently different entering the west stands from North Ave than it was from entering the East and South Stands from North Avenue. It was slightly better than last year, but it's going to suck when we play Clemson and Miami.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

As has been shown multiple times. Playing the "cupcake" and having a extra home game every year makes far more financial sense than playing a "name" that fills the extra 10k of seats.
Tech has no say in the start times.
As far as security issues......have a feeling that much is out of Tech's control......dictated by others, insurance liability etc.

The number of security people on hand to do the work IS in Tech's control. They contract the security people; they should require more on hand.

 

[JorgeJonas]

7-7
7-6
11-3
3-9
9-4
5-6

Just sayin....

Which do you think begat the other?

 

[GT_05]

The number of security people on hand to do the work IS in Tech's control. They contract the security people; they should require more on hand.

It has always taken me longer to get into a Braves game than our games and they have 81 home games per year to try and make things better.


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[Animal02]

The number of security people on hand to do the work IS in Tech's control. They contract the security people; they should require more on hand.

That I agree......I was thinking more along what can be brought in etc.

 

[knoxjacket]

The following things do not attract bandwagon fans:

- our lack of sustained success since the 60s
- the snobbery of our alumni / fan base
- the fact that we have generally played a style of football seen as boring since 2001
- an inept marketing department
- a lack of star power
- a grumpy curmudgeon for a head coach

I also honestly believe the basketball team being trash hurts our football bandwagon as well.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I hate noon games as much as anyone, but it's not because of the heat. Hell, it's hotter at 3:30 than it is at 12:30. So which is worse pleasant start (12:30 KO) with sweltering 2nd half, or sweltering start (3:30) with usually pleasant 2nd half, unless we have an afternoon storm? I'm 74 years old, and sure, it was hot, but I've been hotter. Deal with it. What I don't like about noon or 12:30 starts is the necessity of getting up so early to make a 2 1/2 hour drive and the resulting abbreviated tail gate times. Add to that that because TV runs the show, there are some games that we don't even know the KO time until 6 days before the game. It's a little hard for some to make real plans with no better notice than that. That, of course, is not up to Tech (or any school), but I think it's time that the individual schools demand better treatment of the fans by the TV people who make these decisions. Someone mentioned the "extra game" we get. We only have 6 home games this year. This is the first year in recent memory that we have not had 7 home games, including last year when the Tenn game was part of the home package, thus making for 7 home games.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

The following things do not attract bandwagon fans:

- our lack of sustained success since the 60s
- the snobbery of our alumni / fan base
- the fact that we have generally played a style of football seen as boring since 2001
- an inept marketing department
- a lack of star power
- a grumpy curmudgeon for a head coach

I also honestly believe the basketball team being trash hurts our football bandwagon as well.

Anyone who thinks an option offense is boring is football ignorant IMO.
What do you consider "star power"? We have outstanding athletes who in any other market in the country would be considered "stars" because other markets don't have a punk-*** team like the mutts to get all the media attention.
A grumpy curmudgeon for a head coach? All I can say to that is Players both current and past love him. Everyone who has ever met him says he is warm and personable and friendly. Just because he begrudgingly tolerates some dumb *** media types who ask the same questions over and over certainly does not make him a "grumpy curmudgeon" What did you think of the way Saban treated that questioner after the Louisville game Saturday? Talk about grumpy. WOW. Although I personally think he was justified.
Our basketball team is "trash"??? Again Try telling that to the kids who give their all on the court.

 

[Jophish17]

A grumpy curmudgeon for a head coach? All I can say to that is Players both current and past love him. Everyone who has ever met him says he is warm and personable and friendly. Just because he begrudgingly tolerates some dumb *** media types who ask the same questions over and over certainly does not make him a "grumpy curmudgeon"

For most people (especially those outside of existing GT fans) only get to interact with CPJ via the media. I can see the perception being valid among outsiders.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

For most people (especially those outside of existing GT fans) only get to interact with CPJ via the media. I can see the perception being valid among outsiders.

Anyone who makes their decisions (any decision) based on the media obviously doesn't know squat.

 

[Oakland]

Tech has no say in the start times.

We sold our souls for television money.

 

[OldJacketFan]

We sold our souls for television money.

As did every team/conference in D1

 

[4shotB]

We sold our souls for television money.

Two old sayings come to mind here: "you reap what you sow" and "one cannot serve two masters". No doubt that TV is the tail wagging the dog and the consequences are seen in the attendance.

 

[gtg970g]

For most people (especially those outside of existing GT fans) only get to interact with CPJ via the media. I can see the perception being valid among outsiders.

Most people only hear the talking heads interpretation of what CPJ says. Those same people hate his offense because talking heads don't like it and trash it at every opportunity. We need Sean Bedford on the TV or radio schooling those idiots.