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Topic:  Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU

Topic:  Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
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OU_Country
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  Message Not Read  Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 9:24:47 AM 
Recovering Journalist made a comment in the Karrington Ward/EMU thread about this. I was thinking about a few things while watching last night, and one of them was attendance.

First, regarding attendance. Because we're almost annually the leader in the MAC (or top two) for something like the last twenty years or more, we seem to make it into something that's overly important. I'm proud that we support OUr teams better than most of the rest of the conference as a whole, but last night led me to think of this in a different way.

Watching the game at FGCU, at Alico Arena, made me realize that having 9,000+ in the building means less if they aren't loud. And friends, last night Alico was loud - at least through the ESPN3 broadcast. I think I read that Alico Arena has a capacity of 4600 to 5000? If they fill it every night like they did last night, I have to believe it creates a great home court advantage.

Now, don't take this as me saying The Convo ISN'T any of these things. Obviously, it certainly can be better than that at it's best. Sometimes though, I wonder how much better it could be if we could get more people closer to the floor. I also wonder what it might be like if capacity could be reduced by a couple thousand, making it 'feel' and look more full when there are 8500 or 9000 in the house.

The last thing I noted last night was the scoreboard they had. Clearly, it wasn't a marvel of modern technology. BUT, it did lead me to say, "why can't we just have one of those?" It was basic, and therefor I'd have to imagine far more affordable than the $1mil that I've seen quoted on here for a board with HD video.

Those are just my thoughts from observing their home court. I'd surely like to see us play games like last night more often in November and December. That's a good team, and an exciting match-up to watch.




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Speaker of Truth
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 10:27:40 AM 
Even if we reduced capacity I don't think it would help the "loud" factor. The convo would still be a very large building, and large buildings are much harder to get loud than small buildings.

What we really need is a few people like Saul in the crowd who are charismatic enough to get the other around them going.
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 10:35:17 AM 
Let's just gut Bentley, put the old court back in there, call it Peoples Gym (used to be Men's Gym) and we'd have standing room only crowds every game. And, yes, that place used to be very loud!

Bobcat Trivia: Extra bonus points for the first person who can correctly identify the former location of Women's Gym.


The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

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shabamon
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 10:40:20 AM 
Scripps?
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OU_Country
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 10:43:47 AM 
the123kid wrote:
Even if we reduced capacity I don't think it would help the "loud" factor. The convo would still be a very large building, and large buildings are much harder to get loud than small buildings.

What we really need is a few people like Saul in the crowd who are charismatic enough to get the other around them going.



Probably true. Getting a couple hundred people closer to the floor might help though. I love, love The Convo. I'm also finding myself liking these newer little bandboxes like FGCU has for the noise factor.
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 10:53:24 AM 
shabamon wrote:
Scripps?
You're very, very close, but no cigar.


The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 11:12:11 AM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
shabamon wrote:
Scripps?
You're very, very close, but no cigar.


Not sure how you get people closer to the floor when we actually have fans sitting on the floor. Get rid of all the energy draining promos and the piped in music and let the game and band take over and it will get loud.
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100%Cat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 12:10:19 PM 
I don't so much obsess over attendance, just EMU's pathetic attendance. It's shocking to me that a team that has had some success the last few years gets fewer fans than a lot of high school games. I think it really sucks for the EMU players to see that sub-thousand attendance on a nightly basis (sometimes MUCH lower than that) to come to a place like the Convo when an average crowd here is more fans than they see in weeks at their gym. If they were a cellar 4-26 type team, I might get that a little, but this is a team that has not been a MAC doormat.
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Ohio69
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 12:23:37 PM 

I'd love to see some sort of blocking/curtaining of the light green seats. MAke the Convo look smaller - which makes the crowd look bigger.

We get 7,000 an the perception of someone in the arena for the firs time is "where is everyone, this place is empty...."


Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

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giacomo
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 12:29:14 PM 
I attend a few games at Cleveland State each year and they don't draw very well. At the Wolstein Center they've covered up the top level of seats and moved the floor to one end and blocked off the other end. It's looks pathetic, but not as bad as it would look if they didn't do it. Does anyone know if we fill the Convo for graduation ceremonies? That would be the only reason not to eliminate the very top tiers of seats and reduce seating to 9-10k. Likely not going to happen.
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SBH
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 12:46:12 PM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
shabamon wrote:
Scripps?
You're very, very close, but no cigar.


Where Alden sits.
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 1:05:45 PM 
SBH wrote:
OhioCatFan wrote:
shabamon wrote:
Scripps?
You're very, very close, but no cigar.


Where Alden sits.


You got it! When Alden was constructed they tore down two buildings and another had the foundation undermined so badly that it came down too. The two planned demolitions were Women's Gym (on the Scripps . . . er Carnegie side) and the old Body Hall dormitory on the side toward University Terrace. The other building -- old Tupper Hall -- was where the little park in front of the library now is located.

Alan, your comment was totally irrelevant to this thread. I think you misread what we were talking about.


The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 1:07:10 PM 
giacomo wrote:
. . . Does anyone know if we fill the Convo for graduation ceremonies?
Yes. And, you are right, it's not going to happen.


The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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GoCats105
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 1:09:23 PM 
giacomo wrote:
I attend a few games at Cleveland State each year and they don't draw very well. At the Wolstein Center they've covered up the top level of seats and moved the floor to one end and blocked off the other end. It's looks pathetic, but not as bad as it would look if they didn't do it. Does anyone know if we fill the Convo for graduation ceremonies? That would be the only reason not to eliminate the very top tiers of seats and reduce seating to 9-10k. Likely not going to happen.


I remember my parents being very upset on how high they had to sit for graduation because it was so packed.
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Mark Lembright '85
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 1:18:26 PM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
giacomo wrote:
. . . Does anyone know if we fill the Convo for graduation ceremonies?
Yes. And, you are right, it's not going to happen.


Surprisingly, both the morning AND the afternoon graduation ceremonies fill up the Convo.
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catfan28
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 1:37:43 PM 
Alan Swank wrote:
Not sure how you get people closer to the floor when we actually have fans sitting on the floor. Get rid of all the energy draining promos and the piped in music and let the game and band take over and it will get loud.


Huh? You'll notice that the band plays all the time. It's very rare that there's any piped in music unless it's pregame or halftime.
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 1:55:33 PM 
catfan28 wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
Not sure how you get people closer to the floor when we actually have fans sitting on the floor. Get rid of all the energy draining promos and the piped in music and let the game and band take over and it will get loud.


Huh? You'll notice that the band plays all the time. It's very rare that there's any piped in music unless it's pregame or halftime.


Unfortunately, Alan is right here, they play way too much muzak and there's too little 110. Other than the 110 the other stuff is fairly uniformly irritating. Sometimes it's rap . . . .other times it's way overmodulated electronic keyboard stuff. Let me add, there was one Ohio-centric rap piece put together by a BA guy a few years ago that was cool and that I wouldn't mind being play a time or two per game, but other than that let's make it all 110 when it comes game-time music.

Edit: Now that I think about it the aforementioned Ohio-centric rap song would need to be updated because it referenced some then current players.

Last Edited: 11/20/2014 1:58:19 PM by OhioCatFan


The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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catfan28
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 1:58:26 PM 
When are you guys hearing music during the game? The band plays every single timeout. There's maybe some music if they stop early, but beyond that it's always the band.
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bobcat695
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 2:23:40 PM 
As someone who sits close enough to the band to get bumped by a bass drum frequently, I can say with confidence the 110 plays almost non-stop during stoppage of play. There is very little piped music through the speakers.


"You can't un-fist a fist pump." - Saul Phillips 1/24/15

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OU_Country
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 2:38:38 PM 
Ohio69 wrote:
I'd love to see some sort of blocking/curtaining of the light green seats. MAke the Convo look smaller - which makes the crowd look bigger.

We get 7,000 an the perception of someone in the arena for the firs time is "where is everyone, this place is empty...."



I like this idea for the steeper, highest up seats. Maybe some curtaining that somewhat matches the new center court banners. Maybe show the teams playing in The Convo.


catfan28 wrote:
When are you guys hearing music during the game? The band plays every single timeout. There's maybe some music if they stop early, but beyond that it's always the band.


As a guy who is somewhere in between an OG and a student, I'd personally like to have some non-110 music occasionally -- music that would get people pumped up or excited a little. I'm not opposed to 110 music, but a little variety would be good. Also, why not involve fans in such ideas and put a little fan poll out on OhioBobcats.com, and the associated social media to take votes on music, etc for upcoming games? It could even be part of Russ & Rob's pre-game/halftime/post-game conversations.

I think by far we have the best gameday experience in the MAC (that I've been to, or seen televised). That said, I still believe there are small, inexpensive things that could be done to make it even better. Some of it might be pie in the sky, or insignificant, but I still think it could be better.

In terms of getting people closer to the floor, I have had a long held belief that there could easily be bleachers behind both baskets, to a similar effect as the Bobcat Black seats, or as additional student seats.
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OU_Country
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 2:45:28 PM 
I have to add...no comments about their simple but effective center court scoreboard? :)
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bornacatfan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 2:48:58 PM 
bobcat695 wrote:
As someone who sits close enough to the band to get bumped by a bass drum frequently, I can say with confidence the 110 plays almost non-stop during stoppage of play. There is very little piped music through the speakers.


Let's not let facts get in the way of some folks reality


never argue with idiots, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Winter comes and asks how you spent your summer.....

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Jim G
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 3:09:17 PM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
catfan28 wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
Not sure how you get people closer to the floor when we actually have fans sitting on the floor. Get rid of all the energy draining promos and the piped in music and let the game and band take over and it will get loud.


Huh? You'll notice that the band plays all the time. It's very rare that there's any piped in music unless it's pregame or halftime.


Unfortunately, Alan is right here, they play way too much muzak and there's too little 110. Other than the 110 the other stuff is fairly uniformly irritating. Sometimes it's rap . . . .other times it's way overmodulated electronic keyboard stuff. Let me add, there was one Ohio-centric rap piece put together by a BA guy a few years ago that was cool and that I wouldn't mind being play a time or two per game, but other than that let's make it all 110 when it comes game-time music.

Edit: Now that I think about it the aforementioned Ohio-centric rap song would need to be updated because it referenced some then current players.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjgt2rVIhKU
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Deciduous Forest Cat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 3:10:06 PM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
catfan28 wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
Not sure how you get people closer to the floor when we actually have fans sitting on the floor. Get rid of all the energy draining promos and the piped in music and let the game and band take over and it will get loud.


Huh? You'll notice that the band plays all the time. It's very rare that there's any piped in music unless it's pregame or halftime.


Unfortunately, Alan is right here, they play way too much muzak and there's too little 110. Other than the 110 the other stuff is fairly uniformly irritating. Sometimes it's rap . . . .other times it's way overmodulated electronic keyboard stuff. Let me add, there was one Ohio-centric rap piece put together by a BA guy a few years ago that was cool and that I wouldn't mind being play a time or two per game, but other than that let's make it all 110 when it comes game-time music.

Edit: Now that I think about it the aforementioned Ohio-centric rap song would need to be updated because it referenced some then current players.


Hmmm... is that Alan complaining about things that help pay the bills again? Perish the thought! :)

And good God, people, the reason the Convo is ever so quiet sometimes is that our fans really kinda suck. yes, there are way more than at other MAC schools and generally louder than at other MAC schools. The band has to fill 1/3 of the ozone and it's still not packed, and half of these lazy phone-checking zombies are sitting the whole time. and don't even get me started on the old people side. What type of gas are they pumping into the Rohr room?

Last Edited: 11/20/2014 3:15:17 PM by Deciduous Forest Cat

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perimeterpost
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  Message Not Read  RE: Our attendance 'obsession' and my thoughts from FGCU
   Posted: 11/20/2014 3:20:49 PM 
now we got people that are jealous of BG's Stroh Center? lmao.


MY STATE. MY TEAM.

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