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Topic: NIU getting a new field design

Topic: NIU getting a new field design

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Pataskala
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NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/22/2015 11:06:24 AM

They've presented six designs and will eliminate one each weekday until next Thursday when the new design will be unveiled. One has already been eliminated.

http://goo.gl/CjWRJj

I like the first one best. The Huskie outline is neat.

5/23 update: Two down, four to go (the Huskie outline is gone).
5/27 update: It's down to the three featuring the state of Illinois.
5/28 update: No cornfield.

http://goo.gl/tQJGwb

Last Edited: 5/28/2015 9:53:09 AM by Pataskala

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A-townBound
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/22/2015 11:21:24 AM

I would have liked to have seen the corn with the colored husky head at midfield.

That said, I bet it will be either the outlined husky or colored husky at midfield that is chosen.

Bleed Green and GO OHIO!!

Pataskala
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/22/2015 12:39:36 PM

A-townBound wrote:

I would have liked to have seen the corn with the colored husky head at midfield.

That said, I bet it will be either the outlined husky or colored husky at midfield that is chosen.

You know, Dekalb seed has its roots ;) in Dekalb, IL. So if NIU has struck a deal with Monsanto, we could see the corn.

Last Edited: 5/22/2015 12:40:04 PM by Pataskala

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L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/22/2015 1:21:40 PM

I like the third one best, personally. You have to give the NIU promotion staff credit for drumming interest in the the things they are doing. With their promotions, and the quality of their teams, it's hard for me to grasp why their attendance keeps falling.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

Recovering Journalist
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/22/2015 2:12:42 PM

L.C. wrote:

For many of the same reasons our real (not sold) attendance is weak most games: Weekday night games in frigid weather. TV providing a better experience. Apathy toward MAC opponents. Relative isolation from population centers.

perimeterpost
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/22/2015 4:20:05 PM

I would bet money the winner will be one of the options with the state outline, they really want to drive home the idea that they are the best FBS team in the state.

MY STATE. MY TEAM.

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/22/2015 4:30:44 PM

Recovering Journalist wrote:

L.C. wrote:

I posted more detailed data in this thread:
http://tinyurl.com/n4lzgcg

None of the factors that you give seem to explain the data. In 2005 they averaged over 22,000, but last year they only averaged 13,500. The game by game data is awful:
August 28th, Saturday, 6PM v. Presbyterian 12,338
Oct. 4th, Saturday, 4PM v. Kent 15,620
Oct. 11th, Saturday, 4PM v. CMU 20,122
Oct. 18th, Saturday, 4PM v. Miami (Oh) 11,211
Nov. 11th, Tuesday 7PM v. Toledo for West Crown, 8,462

OK, the Nov. 11th game was a Tuesday, but the attendance was bad for all of the Saturday games before it. We could throw in the argument that "no one wants to see FCS teams like Presbyterian", but if that was the problem, why did over 26,000 show up to see Tennessee Tech in 2005? The fact is that 9 of their top 30 attendance games all time were against FCS foes, so I don't think that's the reason, either.

Was the weather horrible on all these dates? Possible, I guess, but doubtful. In the end, I have no idea why their attendance keeps dropping.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

Alan Swank
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/23/2015 9:14:34 AM

L.C. wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

L.C. wrote:

I wonder how many of those teams the typical NIU fan would consider a rival. Also 4:00 games are the worst in my opinion. Sure for the those who really like to tailgate, it makes for a long tailgate experience but for those who don't it just busts up the whole day.

OrlandoCat
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/23/2015 9:21:07 AM

Alan Swank wrote:

L.C. wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

L.C. wrote:

I'm guessing the game times listed are eastern time, wouldn't local time for NIU be an hour behind? A 3pm game time isn't that abnormal.

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/23/2015 10:18:22 AM

Alan Swank wrote:

IF the fans are suddenly being selective, and they will only go to see particular rivals, that would be a major problem for any program, and would spell doom for attendance. I do agree, though, Alan, that with attendance dropping, they ought to try some different start times, and see if that helps. My favorite has always been a 1PM start, which puts the entire game in bright daylight, and leaves the evening free for post-game activities.

Clearly they are trying a lot to drum up support. They had the schedule reveal thing going on before, and now they have the field reveal drama.

Getting back to the "traditional rival" angle, they probably should skip the game with Presbyterian, though. Their FCS games have usually been their highest attendance for the year, probably in part because the game is early, when the weather is nice, but partly because of their choices in FCS opponents. When they play E. Illinois, S. Illinois, W. Illinois, or Illinois State, it's always been a well attended game.

Back to the field reveal, there is an online poll where people can vote on the field choice:
https://polldaddy.com/poll/8884403/

So far two designs have been eliminated, one of which is the leader by far in the poll, with 50% of the votes, the outline of the husky. The designs with the state outline have 13%, 4%, and 4% of the vote respectively, compared to 50% for the Husky outline and 26% for the Husky.

Last Edited: 5/23/2015 10:23:56 AM by L.C.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

colobobcat66
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/23/2015 10:18:59 AM

L.C. wrote:

Recovering Journalist wrote:

L.C. wrote:

Very interesting topic. As mentioned above by Recovering Journalist), I think that the better TV experience (at a very low cost) is a big factor. For all the talk about how great the TV exposure (not just weeknight games)is for the MAC, I don't think anybody argues that it increases actual attendance at games.

I think that the recession has had an impact on football attendance overall, and except for schools that have added capacity, overall NCAA attendance has been trending downward for several years.

Start time of games can be a factor as well, and I still think early afternoon is the best start time for games, 3 or 4 not so good.

Way down my list, but I also wonder if the NIU fans have just gotten spoiled, and no longer are excited about the team. Ohio fans are not used to anything like winning football, and are enjoying the ride right now.

I also wonder if NIU has hiked their ticket prices and driven off some fans or if they have started charging students something to attend. There has been some stuff written about student apathy towards sports and I wonder if that's another factor.

Whatever the reasons for their fall in attendance, it still is somewhat of an enigma to me. They are playing at a level that I am very envious of, and should be packing the place.

Last Edited: 5/23/2015 10:20:01 AM by colobobcat66

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/23/2015 10:27:19 AM

colobobcat66 wrote:

...Whatever the reasons for their fall in attendance, it still is somewhat of an enigma to me. They are playing at a level that I am very envious of, and should be packing the place.

Indeed. It's certainly something that should be studied and understood because you wouldn't want to to happen here. I definitely don't understand it, and it is completely contradictory to what I would have expected.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

colobobcat66
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/23/2015 12:21:21 PM

The 5 most logical reasons that the attendance at NIU has declined:

They now require everyone to pass a sobriety test to enter the stadium.

They have removed all the seats so you have to stand up the whole game.

Since they are the best team in the state, they are now charging more than the Bears.

They just built the largest feedlot in the nation next to the stadium.

They now charge to use the restrooms.

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/23/2015 3:13:57 PM

I think that the place I'd start would be by separating student attendance from paid attendance, because I suspect that they may not be trending the same way. One might be flat, and the other falling, for example. I'd probably also do as you suggest, and check to see if ticket price changes have impacted paid attendance, or if the ticket promotions or marketing approaches have changed.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/26/2015 4:46:02 PM

A-townBound wrote:

I would have liked to have seen the corn with the colored husky head at midfield.

That said, I bet it will be either the outlined husky or colored husky at midfield that is chosen.

In the poll, nearly 80% of the voters preferred one of those two designs. Both of the popular designs have now been eliminated.

perimeterpost wrote:

I would bet money the winner will be one of the options with the state outline, they really want to drive home the idea that they are the best FBS team in the state.

We have a winner. There are three designs left. All have the state outline. The only question left is will it have corn, or will it have a dot for DeKalb?

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

NIU007b
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/26/2015 11:54:01 PM

As for attendance there are a few reasons, though they don't entirely explain it.

It rained for the Presbyterian game, pretty much the whole game. That was also a Thursday game (6 or 7 pm) so try to get people from Chicago or nearby suburbs to go to a game against Presbyterian in the rain.

The Toledo game was pretty cold, being in mid-November and as usual, at night. And of course it's always windy in DeKalb. It was still a very depressing attendance number for a big game like that.

The other 3 home games were 3 weeks in a row with Homecoming for the middle week. I think people that went to homecoming didn't also want to go the week before and the week after.

We've had a horrific home OOC schedule for a decade. Every other year, at least, we'd have 5 home games with the only OOC home game being against FCS. Okay if an in-state school, but otherwise it's really poor. The new AD is fixing that. They also set aside the East parking lot (or much of it) for donors. That meant that half the field, sometimes more, was empty, when it used to be full of tailgating students, which added atmosphere to the event and made it seem like the place to be.

Starting in 2003 when we upset ranked Maryland at home, then beat Alabama on the road and Iowa State at home, the crowds were great. That lasted through 2005 and even somewhat 2006. 2007 was a terrible year and I think the economy hurt a lot after that. Ticket prices went up for most seats but you can still sit in the corner for $25. And there are no endzone seats (except for a few "premium" seats in one endzone) so all the seats still have a pretty good view.

Having said all that, it's still hard to believe we can't get more people to the games, but I guess more are watching the game on TV. Years ago we hardly had any games on TV.

Last Edited: 5/26/2015 11:55:06 PM by NIU007b

OU_Country
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/27/2015 7:09:16 PM

L.C. wrote:

A-townBound wrote:

I would have liked to have seen the corn with the colored husky head at midfield.

That said, I bet it will be either the outlined husky or colored husky at midfield that is chosen.

In the poll, nearly 80% of the voters preferred one of those two designs. Both of the popular designs have now been eliminated.

perimeterpost wrote:

I would bet money the winner will be one of the options with the state outline, they really want to drive home the idea that they are the best FBS team in the state.

We have a winner. There are three designs left. All have the state outline. The only question left is will it have corn, or will it have a dot for DeKalb?

I'm surprised that this hasn't been brought up, but this is something that OUr athletic department should be considering as well. Having the shape of the State of Ohio in more logo-ed items and on the fields is a great idea. I know we're not hammering home that we're the best program in the state, but I'd have to believe it would help with branding wouldn't it?

perimeterpost
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/27/2015 7:29:01 PM

OU_Country wrote:

I have to disagree. When your logo is these 4 letters - OHIO - you don't need a squiggly shape (that not everyone recognizes unfortunately) to drive home brand identity. From a branding perspective you can't get any better than the word OHIO- its short, its concise, it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and it says everything you want the reader to know about your brand. Why do you think Ohio State was so desperate to cop it?

MY STATE. MY TEAM.

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/28/2015 5:46:17 PM

[QUOTE=NIU007b]As for attendance there are a few reasons, though they don't entirely explain it. ...[\quote]
Thanks for the explanation. I totally missed that the Presbyterian game was on a Thursday. I can't begin to fathom who thought that was a good idea, considering it wasn't on TV, except for streaming video on ESPN3. Add rain to that, and the lack of attendance makes perfect sense.

The Toledo game, mid-week/mid-November night game in the cold I understood the low attendance, though, considering it was for the MAC-West, you'd think more would show up anyway. Ohio has managed to get 14-16,000 for games like that, well below their other games, but not a totally empty stadium. Some games, like Temple in 2009 had a pretty good atmosphere even though the attendance was low.

Your three Saturday games in the middle were the ones that were the most concerning, though. Kent, CMU, and Miami, were all Saturday home games, and should have had reasonable attendance. 20,122 for homecoming is not impressive, and 26,800 for the other two, combined, is awful. I guess that is why your new AD is working so hard to try to drum up interest in the program. Good luck to him.

As for the 5 game home schedules, I think you're wise to get away from those. Ohio has had 6 most years since 2006 (except 2008), and they even had 7 home games in 2013. They got away from the 5 game schedules by getting away from the 2:1 deals of the prior AD, and by adding in one FCS game a year.

Summarizing your factors for low attendance, and these all make sense:
1. Mid-week night games
2. 5 game home schedules
3. Cutting down on tailgating by students
4. Higher ticket prices
5. More people watching games on TV

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/28/2015 5:47:07 PM

The winning design was the state, with a red dot for DeKalb. That was the third favorite in the poll.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

Alan Swank
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/28/2015 9:54:49 PM

L.C. wrote:

The winning design was the state, with a red dot for DeKalb. That was the third favorite in the poll.

"Winning" design? That design had already been chosen before this charade of a poll was ever put out there.

Pataskala
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/28/2015 10:29:47 PM

Yes, Alan, the outcome was predetermined. But it was likely the winning design among those who made the choice.

As for the attendance discussion here, NIU is having the same problem most other schools are having. College football attendance was down again last year (about 8% as I recall), even at some of the big schools with winning records. There are probably lots of reasons, but I think the big three are (1) the economy still hasn't fully recovered from The Big Downturn, so a lot of people don't have as much disposable income as they did a few years ago (that's the main reason I haven't made many trips to Athens the past few years); (2) damn near every game is now on TV/Internet, so it's easier to catch the game elsewhere than the stadium; and (3) football in general has gotten a lot of bad press recently with concussions/neck injuries and off-field crap. I think the last issue may be the biggest to overcome. The injuries are making really talented players look to other sports for schollie opportunities, and the injuries often keep marquee players off the field for big chunks of the season. And if you have players who are arrested, investigated and sued for their off-field behavior but they still wind up winning the Heisman and being a first-round NFL pick, that puts a deep stain on the entire sport, whether it happens at your school or not. College football has an integrity problem, which only seems to get worse every year. The NCAA really needs to clean up its act, but unfortunately the money schools won't let it happen because they don't want the interference from the NCAA.

Now that I've vented, I'm going to bed.

We will get by.
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Casper71
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/29/2015 10:16:38 AM

Sorta reminds me of the good old days in Athens (1967-71) when the Football helmets had the State outline on them with a star or something where Athens is located.

OU_Country
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/29/2015 11:08:22 AM

perimeterpost wrote:

OU_Country wrote:

I'll disagree here because I think using the shape of the state expands the logo's appeal a little bit outside the group of people who are grads/fans of Ohio University to a group that could include Ohio residents.

L.C.
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RE: NIU getting a new field design

Posted: 5/29/2015 1:30:57 PM

Alan Swank wrote:

L.C. wrote:

The winning design was the state, with a red dot for DeKalb. That was the third favorite in the poll.

"Winning" design? That design had already been chosen before this charade of a poll was ever put out there.

Obviously the poll had nothing to do with the selection process, and the winning design had already been chosen by the athletic department. That's clear enough from the fact that the selected design got only 13% in the poll. The point of the thread is to show the kinds of things other programs are doing to generate interest in their program, and how something even as mundane as new turf and be used to get some free press.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

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