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Topic:  Sad, this time: Annual evidence that

Topic:  Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
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Monroe Slavin
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  Message Not Read  Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/24/2015 3:39:46 PM 
I'm a genius..finds deflation.

I renewed my four OHIO FOOTBALL season tix today, adding in three 'Tickets for Kids.' Genius. I hope you'll all far exceed me given the rather unanimous (and anonymous!) agreement that I am an idiot.

I know that season ticket sales have been pretty good lately. And, regarding what follows, I suspect that I'm preaching to the choir (that the problem is folks who are NOT reading/posting here)--but I know of no better forum to note the following.

In The Ohio Bobcat Club membership guide that accompanied my hard copy ticket renewal package, it is noted that OHIO is 6th among 10 listed schools in unrestricted giving to athletics and 8th among active donors.

Toledo tops unrestircted giving with $1.5 million, kents next at 1.25, WMU 1, redhawk 969k, 'kron 800k, OHIO 750k, beefs 520k, Ball 470k, BG 100k, EMU 52k. Those numbers for BG and EMU are weird--maybe it's the category chosen (unrestricted giving).

Active donors: FATMAN 3600, 'kron 3205, WMU 2375, redhawk 2200, BG 2100, Ball 2000, beefs 1950, OHIO 1900, kents 1700, EMU 940.

How can BG have 2100 active and only 100k given?

How does kents have relatively few active donors yet rank high on unrestricted giving?



The unrestricted giving totals are low enough that one large donor could put a school at #1....but I'm guessing that such a large donor would want her name on something which would make the gift restricted?



[NIU and CMU noted as not disclosing the info.]


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UpSan Bobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/24/2015 7:20:01 PM 
I thought those numbers were interesting, but it does leave me to wonder what total athletics donations (restricted and unrestricted) are.
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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/25/2015 11:30:21 AM 
UpSan Bobcat wrote:
I thought those numbers were interesting, but it does leave me to wonder what total athletics donations (restricted and unrestricted) are.


Also makes you wonder about pledged vs. collected. My guess is that we may be $190,000 short of what we thought we were getting.
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Campus Flow
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/25/2015 5:35:42 PM 
The sports programs are not drawing in the casual alumni. We made the most new fans in the Trent years and when Grobe was 8-3 in 1997 the first time in decades. We went out played schools with name recognition and won some games. That woke up our alumni base some. Then from there it was administrations that cultivated by making game day improvements and creating flexible seating options. What I think would help is if we played a game in Cleveland every year to bring in more season ticket interest in northern Ohio. The same thing in basketball. If you could get a mini pack for a game in Cleveland and one other one during the season in Athens I see that appealing to causal alums. Alums want to see more schools they are familiar with. Tulane or New Mexico is more interesting compared to Texas State and North Texas. No FCS team has ever sold out Peden Stadium.


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2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/25/2015 9:35:21 PM 
Uncle Wes wrote:
.... Tulane or New Mexico is more interesting compared to Texas State and North Texas. No FCS team has ever sold out Peden Stadium.

Ironically North Texas is the #6 game in Peden history, at 24,511, and 4 FCS games are in the top 20:
#12. 2012 Norfolk State 23,673
#15. 2011 Gardner-Webb 23,155
#18. 2014 E. Illinois 23,027
#19. 2010 Wofford 22,955

And the #1 game? Is it Pitt? U.Conn? Nope. It's lowly New Mexico State at 25,893, though U.Conn and Pitt are #4 and #5 respectively. Another big draw was Idaho State, which packed in 25,211, the third highest ever, and outdrew both Pitt and U.Conn.

In my opinion, if you have a fanbase that picks and chooses games based on the "attractiveness of the foe", you just as well give it up. Fans should be coming because they want to see the home team, and because they enjoy the game day experience, not because they want to see the visitor. Fortunately Ohio seems to have a lot of fans that do come to see the home team, and that do enjoy the game day experience. That's why Ohio has the best fans in the MAC.

As for occasionally having a "Home Game" in Cleveland, that might work. NIU has done it very successfully, but some other schools that have tried it have had less success.

Last Edited: 5/25/2015 9:55:46 PM by L.C.


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

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Campus Flow
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/25/2015 10:54:24 PM 
L.C. wrote:
Uncle Wes wrote:
.... Tulane or New Mexico is more interesting compared to Texas State and North Texas. No FCS team has ever sold out Peden Stadium.

Ironically North Texas is the #6 game in Peden history, at 24,511, and 4 FCS games are in the top 20:
#12. 2012 Norfolk State 23,673
#15. 2011 Gardner-Webb 23,155
#18. 2014 E. Illinois 23,027
#19. 2010 Wofford 22,955

And the #1 game? Is it Pitt? U.Conn? Nope. It's lowly New Mexico State at 25,893, though U.Conn and Pitt are #4 and #5 respectively. Another big draw was Idaho State, which packed in 25,211, the third highest ever, and outdrew both Pitt and U.Conn.

In my opinion, if you have a fanbase that picks and chooses games based on the "attractiveness of the foe", you just as well give it up. Fans should be coming because they want to see the home team, and because they enjoy the game day experience, not because they want to see the visitor. Fortunately Ohio seems to have a lot of fans that do come to see the home team, and that do enjoy the game day experience. That's why Ohio has the best fans in the MAC.

As for occasionally having a "Home Game" in Cleveland, that might work. NIU has done it very successfully, but some other schools that have tried it have had less success.


The way I would look at those numbers is that for FBS New Mexico St the numbers are 2,000 higher than an FCS school. The same with Idaho and North Texas. That is because in the minds of some FCS is like playing a Division II school at home in basketball. That said there have been good crowds but they would be even better with an FBS opponent. An example non-conference Rutgers (home-Cleveland), Colorado State (home-Athens), Tulane (road), Georgia State (road) with Georgia State viewed as a tuneup in place of the FCS. Then sell a 3 game mini pack which is the Cleveland game and 2 games in Athens of your choosing but you don't get to pick the seats for $79 dollars when the games individually would be $45 (Cleveland, Homecoming, Parents Weekend). Do it for 2 people and its $158 less than a family pack. Mini pack sales also allows you to work with the constraint of a smaller capacity since the home side has only 9-10k seats for sale but you can split the seats between customers. 20,000 season ticket holders all half time. Provide more value with a game in Cleveland and more flexibility to get more alumni involved who in turn then decide to donate to the OBC. It won't solve all of our money problems but it would help.


Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/25/2015 11:02:51 PM 
I think, L.C., you mean the might Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 (now the Big12-10) not Idaho State Bengals. I well remember that three point loss to Iowa State. It was the first home game of the Knorr era and it set the tone for what was to come. I was a three point loss (31-28) and OHIO started the season 0-3. The first two games were a two point loss to the Zippers (31-29) and a 17-point loss to WVU (20-3). In all three games OHIO played well and with a break here of there could have won, but Knorr teams were very good at not winning the close games. As I recall, even the WVU was winnable, and it was something like 3-0 at halftime, but a late collapse and bad play calling doomed the effort. By the end of that season, though, the team was reeling and losing games by lopsided scores.


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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/25/2015 11:11:47 PM 
One other thing about Iowa State game in Peden: They had the best (other than Marshall) group of visiting fans I've seen in Peden maybe since the SIU game in 1960 that clinched the college division championship. In 2001, the visiting fans were in the far south section of the "student side." They filled up one whole section from top to bottom and then had other fans in other sections, too. I was told that their alumni office had made an attempt to contact every alumnus and alumna in Ohio and bordering states and encouraged them to attend the game. I guess they had real well organized pre- and post-game activities for their fans. It seems to me that this is a school we should try to get a 1-1 with because they bring visiting fans and they seem to see playing at OHIO as a way to enhance alumni relations.


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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Campus Flow
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/25/2015 11:34:08 PM 
OCF he is talking bout the Idaho Vandals game the past fall. The problem goes beyond FBS and FCS. Ohio keeps scheduling very weak FCS schools. If the school would bring in a tough FCS like Montana that is a different interest level because the game could potentially be in doubt. I think New Mexico St or Idaho is weak enough for us at this point.


Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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Monroe Slavin
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 3:08:45 AM 
Uncle Wes wrote:
The sports programs are not drawing in the casual alumni. We made the most new fans in the Trent years and when Grobe was 8-3 in 1997 the first time in decades. We went out played schools with name recognition and won some games. That woke up our alumni base some. Then from there it was administrations that cultivated by making game day improvements and creating flexible seating options. What I think would help is if we played a game in Cleveland every year to bring in more season ticket interest in northern Ohio. The same thing in basketball. If you could get a mini pack for a game in Cleveland and one other one during the season in Athens I see that appealing to causal alums. Alums want to see more schools they are familiar with. Tulane or New Mexico is more interesting compared to Texas State and North Texas. No FCS team has ever sold out Peden Stadium.


Great thOUght abOUt scheduling a game in Cleveland. Let's play MichState or Washington or Syracuse or Virginia or Florida or TCU there. Must be the financial risk involved because otherwise this is such a good idea. Would allow us to start to own the state vs. the jr. institution in columbus the way that there's UMich and MichState, Oregon and OregonState, Washington and WashingtonState.


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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 3:45:04 AM 
Uncle Wes wrote:
OCF he is talking bout the Idaho Vandals game the past fall. The problem goes beyond FBS and FCS. Ohio keeps scheduling very weak FCS schools. If the school would bring in a tough FCS like Montana that is a different interest level because the game could potentially be in doubt. I think New Mexico St or Idaho is weak enough for us at this point.

Correct, Wes. I meant Idaho. The Iowa State game from 2001 was well attended, and at the time was a record, but today it is way down the list, about #10 all time.

As for Ohio "scheduling very weak FCS schools", I disagree. E. Illinois, which Ohio played last fall, is traditionally one of the better FCS schools in the country, and SE Louisiana, which Ohio plays this fall, is also one of the better ones. The year Ohio played UT Martin, they made the FCS playoffs. Wofford. Gardner-Webb and Norfolk State are perhaps not the best FCS teams, but they aren't terrible. By contrast, Akron plays Savannah State this fall. Now that's a weak FCS team.

Does playing a stronger FCS team bring bigger crowds? It's an interesting argument, but when you look at the actual data, I don't see any evidence of that. Three of the four FCS games in the top 20 were against three of the lesser FCS foes. If the SE Louisiana game is particularly well attended, that might support your theory, but I tend to think that other things like weather, start time, and other activities, such as Parent's Weekend, are bigger factors.

Last Edited: 5/26/2015 3:46:29 AM by L.C.


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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 12:17:56 PM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
I think, L.C., you mean the might Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 (now the Big12-10) not Idaho State Bengals. I well remember that three point loss to Iowa State. It was the first home game of the Knorr era and it set the tone for what was to come. I was a three point loss (31-28) and OHIO started the season 0-3. The first two games were a two point loss to the Zippers (31-29) and a 17-point loss to WVU (20-3). In all three games OHIO played well and with a break here of there could have won, but Knorr teams were very good at not winning the close games. As I recall, even the WVU was winnable, and it was something like 3-0 at halftime, but a late collapse and bad play calling doomed the effort. By the end of that season, though, the team was reeling and losing games by lopsided scores.


Can you get anything correct, it's Idaho State


And Sorry, but so much of this attendance stuff is crap! It's someone in Convo making up a random number. Just take a look at the Pitt game, nothing else we have ever had has matched that in attendance, and nothing will in the short term.
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UpSan Bobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 1:22:18 PM 
BillyTheCat wrote:
OhioCatFan wrote:
I think, L.C., you mean the might Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 (now the Big12-10) not Idaho State Bengals. I well remember that three point loss to Iowa State. It was the first home game of the Knorr era and it set the tone for what was to come. I was a three point loss (31-28) and OHIO started the season 0-3. The first two games were a two point loss to the Zippers (31-29) and a 17-point loss to WVU (20-3). In all three games OHIO played well and with a break here of there could have won, but Knorr teams were very good at not winning the close games. As I recall, even the WVU was winnable, and it was something like 3-0 at halftime, but a late collapse and bad play calling doomed the effort. By the end of that season, though, the team was reeling and losing games by lopsided scores.


Can you get anything correct, it's Idaho State


And Sorry, but so much of this attendance stuff is crap! It's someone in Convo making up a random number. Just take a look at the Pitt game, nothing else we have ever had has matched that in attendance, and nothing will in the short term.


I wasn't at the Pitt game unfortunately, but I don't know how it could be much more than some of the other games. I've been to a lot of the games in the top 10 from the last several years and the only tickets available were on the hill, which was basically full. I don't see how the Pitt game or any game attendance could have been much more.

I would, however, easily believe that the crowd at the Pitt game was much more into the game and stayed longer and created a better atmosphere.
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Mike Johnson
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 5:55:42 PM 
UpSan Bobcat wrote:
BillyTheCat wrote:
OhioCatFan wrote:
I think, L.C., you mean the might Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 (now the Big12-10) not Idaho State Bengals. I well remember that three point loss to Iowa State. It was the first home game of the Knorr era and it set the tone for what was to come. I was a three point loss (31-28) and OHIO started the season 0-3. The first two games were a two point loss to the Zippers (31-29) and a 17-point loss to WVU (20-3). In all three games OHIO played well and with a break here of there could have won, but Knorr teams were very good at not winning the close games. As I recall, even the WVU was winnable, and it was something like 3-0 at halftime, but a late collapse and bad play calling doomed the effort. By the end of that season, though, the team was reeling and losing games by lopsided scores.


Can you get anything correct, it's Idaho State


And Sorry, but so much of this attendance stuff is crap! It's someone in Convo making up a random number. Just take a look at the Pitt game, nothing else we have ever had has matched that in attendance, and nothing will in the short term.


I wasn't at the Pitt game unfortunately, but I don't know how it could be much more than some of the other games. I've been to a lot of the games in the top 10 from the last several years and the only tickets available were on the hill, which was basically full. I don't see how the Pitt game or any game attendance could have been much more.

I would, however, easily believe that the crowd at the Pitt game was much more into the game and stayed longer and created a better atmosphere.


Atmosphere at Pitt game had several factors going for it:

* Frank's first home game
* Thousands of thunder stix
* Flawless weather
* ESPN
* Ohio playing surprisingly tough D after surrendering a kick return TD to Pitt to start the game.
* All in all, it was a game that saw drama continuing to build.

I remain dubious about any and all assertions as to what kind of opponent will draw well in Peden. Several of the biggest crowds were for a weak FBS New Mexico State and some FCSers. But two disappointing crowds came to Peden for East Carolina and Minnesota (which as I recall just barely brought in 20,000).


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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 6:27:47 PM 
Mike Johnson wrote:
...I remain dubious about any and all assertions as to what kind of opponent will draw well in Peden. Several of the biggest crowds were for a weak FBS New Mexico State and some FCSers. But two disappointing crowds came to Peden for East Carolina and Minnesota (which as I recall just barely brought in 20,000).

I agree that it is a puzzling pattern. There are some things that do seem to correlate to attendance:
1. Winning - The record game, New Mexico State, was the week following the win over Penn State, and I'm sure that was a factor. The declining attendance in recent years at NIU, though, makes me wonder if there isn't a cap on this effect.
2. Weather and start time - There is no doubt that September/October games outdraw November games, and there is no doubt that mid-week games have the worst attendance.
3. Regional foes - Certain regional foes definitely are strong draws. Marshall and Miami both draw well. Probably UC would, too.
4. Games of significance - Games like Temple, or like BG last year, that affect the end winner of the MAC East, definitely seem to draw more fans.

What about the quality of foes? I don't see any evidence that this directly affects attendance. Certainly the attendance was high for Pitt and U.Conn, but was it high because they were good foes? I think that the attendance for Pitt was high because it was Frank's first home game, and because it was "an event", and on ESPN. For U.Conn it was high because it was heavily promoted and they were practically giving away tickets to make sure it was a sellout.

A related question is, what correlates to the ticket prices they can charge? They can, and do, charge more for games like Marshall. Can they charge more for a team like U.Conn than they can for Idaho? I used to think so, but anymore, I'm not convinced. Billy used to argue that there was only so high that ticket prices could go, and more and more I am coming around to his point of view.

So, where does that leave us? Well, the focus should be on winning first, then on improving the game day experience, and season ticket sales, and then on supplementing those with promotions. I think the Ohio ticket sales team does a great job>


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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 7:22:21 PM 
Or C., what spot the dart lands on. Go back and look several years ago and you will see that every single game attendance had the same last numbers. Is that a coincidence? Our crowds have increased, but lets not fool ourselves about this "actual" attendance game.

What was the last year that we actually didn't set an attendance record?
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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 7:45:53 PM 
Here's a question for you. I recall that for the Pitt game, there were people who wanted to go, but who couldn't get into the stadium. Have there been any changes to seating, or to the hill, such that it was physically possible to put 1300 more people into Peden for New Mexico State?


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

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Campus Flow
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 9:48:52 PM 
L.C. wrote:
Here's a question for you. I recall that for the Pitt game, there were people who wanted to go, but who couldn't get into the stadium. Have there been any changes to seating, or to the hill, such that it was physically possible to put 1300 more people into Peden for New Mexico State?


There are no changes to the seating or hill but what they do now is rope off along the student section between the hill more standing room only space. At quite a few games I have seen it but don't remember it set up that way for the Pittsburgh game. They should increase the size of Victory Hill with that new scoreboard. It would be nice to be able to be large enough to get a crowd of 30,000 in the stadium. That is not possible now.


Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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Campus Flow
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 10:18:28 PM 
L.C. wrote:

A related question is, what correlates to the ticket prices they can charge? They can, and do, charge more for games like Marshall. Can they charge more for a team like U.Conn than they can for Idaho? I used to think so, but anymore, I'm not convinced. Billy used to argue that there was only so high that ticket prices could go, and more and more I am coming around to his point of view.


The athletic department is in an experimental phase when it comes to pricing. This year might be some $40 dollar tickets for a few games. I have said before on here as a rubric the price of an upper deck Bengals ticket is about as much as can be charged before fans start to look at alternatives. Bengals tickets start at $35 dollars per game for 10 games (8 season, 2 preseason). Regular Ohio season tickets average out to $16 dollars per game. We should have pricing and options that match the contemporary consumer. Pro sports are not expecting fans to attend every game. They are selling mini-packs. With MLS mini-packs I can get an international game in an NFL stadium included plus 2 home games. Family packs at Ohio were developed in response to the pricing but mini-packs could target a higher end consumer with that game in Cleveland as I suggested.


Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/26/2015 10:39:24 PM 
BillyTheCat wrote:
Can you get anything correct, it's Idaho State . . . .


Can't you read . . . L.C. said Idaho State. Since we've never played Idaho State that I can recall, I thought he meant Iowa State as that was a well-attended game. It turns out as Wes guessed and L.C. confirmed he meant Idaho.


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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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/27/2015 12:11:06 AM 
Uncle Wes wrote:
There are no changes to the seating or hill but what they do now is rope off along the student section between the hill more standing room only space. At quite a few games I have seen it but don't remember it set up that way for the Pittsburgh game. They should increase the size of Victory Hill with that new scoreboard. It would be nice to be able to be large enough to get a crowd of 30,000 in the stadium. That is not possible now.

Thanks, Wes. That answers the question, and so, yes, it's possible that the recent peaks really are higher than the Pitt game.

It's also possible that when they construct the Academic center, "seating" will increase. I don't expect seats in there, but certainly some people could watch the game from in there, and they could also do something like putting some seats on the roof of it at relatively low expense. I'm thinking more in terms of hundreds than thousands, though.


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

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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/27/2015 12:39:33 PM 
LC, that same space was there, and was in use. It's simply a matter of picking a number.
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GoCats105
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/27/2015 1:00:40 PM 
BillyTheCat wrote:
LC, that same space was there, and was in use. It's simply a matter of picking a number.


Billy: you are correct that the number is mostly randomly selected. However, it's not like the ACTUAL number isn't close to that. I've heard conversations on radios between marketing, ticketing and other personnel regarding the number.

Example:

Ticket Head: Hey marketing guy, the number for attendance is 9,932.

Marketing Guy: Good, let's say it's 100 more than that. That puts it over 10,000.

Ticket Head: That sounds better, lets go with that.

Marketing Guy: Got it.

It sounds really stupid, but that's how it works. Not sure if this is how every department works, but I've heard this conversation more than once. And they always, always, always, round up. No matter what.
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L.C.
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/27/2015 4:31:21 PM 
The number I'd like to see, and the number we'll never see, is the more useful number, "Dollars from ticket sales". That would give a far better idea as to what games are the best to schedule, and also, as to the health of the program. Here are some possible examples:

1. Let's say EMU sells 15,000 tickets to Pepsi for $1 each, so that they can meet NCAA guidelines by reporting "attendance of 15,000". The $15,000 they get from Pepsi does add to the 2,000 real tickets sold at, say, $15 ea, but the total purse of $45,000 shows the true picture.

2. Let's say that for Pitt, Ohio has 24,500 in the stands. Of those, 8,000 are students, and in free, while the other 16,500 pay $18 average, for a total purse of $297,000.

3. Let's say that for U.Conn, there are 24,500 in the stands. Again, there are 8,000 students, but this time there are 14,500 that paid $18, and 2,000 that paid only $5 because of a last minute drive to "sell out". Now the total gate is $271,000.

4. Let's say that for Marshall they bump the ticket price to $25. Of course, some of the season tickets, like the family pack, drop the average price, so call the average $22. Let's say there are 23,500, again, using 8,000 students. Thus we have total revenue of $341,000.

Figured this way, the record games would be somewhat different than the way they are reported now. I think that the gap between where Ohio is and where most of the rest of the MAC is, in terms of attendance, would appear far wider if you looked at revenue instead of looking at "reported attendance".


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

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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: Sad, this time: Annual evidence that
   Posted: 5/27/2015 4:37:53 PM 
BillyTheCat wrote:
OhioCatFan wrote:
I think, L.C., you mean the might Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 (now the Big12-10) not Idaho State Bengals. I well remember that three point loss to Iowa State. It was the first home game of the Knorr era and it set the tone for what was to come. I was a three point loss (31-28) and OHIO started the season 0-3. The first two games were a two point loss to the Zippers (31-29) and a 17-point loss to WVU (20-3). In all three games OHIO played well and with a break here of there could have won, but Knorr teams were very good at not winning the close games. As I recall, even the WVU was winnable, and it was something like 3-0 at halftime, but a late collapse and bad play calling doomed the effort. By the end of that season, though, the team was reeling and losing games by lopsided scores.


Can you get anything correct, it's Idaho State


And Sorry, but so much of this attendance stuff is crap! It's someone in Convo making up a random number. Just take a look at the Pitt game, nothing else we have ever had has matched that in attendance, and nothing will in the short term.


Two things not mentioned on the Pitt game - people were three and four deep standing in the closed endzone and the hill endzone. Combine that with the band being in the endzone and all of those seats that they currently occupy being filled with students, and I believe you had the largest crowd ever in Peden.
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