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Topic:  Convo atmosphere

Topic:  Convo atmosphere
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Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,213

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 12:23:53 PM 
Interesting comment into today's ANews, and no, I did not send it in.

“Please Ohio University Athletics Department turn down the volume for the men's basketball games in the Convo. Are you trying to make everyone deaf? As a season ticketholder for many years, I will not renew my tickets next year if this crazy loud volume continues. We fans would like to talk about the game with each other but you make that impossible. Please turn it down to a reasonable level so we can enjoy being in the Convo.”

And as an aside, a few games ago I turned on my decibel meter app on my phone and it registered 104 dB on a couple of occasions when the piped in music was playing.
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OU_Country
General User



Member Since: 12/6/2005
Location: On the road between Athens and Madison County
Post Count: 8,370

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 12:55:11 PM 
Alan Swank wrote:
Interesting comment into today's ANews, and no, I did not send it in.

“Please Ohio University Athletics Department turn down the volume for the men's basketball games in the Convo. Are you trying to make everyone deaf? As a season ticketholder for many years, I will not renew my tickets next year if this crazy loud volume continues. We fans would like to talk about the game with each other but you make that impossible. Please turn it down to a reasonable level so we can enjoy being in the Convo.”

And as an aside, a few games ago I turned on my decibel meter app on my phone and it registered 104 dB on a couple of occasions when the piped in music was playing.


I've never once considered the volume level to be excessive in The Convo. I'll qualify that by saying that I know it's a little louder down low, so maybe that's where this person sits. And maybe the sound system isn't well balanced enough that everyone gets an equal level of sound. I'd also suggest that when the band plays, they're probably louder than the music that some complain about. I'd be interested to see the comparison, because I've often been heard saying that they should turn UP the music in certain circumstances.

I'd also suggest that most quality college hoops atmospheres are louder than The Convo. I haven't been across the country, but I can assure you it's noticeably louder in Dayton and Cincinnati than it is in Athens.
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spongeBOB CATpants
General User



Member Since: 8/16/2016
Post Count: 1,125

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 1:49:33 PM 
OU_Country wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
Interesting comment into today's ANews, and no, I did not send it in.

“Please Ohio University Athletics Department turn down the volume for the men's basketball games in the Convo. Are you trying to make everyone deaf? As a season ticketholder for many years, I will not renew my tickets next year if this crazy loud volume continues. We fans would like to talk about the game with each other but you make that impossible. Please turn it down to a reasonable level so we can enjoy being in the Convo.”

And as an aside, a few games ago I turned on my decibel meter app on my phone and it registered 104 dB on a couple of occasions when the piped in music was playing.


I've never once considered the volume level to be excessive in The Convo. I'll qualify that by saying that I know it's a little louder down low, so maybe that's where this person sits. And maybe the sound system isn't well balanced enough that everyone gets an equal level of sound. I'd also suggest that when the band plays, they're probably louder than the music that some complain about. I'd be interested to see the comparison, because I've often been heard saying that they should turn UP the music in certain circumstances.

I'd also suggest that most quality college hoops atmospheres are louder than The Convo. I haven't been across the country, but I can assure you it's noticeably louder in Dayton and Cincinnati than it is in Athens.


This complaint is absurd. Watch the game at home. After working in ticket sales for a couple years, it amazes me how many complaints like this I have seen. Toss this in the garbage.

Will the new scoreboard have updated speakers? Can't imagine new speakers to be quieter than what we have now.
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GoCats105
General User

Member Since: 1/31/2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Post Count: 7,439

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 2:06:59 PM 
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
OU_Country wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
Interesting comment into today's ANews, and no, I did not send it in.

“Please Ohio University Athletics Department turn down the volume for the men's basketball games in the Convo. Are you trying to make everyone deaf? As a season ticketholder for many years, I will not renew my tickets next year if this crazy loud volume continues. We fans would like to talk about the game with each other but you make that impossible. Please turn it down to a reasonable level so we can enjoy being in the Convo.”

And as an aside, a few games ago I turned on my decibel meter app on my phone and it registered 104 dB on a couple of occasions when the piped in music was playing.


I've never once considered the volume level to be excessive in The Convo. I'll qualify that by saying that I know it's a little louder down low, so maybe that's where this person sits. And maybe the sound system isn't well balanced enough that everyone gets an equal level of sound. I'd also suggest that when the band plays, they're probably louder than the music that some complain about. I'd be interested to see the comparison, because I've often been heard saying that they should turn UP the music in certain circumstances.

I'd also suggest that most quality college hoops atmospheres are louder than The Convo. I haven't been across the country, but I can assure you it's noticeably louder in Dayton and Cincinnati than it is in Athens.


This complaint is absurd. Watch the game at home. After working in ticket sales for a couple years, it amazes me how many complaints like this I have seen. Toss this in the garbage.

Will the new scoreboard have updated speakers? Can't imagine new speakers to be quieter than what we have now.


I believe the sound system will be improved with the new scoreboard according to what was reported after the Board approved it.
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OhioCatFan
General User



Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,752

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 2:06:59 PM 
Alan Swank wrote:
Interesting comment into today's ANews, and no, I did not send it in.

“Please Ohio University Athletics Department turn down the volume for the men's basketball games in the Convo. Are you trying to make everyone deaf? As a season ticketholder for many years, I will not renew my tickets next year if this crazy loud volume continues. We fans would like to talk about the game with each other but you make that impossible. Please turn it down to a reasonable level so we can enjoy being in the Convo.”

And as an aside, a few games ago I turned on my decibel meter app on my phone and it registered 104 dB on a couple of occasions when the piped in music was playing.


I didn't write this either, Alan, but I agree with the sentiment. I never object to the volume of the 110, but that's live music and that's an entirely different thing altogether. One other poster said that this excess volume for canned music is true across the nation. I can attest that I've witnessed that too in other venues. That doesn't mean that one should just throw away these comments. That's really not good customer service and customer awareness. If a sizable group of fans feel this way, the powers that be should start to listen. Perhaps this is one of the reasons folks are noticing empty seats at even some of the schools with traditional strong programs.

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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giacomo
General User

Member Since: 11/20/2007
Post Count: 2,734

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 2:08:37 PM 
There is a difference between crowd noise and piped in noise. I completely agree with the letter writer. Many games I've been to,including Cavs, pipe in some thunderous noise ALL THE TIME. It's annoying. I went to a Penquins game (not YSU) recently and it was very appropriate with piped in and crowd noise.
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The Optimist
General User



Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,596

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 4:06:00 PM 
Stadium acoustics is one of the most crucial factors in gameday atmosphere yet it's something that isn't always discussed.

I'm no expert on ideal sight lines or how sound waves travel, but I know we're at a huge advantage with the general design of the Convo. Whoever drew it up either knew what they were doing or got extremely lucky.

As long as the lower bowl is mostly full, the Convo has a "buzz" in it. In comparison, Peden can sometimes feel like "crickets" even when there is a good crowd and the game is exciting. But I think they both could see huge benefits from better speaker systems. In fact, I would rather spend less $ on the scoreboard and instead put that money into better speakers. New speaker technology isn't a miracle-worker, but I think it could really help both the people getting their ear-drums blown out sitting next to the speaker and also people at a distance from the speaker who can't hear anything. Ideally some architects or engineers could advise us on optimal placement.

...

With that said, loud music isn't going away. I think increased communication between the athletic department and the 110 would go a long way to helping song timing, but we should really just go all-in and move the soundboard guy directly into the 110. Create an app that allows O Zone members to vote on what song gets played next. The higher the decibel level, the better. If the Athens News readers want to call in a noise ordinance complaint, so be it.

I've seen crazier things happen.

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The Optimist
General User



Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,596

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 4:13:37 PM 
The Optimist wrote:
Create an app that allows O Zone members to vote on what song gets played next.


***If you're the kind of person who takes offense to the word "sucks" there is a strong possibility you will find the lyrics in students favorite songs these days mildly offensive***

I've seen crazier things happen.

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GoCats105
General User

Member Since: 1/31/2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Post Count: 7,439

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 4:27:00 PM 
The Optimist wrote:
The Optimist wrote:
Create an app that allows O Zone members to vote on what song gets played next.


***If you're the kind of person who takes offense to the word "sucks" there is a strong possibility you will find the lyrics in students favorite songs these days mildly offensive***


They already do a text vote choosing between 3 songs for the next one played.

In regards to that though, does Ohio Athletics have a mobile sponsor (Verizon, Sprint, etc.)? With the new scoreboard, there is some opportunity for fan interaction via text that could be sponsored by the mobile provider.

While I was interning at X, there was an ad displayed during the 1st half of the game that allowed fans to text a mobile number with whatever text they wanted, and we would show it up on the scoreboard during halftime. Obviously you'll need an intern (this was my job before and during halftime) to monitor the texts to make sure nothing vulgar was placed on the screen.

The texts were usually tame though, simple things like "Go X!" or "Did you see that dunk?" were normal. And then you'd see some funny things like "tell the girl in Row XYZ to hit me up later" or "the guy in Section 123 is really annoying."

Got the fans involved and they actually loved it.

Last Edited: 1/25/2018 4:38:49 PM by GoCats105
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Jeff McKinney
Moderator

Member Since: 11/12/2004
Post Count: 6,155

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 4:48:53 PM 
I was at the Akron game Tuesday, and the volume overall is much higher than the Convos. They do a better job planning and executing game atmosphere stuff.
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stub
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 996

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 6:57:31 PM 
Here's another Athens Voice that recently appeared in the A News:

Please protect our hearing and vision at the Convo! It’s too loud for kids and other living humans. Decibels often reach 110 that can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) for periods longer than one minute, according to the National Institute on Deafness. I wear ear plugs to reduce intensity levels at the Convo (though it makes it hard to engage in conversations) and will continue do so if uncomfortable loudness levels persist. And protect your vision too. The lights are too bright, but wearing a hat or visor (and I’ve even seen people wearing sun glasses) significantly deflects the light and gives a much better view.
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OU_Country
General User



Member Since: 12/6/2005
Location: On the road between Athens and Madison County
Post Count: 8,370

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 7:07:14 PM 
GoCats105 wrote:
The Optimist wrote:
The Optimist wrote:
Create an app that allows O Zone members to vote on what song gets played next.


***If you're the kind of person who takes offense to the word "sucks" there is a strong possibility you will find the lyrics in students favorite songs these days mildly offensive***


They already do a text vote choosing between 3 songs for the next one played.

In regards to that though, does Ohio Athletics have a mobile sponsor (Verizon, Sprint, etc.)? With the new scoreboard, there is some opportunity for fan interaction via text that could be sponsored by the mobile provider.

While I was interning at X, there was an ad displayed during the 1st half of the game that allowed fans to text a mobile number with whatever text they wanted, and we would show it up on the scoreboard during halftime. Obviously you'll need an intern (this was my job before and during halftime) to monitor the texts to make sure nothing vulgar was placed on the screen.

The texts were usually tame though, simple things like "Go X!" or "Did you see that dunk?" were normal. And then you'd see some funny things like "tell the girl in Row XYZ to hit me up later" or "the guy in Section 123 is really annoying."

Got the fans involved and they actually loved it.


As corny as it sounds, THIS is one example of the type of thing that the video board needs to get used for. Fan interaction. It creates a positive and memorable experience if your text gets chosen, or the song you voted for gets played. Does it matter to everyone in the building? Of course not. But whether everyone here likes it or not, this sort of thing, plus "loud music" gets people involved. Young people, students - the future generations of fans. Not everyone who goes is watching the box score, or how well the power forward sets a screen. Some may want to simply have fun at a game and don't even care about the result. Fun means music (sometimes loud rap music, and not always the 110) and goofy fan interactions for some people. There ought to be room for compromise, including for and from, this letter to the editor complainer.

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OhioCatFan
General User



Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,752

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 9:13:18 PM 
OU_Country wrote:
As corny as it sounds, THIS is one example of the type of thing that the video board needs to get used for. Fan interaction. It creates a positive and memorable experience if your text gets chosen, or the song you voted for gets played. Does it matter to everyone in the building? Of course not. But whether everyone here likes it or not, this sort of thing, plus "loud music" gets people involved. Young people, students - the future generations of fans. Not everyone who goes is watching the box score, or how well the power forward sets a screen. Some may want to simply have fun at a game and don't even care about the result. Fun means music (sometimes loud rap music, and not always the 110) and goofy fan interactions for some people. There ought to be room for compromise, including for and from, this letter to the editor complainer.


I don't disagree with any of this, except the part about the loud music.

This is actually a health concern. If we can be concerned, and we should be, about the brains of football and soccer players, then we should be concerned about permanent hearing loss: https://tinyurl.com/yb2z9kvs

Last Edited: 1/25/2018 9:14:39 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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BillyTheCat
General User

Member Since: 10/6/2012
Post Count: 10,396

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/25/2018 11:22:31 PM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
OU_Country wrote:
As corny as it sounds, THIS is one example of the type of thing that the video board needs to get used for. Fan interaction. It creates a positive and memorable experience if your text gets chosen, or the song you voted for gets played. Does it matter to everyone in the building? Of course not. But whether everyone here likes it or not, this sort of thing, plus "loud music" gets people involved. Young people, students - the future generations of fans. Not everyone who goes is watching the box score, or how well the power forward sets a screen. Some may want to simply have fun at a game and don't even care about the result. Fun means music (sometimes loud rap music, and not always the 110) and goofy fan interactions for some people. There ought to be room for compromise, including for and from, this letter to the editor complainer.


I don't disagree with any of this, except the part about the loud music.

This is actually a health concern. If we can be concerned, and we should be, about the brains of football and soccer players, then we should be concerned about permanent hearing loss: https://tinyurl.com/yb2z9kvs


I agree, we should put limits on the number of people who can cheer at a game. Safety for all
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Ohio69
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 3,061

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 8:51:49 AM 

This is aweseome. Why doens't everyone just sit quietly and watch, like at (most) movies?

Over the years my favorite complaint that was made directly to Athletics at an event (I was there and witnessed it) was that the basketball players shorts were too long and hindering their athletic ability. Tim O'Shea just laughed and moved on.





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

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spongeBOB CATpants
General User



Member Since: 8/16/2016
Post Count: 1,125

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 9:37:03 AM 
stub wrote:
Here's another Athens Voice that recently appeared in the A News:

Please protect our hearing and vision at the Convo! It’s too loud for kids and other living humans. Decibels often reach 110 that can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) for periods longer than one minute, according to the National Institute on Deafness. I wear ear plugs to reduce intensity levels at the Convo (though it makes it hard to engage in conversations) and will continue do so if uncomfortable loudness levels persist. And protect your vision too. The lights are too bright, but wearing a hat or visor (and I’ve even seen people wearing sun glasses) significantly deflects the light and gives a much better view.


Not only is it too loud, but its too bright......INSIDE! I needed a good chuckle this morning. I imagine this person suits up in full football gear to drive their car.
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Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,213

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 9:41:25 AM 
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
stub wrote:
Here's another Athens Voice that recently appeared in the A News:

Please protect our hearing and vision at the Convo! It’s too loud for kids and other living humans. Decibels often reach 110 that can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) for periods longer than one minute, according to the National Institute on Deafness. I wear ear plugs to reduce intensity levels at the Convo (though it makes it hard to engage in conversations) and will continue do so if uncomfortable loudness levels persist. And protect your vision too. The lights are too bright, but wearing a hat or visor (and I’ve even seen people wearing sun glasses) significantly deflects the light and gives a much better view.


Not only is it too loud, but its too bright......INSIDE! I needed a good chuckle this morning. I imagine this person suits up in full football gear to drive their car.


Obviously you have not sat in the platinum section in recent years. The angle of the lights on the student side are very bright for those in that section. I like to sit in the front row/rows of concerts but sometimes those are not the best seats for a variety of reasons including light angles. For someone in customer service, you have a great deal to learn. The customer is not always right but they are worth listening to and that's all that several posters are asking. No one is asking to eliminate anything. The requests are simply requests to review and perhaps modify. It's a shame that the polarization of societal opinions has spilled over to this board so that we can't seem to find a middle ground.
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spongeBOB CATpants
General User



Member Since: 8/16/2016
Post Count: 1,125

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 9:48:43 AM 
Alan Swank wrote:
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
stub wrote:
Here's another Athens Voice that recently appeared in the A News:

Please protect our hearing and vision at the Convo! It’s too loud for kids and other living humans. Decibels often reach 110 that can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) for periods longer than one minute, according to the National Institute on Deafness. I wear ear plugs to reduce intensity levels at the Convo (though it makes it hard to engage in conversations) and will continue do so if uncomfortable loudness levels persist. And protect your vision too. The lights are too bright, but wearing a hat or visor (and I’ve even seen people wearing sun glasses) significantly deflects the light and gives a much better view.


Not only is it too loud, but its too bright......INSIDE! I needed a good chuckle this morning. I imagine this person suits up in full football gear to drive their car.


Obviously you have not sat in the platinum section in recent years. The angle of the lights on the student side are very bright for those in that section. I like to sit in the front row/rows of concerts but sometimes those are not the best seats for a variety of reasons including light angles. For someone in customer service, you have a great deal to learn. The customer is not always right but they are worth listening to and that's all that several posters are asking. No one is asking to eliminate anything. The requests are simply requests to review and perhaps modify. It's a shame that the polarization of societal opinions has spilled over to this board so that we can't seem to find a middle ground.



This is correct, I always sat in the upper level where I could stretch my legs out. This is a message board. Of course I would not respond to a complaint the same way I express my feelings on this board. So thanks for judging my customer service skills. I can probably speak for a lot of us that have had to deal with customers. Many times our feelings/emotions on the inside are a tad different than what we display to the customer.

I just find it pretty funny how half of us want the atmosphere to get crazier and more like the good old days and the rest want us to tame the convo. Maybe that's where the issue lies...where is OU supposed to find the middle ground?
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Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,213

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 9:57:22 AM 
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
stub wrote:
Here's another Athens Voice that recently appeared in the A News:

Please protect our hearing and vision at the Convo! It’s too loud for kids and other living humans. Decibels often reach 110 that can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) for periods longer than one minute, according to the National Institute on Deafness. I wear ear plugs to reduce intensity levels at the Convo (though it makes it hard to engage in conversations) and will continue do so if uncomfortable loudness levels persist. And protect your vision too. The lights are too bright, but wearing a hat or visor (and I’ve even seen people wearing sun glasses) significantly deflects the light and gives a much better view.


Not only is it too loud, but its too bright......INSIDE! I needed a good chuckle this morning. I imagine this person suits up in full football gear to drive their car.


Obviously you have not sat in the platinum section in recent years. The angle of the lights on the student side are very bright for those in that section. I like to sit in the front row/rows of concerts but sometimes those are not the best seats for a variety of reasons including light angles. For someone in customer service, you have a great deal to learn. The customer is not always right but they are worth listening to and that's all that several posters are asking. No one is asking to eliminate anything. The requests are simply requests to review and perhaps modify. It's a shame that the polarization of societal opinions has spilled over to this board so that we can't seem to find a middle ground.



This is correct, I always sat in the upper level where I could stretch my legs out. This is a message board. Of course I would not respond to a complaint the same way I express my feelings on this board. So thanks for judging my customer service skills. I can probably speak for a lot of us that have had to deal with customers. Many times our feelings/emotions on the inside are a tad different than what we display to the customer.

I just find it pretty funny how half of us want the atmosphere to get crazier and more like the good old days and the rest want us to tame the convo. Maybe that's where the issue lies...where is OU supposed to find the middle ground?


Please point out one post that asks for the Convo to be "tamed." Lowering the volume on a bad sound system is not taming the Convo. Adjusting the lights to shine on the court is not taming the Convo. Asking for better coordination between the person on the sound board and the band is not taming the Convo. All of those things would actually improve the customer experience. That said, there are many reasons why people aren't coming to the games and the fan experience in general and particular parts of that experience specifically are contributing to that decline. The problem is no one seems to be listening. I was looking at the Green and White Club membership list the other day and the year that we had 928 memberships, I see tens if not more than a hundred names of people who used to be season ticket holders who no longer buy those tickets and attend the games. I wonder if we have ever done exit surveys. Heck, I cut my four platinum seats from 4 to 1 this year and never got a call as to why. These are tickets that I've had since they reseated the Convo many years ago. That's bad customer service.

Supposed to be 55 today in Athens. Anyone want to go golfing this afternoon?


Last Edited: 1/26/2018 10:06:33 AM by Alan Swank
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spongeBOB CATpants
General User



Member Since: 8/16/2016
Post Count: 1,125

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 10:32:51 AM 
Alan Swank wrote:
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
stub wrote:
Here's another Athens Voice that recently appeared in the A News:

Please protect our hearing and vision at the Convo! It’s too loud for kids and other living humans. Decibels often reach 110 that can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) for periods longer than one minute, according to the National Institute on Deafness. I wear ear plugs to reduce intensity levels at the Convo (though it makes it hard to engage in conversations) and will continue do so if uncomfortable loudness levels persist. And protect your vision too. The lights are too bright, but wearing a hat or visor (and I’ve even seen people wearing sun glasses) significantly deflects the light and gives a much better view.


Not only is it too loud, but its too bright......INSIDE! I needed a good chuckle this morning. I imagine this person suits up in full football gear to drive their car.


Obviously you have not sat in the platinum section in recent years. The angle of the lights on the student side are very bright for those in that section. I like to sit in the front row/rows of concerts but sometimes those are not the best seats for a variety of reasons including light angles. For someone in customer service, you have a great deal to learn. The customer is not always right but they are worth listening to and that's all that several posters are asking. No one is asking to eliminate anything. The requests are simply requests to review and perhaps modify. It's a shame that the polarization of societal opinions has spilled over to this board so that we can't seem to find a middle ground.



This is correct, I always sat in the upper level where I could stretch my legs out. This is a message board. Of course I would not respond to a complaint the same way I express my feelings on this board. So thanks for judging my customer service skills. I can probably speak for a lot of us that have had to deal with customers. Many times our feelings/emotions on the inside are a tad different than what we display to the customer.

I just find it pretty funny how half of us want the atmosphere to get crazier and more like the good old days and the rest want us to tame the convo. Maybe that's where the issue lies...where is OU supposed to find the middle ground?


Please point out one post that asks for the Convo to be "tamed." Lowering the volume on a bad sound system is not taming the Convo. Adjusting the lights to shine on the court is not taming the Convo. Asking for better coordination between the person on the sound board and the band is not taming the Convo. All of those things would actually improve the customer experience. That said, there are many reasons why people aren't coming to the games and the fan experience in general and particular parts of that experience specifically are contributing to that decline. The problem is no one seems to be listening. I was looking at the Green and White Club membership list the other day and the year that we had 928 memberships, I see tens if not more than a hundred names of people who used to be season ticket holders who no longer buy those tickets and attend the games. I wonder if we have ever done exit surveys. Heck, I cut my four platinum seats from 4 to 1 this year and never got a call as to why. These are tickets that I've had since they reseated the Convo many years ago. That's bad customer service.

Supposed to be 55 today in Athens. Anyone want to go golfing this afternoon?




I don't work for OU athletics so can't answer your questions there. I worked for an MLB team (gonna go on a limb to say those tickets are a bit more expensive) and we had multiple surveys go out throughout the season and off-season. Provided in depth feedback but a lot of the complaints are not "fixable" especially when it comes to sound and game presentation. I'm all about better coordination but that's not an easy fix as there are a million things going on at once. How do they fix the lighting? Spend money on new lights? How do they fix the sound? Request the band to play quieter? All to appease complaints from a couple fans (I acknowledge there may be more fans that haven't come forward). If it were an issue where complaints are flooding in then changes need to be made. Every team has those grumpy fans who have a long list of problems and the best you can do is try to get on the same page and let them know you are listening.

We've touched on it before, college basketball fan attendance is declining. Not sure I can attribute it to bad lighting and loud music.
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The Optimist
General User



Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,596

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  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 11:45:13 AM 
OU_Country wrote:
GoCats105 wrote:
The Optimist wrote:
The Optimist wrote:
Create an app that allows O Zone members to vote on what song gets played next.


***If you're the kind of person who takes offense to the word "sucks" there is a strong possibility you will find the lyrics in students favorite songs these days mildly offensive***


They already do a text vote choosing between 3 songs for the next one played.

In regards to that though, does Ohio Athletics have a mobile sponsor (Verizon, Sprint, etc.)? With the new scoreboard, there is some opportunity for fan interaction via text that could be sponsored by the mobile provider.

While I was interning at X, there was an ad displayed during the 1st half of the game that allowed fans to text a mobile number with whatever text they wanted, and we would show it up on the scoreboard during halftime. Obviously you'll need an intern (this was my job before and during halftime) to monitor the texts to make sure nothing vulgar was placed on the screen.

The texts were usually tame though, simple things like "Go X!" or "Did you see that dunk?" were normal. And then you'd see some funny things like "tell the girl in Row XYZ to hit me up later" or "the guy in Section 123 is really annoying."

Got the fans involved and they actually loved it.


As corny as it sounds, THIS is one example of the type of thing that the video board needs to get used for. Fan interaction. It creates a positive and memorable experience if your text gets chosen, or the song you voted for gets played. Does it matter to everyone in the building? Of course not. But whether everyone here likes it or not, this sort of thing, plus "loud music" gets people involved. Young people, students - the future generations of fans. Not everyone who goes is watching the box score, or how well the power forward sets a screen. Some may want to simply have fun at a game and don't even care about the result. Fun means music (sometimes loud rap music, and not always the 110) and goofy fan interactions for some people. There ought to be room for compromise, including for and from, this letter to the editor complainer.



I've long believed the Athens News core readership is very anti-fun.

I've seen crazier things happen.

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The Optimist
General User



Member Since: 3/16/2007
Location: CLE
Post Count: 5,596

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 11:46:34 AM 
The University should create an official policy limiting decibel levels at 110.

First step is putting muzzles on the trumpets to prevent ear damage of the drummers in front of them.

Safety first.

I've seen crazier things happen.

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OU77BCJ
General User

Member Since: 11/18/2010
Post Count: 83

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 11:47:49 AM 
Have to agree with you Alan on customer service. Had six Platinum seats since they moved there in 94-95, I believe. Also five football seats. Had a very bad accident two years ago and let them all go as spent three months in nursing home and long time recuperating. Never heard a thing from OU as to why didn't you renew. Oh well, back now with three Tower seats and two Black seats. At my level should have had the sideline experience in football. (Done it before) Never heard anything. Should be getting two all sport passes, haven't heard about that either. I will still be there no matter, customer service sometimes sucks. Would like to see more half time entertainment as in past. Don't like the high school feel of kids running up and down the floor pre-game and half time, sure they are important folks kids. Never seen that anywhere else at college level, but it may occur. Don't mind the noise level and cant wait for center board.
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bobcatsquared
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 5,415

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 12:03:08 PM 
Alan Swank wrote:
Supposed to be 55 today in Athens. Anyone want to go golfing this afternoon?


Would love to Alan, but some of us have to work today. I'm in my classroom til 3 then heading down to Athens around 4. Too late for golf before dinner and 6:30 tipoff. Maybe you and I can join OCF in a little Saturday morning hoops before a Saturday game in February.
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BillyTheCat
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Member Since: 10/6/2012
Post Count: 10,396

Status: Offline
  Message Not Read  RE: Convo atmosphere
   Posted: 1/26/2018 12:12:33 PM 
Alan Swank wrote:
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:
stub wrote:
Here's another Athens Voice that recently appeared in the A News:

Please protect our hearing and vision at the Convo! It’s too loud for kids and other living humans. Decibels often reach 110 that can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) for periods longer than one minute, according to the National Institute on Deafness. I wear ear plugs to reduce intensity levels at the Convo (though it makes it hard to engage in conversations) and will continue do so if uncomfortable loudness levels persist. And protect your vision too. The lights are too bright, but wearing a hat or visor (and I’ve even seen people wearing sun glasses) significantly deflects the light and gives a much better view.


Not only is it too loud, but its too bright......INSIDE! I needed a good chuckle this morning. I imagine this person suits up in full football gear to drive their car.


Obviously you have not sat in the platinum section in recent years. The angle of the lights on the student side are very bright for those in that section. I like to sit in the front row/rows of concerts but sometimes those are not the best seats for a variety of reasons including light angles. For someone in customer service, you have a great deal to learn. The customer is not always right but they are worth listening to and that's all that several posters are asking. No one is asking to eliminate anything. The requests are simply requests to review and perhaps modify. It's a shame that the polarization of societal opinions has spilled over to this board so that we can't seem to find a middle ground.



several in the platinum seats wear sun glasses due to the brightness and angles of the lights.
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