***McNeese State @ Lamar Game Thread...MSU wins 42-38***

ATTENDANCE: 7,627

Not sure if we can give Sam hell anymore

 

The hell we can't. .. We do that with a sub. 500 team. .. They do it when they've been to the National championship two years in a row. Sam will never get an ounce of respect from me.

Although attendance was disappointing this year, we ended up third in the conference behind McNeese and SFA in average home attendance for the regular season.

 

In terms of percentage of stadium capacity, we ended up in sixth ahead of Nicholls State and Northwestern State.

 

My concern is the downward trend. That has to be reversed.

 

2010 - 16,079

- drop of 1,636

2011 - 14,443

- drop of 3,324 - drop of 7,700

2012 - 11,119

- drop of 2,740

2013 - 8,379

Although attendance was disappointing this year, we ended up third in the conference behind McNeese and SFA in average home attendance for the regular season.

 

In terms of percentage of stadium capacity, we ended up in sixth ahead of Nicholls State and Northwestern State.

 

My concern is the downward trend. That has to be reversed.

 

2010 - 16,079

- drop of 1,636

2011 - 14,443

- drop of 3,324 - drop of 7,700

2012 - 11,119

- drop of 2,740

2013 - 8,379

 

i can tell u the quick cure for that downward trend...win a minimum of 9-10 football games per year...

While I would love to win 9-10 games a year, that is a short term solution which would result in cyclical peaks in best conditions. A longer term solution would be to find ways to expand the base. The challenges are coming up with ways to do that.

 

Here are a few ideas.

 

1. More marketing - emphasize the total game experience.

2. Make use of short term excess capacity to let fans try it out (even if it results in give-aways for a short period.) For example, UTSA has done this with their "Game Day Give Away" program in partnership with KFC - 2 games in 2011 season. We tried this on a small scale with the retired veteran/active duty servicemen promo this year.

3. Continue and enhance programs in place like tailgating, kidzone.

4. Maybe an offer through schools. For example, the Astros had a program where families could buy discounted tickets for some of the games. We participated in it for several years. I see several benefits with the program like use of excess capacity, build the fan base from the bottom up, good public relations.

5. Enhance effort to engage alumni.

6. Most importantly, accelerate efforts to engage the student body.

 

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk 2

 

While I would love to win 9-10 games a year, that is a short term solution which would result in cyclical peaks in best conditions. A longer term solution would be to find ways to expand the base. The challenges are coming up with ways to do that.

 

Here are a few ideas.

 

1. More marketing - emphasize the total game experience.

2. Make use of short term excess capacity to let fans try it out (even if it results in give-aways for a short period.) For example, UTSA has done this with their "Game Day Give Away" program in partnership with KFC - 2 games in 2011 season. We tried this on a small scale with the retired veteran/active duty servicemen promo this year.

3. Continue and enhance programs in place like tailgating, kidzone.

4. Maybe an offer through schools. For example, the Astros had a program where families could buy discounted tickets for some of the games. We participated in it for several years. I see several benefits with the program like use of excess capacity, build the fan base from the bottom up, good public relations.

5. Enhance effort to engage alumni.

6. Most importantly, accelerate efforts to engage the student body.

 

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk 2

 

Much easier to do as you suggested while you are winning!!! Also, prolonged periods of losing will erode any fan base!! Yeah the majors who have National Championship history spanning back for decades have a very good core but even when they hit long periods of losing their base erodes a bit!!

While I would love to win 9-10 games a year, that is a short term solution which would result in cyclical peaks in best conditions. A longer term solution would be to find ways to expand the base. The challenges are coming up with ways to do that.

 

Here are a few ideas.

 

1. More marketing - emphasize the total game experience.

2. Make use of short term excess capacity to let fans try it out (even if it results in give-aways for a short period.) For example, UTSA has done this with their "Game Day Give Away" program in partnership with KFC - 2 games in 2011 season. We tried this on a small scale with the retired veteran/active duty servicemen promo this year.

3. Continue and enhance programs in place like tailgating, kidzone.

4. Maybe an offer through schools. For example, the Astros had a program where families could buy discounted tickets for some of the games. We participated in it for several years. I see several benefits with the program like use of excess capacity, build the fan base from the bottom up, good public relations.

5. Enhance effort to engage alumni.

6. Most importantly, accelerate efforts to engage the student body.

 

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk 2

 

Much easier to do as you suggested while you are winning!!! Also, prolonged periods of losing will erode any fan base!! Yeah the majors who have National Championship history spanning back for decades have a very good core but even when they hit long periods of losing their base erodes a bit!!

I remember when I was in high school. We would get Astros tickets for making the honor roll. That would be sort of early for football season but it was a good program. You don't want to marginalize your ticket value with to many give aways but if it's managed right can be somewhat effective.

Smith, I've talk to people in the AD about this and I guess they don't get it. Kids are the ones LU needs to target. Does the average 10 year old prefer watching team A on TV or team B in person? You have to get kids involved young. Look at PNG and Nederland as examples to this philosophy. They teach them in 1st grade the pride of their school.

 

My ex wife's kids still call me about tickets to games and I haven't been married to their mom for six years! But, they heard about Lamar all the time. They still will say stuff that is funny because they heard it at a young age.

 

If you asked them who was the best basketball coach ever? I'm not talking just at Lamar but in college basketball history, they will say Billy Tubbs! lol Was he the greatest ever? No. But, they were there when his team won #600. They have talked to him many times as well as a lot of players.

 

They didn't always want to go to all the games back then but they miss going now.

 

This is the same reason I love Lamar. My dad didn't take me to A&M or UT games. He took me to see Lamar and the Dallas Cowboys. I still love them both!!

Agree about targeting kids. The extra benefit is if younger kids are to go to the game, they need someone to take them. Even with promotional rates, that's an incremental increase in revenue for the Athletic Department (both admissions and concessions). It provides another exposure opportunity for folks to get on board. It's also a lot better than letting seats go empty. A partially filled stadium hurts the overall game atmosphere.

 

My first exposure to Lamar athletics was going to basketball games with one of the families in the neighborhood when I was in elementary school. They had season tickets to the games. I've been an LU fan ever since and a football season ticket holder for almost 20 years combined.

I know it's a lil thing, but open the endzones to the squirts .....

 

 

 

 

I know it's a lil thing, but open the endzones to the squirts .....

I agree. That's what I remember as a kid.

Heres my thought:

 

Put the names back on the uniforms. People relate to players when they know their name, and the casual fan does not know their names only numbers. Market one or two of your best players intensely. TV, Newspaper, Internet, Billboards. Wherever you see LU, you see this players face and NAME. Create hype about this amazing superstar athlete. Make people believe they are going to miss seeing something special if they are not at the game. People will come out to see one player if that player is hyped up enough.

 

There are a ton of ways to get more fans to the stands. The Sunday before the last home game they had all of the super bowl games for youth football at PUS. Why not give all of those kids a tour of the stadium, free tickets to the next home game for the players and their family. I know that the basketball team brings in little dribbler games during halftime once or twice a year. It helps to put butts in the stands. Why not have a 8 minute running quarter for youth football at halftime a few times a year. Do just SOME advertising on billboards and TV for football games. You hardly ever hear anything about it other than on the news or on this website. The LU marketing department sucks!!!