- Joined
- Dec 22, 2011
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A lot of people don't know this, but we actually sell a lot of season tickets for a CFB program, and a TON relative to the size of the school.
I believe this peaked in 1990 at 57,000. I think 1990 had pretty good attendance numbers, though rarely full (lots of figures in the 50,000, but still lower than the # of season tickets sold).
If we were at that level of a program, we'd have better attendance.
However, we'd still get 750 for a high noon vs. Central Connecticut.
I agree completely. On a "per capita" basis, we do pretty well. But nobody ever gives us credit for that, they just post pictures of lots of empty seats.
I've been going to games since 1986. A few years (such as 1990) coincided with being defending national champs, and optimism was high. And it always helped to host F$U in the Orange Bowl.
This goes back to my (many) other points about what a bad AD Beta Blake is. Yes, it's a battle. Yes, we are a small private school. Yes, the competition for the entertainment dollar has increased, and SoFla is now home to the five major sports leagues (let's not forget that Miami only got its SECOND pro sports franchise, the Heat, in 1988, and didn't get baseball or hockey until the 1990s).
Beta Blake needs to stop kowtowing to the Golden Canes and build a gameday experience that will appeal to non-UM-alum fans. And he sure as **** can't **** off the UM alums by moving the group tailgating (Green) lot to the south side of NW 199th. We need to lower the price of tickets, concessions, and parking (and Hard Rock shouldn't give a ****e, as they have a million other tennis and Formula 1 events there now anyhow).
Beta Blake must find a way to appeal to families with kids and provide pre-game activities that give people a reason to brave the heat and (possible) rain. He needs to use surveys and human interaction to figure out what works and doesn't work with the SoFla sports crowd. For instance, how can MLB teams schedule dozens of games with giveaways (bobbleheads, batting helmets, mini bats), and our football program can't do 6 or 7 giveaways? ****, whoever kept their "Dwayne Johnson" Bumblebee trading card from 1992-93 made a KILLING (and I had the whole set, I just lost them years ago).
You could do pre-game happy hour prices. Orlando City Soccer has reduced price hot dogs, soda, water, and beer during the pre-game. Bring food trucks to the parking lots. Use the tennis courts for kiddie activities before games.
WHATEVER IT TAKES, but Beta Blake does nothing. He puts on his Baby Gap blazer and chinos and walks around slapping the backs of the Golden Canes.