Suggestion Box on how to boost Student Attendance & Enthusiasm at Games

[VU2014]

Would love to see the spotlights come back for player intros. Made it fun and grabbed everyone's attention.

I also miss the drum line.  It added excitement and as far as I know it was something unique to the ARC.  Of course, I've always preferred live performance over recorded.

I know Paul mentioned possibly taking "call-ins" to the podcasts or at least jokingly mentioned getting fan reactions post-game to get the raw emotions of fans. If there is anyway we could create mp3 audio file and email it to him to input into the podcast that would a cool idea. If we could directly create a mp3 audio file to ask questions and have MLB answer/respond to our questions that would be interesting.

I think there are some great (inexpensive) ideas on this board but it's going to take execution on the other end. If we can't do it. Why? If there is an obstacle, why can we find a work around to the problem?

[valpo64]

I believe that the spotlight thing was stopped by the Horizon League office after complaints from other HL schools.  That is when we were dominating the League and the "Commish" was doing everything in his power to slow us down and keep the other members happy.  As I recall it had nothing to do with our lighting system.  Ooops, sorry I brought it up as that is another thing MLaB and others should make a note of and correct....the lighting.  Altho I'm sure some like the "gold hue" of the game lighting.  It reminds me of the old Hilltop lighting which, in fact, is better now than the ARC.  Figure that one out!  Please, Crusader Administrators, let's show the program a little love.  Less we forget, we are now in the MVC, not the old ICC.

[VU2010]

Positives to take away ....

A lot of the things Paul talked about in last week's USH were addressed. Not all but some. Kudos to the folks in charge for making some easy changes. No fan votes on which song to play, right? That's a win.

[ml]

The AD was upset about the concession stands opening late, he was excited to see our student-athletes supporting each other.

[valpopal]

Positives to take away ....

A lot of the things Paul talked about in last week's USH were addressed. Not all but some. Kudos to the folks in charge for making some easy changes. No fan votes on which song to play, right? That's a win.

I like the fan votes on which song to play. After all, I thought we want to appeal to the larger number of fans, plus the better choice always wins!

[VUGrad1314]

Since the Ball State game (includes those numbers):

Avg attendance for MVC games:3359
Avg attendance from Ball State onwards: 3214
Sub 2500 crowds: 2 (PNW Missouri State really cold day)
3500+ Crowds: 4 (Ball State Illinois State Drake Loyola)

Kudos to the athletic department for putting on great events for the games that are drawing these numbers up. (opposing fans traveling has helped some as well we must admit) Once again though it comes down to team performance and real or perceived  opponent quality. Valpo is competitive and exciting and performing okay against an MVC slate, and attendance numbers are solid. Let's hope I'm wrong about in-state opponents and that Indiana State and Evansville can produce solid crowds. Go Valpo!

[NativeCheesehead]

ml, it's great that the AD was upset about the concession stands opening late. I'm more concerned about the lack of a plan to avoid it in the future. This happened multiple times over winter break and yet still happened at arguably the biggest game of the year.

The off the court game day experience seems to mirror the on the court product. Strong core, solid foundation, reason for optimism.......complete lack of attention to detail.

[valpopal]

Anyone with the ADs ear needs to tell him the speedos were fun. One of my former classmates from the chair backs told me MLB was very upset when they came out.

Did anyone notice that Mark LaBarbera re-tweeted  the following? Well played MLB! 


[tweet]1094766514669002752[/tweet]

[covufan]

10% chance Bryce comes back to the ARC

Might go up a little in %. All it would take is an invite to Bryce and Homer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[4throwfan]

Saw this article this morning regarding sporting event attendance.  As has already been discussed on this board, this attendance problem is widespread, and not limited to VU.

The Athletics Department is swimming upstream in order to get fans in the stands.  If the Athletics Department wants more fans in attendance (which might be a big IF), then understanding the challenge means that the department must be more aggressive than it would be on a typical task.  And, they will need to take an 'all hands on deck' or 'all of the above' type approach, meaning that there will need to be quality opponents, better parking, better concessions, better down-time/half time entertainment, engagement by the team, better marketing, etc.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/sports-teams-running-out-of-fans/ss-AAE5Abe?li=BBnb7Kz

"Each year, tens of millions of Americans pour into arenas, parks, rinks, and stadiums to see a professional sporting event in one of the four major American sports leagues -- the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB.

But fans are now less inclined to go to games in person. Each league saw a decline in total attendance from 2008 to 2018. Fans are often unwilling to pay high ticket prices, and teams don't seem to care, as an increasing amount and share of their revenues come from lucrative TV contracts as opposed to ticket sales. But not all teams are losing fans at an equal rate. Some have seen average attendance declines of more than a third over the last decade.

To determine the sports teams running out of fans, 24/7 Wall St. used sports attendance data from ESPN to find the pro sports franchises that had an attendance decline of at least 10% from the 2008 season to the 2018 season. Teams that switched venues or made significant changes to their existing venue were not considered.

While it is tough to know exactly what is stopping fans from coming to games, losing is likely a top cause. Fans are simply not willing to pay top dollar to see a game that will probably end in disappointment for them. In fact, 10 of the 12 teams running out of fans played worse in 2018 than they did a decade earlier. Every team can have losing seasons, but franchises that always seem to come up short can lose the attention of their fans. Those squads are the hardest teams to root for.

Not all teams have attendance slumps for the same reason. Some teams, like the Philadelphia Phillies, usually have a packed stadium, but recent struggles seem to have impacted attendance. Other teams, like the Tampa Bay Rays, have never had strong attendance, and the one-time surge they experienced after their franchise-best 2008 season has long since dissipated. This is each MLB team's best season in franchise history."

[VU2014]

I know Valpo Students run this Twitter Account. They are left asking questions.

https://twitter.com/barstool_valpo/status/1484164000191549444?s=21

[crusader05]

I will say both giveaway's and theme nights as well as some half time acts are improving. Plus Beer.

Outside of winning more I think the students themselves that are invested in this need to figure out what motivates and works on campus NOW.

Like a lot of things like this. Students create, feed and encourage the hype around things and hopefully the university encourages it or gets out of the way.

[VU2014]

I will say both giveaway's and theme nights as well as some half time acts are improving. Plus Beer.

Outside of winning more I think the students themselves that are invested in this need to figure out what motivates and works on campus NOW.

Like a lot of things like this. Students create, feed and encourage the hype around things and hopefully the university encourages it or gets out of the way.

Part of it is the pandemic. People are still cautious about not wanting to get sick.

1) is the product on the court. It's just not on par with what has been expected by this program. It's not just W-L. The standard of quality court play has slip considerably in the Lottich era. The AD and President to need to address that.

2) atmosphere is dead and that starts with the students and VU band. They need to bring in the students to enhance the atmosphere.

3) the ARC looks like a time capsule to 1987. The University needs to address this badly. Plan to create a new facility or get the funding together for giving the ARC a massive face lift.


All of this is easier said than done, but they've had multiple years to address some of these issues. With the facilities (decades...).

If the University plans to finance the renovations with debt and not donors, GET MOVING because debt is going to start getting much more expensive over the course of the next few years because the US Federal Reserve is going to raise interest rates to combat the large spikes of inflation we've seen over the last year. 7% year over year inflation (highest in 40+ Years).

The time for action was years ago. Don't rush into things but realize time is not on their side.

[humbleopinion]

The time for action was years ago. Don't rush into things but realize time is not on their side.

President Padilla has stated that addressing the problems with the ARC is a priority.  He said that the board of directors will determine whether to build a new facility or extensively remodel the current building to create an arena. We should expect the plan prior to next school year.

[VU2014]

The time for action was years ago. Don't rush into things but realize time is not on their side.

President Padilla has stated that addressing the problems with the ARC is a priority.  He said that the board of directors will determine whether to build a new facility or extensively remodel the current building to create an arena. We should expect the plan prior to next school year.

I'm hoping they get the ball moving on this.

[valpotx]

The arena is not the reason that students don't go to the games.  It is apathy tied to the results, and wanting to sit indoors with the least movement possible.  Yes, pgmado, come after me.  Gen Z sucks

[usc4valpo]

Tx - absolutely, obesity levels continue to rise in the US.

[VU2014]

The arena is not the reason that students don't go to the games.  It is apathy tied to the results, and wanting to sit indoors with the least movement possible.  Yes, pgmado, come after me.  Gen Z sucks

There was those times as a student where making that walk across the Valpo Frozen Tundra from dorms, fraternity house or bars to the ARC sucked in the winter but well worth it because going to games and being in student section was fun and you knew you'd see a good game on the court.

Now I don't understand this generation and I say this as a millennial. Maybe Valpo is attracting a different type of student?

If I had to pin point when the decline in student participation started to happen, was Alec Peters' senior year. Something about that season is when I noticed a consistent decline and you'd think that would be a peak year for student turn out, but it was a slow decline in the culture of going to games. Also the Teams really haven't been good after AP era.

I honestly would like to get Mark LaBarbera's candid thoughts on the state of the program. I don't want the guy who is the public face talking to Paul Oren Union Street Hoops and giving the PR tested answers. I want to know the how feels at fan level. It's really sad to see the decline from the Bryce Drew Coached era to Matt Lottich era. Mark has to know Matt is nowhere on Bryce's level as a Coach. If you want to give the growing pains argument the first few year argument, I'll hear you out but this is year 6(!). You know he isn't the guy. If you have any sort of out on that contract that isn't a large financial burden you need to take it.

[usc4valpo]

VU2014 - I really hope Padilla is a leader that is more proactive in decision making than reactive like past presidents. As a Valpo alum, this been frustrating for me  to see for decades, not just in the athletics situation but how they handles matters in several critical areas.

[valpotx]

Exactly.  I've seen some folks making excuses for current students tied to the weather.  Are you kidding me?  I have been in TX/hot weather for 30 of my 40 years, and Coach Twenge was having us wake up at 4 am for morning workouts at VU, walking/traveling to the ARC and Emory G Bauer Field in freezing temperatures, and sometimes running outside.  What kind of pampered/wuss generation do we have now, where getting outside to walk to a game, is too much?  Wimps

[vu84v2]

Please consider that student sections at many other programs are quite full. Thus, you are wrongly attributing apathy instead of higher expectations for the team.

I spend quite a bit of time with students in this generation. They are not lazy and they are not wimps. They want to get involved, but won't do so unless they feel it is worth their time and energy (relative to other options) AND they feel that they are part of a larger group. The way that you get them to attend games and be involved is to (a) win, (b) have good opponents (MVC is fine for that), and (c) make it cool for them to be involved. Remember, the same school with the same students filled the student section and beyond for volleyball. Why?  They won and it became cool.

[NativeCheesehead]

You do know literally everything you say about today's students was being said about all of us when we were students by our elders.

[usc4valpo]

Gotta admit the past 2 posts were correct. The Valpo hoop experience needs to be improved. I go to Drake games and they do a lot of fun things and their fan base is pretty loyal. Nice, not overly extravagant facility but ideal for their school. Very good enthusiastic pep band. Serve beer at games and under control. Fun things going on during time outs.

[Valpo89]

Look for video of the fans at Bryce's Grand Canyon games. The students are crazy. It's awesome.
Of course, it's a lot bigger school in a warm climate. But the kids there care.
My 17 year old son is a soccer player. He barely cares about any of the other sports at his school. He has a job. He doesn't care about going to other sporting events.
So I can only imagine a college kid, who doesn't care about sports and has no connection to the players, isn't going to make an extra effort to go to a VU basketball game to see a struggling team. Even with the incentive of free pizza and a floppy cowboy hat.

[valpotx]

Please consider that student sections at many other programs are quite full. Thus, you are wrongly attributing apathy instead of higher expectations for the team.

I spend quite a bit of time with students in this generation. They are not lazy and they are not wimps. They want to get involved, but won't do so unless they feel it is worth their time and energy (relative to other options) AND they feel that they are part of a larger group. The way that you get them to attend games and be involved is to (a) win, (b) have good opponents (MVC is fine for that), and (c) make it cool for them to be involved. Remember, the same school with the same students filled the student section and beyond for volleyball. Why?  They won and it became cool.

Wimps and crybabies = Generation Z