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Post by 23won on Mar 4, 2020 6:29:37 GMT -5
I figured it made sense to discuss this issue here rather than in the Ed is Leaving thread
If you want students to come to the game, give more incentives to attend. Here is one.
The new alcohol policy forbids drinking in the student section. That makes no sense if they are over 21. For those folks, have them scan a student ID card which should verify age or do a license ID and give them a wristband like the VIP section in Hideaway
Then give them half off pricing and stock the stuff that they like.
Finally, have a front row area student section reserved for these folks. Hey, you’re a senior, you get the front row, drinks are half off - get loud!!
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Post by luhoopsfan on Mar 4, 2020 6:51:16 GMT -5
I like the concept. Trouble would be policing it to make sure the 21 year old students aren’t buying for the 20 year olds. You would definitely have to have a specific section for them partitioned away from the rest of the students somehow though.
Bigger issue is that kids today don’t necessarily interact with each other any more and school spirit is anywhere is acting “like a boomer” and it’s not just La Salle kids.
SJU used to have a rabid student section and if they get 25 students before tipoff it’s a lot. Students a know there say “it’s just not cool” we would rather do something else.
Sports attendance overall is declining at all levels. The Ohillies are practically giving away tickets this spring - $45 for NINE games in April.
Of the team is good, the students will come because fans are front runners. How do you get a team that’s good? Catch lightning in a bottle like we did for 2 years and enjoy a burst or improve your resources to consistently attract higher quality athletes.
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Post by calsufan on Mar 4, 2020 9:06:56 GMT -5
Something similar has been said before, but have a give away on tuition reduction or room and board reduction, or free for a semester. The contest is that you have to show up to X number of games and you have to have your ticket scanned leaving the game after the game is over, not just when you're coming in the door. This keeps them in the seats the whole game. You could also rope the parents (or guardians)in by saying they have to attend a game or two during the season along with their kid. The # of games for the parents would be less than what their kid would have to attend, but it gets more butts in the seats. Have the parents register for it and then determine which group of games the parents could choose from to attend. Make it a minimum 2 or maybe 3 games?
Yeah, it's not perfect and might not even be logistically feasible, but it's a thought.
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Post by 23won on Mar 4, 2020 9:18:41 GMT -5
I hear you guys. My point was to have the over 21s in a specific section. Come to think of it put them in the front section behind the opponent bench. You could watch it based on wristband. Under 21 go to another section removed. I think you have enough eyes watching to make sure someone with a wrist band doesn’t pass a beer to a minor
I don’t think making students or fans Go to games make sense. Add student incentives are great. Keep the ideas coming. As to parents, send an electronic ticket pair and invite them to spend the day with their child on campus. 2 free drinks at hideaway etc. you could monitor yield by seeing if they scanned the Tix. This only becomes an issue if we come close to selling out.
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Post by sidclassof69 on Mar 4, 2020 9:52:57 GMT -5
Want to increase attendance? Put a winning product out on the floor🤔🤔🤔 How do you do that? Building or improving the facility helps some( in recruiting)- However, as long as team is losing, new facility ‘s novelty will wear off. Unfortunately., it is a long process, and maybe we have reached the point, where we do not belong in the vastly improved A-10,
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Post by GlitterBro #2 on Mar 4, 2020 11:13:50 GMT -5
Article in Penn's paper looking at this very topic. Some of it is just the nature of the way kids consume entertainment and sports these days. Also..La Salle mentioned in comments at the end www.thedp.com/article/2020/02/palestra-penn-mens-basketball-attendance-student-culture-ivy-league"While most Penn students do have time for social events, they would rather attend a BYO, go to a frat party, or even stay in than go to a Penn basketball game. With the average college basketball game running two hours long, many students simply prefer their social events to be a bit shorter.
“That’s the thing about basketball games. They are pretty long, so I feel like it’s hard to commit to those few hours when I can just go to dinner with a friend for 45 minutes,” Vatavuk said."
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Post by luhoopsfan on Mar 4, 2020 12:22:35 GMT -5
Also. I’ve suggested this before,
SATURDAY GAMES AT 8:00 PM
unless TV is dictating the start time, tip off should be Saturday Nights.
Allows for students to “pregame” Also allows Alums that typically have Saturday’s full of youth sports/activities the ability to get out for the game. Even a 7:00 PM tip would be better than 12, 2 or 4
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Post by sidclassof69 on Mar 4, 2020 12:23:18 GMT -5
I guess I ‘m looking at it through very old eyes- I am an Alum from Class of 69.👨🎓 Probably the greatest team in La Salle history- All home games were at Palestra Packed houses were the norm- but winning still was the main attraction I realize today, that there is much more going on+ there’s competition for the entertainment dollar.
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Post by explorer88 on Mar 4, 2020 13:06:06 GMT -5
I have always advocated for Saturday night games but 8pm is too late. 6 or 7pm start times and make it an event. Stuff to do before and getting that pub up with a renovated Gola would help but somehow make those games an event to attend. Run nostalgia night with former players, interactive giveaways.
Having the future students attend the games like the Bonnies is a brilliant move that I did not give credit to the school for yesterday on another thread is the type of event that will bring up attendance but also plant the seed for a future Explorer fan that La Salle can gain for the future.
Why not have Class nights? Pick a game to entire Class of 1988 for example can attend and get into the game free with something geared toward them and that class. La Salle needs to do outreach to make contact but that is another way to get former students and graduates reconnected with the University.
If La Salle got Gola renovated and had a box created where large corporations could bring large employee contingents to big games and recognize La Salle grads from those corporations.
Create ways to get students out there that reward them for something they do that is successful. I am talking 6 to 8 things per game that have a financial impact but are not necessarily easy to do where you go broke as a university but the students see a reason to come inside and watch a game. Free books, a La Salle fan pack with a lot of nice stuff, Large gift certificates, even a free semester of tuition once per year if they make a half court shot. Don't give out free pizzas and Dunkin Donuts $10 gift cards like they used to do. They are insulting and don't drive people into the building.
There should never be a reason to run out of ideas. Not just for La Salle but college basketball programs in general. Maybe when the program is having a good year you do not need to run as much or large promotions but in down years you do a little more both in quantity and quality.
The Homecoming game should always be the best possible team we can get into Gola that year that is not A-10. That is a great environment that is wasted on teams like Texas Southern, Iona, and Siena. Never understood La Salle's thinking on that. If they say a great game they never forget they might become lifelong fans.
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Post by las71 on Mar 4, 2020 13:08:43 GMT -5
I'm in for the class of'71 night but please do it soon, we're getting old. 😁
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Post by Happy Fortune on Mar 4, 2020 13:35:22 GMT -5
There's been vast improvements on the La Salle social media accounts. Some of the highlight vids are really cool, superbly edited compared to previous years. That's a great step in the right direction in getting students (and recruits) interested.
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Post by GlitterBro #2 on Mar 4, 2020 13:38:26 GMT -5
There are 6 guys from my year (93) that have season tickets. It would be cool to see from the athletic department season ticket holders by year and try to get the people who do have them to bump up their class totals and encourage their classmates - or find out what the barriers are for people coming. Maybe on the reunion years do a giveaway to the games or something for people from those classes.
This doesn't solve the student attendance issue though.
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Post by thelasallelunatic on Mar 4, 2020 14:08:28 GMT -5
Attendance for I've sporting events is down across the board...unless you're good. Coach K, Saban, Roy Williams have all taken aim at their student sections recently.
The Sixers lead the NBA in attendance because hipsters/analytics guys got on board during the process and after JoJo and Ben took their "red shirt" years, it became cool and mainstream to go to Sixers games. Now it's the hottest ticket in town, but it won't be next year if they don't fix this team. I took my wife, 6 months pregnant at the time, to fan appreciation day vs the Bucks in 2016, and we could have sit virtually anywhere we wanted. Only those statheads and hipsters were going to watch a 10 win G league team play NBA basketball.
Ditto with the Phillies sellout streak from 06 to 13....the Bank was the place to be.
Flyers fans are loyal and they will pack the barn regardless, but that's about it.
Even the Eagles aren't immune to shitty attendance when they're bad. Now NFL teams with 8 home games can basically print money, so they don't feel the sting as badly, but see if the Eagles sellout if they are out of playoff contention in December...they won't.
That's the 4 major pro teams....
Nova is a hot ticket, they've won 2 National Titles in the past 5 years.
St. Joes- shitty attendance, but they are a 5 win team coming of a couple of bad seasons and a coaching change.
Temple- they struggle attendance wise even when they're good, which hasn't been for 3 years or so now. Should've stayed in the A10.
Penn-Surprises me...Won the Big 5 last year, didn't make the tourney, that rarely happens. Anyway, doesn't look like they will make the dance this year. The days off sharing Ivy dominance with Princeton are long gone. They had student fan support when they were good.
In Philadelphia, you have to win. Why we can't get 2,000 students to come to Gola on a Wednesday night, I haven't been able to answer that for 18 years. However, this year's game vs. Dayton over Christmas break had buzz...it had decent attendance. The team had 1 win the month of January. I think Philadelphia is a front running city. We've had a couple of 18 win seasons, and 2 years of postseason basketball in 25 years...there's our answer.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Mar 4, 2020 14:18:39 GMT -5
Ok. 7:00 PM tip time on Saturday I can live with.
Pregame Tent at 5:30 Tip Off at 7:00 Postgame Tent until 10:00??
Love the “Class-of” Nights. And ticket incentive or free food incentive. Maybe offer them free admission at the Hideaway for their night. Would probably have to do it in increments of each decade to get all the years covered but that’s cool for sure.
Theme the music by those decades, offer free admission to a pregame party somewhere on campus with a $20 ticket or offer free game tickets and cash bar reception or some kind of combination, prizes specifically for the decade nights. If you already have tickets then offer a voucher for a free drink/sandwich.
As for Students, why not offer entry to a free tuition, housing and or dining plan raffles for students that attend 5 Saturday games and have their card punched post game.
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Post by a10 on Mar 4, 2020 20:57:08 GMT -5
"While most Penn students do have time for social events, they would rather attend a BYO, go to a frat party, or even stay in than go to a Penn basketball game. With the average college basketball game running two hours long, many students simply prefer their social events to be a bit shorter.
“That’s the thing about basketball games. They are pretty long, so I feel like it’s hard to commit to those few hours when I can just go to dinner with a friend for 45 minutes,” Vatavuk said." That's pathetic. "Ehh....two hours is too long!" Baseball's already trying to cater to the short-attention-span crowd by implementing "speed up" rules and tampering with the game. (You should've seen the absurd rules that MLB paid the Atlantic League to try out last summer!) Also, I years ago I spoke with former Athletic Director Bob Mullen about Saturday night games. He inferred, as strongly and diplomatically as he could, that in that neighborhood, Saturday night games would be a deterrent to attendance.
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Post by lasalle69bestever on Mar 4, 2020 22:08:00 GMT -5
IMO - this whole thread is angering. Each and every thought & idea is the JOB OF EVERYONE PAID BY THE LA SALLE MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM TO PRODUCE, not ours.
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Mar 4, 2020 22:25:39 GMT -5
Free Food pre and post game for students with a ticket.
And win more games.
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