Central Arkansas @ Colorado Official Game Thread

[Uncle Ken]

Not trying to dump on fans. I am just pointing out that the reason for people not showing up early has nothing to do with the security people at the gate. Besides that I agree with everything you wrote and the need for all the things you listed.

I walked into the game at 5:40 and the student entrance was fully packed with students. Packed. I was shocked when we got to our seats and the student section was completely bare.

I think they can try to get in earlier, but something is wrong when I can walk into the stadium with only a three-minute delay, and literally hundreds of students are bottlenecked at the adjacent entrance.

 

[Eggon]

Tailgate environment outside the gates > pre-game stadium environment inside Folsom.


This could be fixed with better hospitality.

beer sales
modern bleachers with seat backs
amazing in stadium wireless coverage
Pregame on-field family oriented activities:
little kids pass, kick and catch,
high school drum lines,
youth cheerleader routines

But by all means, go ahead and keep dumping on fans for lack of institutional investments on basic sports marketing concepts.

Totally agree per the lack luster marketing. But I do think our new AD is going to be all over this void like a glove! Too much experience with such matters.

 

[somebody]

This upcoming Fresno State game is huge. CU has an opportunity to exercise some demons from last year against an explosive team that knows how to win. If CU finds a way to beat Fresno, then the confidence level for Pac 12 play will be huge. If CU gets blown out again, which could be a possibility given their shaky performance against Central Arkansas, then it may be a while before 52,000 people choose to find their way into Folsom.

Yep, yep, and yep, good post, Skiddy, but I hope those demons are exorcised, or maybe hung over, instead.

 

[Deleted member 807]

This isn't professional sports, this is college football, the day they start riding impersonators on motorcycles around the field is the day I stop watching college football (I do realize that you were just throwing examples out, but still there have to be better ones than that). I understand what you are saying, but I don't see it being much of a boost.

Of course you don't.
But think about it for a second.

Imagine if you were a parent with a kid that was invited to participate in some pre-game event, you would proudly be there in the stadium early to watch your little one doing their thing for the whole world to watch on Folsom's big video screens. Fan friendly pre-game activities that include lots of kids are effective because they are cute, and help fill the stands with people on time, people who ordinarily would not be there, including parent's grandparents, and friends.

For example:

Invite a HS drum line to compete against the CU drum line. Could be done in 2 or 3 minutes.

Invite the dance squad like he one Sackman's daughter has joined, to share midfield with CU Express to do a quick dance routine. Similarly invite the best HS cheer squads in the state to perform their competition routine and share the limelight with CU's cheer squad.

Invite CU's fraternity and sororities and challenge them to come up with something meaningful. (community service related or whatever).

Invite Make a Wish foundation participants for a special event. This could be meeting a celebrity like Payton Manning.

Hold a best BBQ contest and a best Custom built CU themed vehicle contest during the first four home games and bring the winners to mid field in November. It would be amazing for the Buffulance and its supporters to have a field pass and drive their pride and joy inside Folsom. Get the Tripple D guy or some cable celebrity to announce the winner of best tailgate food, and some car show host to judge the best custom rig.

Invite the cub scouts, girl scouts, 4H club or whatever to do something cute. Could be running to catch baby livestock, show off model rockets, or a hotdog eating contest.

Have a video tribute to the firefighters who faced the Black Forrest blaze and get these men and women front and center.

A pie in the face event targeting DiStephano, Henderson, Reilly, Klatt...

If any of these events were planned in the moments before the national anthem, there would be more buzz, more reason for people to get in the stadium early, and better community outreach.

None of these stunts take much time, but each would serve to improve reasons for people to put down their beers a little bit earlier and get inside the stadium. Each would add an additional aspect of CU community pride.

 

[MtnBuff]

The attendance was not good but is understandable.

As mentioned earlier they are coming off a 1-11 season that included nothing close to a win at home. Add an opponent that is an FCS school that virtually nobody has heard of and that has almost no connections to Colorado, no significant players from CO, no significant coaching connections, they don't share a league with any CO schools.

This was also a game against a team that didn't travel at all. Essentially the entire visitors section of the stadium was empty minus maybe a few hundred purple clad fans. They had a smaller turnout that you would expect from a HS team travelling.

Attendance has to improve but at the same time you have to give some credit. For a team that has sucked for close to a decade against a team that nobody has ever heard of turnout could have been much worse. Win a few more games and we won't be looking at empty seats in the future.

 

[MtnBuff]

None of these stunts take much time, but each would serve to improve reasons for people to put down their beers a little bit earlier and get inside the stadium. Each would add an additional aspect of CU community pride.

You also build a lot of loyalty with this kind of stuff. An individual kid gets one shot on the field but he/she and the family remember it for a long time. Going to a CU game now has a different, positive set of emotions attached to it. These also get transfered to others as the kid and family go tell their friends/family/neighbors, etc. about it.

CU, especially in relation to athletics, is way behind the curve in marketing what they have to offer. People have options, especially when their money is involved. CU has to get with the program if they are going to compete in the future.

 

[BuffLuke80]

Been meaning to ask, did a UCA player get his leg broke last night? I was listening on 760 and they said somebody was down. Then they cut down to Chad B. on the sideline and he said it was a broken leg right away, said it was a bad one. Any of you guys see it?

 

[BuffNut99]

Tailgate environment outside the gates > pre-game stadium environment inside Folsom.


This could be fixed with better hospitality.

beer sales
modern bleachers with seat backs
amazing in stadium wireless coverage
Pregame on-field family oriented activities:
little kids pass, kick and catch,
high school drum lines,
youth cheerleader routines

But by all means, go ahead and keep dumping on fans for lack of institutional investments on basic sports marketing concepts.

"Did someone say youth anything?"

 

[BuffNut99]

Been meaning to ask, did a UCA player get his leg broke last night? I was listening on 760 and they said somebody was down. Then they cut down to Chad B. on the sideline and he said it was a broken leg right away, said it was a bad one. Any of you guys see it?

It was disgusting. Handler (I believe), along with about 4 other players, thought there was another Wood-sack-fumble. The UCA player was kind of turnedd around and Handler's butt landed right on his foot/ankle. The UCA player's body then got twisted as he fell, while his foot was still caught. Came out with a floppy foot.

 

[MtnBuff]

Been meaning to ask, did a UCA player get his leg broke last night? I was listening on 760 and they said somebody was down. Then they cut down to Chad B. on the sideline and he said it was a broken leg right away, said it was a bad one. Any of you guys see it?

UCA had a couple of serious looking injuries.

Buff Nut described this one well. They took him off on a cart. They also had another kid who looked like he lost a knee. Tried to go off under his own power and couldn't, carried off by trainers. He later left in an ambulance so assuming it wasn't just a sprain.

They also had a couple of others that looked like they didn't come out of it well, tough game for them injurywise.

 

[CUAviator]

It was disgusting. Handler (I believe), along with about 4 other players, thought there was another Wood-sack-fumble. The UCA player was kind of turnedd around and Handler's butt landed right on his foot/ankle. The UCA player's body then got twisted as he fell, while his foot was still caught. Came out with a floppy foot.

Dislocated ankle.
The slow-mo replay = absolutely horrendous.

 

[BuffLuke80]

Never wanna see that, hope they can continue playing at some point but their health is more important.

 

[TimmyDUBs]

Bring back marshmallow fights at half time!!

 

[Deleted member 807]

Props to CVille for solid message board outreach with Central Arkansas.

Here is the game thread on the visitors board.

http://www.ucafans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7142&start=60

 

[White_Rabbit]

So thats where JRK went. Kind of weird for him to transfer to Central Arky, but he probably fits in better there.

 

[Junction]

Of course you don't.
But think about it for a second.

Imagine if you were a parent with a kid that was invited to participate in some pre-game event, you would proudly be there in the stadium early to watch your little one doing their thing for the whole world to watch on Folsom's big video screens. Fan friendly pre-game activities that include lots of kids are effective because they are cute, and help fill the stands with people on time, people who ordinarily would not be there, including parent's grandparents, and friends.

For example:

Invite a HS drum line to compete against the CU drum line. Could be done in 2 or 3 minutes.

Invite the dance squad like he one Sackman's daughter has joined, to share midfield with CU Express to do a quick dance routine. Similarly invite the best HS cheer squads in the state to perform their competition routine and share the limelight with CU's cheer squad.

Invite CU's fraternity and sororities and challenge them to come up with something meaningful. (community service related or whatever).

Invite Make a Wish foundation participants for a special event. This could be meeting a celebrity like Payton Manning.

Hold a best BBQ contest and a best Custom built CU themed vehicle contest during the first four home games and bring the winners to mid field in November. It would be amazing for the Buffulance and its supporters to have a field pass and drive their pride and joy inside Folsom. Get the Tripple D guy or some cable celebrity to announce the winner of best tailgate food, and some car show host to judge the best custom rig.

Invite the cub scouts, girl scouts, 4H club or whatever to do something cute. Could be running to catch baby livestock, show off model rockets, or a hotdog eating contest.

Have a video tribute to the firefighters who faced the Black Forrest blaze and get these men and women front and center.

A pie in the face event targeting DiStephano, Henderson, Reilly, Klatt...

If any of these events were planned in the moments before the national anthem, there would be more buzz, more reason for people to get in the stadium early, and better community outreach.

None of these stunts take much time, but each would serve to improve reasons for people to put down their beers a little bit earlier and get inside the stadium. Each would add an additional aspect of CU community pride.

Sports marketing from the people who brought you "up close and personal" coverage of the olympics on TV. :huh:

Every single thing you listed would make me FAR more inclined to stay the hell home and watch a game on TV, assuming that was an option. Filling a stadium with a bunch of people who would rather watch 8 year old cheerleaders, Elvis impersonators, steer wrestling or hot dog eating is not what we need to do. Because it is a FOOTBALL game. Last night aside, CU isn't so hard up for attendance that they need to bring in even more of the west side crowd that is going to sit on their hands and bitch at people who are actually standing, yelling and otherwise getting into the game. The Broncos do some of these sort of things, and I find them excellent times to hit the bathroom without missing anything of interest. And since we started out talking about how to get the students there earlier and in greater numbers, I think those kind of things have even less chance of connecting with that group...

You do have some good ideas for encouraging tailgating, which is going to bring in people who are more likely to actually get involved in the game. Unfortunately, CU seems more interested in discouraging tailgating, so I have little hope you would ever see them implemented.

 

[Deleted member 807]

Sports marketing from the people who brought you "up close and personal" coverage of the olympics on TV. :huh:

Every single thing you listed would make me FAR more inclined to stay the hell home and watch a game on TV, assuming that was an option. Filling a stadium with a bunch of people who would rather watch 8 year old cheerleaders, Elvis impersonators, steer wrestling or hot dog eating is not what we need to do. Because it is a FOOTBALL game. Last night aside, CU isn't so hard up for attendance that they need to bring in even more of the west side crowd that is going to sit on their hands and bitch at people who are actually standing, yelling and otherwise getting into the game. The Broncos do some of these sort of things, and I find them excellent times to hit the bathroom without missing anything of interest. And since we started out talking about how to get the students there earlier and in greater numbers, I think those kind of things have even less chance of connecting with that group...

You do have some good ideas for encouraging tailgating, which is going to bring in people who are more likely to actually get involved in the game. Unfortunately, CU seems more interested in discouraging tailgating, so I have little hope you would ever see them implemented.

Your point is well taken. I find that the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers fan experience tend to overdue the gimmicks. The perpetual barrage of "filler" is annoying. At some point, there is diminishing returns. I get sensory overload when the costumed Mavs Man mascot is doing acrobatic slam dunks off of a spring board during a TV time out, or when the Rangers string together a video montage of every movie scene ever made of a coach delivering a pep talk to a bunch of actors in a locker room, with bonus pep talks from Braveheart added in for good measure. Radio control blimps flying around the stadium advertising Chilli's Restaurant takes things too far.

I really am annoyed when the sound guys play 10 seconds of a thousand famous songs during each intermission. It's like they believe 45,000 fans all have ADD and enjoy three hours of non-sequitur visual and audio stimulus.

My modest proposal is to address the first 20 minutes before kickoff. I am sensitive to the possibility Boy George might bring with him the Texas adage that anything worth doing is worth over doing. But let's cross that bridge when we get there.

I also am of the opinion that the family involvement and focus on tailgating at SMU has been nothing short of amazing. SMU's stunts with the baton twirlers, alumni band, and pewee footballers are quaint and charming, and really do create a sense of community. SMU's leadership made the decision to hire a president from Ole Miss with a passion for the game day experience. This choice has been a case study in how to turn around a beaten down football experience into something special. http://www.smudailymustang.com/?p=34452.

I would be ecstatic if SMU president R Gerald Turner replaced Benson because that choice would be a huge boon for CU football culture.

The first thing Turner would do is kick DiStephano to the curb for squandering the opportunity of transforming CU's game day experience into something better. DiStephano has taken CU in the opposite direction of SMU, creating a campus culture that focuses on minimizing legal risk associated with drinking, tail gating, and stadium security. When it comes to CU game day, CU is small minded and fan unfriendly.

I have seen viable alternative fan models at Texas Tech, SMU, TCU, and recognize extremes exist at OU, A&M, and UT.

CU can and should do better, and blue prints exist to make that happen.

 

[Uncle Ken]

I had sensory underload when, at one of the most exciting points of the game when the crowd was really coming alive mid-fourth quarter, I was treated to a lengthy history of our new video boards.