"Where Are The Fans?"

[GMG_Dallas]

2 hours ago, MeanGreenMat said:

Homecoming is probably the only time I really felt UNT promote their culture.

Do they even do the parade anymore? I wanted to take my kids a year or two ago and found the parade was no longer a thing. The admin can't cry about lack of involvement when they've been removing events and traditions that generate excitement and build connections to the school.

[SilverEagle]

13 hours ago, emmitt01 said:

“If it’s a priority, you’ll find a way.  
 

If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”

 

This is posted in my office and kicks off a lot of conversations about my officers about what being truly committed to the mission means.  Seems we could use the same reminder around here. 

Looks like a good sign to hang in the offices of every administrator and employee of the athletic department. And also.....

1. The UNT President's office and all of the staff's offices that support the President.

2. The UNT Alumni Association

Also, every time the media ignores our games and events (that would be the ST every time), does anyone take time to look up the addresses of the people in charge and raise hell with them? 

Edited October 4 by SilverEagle

[DemolitionDan]

20 hours ago, untbowler said:

A huge issue also is the need for a FB Coach who wants to interact with fans and does not hide from pressers or cut them short or no show.

Not sure if you're just disconnected or just have no clue but this is not the case. Morris has been incredibly accessible and transparent. Seth was the exact opposite, always gave non-direct coach speak answers and did all he could to avoid fan interaction. Morris is a complete 180, and it's a shame that he hasn't gained more fan support. If it were solely up to his actions, we'd have great attendance.

[Mean Green 93-98]

21 minutes ago, DemolitionDan said:

Not sure if you're just disconnected or just have no clue but this is not the case. Morris has been incredibly accessible and transparent. Seth was the exact opposite, always gave non-direct coach speak answers and did all he could to avoid fan interaction. Morris is a complete 180, and it's a shame that he hasn't gained more fan support. If it were solely up to his actions, we'd have great attendance.

There's been a post or two pointing out how Coach Morris has blown off the radio show and its guests.  His contract requires him to be at his radio show each week, but he's had one no-show and the other times he's shown up late and left as soon as his portion of the program was done.

Previous coaches have been there the entire portion of the show, even arriving early and leaving a little late to take the opportunity to mingle with fans.

I am not speaking from firsthand experience.  Someone previously posted about this; and with the new not-nearly-as-good search functions, I couldn't find the post.

Coach Morris may be doing well at other occasions, but he seems to be missing weekly opportunities at the radio show.

 

[SUMG]

1 hour ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

There's been a post or two pointing out how Coach Morris has blown off the radio show and its guests.  His contract requires him to be at his radio show each week, but he's had one no-show and the other times he's shown up late and left as soon as his portion of the program was done.

Previous coaches have been there the entire portion of the show, even arriving early and leaving a little late to take the opportunity to mingle with fans.

I am not speaking from firsthand experience.  Someone previously posted about this; and with the new not-nearly-as-good search functions, I couldn't find the post.

Coach Morris may be doing well at other occasions, but he seems to be missing weekly opportunities at the radio show.

 

I've been the one who has been pointing this out....so let me make a few minor clairifications;

He hasn't arrived late.....but he gets there right as the show starts. May shake a few hands of fans....that's it.

The first week....he wasn't there....and we were told he took the team to support the women's soccer team. Their game started at 7....his show runs from 6-7....so not sure why he had to miss the whole thing.

On weeks 2-4.....he left each show after 30 minutes. Dave made the excuse that he had to go look at film. But he didn't leave Rudy's. He would go to the other room, and eat and chat with AD staffers. Then...15 minutes after we were told he "had to leave".....he walks back into the show room....to go the rest room. 

But he made sure he was out of there....before the end of the show....so there was no chance for any fan interaction.

I went to the McCarney shows...and some Littrell shows. They both stayed the entire hours.....and even 5-10 minutes afterwards. 

I realize that radio shows aren't that big of a deal in this day and age....so maybe they should be done away with. But in his contract (look it up).....Eric makes a $300,000 stipend for radio/TV. 

So it's fine by me.....do away with the radio show...that very few (including the coach) care about. And save some money. 

One more note: I stopped going to the show after these first four weeks....so if things have changed...someone can correct me. 

 

Edited October 4 by SUMG

[UNTLifer]

3 hours ago, GMG_Dallas said:

Do they even do the parade anymore? I wanted to take my kids a year or two ago and found the parade was no longer a thing. The admin can't cry about lack of involvement when they've been removing events and traditions that generate excitement and build connections to the school.

No and I wrote student services twice and received a form letter response both times.  Some B.S. about sustainability, waste, lack of participation, etc.  It's complete bullshit and I let them know that they are taking away the very events that draw families and alumni back to Denton.  I also let them know, that as an alumni, I would be more than happy to work on a task force/committee to breath some life back into the parade.  No response.

[NT80]

12 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

Is Tulsa a "third tier" opponent?  We had a better crowd for the SFA game.  Outside of being the first game of the year, I would expect Tulsa to be the bigger draw.

Vito said Tulsa is a "regional rival" for us.  I disagree.  Tulsa doesn't move the needle with most NT fans.  True, they are a similar distance as Houston or San Antonio.  But when was the last time a game with them was important?  I felt La Tech was much more of a rival with great games in football and basketball.

[NT80]

6 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

No and I wrote student services twice and received a form letter response both times.  Some B.S. about sustainability, waste, lack of participation, etc.  It's complete bullshit and I let them know that they are taking away the very events that draw families and alumni back to Denton.  I also let them know, that as an alumni, I would be more than happy to work on a task force/committee to breath some life back into the parade.  No response.

I feel the same.  Part of the culture of old school North Texas was it maintained it's "traditions" like bonfire and parade and true homecoming activities.   The Alumni Association, Talons, Greeks, etc have mostly vanished now on game days.  Our traditions and University spirit is being tossed aside like many things in society these days.  Sad.

[LongJim]

7 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

No and I wrote student services twice and received a form letter response both times.  Some B.S. about sustainability, waste, lack of participation, etc.

I can speak to this a little bit--the main issue was definitely lack of participation by students/groups.  And the main complaint about "sustainability" and "waste" came from student groups also.

There's a common thread in this, I'm afraid.

[NT80]

2 minutes ago, LongJim said:

I can speak to this a little bit--the main issue was definitely lack of participation by students/groups.  And the main complaint about "sustainability" and "waste" came from student groups also.

There's a common thread in this, I'm afraid.

Except for the Maniacs, I've been disappointed in this new generation of NT student groups "in All 3 Phases"!

[SilverEagle]

13 minutes ago, NT80 said:

Vito said Tulsa is a "regional rival" for us.  I disagree.  Tulsa doesn't move the needle with most NT fans.  True, they are a similar distance as Houston or San Antonio.  But when was the last time a game with them was important?  I felt La Tech was much more of a rival with great games in football and basketball.

Tulsa reminds me of Rice. I don't ever remember them engaging us in any sort of "rivalry" back-and-forth. Like Rice, they seem indifferent/aloof towards us. Screw'em. 

[NT80]

5 minutes ago, SilverEagle said:

Tulsa reminds me of Rice. I don't ever remember them engaging us in any sort of "rivalry" back-and-forth. Like Rice, they seem indifferent/aloof towards us. Screw'em. 

It's that "small privates school" thing.  They aren't allowed to associate with public university fans...

[Mean Green 93-98]

25 minutes ago, NT80 said:

Vito said Tulsa is a "regional rival" for us.  I disagree.  Tulsa doesn't move the needle with most NT fans.  True, they are a similar distance as Houston or San Antonio.  But when was the last time a game with them was important?  

I can't comment on the present student temperature toward Tulsa.  But in times past, we've brought great crowds to games at Tulsa.  Who else remembers the "North . . . Texas" chant taking over the stadium in 2013?

[KingDL1]

10 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

@untbowler makes it sound like Morris either isn't showing up or is leaving the coach's show early and doesn't interact with the fans.  You claim his has been outstanding, and I have no point of reference except the comments on here.  So which is it, has he been outstanding, as you state, or terrible as "bowler" states?

Regarding attendance, I have to commit a full weekend to attend since I live 5 hours away.  Honestly, if I lived in the DFW area and we were a one loss team, I would have been there Saturday.  I was shocked at how empty the student side was after their showings at the early home games.  They just have to trot across campus to attend.

I don't know what he is referring to. I would mostly agree with the status quo for most of past coaching back to Dickey. Seth was horrible at it, and he came across to me as extremely uncomfortable with addressing crowds or the media. From what I have seen and heard of Eric, he is full of spirit and energy with the crowds. 

[NT80]

21 hours ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

I'm almost convinced Eric Morris is going to break the streak. Wouldn't be surprised if he's hired away after the 2025 season. 

Agree.  I think he will elevate NT to where we have wanted it.  Maybe 7-9 wins this year and next.   He is also much more willing to engage with media about the program than Seth ever was.  Not sure about his engaging fans yet.  He is a climber and will not be at NT long.

[UNTcrazy727]

43 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

No and I wrote student services twice and received a form letter response both times.  Some B.S. about sustainability, waste, lack of participation, etc.  It's complete bullshit and I let them know that they are taking away the very events that draw families and alumni back to Denton.  I also let them know, that as an alumni, I would be more than happy to work on a task force/committee to breath some life back into the parade.  No response.

We're never going to get the parade back if we keep scheduling homecoming the same Saturday as Denton's Day of the Dead festival. A good portion on the Square is closed off for events and vendors. I think this year is the third straight year its happened. 

[SUMG]

No one wants to talk about the double edged sword.....which is TV.

All the games being televised is great. So we can see every game now.

But because of that.....and the frequent TV stoppages.....your average game at DATCU....seems to be a 3 hours, 45 minute affair.

And because of that.......some fans.....will just stay at home and watch on TV. 

[aztecskin]

I can't speak for the 300k+ in DFW, but for me, I love football. I grew up thinking that live sports was the coolest damned thing. I like going to games. I moved to the midwest (for work) and bought season tickets to the local hoops squad because I like it. It's great entertainment (for me) and fun. 

For people that do not like that? I can't help them. I don't understand why they need a bouncey house to enjoy a football game? It does not make sense to me. I think there is something to the fact that people that choose to go to other schools made that choice and factored in the school spirit. North Texas does not have a lot of die-hard sports fans in our number. 

All I can do is share my love of live sports and share my excitement and why I love it. I'm hitched to this wagon for the long haul. 

If we -- the other crazies reading this thread and the ones like it -- can do anything better (because we don't control all the other things) is to do a better job of sharing our love for it. Maybe we need to buy out a section and that is where the GMG.com people sit. We can have our own supporter's section and do all that stuff. 

I grew up in an evangelical household and there was all kinds of emphasis on preaching the gospel etc, but one thing that stood out to me the most was that people don't really respond to lectures and tell them what they should and should not do. They do respond to people being a testimony -- that is to say if we are having the time of our lives enjoying Mean Green Football other people will want some of what we are having. 

[UNTLifer]

On 10/4/2024 at 1:52 PM, LongJim said:

I can speak to this a little bit--the main issue was definitely lack of participation by students/groups.  And the main complaint about "sustainability" and "waste" came from student groups also.

There's a common thread in this, I'm afraid.

When I was in college, our Fraternity had a blast partnering with a Sorority to build the float. Considering it was mainly wood and crepe paper, both recyclable materials and some Chicken wire, the sustainability was a ridiculous argument. Student groups have staff advisors. Make participation part of being in the group. 

Edited October 5 by UNTLifer

[GMG_Dallas]

4 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

No and I wrote student services twice and received a form letter response both times.  Some B.S. about sustainability, waste, lack of participation, etc.  It's complete bullshit and I let them know that they are taking away the very events that draw families and alumni back to Denton.  I also let them know, that as an alumni, I would be more than happy to work on a task force/committee to breath some life back into the parade.  No response.

 

4 hours ago, LongJim said:

I can speak to this a little bit--the main issue was definitely lack of participation by students/groups.  And the main complaint about "sustainability" and "waste" came from student groups also.

There's a common thread in this, I'm afraid.

Maybe our school and students should aspire to be more like the liberal schools on the west coast who now fly cross-country for conference athletics. Seems like sustainability is no longer "in." Get with it, UNT students and Dentonites. Waste is in-style and very Westcoast-like.

[SUMG]

1 minute ago, GMG_Dallas said:

 

Maybe our school and students should aspire to be more like the liberal schools on the west coast who now fly cross-country for conference athletics. Seems like sustainability is no longer "in." Get with it, UNT students and Dentonites. Waste is in-style and very Westcoast-like.

Games last week (first two) and tomorrow (the last one)

Washington at Rutgers

Stanford at Clemson

Miami at Cal 

All CONFERENCE games. 

[GMG_Dallas]

5 minutes ago, SUMG said:

Games last week (first two) and tomorrow (the last one)

Washington at Rutgers

Stanford at Clemson

Miami at Cal 

All CONFERENCE games. 

But UNT cut homecoming due to waste and sustainability.

[Zeleny' Orel]

1 hour ago, aztecskin said:

I can't speak for the 300k+ in DFW, but for me, I love football. I grew up thinking that live sports was the coolest damned thing. I like going to games. I moved to the midwest (for work) and bought season tickets to the local hoops squad because I like it. It's great entertainment (for me) and fun. 

For people that do not like that? I can't help them. I don't understand why they need a bouncey house to enjoy a football game? It does not make sense to me. I think there is something to the fact that people that choose to go to other schools made that choice and factored in the school spirit. North Texas does not have a lot of die-hard sports fans in our number. 

All I can do is share my love of live sports and share my excitement and why I love it. I'm hitched to this wagon for the long haul. 

If we -- the other crazies reading this thread and the ones like it -- can do anything better (because we don't control all the other things) is to do a better job of sharing our love for it. Maybe we need to buy out a section and that is where the GMG.com people sit. We can have our own supporter's section and do all that stuff. 

I grew up in an evangelical household and there was all kinds of emphasis on preaching the gospel etc, but one thing that stood out to me the most was that people don't really respond to lectures and tell them what they should and should not do. They do respond to people being a testimony -- that is to say if we are having the time of our lives enjoying Mean Green Football other people will want some of what we are having. 

I don't know "Matt from A700" but I see him as one of the type of fans that you describe.  He has taken time to arrange and gather groups of fans for games around the state and country.  Some  do podcasts.  The Maniacs seem to be doing a good job of getting more students involved. Perhaps the answer to getting more fans is in more grass roots efforts  like these.  For us "old timers" it was the Mean Green Club that got us to be lifelong fans.  Tailgating groups seem to have somewhat carried on that tradition.  We need to find younger fans who have the energy, health, and understanding what their peers enjoy and have the Athletic Department cultivate them to help with this mission.  Any of you "youngsters" to the challenge? 

[NT80]

1 hour ago, aztecskin said:

I can't speak for the 300k+ in DFW, but for me, I love football. I grew up thinking that live sports was the coolest damned thing. I like going to games. I moved to the midwest (for work) and bought season tickets to the local hoops squad because I like it. It's great entertainment (for me) and fun. 

DFW is the relocation capital of the U.S.  More than 500 people a day are moving in from other parts of the country.  We need to reach out to these orphaned college athletic fans, away from their home teams, and have them "adopt" the Mean Green as their local program.

[MeanGreenZen]

On 10/3/2024 at 3:50 PM, Marty said:

What would our attendance be if we didn't have the Green Brigade? Seems like most in my section are band parents & there's a mass exodus after halftime.

Those band parents SHOW UP which is why expanding the Green Brigade is one of the smartest things our school has done.

I bet for every band kid, you average atleast two additional people (family members or student friends) who attend the game.

Which is why I think we should add a Kilgore Rangerette style drill team. Add 100 drill teamers and you’d probably get 300 extra parents and boyfriends at every game. That is 400 extra people in the stands EVERY game.