Would You Really Rather Talk NIL/Transfer Portal

[Glory to the Green]

4 minutes ago, NT93 said:

We’re drinking out of the same bottle.

GMG

[BigWillie]

54 minutes ago, KingDL1 said:

Maybe so, and I hope we win, which would help. But I think it will look sloppy, like a scrimmage, and if we lose to TS, it will be even worse. 

I think this is most of the die hard's feelings. I always want us to win, but it doesn't move the needle if we do and can only hurt us if we don't. 

I do love just going to games, without the game itself. 

[NT93]

2 hours ago, KingDL1 said:

I am not excited at all about a NIL Scrimmage Bowl at SMU with people who didn't start this year and probably won't start next season either. Win, lose, or draw, it is a meaningless game. 

I’ve watched way too many bowl games this year, so I’ll share my perspective as a football fan watching a game between two teams with whom I have no connection.  

1.  For the most part, I have no idea who’s skipping the game and I don’t necessarily care, though missing the starting QB carries much more weight than any other position. (I’m speaking to bowl games in general, not ours)

2.  You say the games are meaningless, and I don’t disagree as it relates to each individual team, but…see #3.
 

3.  The games are not meaningless as they relate to conference affiliation.  The AAC being 6-1 makes a statement, as does the ACC being 1-9.  I also think it says something that the mighty SEC is only 4-3 so far.  If they are the dominant conference they are made out to be, they should be winning at least 75% of their bowl games, and they certainly shouldn’t be losing to G-5’s.

4.  At the end of the day, nobody except UNT and TXSt fans are going to remember who won or by how much, or who had more players in the portal.  They’ll just remember if it was a good game.  I don’t think any more or less of any team I watched this bowl season, but I can tell you which games were good.

[BigWillie]

5 minutes ago, NT93 said:

3.  The games are not meaningless as they relate to conference affiliation.  The AAC being 6-1 makes a statement, as does the ACC being 1-9.  I also think it says something that the mighty SEC is only 4-3 so far.  If they are the dominant conference they are made out to be, they should be winning at least 75% of their bowl games, and they certainly shouldn’t be losing to G-5’s.

I like this perspective. I feel like losing to a SBC team might be something that could hurt though. Although, to your point, not sure anyone will ever remember. 

For the people we really want to come to games, I think it does though. The casual college football fan barely even knows we exist. I think this game does more for NT fans we want to come see this team, but might not feel like it is worth it because they don't trust they can win.

Edited December 30, 2024 by BigWillie

[greenminer]

3 hours ago, KingDL1 said:

I am not excited at all about a NIL Scrimmage Bowl at SMU with people who didn't start this year and probably won't start next season either. Win, lose, or draw, it is a meaningless game. 

No love for the underdog? No love for young men representing Mean Green?

[97and03]

On 12/29/2024 at 6:05 PM, meangreen11 said:

We lost a lot

Mostly fans 

[NM Green]

I’ve watched a lot of bowl games too and have enjoyed most of them. The playoffs were in the bottom interest tier so for, maybe that changes this weekend. 

Programs who lost their quarterback didn’t do well. They struggled mightily which doesn’t bode well for us. But that’s okay because I’m watching the bowl games differently too. 

An unexpected byproduct of this is that the guys playing are playing hard and having fun. It’s so freaking refreshing. They may be playing for their next school or for next year, but they are playing. And most importantly having fun. Something missing from most college football talk these days. 

GMG

[Zeleny' Orel]

5 hours ago, NM Green said:

I know we spew a lot of you know what at Denton not caring, but have we consistently outreached throughout the year? Our community. Our potential fans. Nothing is given. It must be earned 365 days a year not just basketball and football and soccer and softball season. 

In addition to uniform pics, birthday announcements, how about some community pics: new alliance announcements (this can be expanded beyond Denton), volunteer efforts - players visiting schools, hospitals, assisted living facilities…I would love to see these great connective photos. The media will never share them but we are the media. Blast our outreach efforts often loud and proud. They will get shared and celebrated on social media. 

It’s why SMU has so few fans in Dallas. There is no connection to the city and people of the community. Their fans are alums and some of highland park. I’ve never seen SMU do a Hispanic night, a teachers appreciation day…they could have a highland park high school day and bump their attendance - they may.

In Dallas these college programs need to run their marketing and promotions departments like a pro team and none of us do. 

GMG

The comment about visiting Assisted Living Facilities brought to mind something that Louisiana Tech did when Women's Basketball came into existence after Title 9.  If I remember correctly (it's been a while and the memory isn't what it used to be), Louisiana Tech made it a priority to get nursing home residents to the games and develop a bond with the women on the team.  This is when Louisiana Tech was a national powerhouse in Women's Basketball.  Those residents became great fans and developed a true relationship with the team members.  The generational gap made no difference...it was like grandmother/granddaughter and they always had good attendance.  I think they may have bussed the nursing home residents to the game...the point is this was a unique marketing idea that developed a true fan base.  It just shows how thinking out of the box can become successful.  How long that lasted I don't remember, but it was a start.  It may not have paid off financially but it did help develop a fanbase that truly cared about "their team." 

Any one else remember anything more about this?  Would something similar work for UNT?  I know they have a public school day at one of the women's games every year for the young fans.  Expand this to other sports or for older people who don't have as many social options?  Just a thought...any other ideas like those listed above?

 

[Zeleny' Orel]

4 hours ago, Zeleny' Orel said:

The comment about visiting Assisted Living Facilities brought to mind something that Louisiana Tech did when Women's Basketball came into existence after Title 9.  If I remember correctly (it's been a while and the memory isn't what it used to be), Louisiana Tech made it a priority to get nursing home residents to the games and develop a bond with the women on the team.  This is when Louisiana Tech was a national powerhouse in Women's Basketball.  Those residents became great fans and developed a true relationship with the team members.  The generational gap made no difference...it was like grandmother/granddaughter and they always had good attendance.  I think they may have bussed the nursing home residents to the game...the point is this was a unique marketing idea that developed a true fan base.  It just shows how thinking out of the box can become successful.  How long that lasted I don't remember, but it was a start.  It may not have paid off financially but it did help develop a fanbase that truly cared about "their team." 

Any one else remember anything more about this?  Would something similar work for UNT?  I know they have a public school day at one of the women's games every year for the young fans.  Expand this to other sports or for older people who don't have as many social options?  Just a thought...any other ideas like those listed above?

 

Also a good NIL opportunity if the players still have to do something other than just play...get NIL money and fans!

[DallasGreen]

23 hours ago, Meangreen Fight said:

Definitely a HUGE part of it but lots of other programs that don’t win consistently have better game day participation by their students for on campus football games.  It just a lack of vision by our university when it comes to athletics in general.  The new stadium should have been more centrally located than Fouts or just built on top of it.  I pushed back and others calling our students “weirdos in another thread.  General it seems like the Adminstration doesn’t understand the harder you make it to get to games that we don’t win the fewer the amount of people/students will show up.   If DATCU was across the street from the SuperPit or in the footprint of the old Fry Street area, I think you would see an average of 10% more students actually inside the stadiums.   The Fry Street area would have been harder to acquire and building within the Fouts (and adjacent parking lot) footprint may have required borrowing another stadium for a year or two.  But it would have been worth it in the long term and significant because it would be a symbol that athletics are an essential part of the experience they want to provide traditional on campus students.  Winning helps but fixing the culture takes more than just that.  And fixing the culture is the only way you can have a down season or two that doesn’t turn into 5 or 10 bad season.   

Increasing student attendance by 10% might mean at most 500 basically no returns on huge investment. Location is just another tired excuse. Look at all the alums we have that have zero interests 

[Green Lantern]

1 hour ago, DallasGreen said:

Increasing student attendance by 10% might mean at most 500 basically no returns on huge investment. Location is just another tired excuse. Look at all the alums we have that have zero interests 

 

Posting this again as I said I would when people question our support or criticize our fanbase which is one of the most dedicated and passionate group of masochists around. It’s very simple.

[DallasGreen]

On 12/28/2024 at 10:25 AM, GMG_Dallas said:

The NIL/Transfer portal has put a damper on the bowl game because our top producers on offense are no longer on the team. I'm going to the bowl game but I'm starting to wonder why. The offense will be closer to a spring game offense than what we actually fielded a month ago... because of the transfer portal.

 

On 12/28/2024 at 5:37 PM, Salsa_Verde said:

 

let’s hope so 🙏🏾

San Marcos had 14 in the portal so they won’t be the same either. I am a football fan of North Texas for 60 years. I have served on the alumni association’s BOD for a dozen years with two as President and on the Foundation Board for nine years with a year as Treasurer. You either support your university or not. FB and BB are not mutually exclusive just as I was a friend of Coach Fry as well asCoach Blakely.

[Meangreen Fight]

On 12/30/2024 at 12:38 PM, DallasGreen said:

Joe Green and company played their last college game here before less than 5,000 people. Put the blame where it really lies——apathetic students and a town who considers itself too cultured for football. Has not changed in 75 years and never will. If NT played in Lewisville, Frisco, Allen or Plano sell outs would be the norm, but Denton would rather have a few hundred show to see someone toot a horn.

You are living in fairytale land if you think playing in another suburb would significantly increase attendance.  Can anyone look up our attendance average for the season we played at old Texas Stadium?   If we average more than 20k I would be shocked.   The anti-UNT athletics culture of Denton, I can vouch for.  But students know this program doesn’t compete at the highest level and usually lose to best known good programs that come to Denton.  What is our biggest home win within the last 20 years you would expect a college age football fan to know about?  When Seth’s best team crap the bed at home against La Tech(Joe Green statue dedication and etc).  But by that time they had already given Seth two extensions for leading team that didn’t win conference or bowl games.  🤷🏽‍♂️ 

[aztecskin]

Well, to the end requested, I wrote about the game: 

 

https://www.meangreennation.com/p/first-responder-bowl-north-texas

[Glory to the Green]

4 hours ago, Meangreen Fight said:

You are living in fairytale land if you think playing in another suburb would significantly increase attendance.

I think the city tries to balance us vs TWU. Denton can’t go all in on either one so it goes part time effort on both. I have no proof, just a vibe.  

[DallasGreen]

Teachers and musicians offer nothing after leaving. Soliciting them or commuters is wasted effort

[BigWillie]

21 hours ago, Green Lantern said:

 

Posting this again as I said I would when people question our support or criticize our fanbase which is one of the most dedicated and passionate group of masochists around. It’s very simple.

This is exactly what I keep saying, but people wanna bring up culture this and culture that. Sure, it's the culture because everyone wants to see a losing team.

Edited 22 hours ago by BigWillie

[Green Lantern]

27 minutes ago, BigWillie said:

This is exactly what I keep saying, but people wanna bring up culture this and culture that. Sure, it's the culture because everyone wants to see a losing team.

I tire of it too. We’re lucky to have the dedicated, great fans that we do. I mean we haven’t had 1 season like UTSA’s 11 win or Coastal Carolina’s magic season in our program’s history and how long have they been FBS programs?  Hell a former conference member in Louisiana-Lafayette has won at least 10 games in 4 of their last six seasons. Let’s try that and see what our support looks like.