Florida Atlantic (1/26/25)

NM Green · 2025-01-27T07:33:16Z

I think UNT Doge needs to look at those funding trails.

I’m all about creating more experience environment for our fans. For adult ideas check out the concourse activity in the Thomas and Mack for UNLV games and for the kiddos check out a Texas Legends game in Frisco. It’s nonstop entertainment.

Also, how about a supporters group like the Dallas Beer Guardians in Frisco before FCD games. They have an elected Board. They have a membership level as low as $10 for the season. But this group meets religiously before every game and puts on away match watching parties in Dallas and Frisco.

The after party at Miss Angeline’s was fun and connecting. Organize this on the front end before the game.

Jared would be well served to hire an experience engineering team that scopes successes and simply focuses on engagement initiatives. This is not his forte - he needs a team with some influencers sprinkled in. To heck with those who don’t want to come for whatever reason (some students dormant alumni). Go get the peeps who want to be entertained at the family group and individual level.

GMG

keith · 2025-01-27T15:09:13Z

I used to joke that you know you are a real Mean Green fan if the second (it may even be the first) thing you check in the box score is the attendance number. I look at attendance at our revenue sports as an important (not the only) metric used to measure the performance of our Athletic Director and the Athletic Department as a whole. It's public, it's not hidden or buried in an annual report. It's tangible. We can see it with our own eyes. Of course it would be helpful to know his goals and objectives and strategies and plans for achieving those goals, but that's a separate issue.

We've been on a nice run and upward trajectory in basketball. We have been growing the brand. Ignoring the 7K and 8K outliers, our growth on the attendance front was evidence of this. We were getting 4K+ and 5K+, not every game, but enough to think we may have finally gotten over the hump. 3K+ for a home game regardless of opponent, day of week, weather on anything else was now the floor. Or at least it was. Until this season.

If one of the AD's functions is to get butts in seats, he and his team have failed miserably in my opinion. And all while we are currently 11-0 at home! Just imagine how bad it would be if we had a losing record. Maybe as Rick suggests, all the hand-wringing around attendance and the reasons and excuses is pointless. However, as a proxy for AD performance I think it speaks volumes.

The department has 5 home games remaining on the schedule. Let's see if they are engaged and actually do something to stimulate demand or not.

UNTLifer · 2025-01-27T15:46:06Z

36 minutes ago, keith said:

The department has 5 home games remaining on the schedule. Let's see if they are engaged and actually do something to stimulate demand or not.

Excellent full post.

Regarding the above, I'll take the Not.

Coffee and TV · 2025-01-27T15:57:27Z

11 hours ago, FirefightnRick said:

Maybe it's because the general student doesn’t like basketball, or hadn’t heard of FAU? Maybe they’re disgusted paying fees to athletics that go to play-for-pay athletes while they wait tables, sell lawnmowers, mow lawns or stock groceries at Piggly Wiggly on East McKinney St. to pay for rent and food(What? When did they go out of business?)?

Probably the answer to the question of where a lot of students were on a Sunday afternoon as well: i worked tons of Sundays in college.

Edited 9 hours ago by Coffee and TV

untbowler · 2025-01-27T17:16:55Z

2 hours ago, keith said:

I used to joke that you know you are a real Mean Green fan if the second (it may even be the first) thing you check in the box score is the attendance number. I look at attendance at our revenue sports as an important (not the only) metric used to measure the performance of our Athletic Director and the Athletic Department as a whole. It's public, it's not hidden or buried in an annual report. It's tangible. We can see it with our own eyes. Of course it would be helpful to know his goals and objectives and strategies and plans for achieving those goals, but that's a separate issue.

We've been on a nice run and upward trajectory in basketball. We have been growing the brand. Ignoring the 7K and 8K outliers, our growth on the attendance front was evidence of this. We were getting 4K+ and 5K+, not every game, but enough to think we may have finally gotten over the hump. 3K+ for a home game regardless of opponent, day of week, weather on anything else was now the floor. Or at least it was. Until this season.

If one of the AD's functions is to get butts in seats, he and his team have failed miserably in my opinion. And all while we are currently 11-0 at home! Just imagine how bad it would be if we had a losing record. Maybe as Rick suggests, all the hand-wringing around attendance and the reasons and excuses is pointless. However, as a proxy for AD performance I think it speaks volumes.

The department has 5 home games remaining on the schedule. Let's see if they are engaged and actually do something to stimulate demand or not.

An apathetic AD office --> Apathetic Students --> Apathetic Alumni --> GoMeanGreen Diehards bitching with each other in a never ending circle 🙂

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-27T17:25:00Z

44 minutes ago, untbowler said:

An apathetic AD office --> Apathetic Students --> Apathetic Alumni --> GoMeanGreen Diehards bitching with each other in a never ending circle 🙂

Exactly. It all starts at the top.

And it's not an obsessive thing with wanting to see attendance.

Attendance does a lot of things outside of creating an environment that player want to play in and coaches want to coach in. It creates more monies for other things, helps recruiting, helps conference movement, helps, getting chosen to be on TV more often if you have an awesome environment, etc etc. Attendance does several very positive things. It's imperative that it gets fixed. Frankly, if I am Ross, I am questioning this straight to the face of the athletic director. It's obviously talked about inside the lockerroom when players are bringing it up and pointing it out during post games press conferences. It's an issue. And our AD is just sitting on hands. Maybe he has found his WVU and is coasting like Wren did. At least we aren't hearing, "Tony Mitchell with the dunk!"

Get it fixed.

Oh... and attendance helps boost a hopeful hostile environment which helps WIN.

Edited 9 hours ago by NorthTexasWeLove

NT80 · 2025-01-27T17:54:41Z

14 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Exactly. It all starts at the top.

And it's not an obsessive thing with wanting to see attendance.

Attendance does a lot of things outside of creating an environment that player want to play in and coaches want to coach in. It creates more monies for other things, helps recruiting, helps conference movement, helps, getting chosen to be on TV more often if you have an awesome environment, etc etc. Attendance does several very positive things. It's imperative that it gets fixed. Frankly, if I am Ross, I am questioning this straight to the face of the athletic director. It's obviously talked about inside the lockerroom when players are bringing it up and pointing it out during post games press conferences. It's an issue. And our AD is just sitting on hands. Maybe he has found his WVU and is coasting like Wren did. At least we aren't hearing, "Tony Mitchell with the dunk!"

Get it fixed.

I agree it all starts at the top for Athletics...as in AD and President of the University.

I am on my 9th AD and 10th President by my count.

Money is the u$ual determining and motivating factor for getting more out of our AD department.

More students/fans > more tickets/donations/revenue > more facilities/staff > creates more interest > creates more fans

.............................

Beyond other factors, I judge an AD's success by communication, and attendance in football and men's basketball. This is weighted by era, conference, and facilities.

I would give Wren a C and Jared a D to date.

The AD must do a much better job of spurring the students, alums, and locals. Find out why they don't come and fix it!!

When they do come, the entertainment and production is not keeping them engaged. It all needs fixed!

Greenrex · 2025-01-27T18:48:08Z

The two requisites, as I see it, for us to make progress in attendance, revenue, and community support is an AD who is both ebullient and creative. We currently have an AD who is diametrically neither. In my memory the only leader we have ever had who possessed those qualities was Hayden Fry.

Cooke County Kid · 2025-01-27T20:55:56Z

Anyone see the AD at the games…..

NT80 · 2025-01-27T21:10:03Z

12 minutes ago, Cooke County Kid said:

Anyone see the AD at the games…..

I see him sitting at the end of the scorer's table, usually near the team bench. His personality is more subdued than many AD's we've had. He does not seem to be a rah-rah type or cheerleader to the fanbase. It really needs one, or somebody from Administration, to inspire the fanbase and STUDENTS verbally!

FirefightnRick · 2025-01-27T22:14:33Z

6 hours ago, Coffee and TV said:

Probably the answer to the question of where a lot of students were on a Sunday afternoon as well: i worked tons of Sundays in college.

Me too. Funny thing about those early days, how you learned when most don’t want to work and sign up for those times, which in turn led to more hours and promotions. My Junior year I got on at Montgomery Wards at Thanksgiving/Christmas time. So many people quit when the semester ended that I was assistant manager by week two. Then set my schedule to what ever I needed by week three. Good times.

Rick

Edited 5 hours ago by FirefightnRick

meangreenfaninno · 2025-01-28T02:37:26Z

If the ultimate direction of this is to pin the blame on Jared then you and I are going to have a problem.

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-28T02:45:35Z

4 minutes ago, meangreenfaninno said:

If the ultimate direction of this is to pin the blame on Jared then you and I are going to have a problem.

I love problems...

If the DIRECTOR of something isn't to be blamed then who?

Do we not have an athletics marketing department that falls under his leadership? And don't at me with budgetary restraints. This is about culture, excitement, promos, getting the ears of the students, in game entertainment, etc etc. Does he not oversee all of this? Ha