Doin the lord's work

MeanGreenTexan · July 13, 2012

If only you could do this without begging for praise

The same praise would be lavished upon you for doing anything similar. Here's your chance: What are you doing?

Stan R · July 13, 2012

praise++

Green Jackal · July 13, 2012

As twho said no, it was a loan place who said their "corporate policy wouldn't allow it" and a veterinarian who just seemed like a grumpy lady. 90% of the people though were very accomodating.

Can you tell us the names of these two businesses who wouldn't allow you to put up UNT posters?

Quoner · July 13, 2012

Can you tell us the names of these two businesses who wouldn't allow you to put up UNT posters?

Yes, my cat is in need of a loan and I am willing to drive to Denton to figure out how to make this work, but not if it means dealing with people like this.

CMJ · July 13, 2012

Yes, my cat is in need of a loan and I am willing to drive to Denton to figure out how to make this work, but not if it means dealing with people like this.

emmitt01 · July 13, 2012

Just got to where I could take a few minutes to share some tidbits from the outing.

First, as I said, most people were quite receptive...because they were approached. Holding a stack of schedule posters at Apogee and waiting for people to pick them up does no good. I talked to several former season ticket holders who have not yet stepped foot in Apogee. They're just a gentle tug away and the new experience will see itself. I don't say this to brag or pander for "praise" as Eppy4Life (and the five fools naive enough to +1 him would believe) but rathe to encourage all of us to extend that invitation. I know that I personally can't stomach whining and moaning about the direction of our program...and doing it from the sidelines.

We put up several of the schedule posters on Fry Street..again, we're talkin literally ON campus. I walk into the NT used book store and the girl behind the counter greets me in her UT shirt. NT grad who has always "loved North Texas" but says UT is "her football team". Walking along University we actually has a guy come out and tell us tag we had "skipped" his business. He runs a property rental business (rents to a few of our players) and put the schedule up prominently next to his desk for all to see. He told me he went to the Houston opener last season and didn't like the numbering of the seats. Intersting,albeit petty, complaint. He also said he was upset because NT "thinks they're Jerry Jones". He couldn't understand why it requires a donation to get season tickets on the 50. Folks this is the stark reality of things. To a lot of Dentonites supporting NT is like supporting the local high schools...show up, buy a dirt cheap ticket, drink a coke and call it a day. No connection. No obligation. And we can continue with the "let's behave like the big time and we'll be the big time" line of thinking at our own peril. We can follow the professional promotions handbook and keep the "I you're not in the MGC it's because I haven't called you or you haven't called me" mantra. Ooooor, we can enact a little square one thinking. Use a little shoe leather. What I did yesterday wasn't special, but it jet might be more effective than all the print and radio ads we throw money at. Just two dees who, years removed from being NT students, shook hands with Dentonites where they were and showed that the fire inside the Ut t-shirt alumni exists in us too.

Blanketing Denton with schedule posters isn't high tech...but tell me this; which left a bigger impression on you when you visited College Station, Lubbock or even Lafayette...radio adds or seeing their logo and colors everywhere you looked in town? Maybe we shouldn't knock UTSA for the KFC promotions. Maybe giving school kids free tickets for good grades, even thousands of them, is better because it gets them through the gates fir the first time. Perhaps an alumni council that comes together and brainstorms promotions ideas...dirt cheap ones...would work. I see gems of ideas on here all the time.

Edited July 13, 2012 by emmitt01

Mean Green 93-98 · July 13, 2012

Those are good observations. I imagine this one individual speaks for a lot of Dentonites. And in many ways, his attitude is understandable. Why should there be such a price premium for watching (what has been) a terrible college football team over watching some of the best high school football teams in Texas (and in the country) at a very good facility? I'd say it's our A.D.'s job to answer that question, and to make that answer known throughout the area, and in Denton in particular.

EDIT: Oh, and thanks again!

Edited July 13, 2012 by Mean Green 93-98

KRAM1 · July 13, 2012

Those are good observations. I imagine this one individual speaks for a lot of Dentonites. And in many ways, his attitude is understandable. Why should there be such a price premium for watching (what has been) a terrible college football team over watching some of the best high school football teams in Texas (and in the country) at a very good facility? I'd say it's our A.D.'s job to answer that question, and to make that answer known throughout the area, and in Denton in particular.

EDIT: Oh, and thanks again!

My guess, the guy doesn't go to HS football games either. And, if he did, he'd have some petty complaint about that as well...and several excuses (because that's just what they are) for not going so he cvan justify it in his own mind. If that's his view, so be it. Obviously doesn't get around much if he wondered why you had to make a donation to sit on the 50 yard line. But, as you say, that can be said for many Dentonites as well as this guy. I don't find that attitude understandable at all. But, if you do, so be it.

emmitt01 · July 13, 2012

My guess, the guy doesn't go to HS football games either. And, if he did, he'd have some petty complaint about that as well...and several excuses (because that's just what they are) for not going so he cvan justify it in his own mind. If that's his view, so be it. Obviously doesn't get around much if he wondered why you had to make a donation to sit on the 50 yard line. But, as you say, that can be said for many Dentonites as well as this guy. I don't find that attitude understandable at all. But, if you do, so be it.

Not to be argumentative Kram as I would agree with you 90% of the time, but perhaps chalking everyone up to being "difficult to please" is why we're in this position already. We know that it takes a donation to sit on the 50. We also are invested in knowing the ins and outs of our program. How often, though, do we complain on this very board because we (the collective we on the board) are finding things out for the first time from eachother? This is a guy who actually stepped foot in the stadium for the Houston game. Can't say that for a lot of our "fans", much less the disengaged Denton community. He was already talking about making a game or two this season...and he says that when we travel to Iowa he is going to that game because he has family there. This is a guy who sought me out to get a schedule poster. Perhaps, and again we have to put away our "you SHOULD know" mentality, he's never been broken from the "it's little ol' NT" mentality and therefore can't fathom why he has to invest $500 to sit on the 50 yard line. I'm gonna make it a point to stop back in with him, season ticket brochure in hand, and see if I can't get him on board for seats in the wing zone...or maybe even down around the 15 yard line where the MGC donation isn't necessary. But that's my point...we can't be so "big time" that we don't get out there and educate the people about where they've been wrong about NT. We can either say "all your excuses are invalid" or we can say "we get that you don't know the amazing entertainment value you're missing...let us get you through the door by hook or crook until you catch on." Here's just a few "out of the box" idea examples of what I mean.

--The taste of Denton is every year. In years past I haven't seen any NT athletic representation here...has it changed, if not why not?

--Give any elemtary school kid who gets straight A's a free ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket. It only happens once every six weeks so we're not talking every game, it's a "reward" for academic excellence from your local university, and if you only get 50% to use it you are still ahead of where you were to start.

--The day the schedule posters come out blanket the entire city. Either have our paid promotions department do it or, if they are truly too busy, set the date ahead of time and inquire amongst our students/alums. If two can hit 35 businesses, what could 20 or 50 do? And again, what impression does it give if every time you step into a bar/restaurant/business you see a North Texas schedule? Plant that subliminal seed in the minds of everyday people that we are here and we are worth taking note of.

--A group of us do a 24-hour tailgate the Friday before the first home game. We sit out there in the parking lot all night and each and every year we get curious people who are informed of the impending start of the season only because they stop by the curiosity that is grown men camped out in a parking lot. (Remember, this kind of dedication and "lunacy" is foreign to most people's ideas about "little ol' NT") What kind of message could you send if you moved that tailgate party to the Denton square on that Friday night? Beth Marie's is already a sponsor and already on the square. Denton County Independent Hamburger is right there too. If each and every year you had a season kickoff tailgate at 7pm the night before the first game just how many people could you draw? How many tickets for the next night's game could you sell? And, again, you'd serve notice that it's football time in Denton.

--Make the midnight madness event a reality...and a tradition. Yes, attendance has been sparse in some years past. But which builds tradition faster...the knowledge that NT is gonna celebrate the kickoff of their basketball season because WE care each and every year, or saying "you didn't show up...so we quit"?

TheRiojas_AD · July 14, 2012

so can we get the full size posters at the athletic center??? don't want to steal one from a local establishment.

I got mine at Apogee yesterday. Full size.

UNT 90 Grad · July 14, 2012

Building on emmit's last post, I bet the Athletic Department could utilize the Mean Green Club Reps for poster distribution. They could give them a canned sample shpeal to say to each business owner, starting with asking for donations to the Mean Green Club and explaining that their company name would be listed in the game programs. Then end with asking if the Rep can hang a poster, regardless of whether or not they make a donation.

TheTastyGreek · July 15, 2012

a veterinarian who just seemed like a grumpy lady

I think we just solved an old GMG mystery. She just wants to keep a low profile and avoid anyone associating her with North Texas football.

Otherwise, people might put two and two together and figure out what happened to Ray.

DeepGreen · July 16, 2012

Emmit, thanks for your hard work. What bothers me is that our AD does not do this kind of work. Emmitt holds down a full tome job, yet he can find the time to distribute football posters. C'mon AD, use some of your payed employees to do this type of work.

meanrob · July 16, 2012

Never understood why NT doesn't do annual event on the square. They did do one one year but it was so half-ass even I left.

I haven't been to taste of denton in years but there used to be a NT Athletics presence.

I know the promotions people get bombarded by ideas from everybody but let's face it, creative promotions isn't an NT Athletics strong point.

Having said that, the last 5 years of off the field NT development has blown the previous 15-20 out of the water.

ColoradoEagle · July 16, 2012

I know the promotions people get bombarded by ideas from everybody but let's face it, effort isn't an NT Athletics strong point.

Fixed.

KRAM1 · July 16, 2012

Not to be argumentative Kram as I would agree with you 90% of the time, but perhaps chalking everyone up to being "difficult to please" is why we're in this position already. We know that it takes a donation to sit on the 50. We also are invested in knowing the ins and outs of our program. How often, though, do we complain on this very board because we (the collective we on the board) are finding things out for the first time from eachother? This is a guy who actually stepped foot in the stadium for the Houston game. Can't say that for a lot of our "fans", much less the disengaged Denton community. He was already talking about making a game or two this season...and he says that when we travel to Iowa he is going to that game because he has family there. This is a guy who sought me out to get a schedule poster. Perhaps, and again we have to put away our "you SHOULD know" mentality, he's never been broken from the "it's little ol' NT" mentality and therefore can't fathom why he has to invest $500 to sit on the 50 yard line. I'm gonna make it a point to stop back in with him, season ticket brochure in hand, and see if I can't get him on board for seats in the wing zone...or maybe even down around the 15 yard line where the MGC donation isn't necessary. But that's my point...we can't be so "big time" that we don't get out there and educate the people about where they've been wrong about NT. We can either say "all your excuses are invalid" or we can say "we get that you don't know the amazing entertainment value you're missing...let us get you through the door by hook or crook until you catch on." Here's just a few "out of the box" idea examples of what I mean.
--The taste of Denton is every year. In years past I haven't seen any NT athletic representation here...has it changed, if not why not?
--Give any elemtary school kid who gets straight A's a free ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket. It only happens once every six weeks so we're not talking every game, it's a "reward" for academic excellence from your local university, and if you only get 50% to use it you are still ahead of where you were to start.
--The day the schedule posters come out blanket the entire city. Either have our paid promotions department do it or, if they are truly too busy, set the date ahead of time and inquire amongst our students/alums. If two can hit 35 businesses, what could 20 or 50 do? And again, what impression does it give if every time you step into a bar/restaurant/business you see a North Texas schedule? Plant that subliminal seed in the minds of everyday people that we are here and we are worth taking note of.
--A group of us do a 24-hour tailgate the Friday before the first home game. We sit out there in the parking lot all night and each and every year we get curious people who are informed of the impending start of the season only because they stop by the curiosity that is grown men camped out in a parking lot. (Remember, this kind of dedication and "lunacy" is foreign to most people's ideas about "little ol' NT") What kind of message could you send if you moved that tailgate party to the Denton square on that Friday night? Beth Marie's is already a sponsor and already on the square. Denton County Independent Hamburger is right there too. If each and every year you had a season kickoff tailgate at 7pm the night before the first game just how many people could you draw? How many tickets for the next night's game could you sell? And, again, you'd serve notice that it's football time in Denton.
--Make the midnight madness event a reality...and a tradition. Yes, attendance has been sparse in some years past. But which builds tradition faster...the knowledge that NT is gonna celebrate the kickoff of their basketball season because WE care each and every year, or saying "you didn't show up...so we quit"?

I don't think I'd disagree with your response here much at all...pretty darn well done, Sir!

mean green d · July 16, 2012

I don't think I'd disagree with your response here much at all...pretty darn well done, Sir!

We should plan as a group to hit Denton some Saturday morning. We could lay out what areas to give posters to and have a plan of attack. We could do some serious damage. Great job Emmitt!

All About UNT · July 16, 2012

We should plan as a group to hit Denton some Saturday morning. We could lay out what areas to give posters to and have a plan of attack. We could do some serious damage. Great job Emmitt!

I second that motion. Could u draw up which places u hit already Emmitt?

emmitt01 · July 17, 2012

I second that motion. Could u draw up which places u hit already Emmitt?

We hit Fry Street (the places that are open in the daytime...perhaps going back in the evening to hit the bars?). We hit the square. We went to the shopping center on University where the VFW hall is. Went to Double Dave's pizza on University and the restaurants across the street from it (New York Sub and a burger joint).

Places that we didn't get to but would be fruitful....

1)The shopping center across the street from Sack-n-Save. And sack-n-save itself.

2)The shopping center on University where the Kroger is. University and Carroll Blvd.

3)All of the stores over by the mall including down 288 by Target and Wal-Mart.

KRAM1 · July 17, 2012

I'm up for the Saturday poster distribution day...count me in...hopefully on a Saturday when I am available and in town...so, who will coordinate the day, pick up the posters and distribute them? And, who will map out the areas each person is to cover? I'll help...just let me know where and when...and, I'll help coordinate as well. Who can lead the troops in this one? Emmitt perhaps? Are you up for another go?

Great ideas all, and would really be helpful for the program...it's things like this that we can do to help spread the word. With the very limited staff and resources that UNT has, anything I can do I am willing. It's all for a great program, and it's MY program...mine because I am part, and proudly so, of the great Mean Green Nation. Thanks for taking the lead in this one Emmitt. Well done, Sir! Or should I say...SARGE!

UNT90 · July 17, 2012

I'm up for the Saturday poster distribution day...count me in...hopefully on a Saturday when I am available and in town...so, who will coordinate the day, pick up the posters and distribute them? And, who will map out the areas each person is to cover? I'll help...just let me know where and when...and, I'll help coordinate as well. Who can lead the troops in this one? Emmitt perhaps? Are you up for another go?

Great ideas all, and would really be helpful for the program...it's things like this that we can do to help spread the word. With the very limited staff and resources that UNT has, anything I can do I am willing. It's all for a great program, and it's MY program...mine because I am part, and proudly so, of the great Mean Green Nation. Thanks for taking the lead in this one Emmitt. Well done, Sir! Or should I say...SARGE!

Depending on the Saturday, I would be in for this. also.

UNT 90 Grad · July 17, 2012

Depending on the Saturday, I would be in for this. also.

Me too, depending on the Saturday.

UNT90 · July 17, 2012

Me too, depending on the Saturday.

Since there will obviously be conflicts with schedules, what about doing this the 3 weekends before football season? That way, people would have an option of several weekends from which to choose.

Thoughts?

All About UNT · July 17, 2012

Since there will obviously be conflicts with schedules, what about doing this the 3 weekends before football season? That way, people would have an option of several weekends from which to choose.

Thoughts?

I'd be good with that...

trud1966 · July 17, 2012

I'm in to help on any given Saturday. I'd be willing to start Saturday, 7-28-12, if anyone wants to commit to a group now. Would we need to coordinate with someone at the AD to get posters?

Edited July 17, 2012 by trud1966