Disappointment

[forevereagle]

[SilverEagle]

If you want enthusiasm you must start with the students. If properly indoctrinated and kept motivated I see little reason for there not to be 12-18,000 students on most game days. But, they must be charged from their orientation and perpetuated by pep rallies and game day reminders. To get this started, there should be pep rallies on campus and game week portable LED reminders to get your tickets in advance. Have a drawing for a semester's free tuition for two or three students each home game. Give them a reason to want to be there even if the team is performing poorly. Study other G5 colleges that have large attendance and see if any of their promotions would be applicable to North Texas.

Next, keep in touch with new alumni and keep or expand the reduced season tickets and special sections. Consider canned phone messages each game week as a reminder. Consider tailgating sites for each class year for those who do not know individual tailgaters and do not want to tailgate on their own. I'd like to see 1-2,000 new alumni game attendees added each year. Think outside the box.

We are approaching 10,000 old alumni that attend at least one game and if kept motivated could easily become season ticket holders; if they are not already. But, don't expect the older alums to do a lot of standing or yelling. I've done both in my time and will continue to do as much as this old body will allow. The 10K is a decent number to build from but it's going to take a better home schedule for that to dramatically improve. And, a team that wins and/or is fun to watch.

Lastly, start promoting Mean Green sports (especially football) to the townspeople. Free wing zone ticket to schoolkids when accompanied by and adult who buys a general admission ticket. Or, make it two or three free school tickets for one adult GA. Discounted tickets to Denton County residents for openers...whatever it takes to promote. As RickV has said, "an empty seat can't buy a hot dog and coke."

Now, this to Mac. Give us a team that we will enjoy watching. It's definitely important to win but it also a priority for the team to be entertaining. Unless three yards and a cloud of dust means consistently winning football, make the game exciting. Hell, if possible, do both.

There is likely an attendance limit for as long as we are in CUSA. I'd guess somewhere between 25 and 30K. If we can consistently top the thirty thousand mark consistently then we should be ready for a new or revised conference. Just keep promoting!

Written like someone who has done something like this before.

[DallasGreen]

You could give away free tickets and have Britaney Spears parachute in the game ball nude and still not get the typical Denton fan to attend. I would love to see the stats on "reserved" side attendance as to how many reside in the Denton city limits. I'll wager more than half are from outside Denton on any game day.

[GreenMachine]

You could give away free tickets and have Britaney Spears parachute in the game ball nude and still not get the typical Denton fan to attend. I would love to see the stats on "reserved" side attendance as to how many reside in the Denton city limits. I'll wager more than half are from outside Denton on any game day.

based on page count of the chicken tenders thread, just give away free fast food and half of Denton County would show up.

[GrayEagle]

You could give away free tickets and have Britaney Spears parachute in the game ball nude and still not get the typical Denton fan to attend. I would love to see the stats on "reserved" side attendance as to how many reside in the Denton city limits. I'll wager more than half are from outside Denton on any game day.

Based on history, you are no doubt correct. But, I believe that the time for change is ripening. Denton is no longer the college town of 25,000 that it was during our era. That typical fan is dying out; replaced by those that live in Denton for the activities that the two universities provide. Almost gone is the "if I can't support both colleges I'll support neither" crowd. (Or, at least, that was the excuse given)

Notice that I placed Denton residents 'lastly' in the order of importance. With a population of 125,000 in the city and moving into the neighborhood of three-quarters of a million in the county, surely we could find 5-10,000 sports fans who are not affiliated with Big XII schools or A&M. They'll still be a little slow to adapt but that's where the selling comes in. With their help, North Texas could advance to the Big 12 in your lifetime. All it will take is enough near-sellouts to require stadium expansion. Oh yes, winning is desirable; being competitive a must.

[Dr. Seuss]

Attendance is lagging effect to any type of program; college or professional. He needs to worry about the product on the field and win games. I'm sorry but 4/5 losing seasons isn't going to bring fans to the game. HoD Bowl was pretty clear, if you win games people will come.

I'm sure this is just a broken record.

[Ben Gooding]

Moving to the Big12 is not out of the realm of possibilities. If the move were to happen the expansion to Apogee would coincide. As would the addition of baseball, increase in enrollment and possibly doubling attendance in the first year at athletic events. Affiliation is monumental. The Alum that use to and still do talk down on their own university would stop instantaneously. Getting that invitation would only do great things at North Texas as a whole. Administration should lobbying for that harder than they have for anything else in their tenures. It would be a true game changer. GMG

[Dr. Seuss]

Moving to the Big12 is not out of the realm of possibilities. If the move were to happen the expansion to Apogee would coincide. As would the addition of baseball, increase in enrollment and possibly doubling attendance in the first year at athletic events. Affiliation is monumental. The Alum that use to and still do talk down on their own university would stop instantaneously. Getting that invitation would only do great things at North Texas as a whole. Administration should lobbying for that harder than they have for anything else in their tenures. It would be a true game changer. GMG

Umm. We couldn't even get into the AAC, why would you think we could get into the Big12? The Big12 is years away. We would have to be a powerhouse in Football, Basketball and Baseball. I really doubt a brand new baseball team would be going to Omaha in its first 5 years.

[ColoradoEagle]

Moving to the Big12 is not out of the realm of possibilities.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Moving to the Big12 is not out of the realm of possibilities. If the move were to happen the expansion to Apogee would coincide. As would the addition of baseball, increase in enrollment and possibly doubling attendance in the first year at athletic events. Affiliation is monumental. The Alum that use to and still do talk down on their own university would stop instantaneously. Getting that invitation would only do great things at North Texas as a whole. Administration should lobbying for that harder than they have for anything else in their tenures. It would be a true game changer. GMG

No, they couldn't possibly coincide. To get into the Big XII, Apogee would already have to be expanded and seeing at- or near-capacity crowds in that facility, and most likely would already have to have baseball.

[NT93]

Moving to the Big12 is not out of the realm of possibilities.

And you think I'm nuts because I don't think uniforms are that big of a deal for recruits

[meanrob]

Man, it really is the offseason...

[Ben Gooding]

I obviously don't think it will happen soon and it may and probably will never happen. BUT it's a possibility because the Big12 will be adding 2 teams soon enough and UNT at least needs to make their case as to why UNT would be a good fit. That's all I'm saying.

[Ben Gooding]

I really don't think performance on the field or court is a defining factor as to why a university is invited into a conference. Make no mistake it doesn't hurt your cause and only helps your cause but Boise State is a prime example of that. There are more variables that are considered and I think we have a lot of what conferences look for at UNT. Attendance at sporting events may be an issue, but with P5 affiliation that would get taken care of quickly. Regional politics would be the biggest barrier to get around to receive an invite to a P5 conference, specifically the Big12.

[greenminer]

No league is out of our league!

[emmitt01]

Why settle for theBig XII. Surely aTm needs a Texas peer in the SEC.

[Eagle1855]

Why settle for theBig XII. Surely aTm needs a Texas peer in the SEC.

yeah, if we're gonna swing, might as well go for the fences.

[SilverEagle]

Why settle for theBig XII. Surely aTm needs a Texas peer in the SEC.

Yep, my dear departed mother used to say "you never get what you really want unless you ask for it".

[UNT90]

No, they couldn't possibly coincide. To get into the Big XII, Apogee would already have to be expanded and seeing at- or near-capacity crowds in that facility, and most likely would already have to have baseball.

TCU wasn't selling out Amon Carter's 46k seats and still got a seat at the big boy table. Because they beat P5 teams and won the Rose Bowl.

[Mean Green 93-98]

TCU wasn't selling out Amon Carter's 46k seats and still got a seat at the big boy table. Because they beat P5 teams and won the Rose Bowl.

They were getting more than Apogee holds every single game.

That said, they had a lot of things working for them.

1. A recent history of winning.

2. An established history with all of the Texas Big XII teams.

3. $$

4. Above all else, PERFECT TIMING. When the hole opened in the Big XII, it was a no-brainer who would fill it. If it would have been 10 years earlier, I don't believe there is any way the B12 would have taken TCU.

[UNT90]

They were getting more than Apogee holds every single game.

That said, they had a lot of things working for them.

1. A recent history of winning.

2. An established history with all of the Texas Big XII teams.

3. $$

4. Above all else, PERFECT TIMING. When the hole opened in the Big XII, it was a no-brainer who would fill it. If it would have been 10 years earlier, I don't believe there is any way the B12 would have taken TCU.

Agree with what you say here, just pointing out that it had nothing to do with sellouts, as they were only selling out games against major opponents (hmmmmm...).

[Dr. Seuss]

TCU wasn't selling out Amon Carter's 46k seats and still got a seat at the big boy table. Because they beat P5 teams and won the Rose Bowl.

TCU has a really good baseball team, they went to the CWS before they were invited to the Big 12.. Its not only football.

Yes, attendance does matter. Bowls invites is another perfect example.

[MeanGreenTexan]

TCU has a really good baseball team, they went to the CWS before they were invited to the Big 12.. Its not only football.

Yes, attendance does matter. Bowls invites is another perfect example.

Baseball has nothing to do with anything. Otherwise, Rice would be very attractive.

[oldguystudent]

Baseball has nothing to do with anything. Otherwise, Rice would be very attractive.

Baseball will only matter when the B1G finally convinces the NCAA to finagle the rules just enough so that their ice covered asses get some generous advantage and one of their teams wins the CWS. Then, and only then, will it matter. Seriously, they've been lobbying for college baseball in July! I suppose Texas should start lobbying for free refrigerators under the basketball floors because it's "Not fair" to southern hockey teams.

[Ben Gooding]

TCU has a really good baseball team, they went to the CWS before they were invited to the Big 12.. Its not only football.

Yes, attendance does matter. Bowls invites is another perfect example.

Baseball in the grand scheme of things means nothing. It is not a dominant revenue sport outside of a handful of schools and don't really tilt the scale one way or another. Granted, we would have to at least have a program with capable facilities to be pushed over into a P5 conference. Like I said, this is not a 2-3 year outlook though it would need to be for us to ever dream about being in the Big12. In 2-3 years, maximum, the Big12 will have 12 teams and a football conference championship. Our saving grace would be for the Big12 to expand to 14 so they match up with the other P5 conferences. Cincy and BYU are definite players to take those 11-12 spots and we need to push to be 13 or 14 when that happens, not if. Politics is our only barrier to hurdle and I think Prez S will take appropriate actions to at least put us in the underlying conversation for an invitation. If Prez S were to accomplish this he would go down as UNT's second coming. GMG