Author Topic: 2021 Season  (Read 17721 times)

VA_Seawolf

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #450 on: November 22, 2021, 11:02:37 pm »
Just look at this video which shows part of the student section from Sunday. https://twitter.com/patrick_muffley/status/1462167296055652361?s=21

There weren't even 500 people at that game.  ;D ;D Even my high school has better attendance than SBU 

Wolffan

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #451 on: November 23, 2021, 04:19:12 am »
Just look at this video which shows part of the student section from Sunday. https://twitter.com/patrick_muffley/status/1462167296055652361?s=21

There weren't even 500 people at that game.  ;D ;D Even my high school has better attendance than SBU
I was at the game. If you told me there were  approximately zero (0) SBU students there -outside of players/band/cheerleaders/etc - I’d have to agree. I do think a substantial percentage of students head home for the weekend and a very large percentage of those who stay have zero interest in football or even attending a football game.

Those very few students on campus this weekend mildly interested in attending home football games were probably dissuaded (and it doesn’t take much to dissuade this group) by the blah weather, blah season, and blah opponent (nobody at Stony Brook sees Albany as a rival).

At the same time there are other (peer) schools where student attendance is essentially zero.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2021, 04:45:27 am by Wolffan »

Hammertime

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #452 on: November 23, 2021, 05:13:54 am »
Just look at this video which shows part of the student section from Sunday. https://twitter.com/patrick_muffley/status/1462167296055652361?s=21

There weren't even 500 people at that game.  ;D ;D Even my high school has better attendance than SBU

I was at the football game. There were maybe 20 students sitting in the student sections, and the UA side was essentially dead. Just a few family members of players at the game. Our home side was dismal as well.

This athletic program has gone down the tubes. If you guys recall I was saying this for years now. I love SH, he and his family are very nice people and are respectful, but he is a terrible AD. SH will singlehandedly destroy the culture of SBU sports if allowed to continue the way it is now..
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Chairman of the Board

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #453 on: November 23, 2021, 08:36:07 am »
these issues are larger than just the athletic dept.  its a longtime university-wide problem.  it's a structural problem (campus design).  its a student body problem (disaffection).  it's a distraction problem (devices).  its a geographical problem (train, city, island).  and covid doesnt help.

i recall days where we'd have more ualBAnY fans at our own games than we did.  of course, because students will go up there for school and return home.  they go to away games.  we cant get kids out of their dorm to walk a few hundred yards.
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OldSeawolf

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #454 on: November 23, 2021, 09:00:37 am »
these issues are larger than just the athletic dept.  its a longtime university-wide problem.  it's a structural problem (campus design).  its a student body problem (disaffection).  it's a distraction problem (devices).  its a geographical problem (train, city, island).  and covid doesnt help.

i recall days where we'd have more ualBAnY fans at our own games than we did.  of course, because students will go up there for school and return home.  they go to away games.  we cant get kids out of their dorm to walk a few hundred yards.

It's been like this forever - I attended in the late 70's, and the apathy/disinterest has been there since then, with small pockets of interest (noted in this thread).  Covid definitely reversed momentum, but it's definitely more than that.

If I were in charge, I'd revert to old school, brute force marketing, before each and every game:

1) In addition to SM advertising, I'd put signs up by every dorm on game days;
2) I'd post game day signs throughout campus;
3) I'd get the Athletic interns to "storm the dorm" knocking on doors reminding students of games on game days;
4) I'd have semester tuition giveaways every weekend for student attendees;
5) I'd make sure that all campus newspaper prominently display schedules in every edition;
6) I'd make sure that WUSB frequently advertises schedule;
7) Encourage local vendors to have discounted prices on game days (need to show your ticket);
8) I'd hire an AD that is a marketer!  Fiore, although he did some bad things, was a marketer extreme!  Pikiell was a marketer extreme!  You need someone that wants to grow demand.

Does the above take work?  You bet.  Will it fix things in a day, week, month, semester?  No way.   But it's a start, and you need to cultivate culture.  You need to ingrain in students' heads that today is game day and I need to be there to support my team and University.  And you need to pound the pavement, day after day after day.  Sitting on your ass, firing off FB posts and Twitter Tweets is certainly part of the equation, but it's clearly not enough.  Back to old school.  It can be done.

How old a Seawolf am I? I followed them during their Final 4 DIII hoops run in 1977-78 (they were called the Patriots then)
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Accelerator

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #455 on: November 23, 2021, 09:35:00 am »
Leadership starts at the top. McIniss needs to put out a statement officially condemning students who go home for weekends and those who do not go to games. She came from Texas, start acting like it already. You think they’d tolerate a crisis on this level?

She needs to focus on making cultural changes behind the scenes while openly shaming poor student body behavior publicly. You want to create a culture where you’re seen as the uncool one if you’re not at the games.

OldSeawolf

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #456 on: November 23, 2021, 09:47:19 am »
Leadership starts at the top. McIniss needs to put out a statement officially condemning students who go home for weekends and those who do not go to games. She came from Texas, start acting like it already. You think they’d tolerate a crisis on this level?

She needs to focus on making cultural changes behind the scenes while openly shaming poor student body behavior publicly. You want to create a culture where you’re seen as the uncool one if you’re not at the games.

You are absolutely right, it ALWAYS starts at the top!   If the top gun shows complacency, then that mindset will permeate throughout the organization.  I've never met McGinnis, but her public statements don't seem to put athletics at anywhere near the top of her agenda, and that's not good.  I've met SH once, and he's an extremely personable guy, but I'm not sure he's the right guy for the job either.   His decision to extend Priore was a poor one.  His decision to give Geno the job was a tough call; I truly believe he was trying to keep a very strong team together by not disrupting things - that obviously didn't work out - but I cannot blame him for his decision.  I will blame him though for giving Geno a 5 year deal.
How old a Seawolf am I? I followed them during their Final 4 DIII hoops run in 1977-78 (they were called the Patriots then)

Chairman of the Board

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #457 on: November 23, 2021, 10:46:07 am »
Leadership starts at the top. McIniss needs to put out a statement officially condemning students who go home for weekends and those who do not go to games. She came from Texas, start acting like it already. You think they’d tolerate a crisis on this level?

im starting to warm up to this blunt-force type of mandate.

in fact, id add that this type of student behavior will actually increase our academic profile.

oldie- great ideas!  i just wrote an overlapping post and then saw yours: http://sbufan.createaforum.com/around-stony-brook/making-sb-better-idea-thread/msg34602/#msg34602
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factorykitten

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Re: 2021 Season
« Reply #458 on: January 01, 2023, 05:47:04 pm »
Just look at this video which shows part of the student section from Sunday. https://twitter.com/patrick_muffley/status/1462167296055652361?s=21

There weren't even 500 people at that game.  ;D ;D Even my high school has better attendance than SBU

I was at the football game. There were maybe 20 students sitting in the student sections, and the UA side was essentially dead. Just a few family members of players at the game. Our home side was dismal as well.

This athletic program has gone down the tubes. If you guys recall I was saying this for years now. I love SH, he and his family are very nice people and are respectful, but he is a terrible AD. SH will singlehandedly destroy the culture of SBU sports if allowed to continue the way it is now..

This thread is from last year. since then Heilbron has extended Chuck who went out and had the worst season in SB football history. Heilbron needs to be gone. Hes still here i guess because the president is either weak or doesn't know any better. whos excited for next season?  :)
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