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Poll: Why is attendance down? Pick as many as you'd like
Lack of wins against name teams like Kentucky

8% (6)
USM has gone left politically: state flag, diversity...

13% (10)
Futility / irrelevance of bottom 4 conference football

19% (14)
Gilbert has raised prices / ceased giveaways

5% (4)
Hopson comes across as a hick, not an ambassador

2% (2)
Recent home opponents are no-names w/o history

16% (12)
Las Vegas shooting / security concerns

0% (0)
Lack of TV exposure

4% (3)
It's a general trend; people watch sports on TV now

9% (7)
The numbers weren't ever real. They're more real now

6% (5)
The parking situation is bad

1% (1)
On-field performance, e.g. vs. NLU

10% (8)
Other (comment please)

1% (1)
Voters: 19

#21 2018-10-24 08:47:00 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

skyvoyager (177)
Member
Registered: 2017-09-13
Posts: 396

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Mao Tse-gore wrote:

I used to upsize Eagle Club, buy season tickets and travel to home games. That changed because of the 3 leading reasons cited in this poll.

bingo .... eagle club member / season ticket holder since 1986 .....changed for the same reasons you mentioned but ngb called bs on that because in 2004 we only drew 28k to a home opener

again 28k for a home opener in 2004  vs 21k for homecoming this year ..... proves my point

Last edited by skyvoyager (2018-10-24 08:49:53)


Everyone has the right to be stupid... It's just that some people abuse the privilege.

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#22 2018-10-24 08:51:00 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

AndreWhere (1252)
Member
From: Decatur, GA
Registered: 2017-08-24
Posts: 8,746

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Is it a coincidence that average attendance decreased by more than 5,000 after Gilbert's hiring? Gilbert will tell you that the prior regime didn't count correctly, but my eyes tell me the decrease is 100% real, and it really makes Gilbert seem like he's full of shit.


Bring back Reed V. "Pie" TurkPalmer Eustachy.

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#23 2018-10-24 09:38:38 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

skyvoyager (177)
Member
Registered: 2017-09-13
Posts: 396

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

AndreWhere wrote:

Is it a coincidence that average attendance decreased by more than 5,000 after Gilbert's hiring? Gilbert will tell you that the prior regime didn't count correctly, but my eyes tell me the decrease is 100% real, and it really makes Gilbert seem like he's full of shit.

i think it is a combination of the crowds 'look' smaller since the end zone expansion and the accurate count thingy


Everyone has the right to be stupid... It's just that some people abuse the privilege.

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#24 2018-10-24 10:07:30 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)
Member
From: U.S. Department of Interior
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 5,767

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

I think its right sizing the actual gate number with actual tickets sold vs what we gave away that inflated those views and attendance numbers many of you are proud of Pre Hop. Is 28K better than 21K, absolutely. My point is valid if you sat with me in the hot sun back in the early to mid 90's. Debate all you want but when Northern Illinois is one of your legit leaders in the clubhouse as far as a benchmark for actual fans in the stands during that period don't tell me you can't watch UTSA or Charlotte. Hell, Alcorn and JSU hold 3 of the top 10 attended games at the Rock in history.

And if you want to tell me about Hop and Gilby being the problem, I'll wait why you explain why we didn't sellout top 10 TCU with the title on the line.......or when we didn't break 30K following our 2003 championship season AND a victory at Nebraska before our home opener.....or why we didn't break 30K for our home opener in 98 following our 1997 championship dream season.....

Heck, I do one even better........we were ranked #21 in 2000 for our home opener, just beat BAMA and Okie St on the road to start the season 2-0 and guess what......30K paid for our home opener against a long standing rival, Memphis. If thats not bad enough, we climb to #17 in the country after our home opener only to have 26K paid for the very next home game the following week....We went up in ranking 4 spots and dropped 4K in attendance!

Everyone wants to act like this is a new thing that Gilby and Hop and past administrations created....you are complaining about something you clearly don't want to accept. Point being, you didn't all show up when we were great and now you all want to point fingers and blame..........ok


"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

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#25 2018-10-24 10:11:59 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

EagleFWB (176)
Member
Registered: 2017-12-05
Posts: 427

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Or could it be that they are counting every seat for each box/suite for padded attendance numbers regardless of whether or not they are full?  So the actual butts in regular seats is down significantly over the last few years because fans are tired of crap, but the padded suite numbers offset so they blow the smoke of 21k attendance.

The naked eye test tells a much different story than "we'll be fine".

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#26 2018-10-24 12:11:24 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

skyvoyager (177)
Member
Registered: 2017-09-13
Posts: 396

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster wrote:

Heck, I do one even better........we were ranked #21 in 2000 for our home opener, just beat BAMA and Okie St on the road to start the season 2-0 and guess what......30K paid for our home opener against a long standing rival, Memphis. If thats not bad enough, we climb to #17 in the country after our home opener only to have 26K paid for the very next home game the following week....We went up in ranking 4 spots and dropped 4K in attendance!

and 3 weeks later 31k in attendance for loserville at Home coming

21K homecoming crowd in 2018......

we were 2-1 when we played memphis,  lost to tenn in the season opener

Last edited by skyvoyager (2018-10-24 12:33:33)


Everyone has the right to be stupid... It's just that some people abuse the privilege.

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#27 2018-10-24 12:48:50 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

AndreWhere (1252)
Member
From: Decatur, GA
Registered: 2017-08-24
Posts: 8,746

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Attendance is definitely down this year and last. NGB is saying it's always been a problem, and it has.

I thought we'd turned the corner in 2011, though. Had a couple of home games with 33,000 announced that year. Opened at home in front of 34,000 in 2012.

Then 2012 happened. Crowds were sparse for a while. The next time we had a winner to pull for was 2015, and by the end of the year home attendance was back to 30,000 and stayed around that number through 2016.

Then the bottom fell out. 22,761 was announced for the Kentucky game. It wasn't just some wackjob Gilbert accounting change, the stadium was empty.

Why? If you're going to quit on USM, wouldn't 2012-2013 be the time to do it? Why start coming to games again, watch a 9-win team and a 7-win team, travel down to the Superdome in large numbers to watch the bowl game, and then quit?

For that matter, why sit out our 2017 home schedule and then go to Shreveport, as so many people must have done? I swear there were more USM fans at that game than at our home opener this year.

Something weird is going on.

Last edited by AndreWhere (2018-10-24 12:51:23)


Bring back Reed V. "Pie" TurkPalmer Eustachy.

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#28 2018-10-24 14:44:15 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

skyvoyager (177)
Member
Registered: 2017-09-13
Posts: 396

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

AndreWhere wrote:

Attendance is definitely down this year and last. NGB is saying it's always been a problem, and it has.

I thought we'd turned the corner in 2011, though. Had a couple of home games with 33,000 announced that year. Opened at home in front of 34,000 in 2012.

Then 2012 happened. Crowds were sparse for a while. The next time we had a winner to pull for was 2015, and by the end of the year home attendance was back to 30,000 and stayed around that number through 2016.

Then the bottom fell out. 22,761 was announced for the Kentucky game. It wasn't just some wackjob Gilbert accounting change, the stadium was empty.

Why? If you're going to quit on USM, wouldn't 2012-2013 be the time to do it? Why start coming to games again, watch a 9-win team and a 7-win team, travel down to the Superdome in large numbers to watch the bowl game, and then quit?

For that matter, why sit out our 2017 home schedule and then go to Shreveport, as so many people must have done? I swear there were more USM fans at that game than at our home opener this year.

Something weird is going on.

great points ... i did not realize the attendance bounced back to ~30K after the e12loss debacle

you are correct the 22k at the ky was brutal


Everyone has the right to be stupid... It's just that some people abuse the privilege.

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#29 2018-10-24 15:20:15 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)
Member
From: U.S. Department of Interior
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 5,767

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

skyvoyager wrote:

and 3 weeks later 31k in attendance for loserville at Home coming

21K homecoming crowd in 2018......

we were 2-1 when we played memphis,  lost to tenn in the season opener

I forgot about that Tenn game......and I was one of those 108K there. So close......

Yes, we were like #13 for that game against Ragone, the official turning point in our programs history that day.....

Why not a sellout one should ask....


"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

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#30 2018-10-24 15:45:01 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)
Member
From: U.S. Department of Interior
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 5,767

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

A poster on another board laid it out as clear as one can with where we are today. Set aside coaches and attendance for a moment and look at where we are with scholarships and what is actually being rebuilt to get back to 80-85. We didn't Lane Kiffin this with a bunch of one year JUCOs or 5th year transfers. We had to start from scratch even after Monkens last season in order to build a sustainable program back up. Look at the talent and the youth we have as our foundation. We are so obsessed with who walks our sideline that we never think about the actual task at hand to become a winning program. If Hop went full JUCO and won 10 games last season you would be that much further away from this programs necessary rebuild. At some point you need to build with recruits, not one and done transfers. Hop and Dawson are doing that......and doing it well.....

And when we do return, I won't expect 33-36K consistently. History and experience have taught me to know better than that......


"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

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#31 2018-10-24 15:46:21 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

skyvoyager (177)
Member
Registered: 2017-09-13
Posts: 396

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster wrote:
skyvoyager wrote:

and 3 weeks later 31k in attendance for loserville at Home coming

21K homecoming crowd in 2018......

we were 2-1 when we played memphis,  lost to tenn in the season opener

I forgot about that Tenn game......and I was one of those 108K there. So close......

Yes, we were like #13 for that game against Ragone, the official turning point in our programs history that day.....

Why not a sellout one should ask....

Definitely a turning point.  Cleveland wrote an article about that years ago.

Before that game, bower was 25-2 in the conference and 3 conference titles

after that game 38-20 in the conference with 1 title


Everyone has the right to be stupid... It's just that some people abuse the privilege.

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#32 2018-10-24 16:34:29 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Ace Barker (260)
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From: Bougherville SC
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 554
Website

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

What you hear leaving a USM game.

"How did Ole Miss do?"
"How did State do?"
"What was out attendance tonight?"

It is the same old stuff. Nobody is going to fix it "weather" "Oui" win all of the games or "loose" them.

I went to New Orleans and Biloxi for my birthday this year. No I did not go to the game.

Ace...

Last edited by Ace Barker (2018-10-24 16:35:23)

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#33 2018-10-24 17:13:10 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Black Diamond Reb (418)
Member
From: Palmers Crossing, Mississippi
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,302

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Ace Barker wrote:

What you hear leaving a USM game.

"When does baseball start."


"I don't think being in the 6th best conference is too bad."
"Look for Crickets Robertson to be one of the first 64 players chosen in the draft."
"Went to Starkville and came within one bad throw of taking the series."

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#34 2018-10-24 17:20:17 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)
Member
From: U.S. Department of Interior
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 5,767

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Black Diamond Reb wrote:
Ace Barker wrote:

What you hear leaving a USM game.

"When does baseball start."

Meet you behind O’Charleys in 30 minutes?


"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

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#35 2018-10-24 18:19:22 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

USMstang (303)
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From: 7 miles North of Cat Island
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,048

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Just look at the pics...the stadium holds 36K butts.  That means it should look a little better than half full.  It wasn't 1/3 full.  How hard is this?  If you take the few people from the upper decks and put them on the lower decks, it's still not half full.  Half full is 18K. WTF?


Still sleeping with a Dixie Darling!

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#36 2018-10-24 18:28:48 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

B&GBU (259)
Member
Registered: 2017-08-27
Posts: 676

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts


"Did you ever consider that the next level would be a lower one?"

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#37 2018-10-24 19:24:07 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)
Member
From: U.S. Department of Interior
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 5,767

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

USMstang wrote:

Just look at the pics...the stadium holds 36K butts.  That means it should look a little better than half full.  It wasn't 1/3 full.  How hard is this?  If you take the few people from the upper decks and put them on the lower decks, it's still not half full.  Half full is 18K. WTF?

Everyone knows you have between 7-9K at any given time doing the following MM Roberts fan experiences:

Waiting for John Cox to sign autographs during timeouts
Waiting to buy a delicious Chick Fil A sandwich on a buttered bun with two fresh pickles......
Watching the game on any of the high definition 4K television sets throughout each concourse including those spotless restrooms
Having their photo taken with the dancing Fedora Red Bull Girls
Kids Zone where children under 12 can cutout their own eye holes on the ELoss brown paper bags sponsored by Winn Dixie
Southern Miss Hall of Fame Interactive Exhibit where you can sit at Bowers exit presser and hear, “I want you to know there's a lot of fight left in Jeff Bower and I am not done yet”

2018-02-08_15-11-53_067949.jpg


"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

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#38 2018-10-25 18:42:38 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

USMstang (303)
Member
From: 7 miles North of Cat Island
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,048

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster wrote:
USMstang wrote:

Just look at the pics...the stadium holds 36K butts.  That means it should look a little better than half full.  It wasn't 1/3 full.  How hard is this?  If you take the few people from the upper decks and put them on the lower decks, it's still not half full.  Half full is 18K. WTF?

Everyone knows you have between 7-9K at any given time doing the following MM Roberts fan experiences:

Waiting for John Cox to sign autographs during timeouts
Waiting to buy a delicious Chick Fil A sandwich on a buttered bun with two fresh pickles......
Watching the game on any of the high definition 4K television sets throughout each concourse including those spotless restrooms
Having their photo taken with the dancing Fedora Red Bull Girls
Kids Zone where children under 12 can cutout their own eye holes on the ELoss brown paper bags sponsored by Winn Dixie
Southern Miss Hall of Fame Interactive Exhibit where you can sit at Bowers exit presser and hear, “I want you to know there's a lot of fight left in Jeff Bower and I am not done yet”

2018-02-08_15-11-53_067949.jpg

Asshole, it took me ten minutes to read your humorous comments due to the short girl in the middle!!  I'd lick her taint in public tongue

Last edited by USMstang (2018-10-25 18:44:34)


Still sleeping with a Dixie Darling!

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#39 2018-10-25 18:45:37 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)
Member
From: U.S. Department of Interior
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 5,767

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

Hey now......that’s someone’s daughter you are talking about.......


"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

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#40 2018-10-25 19:24:04 - Attendance woes: want your thoughts

EagleFWB (176)
Member
Registered: 2017-12-05
Posts: 427

Re: Attendance woes: want your thoughts

She's got a dirty asshole

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