9100 Attendance

[a-zip]

We ended the 2014 season winning 4 out of the last 5 games to include a win over Can't State. Did that get anybody excited?

We opened up 2015 with a win over Howard (attendance 9,100)….I guess not.

We then went to play at Penn State in front of 97,000 people and put up a respectable fight losing 21-3. Did that get people excited? Nope, because we came home to play Marshall in front of 13,000 (made up of primarily Marshall fans).

We then went to Pitt and beat them in front of 40,000 fans……did that get people excited? Lets see, we played (and beat) Eastern Michigan at home in front of 8,400 people…..I guess not

____________________________________________

At this point we are 7-2 in the last 9 games with the losses coming to Penn State and Marshall.

____________________________________________

Time to come home………..what happens….. A win against Miami O in front of 8,200 people.

What is embarrassing is not the single sentence Dr. Scarborough made about not building "THAT" stadium it is the fact that we have the worst attendance and fans in all of college football no matter how nice of a stadium we have or what day the game is played.

[K92]

Attendance for Akron home games in 2014-

13,357 v Marshall. 9/20, Saturday

10,348 v BGSU. 11/04, Tuesday

9,104 v Howard. 8/28, Thursday

8,416 v EMU. 10/04, Saturday (Homecoming)

8,223 v Miami. 10/11, Saturday

5,571 v UMass. 11/18, Tuesday

9,998- Avg. Attendance Saturday

8,341- Avg. Attendance non-Saturday

9,170- Avg Attendance overall

Bottom line: Weeknight games are not the problem.

As for TV exposure's impact on recruiting, since weeknight MAC began ramping up in 2007 the teams that have played the most weeknight games are NIU, Ohio, and Toledo, they also happen to be the top 3 in winning percentage over that frame. Coincidence? Maybe. or maybe not.

The attendance numbers for BGSU are greatly exaggerated because of the tuition promotion held that night. Once the winners were selected, the students went home and you could hear the crickets.

Actual attendance for the UMass game was probably around 400. No joke. The 5571 number must account for all season ticket holders plus any tickets that the University bought because I am positive there were absolutely zero walk up sales that night.

The Howard game was a season opener on the Thursday leading up to Labor Day weekend. Not exactly the same as a late season shitty weather MACtion game and probably shouldn't be in this conversation.

I will grant you the fact that the 3 Saturday home games were poorly attended as well and I have no excuse for that. It is what it is. But if you think that a prospective non-diehard season ticket buyer looks at a home schedule with 6 Saturday games with the same interest as 3 Saturday games and 3 weeknight games there is no use even having this discussion. It's a no-brainer and if the U hadn't lured out the students with a giveaway, the numbers would have reflected it.

The poor numbers versus Marshall. EMU and Miami are a joke, no doubt about it. I can't make excuses for them. Evidently none of the 3 created much buzz for a walk up crowd.

[Dave in Green]

Huh, that's funny. He cowardly snuck out the back door of Buchtel Hall when concerned students/alumni/staff were protesting on his doorstep. He's approachable when it's convenient for him and his narrative.

Mobs of protesters don't gather together to have reasonable discussions. They're called protesters because they're there to protest. Robert's Rules of Order don't apply.

[K92]

Infocision has been open for 6 years of football. The numbers are as follows. Draw your own conclusions. (Interesting to look at, IMO)

9/12/2009 Morgan State 27,881
11/7/2009 Can't 20,802
10/2/2013 Can't 20,239
11/12/2011 Can't 19,889
10/5/2013 Ohio 19,775
9/7/2013 JMU 19,653
9/21/2013 Louisiana 18,809
9/19/2009 Indiana 18,340
10/10/2009 Ohio 16,381
10/26/2013 Ball State 16,119
10/8/2011 FIU 16,016
9/4/2010 Syracuse 15,969
9/10/2011 Temple 15,156
10/22/2011 Ohio 14,760
9/24/2011 VMI 14,257
10/29/2011 Central 14,327
9/20/2014 Marshall 13,357
8/30/2012 UCF 12,616 Thursday
11/29/2013 Toledo 12,506 Friday
10/2/2010 Northern 12,133
11/13/2009 Temple 10,927 Friday
11/4/2014 BG 10,348 Thursday
10/6/2012 BG 10,102
10/23/2010 Western 10,073
9/11/2010 GWU 10,046
9/15/2012 Morgan 9,933
11/27/2009 Eastern 9,962 Friday
8/28/2014 Howard 9,104 Thursday
10/4/2014 Eastern 8,416
10/11/2014 Miami 8,223
9/29/2012 Miami 8,211
11/10/2012 UMass 7,716
11/17/2010 Miami 7,671 Wednesday
10/20/2012 Northern 7,074
11/18/2014 UMass 5,571 Tuesday
11/26/2010 Buffalo 5,216 Friday

[Lee Adams]

You people are humorous if nothing else. We can rationalize and make excuses all we want. The problems with the fball program have been going on for literally decades. There has been and continues to be little community interest in the program. Look at the most recent successful years of 2003,2004 and 2005. Subtracting any tix bought by the University,what was the attendance for regular season games? And those were if I recall .500 or better seasons. Hell Scarbourgh likely didn't even know about UofA back then. He has no 'ax to grind'. He sees finances being wasted. University presidents are under pressure for doing a lot more important things than supporting an fball program that is sucking up resources.

The way DI is structured now Akron and MOST programs like it have no chance to be competitive even in their own conferences year in and year out. This is likely only the first volley.

I want to see the program play at a level where it can be competitive every year,not just once every decade.

[a-zip]

Infocision has been open for 6 years of football. The numbers are as follows. Draw your own conclusions. (Interesting to look at, IMO)

9/12/2009 Morgan State 27,881

11/7/2009 Can't 20,802

10/2/2013 Can't 20,239

11/12/2011 Can't 19,889

10/5/2013 Ohio 19,775

9/7/2013 JMU 19,653

9/21/2013 Louisiana 18,809

9/19/2009 Indiana 18,340

10/10/2009 Ohio 16,381

10/26/2013 Ball State 16,119

10/8/2011 FIU 16,016

9/4/2010 Syracuse 15,969

9/10/2011 Temple 15,156

10/22/2011 Ohio 14,760

9/24/2011 VMI 14,257

10/29/2011 Central 14,327

9/20/2014 Marshall 13,357

8/30/2012 UCF 12,616 Thursday

11/29/2013 Toledo 12,506 Friday

10/2/2010 Northern 12,133

11/13/2009 Temple 10,927 Friday

11/4/2014 BG 10,348 Thursday

10/6/2012 BG 10,102

10/23/2010 Western 10,073

9/11/2010 GWU 10,046

9/15/2012 Morgan 9,933

11/27/2009 Eastern 9,962 Friday

8/28/2014 Howard 9,104 Thursday

10/4/2014 Eastern 8,416

10/11/2014 Miami 8,223

9/29/2012 Miami 8,211

11/10/2012 UMass 7,716

11/17/2010 Miami 7,671 Wednesday

10/20/2012 Northern 7,074

11/18/2014 UMass 5,571 Tuesday

11/26/2010 Buffalo 5,216 Friday

Based on these numbers;

Average attendance - 13,266

11 games under 10,000 at a game

24 games under the NCAA 15,000

Last game played at Infocision 5,400 people

With those numbers (knowing there were not even that many people in the stadium) My conclusion………I would not have built THAT stadium.

[a-zip]

You people are humorous if nothing else. We can rationalize and make excuses all we want. The problems with the fball program have been going on for literally decades. There has been and continues to be little community interest in the program. Look at the most recent successful years of 2003,2004 and 2005. Subtracting any tix bought by the University,what was the attendance for regular season games? And those were if I recall .500 or better seasons. Hell Scarbourgh likely didn't even know about UofA back then. He has no 'ax to grind'. He sees finances being wasted. University presidents are under pressure for doing a lot more important things than supporting an fball program that is sucking up resources.

The way DI is structured now Akron and MOST programs like it have no chance to be competitive even in their own conferences year in and year out. This is likely only the first volley.

I want to see the program play at a level where it can be competitive every year,not just once every decade.

Thanks Lee… I ran out of my "likes" for the day.

[ZachTheZip]

Based on these numbers;

Average attendance - 13,266

11 games under 10,000 at a game

24 games under the NCAA 15,000

Last game played at Infocision 5,400 people

With those numbers (knowing there were not even that many people in the stadium) My conclusionI would not have built THAT stadium.

Based on the numbers: we average 14,580 fans on Saturdays, and 9,324 fans on weeknights. That's a massive difference. Does playing on Saturdays solve our problems? Hell no, but it is a significant contributor to good attendance.

What the president should have said is "I would not have signed that contract with ESPN".

[Captain Kangaroo]

Thanks Lee… I ran out of my "likes" for the day.

If only you ran out of posts...

[a-zip]

If only you ran out of posts...

Yea, sorry to sprinkle logic into the mix.

I have a new image for you Captain (and a new suggested name) - please tell me again how much you like TW…..please tell me again how he is the one who single handedly devastated Zip Athletics…….

Captain Obvious

[Lee Adams]

Like I said you people are humorous but maybe nothing else. Its, as I was going to say amazing how y'all tend to attack individuals, well y'all know. The new Prez finally made a decision that should have been made years ago. That was to look at the fball program for what it has been for decades. That was a black hole for student fees and athletic department resources with no return on the investment. Universities in Ohio are under pressure to make financial dollars go further than ever before. Whether we like it or not, university $$$$ at places like Akron are not going to go to sports programs that provide no return on investment. Student fees and other $$$$ that go to athletics will have to go to actual education. How much has the university paid over the past 20 years to buy tix to fball games to meet MINIMUM NCAA attendance requirements. We all know they have done it. So the Prez has a white elephant at Info. He has a fball program that is supported by student fees among other sources of income. I have actually spoken with current students who are pissed off because they have their student fees going to support sports programs while they are being charged outrageous tuition to attend classes. And, we all know that students do not attend games in any significant numbers. These are people in their early 20's who are going to school to get an education not to support,the baseball,soccer and football teams. The rich can do it. But this isn't the 70's or 80's anymore.

[Lee Adams]

Based on these numbers;

Average attendance - 13,266

11 games under 10,000 at a game

24 games under the NCAA 15,000

Last game played at Infocision 5,400 people

With those numbers (knowing there were not even that many people in the stadium) My conclusion………I would not have built THAT stadium.

I think we can all see what has happened OVERALL over the past at least 4-5 years. No interest. We can talk all we want about weekdays vs. weekends. The Prez has to get money out of the fball program NOW. Thats why the TV crap. Gotta feeling thats going to change.

[K92]

Word is that Dr. Scarborough is also considering scrapping our traditional fight song for this:

(Never gets old for me)

[zipsoutsider]

Like I said you people are humorous but maybe nothing else. Its, as I was going to say amazing how y'all tend to attack individuals, well y'all know. The new Prez finally made a decision that should have been made years ago. That was to look at the fball program for what it has been for decades. That was a black hole for student fees and athletic department resources with no return on the investment. Universities in Ohio are under pressure to make financial dollars go further than ever before. Whether we like it or not, university $$$$ at places like Akron are not going to go to sports programs that provide no return on investment. Student fees and other $$$$ that go to athletics will have to go to actual education. How much has the university paid over the past 20 years to buy tix to fball games to meet MINIMUM NCAA attendance requirements. We all know they have done it. So the Prez has a white elephant at Info. He has a fball program that is supported by student fees among other sources of income. I have actually spoken with current students who are pissed off because they have their student fees going to support sports programs while they are being charged outrageous tuition to attend classes. And, we all know that students do not attend games in any significant numbers. These are people in their early 20's who are going to school to get an education not to support,the baseball,soccer and football teams. The rich can do it. But this isn't the 70's or 80's anymore.

Blah, blah, blah. What a load of unsubstantiated crap. You will always find students and faculty at every school who, feel this way but it does not reflect the majority. UA was able to build, "that" stadium largely due to sponsors. The football team, along with other sports provide tremendous value not only to the university and student athletes, but to the community. Truthfully, I doubt anyone here wants to hear any more of your negative crap. Most of us are excited about the 2015 season, so move along.

[Balsy]

Like I said you people are humorous but maybe nothing else. Its, as I was going to say amazing how y'all tend to attack individuals, well y'all know. The new Prez finally made a decision that should have been made years ago. That was to look at the fball program for what it has been for decades. That was a black hole for student fees and athletic department resources with no return on the investment. Universities in Ohio are under pressure to make financial dollars go further than ever before. Whether we like it or not, university $$$$ at places like Akron are not going to go to sports programs that provide no return on investment. Student fees and other $$$$ that go to athletics will have to go to actual education. How much has the university paid over the past 20 years to buy tix to fball games to meet MINIMUM NCAA attendance requirements. We all know they have done it. So the Prez has a white elephant at Info. He has a fball program that is supported by student fees among other sources of income. I have actually spoken with current students who are pissed off because they have their student fees going to support sports programs while they are being charged outrageous tuition to attend classes. And, we all know that students do not attend games in any significant numbers. These are people in their early 20's who are going to school to get an education not to support,the baseball,soccer and football teams. The rich can do it. But this isn't the 70's or 80's anymore.

We're not people bashing, we're criticizing poor leadership. There is a difference.

Scarborough befell himself to hindsight bias. He can say all he wants about what he would have done, knowing what the football program has done since the stadium was built, but that's not being a leader. A leader looks at the CURRENT situtation and works with it, innovates with it, builds with it, makes it work. THAT is a leader. Scarborough is leading from behind by saying "I wouldn't have built THAT stadium". It's very poor leadership, because the stadium and football programs are current realities, that aren't going away.

[Balsy]

Blah, blah, blah. What a load of unsubstantiated crap. You will always find students and faculty at every school who, feel this way but it does not reflect the majority. UA was able to build, "that" stadium largely due to sponsors. The football team, along with other sports provide tremendous value not only to the university and student athletes, but to the community. Truthfully, I doubt anyone here wants to hear any more of your negative crap. Most of us are excited about the 2015 season, so move along.

Unfortunately I have to defend Lee Adams on his point about the students. Yes, you will always find students at every school who feel negatively towards athletics...but at Akron, trust me when I say this, it is not the minority. When students learn that $800 of their $5000 tuition goes to athletics, that does seem ridiculous. However, they rarely have it in context of what other schools are doing...YSU's is more than ours. Most students at UA while I was there, were there to get a degree, and worked several jobs at the same time. Now it might have changed since I graduated 2 years ago...(don't hold your breath).

This is why I think it's of the utmost importance to engage current students, student run groups, and work with them to find a way to get them involved. THAT's the innovative thinking we need. THAT's the leadership we need. We do not need a leader who's looking backwards, we need one who's looking forward.

[urbanpreppie05]

When students learn that $800 of their $5000 tuition goes to athletics, that does seem ridiculous.

Then why don't they say something about it? Protest? Petition? Ask questions! GAH! Student engagement is a problem many of us are seeing in colleges and universities around the country. I saw it as a problem as a student on the program board, I see it as a professional-and it's much worse than before. (that's another question for another day). People will piss and moan about how much they hate anything and everything and everyone on campus but aren't willing to speak up and out.

On another note- Scarborough really needs to stop making statements like this, and be a leader. Was Info built too big? Definitely. But you can't turn back time. Work with what you have. His attitude on how he's perceived things at UA worries me.

[a-zip]

We're not people bashing, we're criticizing poor leadership. There is a difference.

Scarborough befell himself to hindsight bias. He can say all he wants about what he would have done, knowing what the football program has done since the stadium was built, but that's not being a leader. A leader looks at the CURRENT situtation and works with it, innovates with it, builds with it, makes it work. THAT is a leader. Scarborough is leading from behind by saying "I wouldn't have built THAT stadium". It's very poor leadership, because the stadium and football programs are current realities, that aren't going away.

You all are taking a SINGLE statement "I would not have built THAT stadium" and characterizing Dr. Scarborough as someone who leads from behind. The fact is he is right about not building "that" stadium, by stating it doesn't mean he is not dealing with it (or leading).

The fact is he made the one substantial change everyone has been crying about for years in the athletic department - getting rid of TW.

The fact is he is taking the lead with rebranding, program changes, curriculum changes to try and deal with the changing times

Seems to me he IS someone who is taking his current situation and innovating and building something that will work. The previous administration built shiny new buildings/stadiums and racked up a ton of debt during brutal economic times.

[Captain Kangaroo]

On another note- Scarborough really needs to stop making statements like this, and be a leader. Was Info built too big? Definitely. But you can't turn back time. Work with what you have. His attitude on how he's perceived things at UA worries me.

I agree. He's got a 30k capacity stadium. A Bowden for a coach. The Stiles Center as a training facility. He needs to focus on filling the stadium to a capacity that generates a profit, not blaming the guys before him for being stuck with it. It's there...it's not going away...and if you are creative and industrious, the table is set to fill it to a respectable level.

Football can be a driving force for alumni interaction. Community interaction. And subsequently for getting some cash flow into the University. It is only an albatross if you are lazy, and make horrific decisions on the key attributes necessary to fill it.

At Akron, this has been botched year after year since Bill Muse moved the Zips to the 1-A level in the mid 80's with absolutely no infrastructure to support it...with the exception of hiring... Gerry Faust. The Zips have done one thing really well since moving to D1-A...and that is show everyone following them what NOT to do in order to be successful. You're welcome, Boise State and Marshall.

We've taken the accordion out of the bloated boll weevil's hands. Hopefully we put it in the hands of someone capable of playing some music.

If not, 7th verse will be the same as the first.

[zippy5]

Then why don't they say something about it? Protest? Petition? Ask questions! GAH! Student engagement is a problem many of us are seeing in colleges and universities around the country. I saw it as a problem as a student on the program board, I see it as a professional-and it's much worse than before. (that's another question for another day). People will piss and moan about how much they hate anything and everything and everyone on campus but aren't willing to speak up and out.

On another note- Scarborough really needs to stop making statements like this, and be a leader. Was Info built too big? Definitely. But you can't turn back time. Work with what you have. His attitude on how he's perceived things at UA worries me.

I don't think it could have been any smaller to be allowed as an FBS program

[K92]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I saw a number of people this weekend that I hadn't seen in some time. More than once I had to hear "what's going on with Akron football attendance?" Anybody else get asked about it?

[Captain Kangaroo]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I saw a number of people this weekend that I hadn't seen in some time. More than once I had to hear "what's going on with Akron football attendance?" Anybody else get asked about it?

No.

But that's why it would have been nice for Scarborough to own-up to UA's past mistakes that contributed to the attendance issues, and make the statement that there's a new sheriff in town, and that things were going to change.

Didn't happen.

[Dave in Green]

How would anyone who was not actually present at the ABJ interview with Dr. Scarborough know what questions were asked and what answers were given? All we know for sure is what the ABJ elected to publish. Do all of those who've dumped on the ABJ in the past for weak journalism trust that this one brief quote accurately represents Dr. Scarborough's thoughts on the subject?

[a-zip]

The football team, along with other sports provide tremendous value not only to the university and student athletes, but to the community.

All 5,400 of them

[Captain Kangaroo]

I really don't know which is better:

• The people that ignore what was reported/quoted in a newspaper column because what wasn't said in the column supports their opinion
• The people that use Akron's football attendance during the 2002-4 football seasons, when Lee Owens was going .500 at the Rubber Bowl, as some sort of proof that football at InfoCision cannot draw crowds
• The people that say Ianello was horrible, that Wistercill was horrible....then use the attendance during those years as proof that football at InfoCision can't draw crowds

Such a tough decision...