Blue & Gold Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 (edited) Someone was filing a complaint about the pregame food offerings in the Tommy Evans Lounge. Well look how underwhelming this spread is in a Boston Garden loge. 🤣😭😭 Edited January 16 by Blue & Gold 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akron1 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Athletics has to get creative and provide some fun entertainment for the the non-season ticket holders to have some engagement with the program. Get fans in the door and find a way to get them to come back. Men's Basketball is a winning program that needs some hustle from Athletics. I would love to know how many businesses, churches, community nights and youth teams they contact to attend games. This is a special team that deserves some support. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Do this, but for Freeman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 3 hours ago, Akron1 said: Athletics has to get creative and provide some fun entertainment for the the non-season ticket holders to have some engagement with the program. Get fans in the door and find a way to get them to come back. Men's Basketball is a winning program that needs some hustle from Athletics. I would love to know how many businesses, churches, community nights and youth teams they contact to attend games. This is a special team that deserves some support. One of the best ways to grow a fan base is to connect kids to it at a young age. I'd love to see free admission for kids with paid admission from an adult. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdt1420 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 10000% this ^ Even do it for the lower seats - maybe one kid ticket under 16 per paying adult? You would only lose a little money, and the bottom would be filled with enthusiastic fans. And kids sitting that close to the action and these larger than life athletes would be hooked for life. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 16 Author Report Share Posted January 16 I wonder what deals they have for youth teams. A league or team should be able to call and get in really cheap. I've also enjoyed watching the youth teams on the floor at halftime over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 1 hour ago, pdt1420 said: 10000% this ^ Even do it for the lower seats - maybe one kid ticket under 16 per paying adult? You would only lose a little money, and the bottom would be filled with enthusiastic fans. And kids sitting that close to the action and these larger than life athletes would be hooked for life. I took my son when they sold the student section as GA over break. The team coming over and giving them high fives after the win was so incredibly cool to him. He's a fan for life. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 41 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said: I wonder what deals they have for youth teams. A league or team should be able to call and get in really cheap. I've also enjoyed watching the youth teams on the floor at halftime over the years. Group rates are: Upper Reserved: $15 non-conference, $20 MAC games Upper GA: $8 non-conference, $10 MAC games Groups get to pick between a spirit tunnel, halftime performance, halftime scrimmage, or a post-game photo on the court. They also get recognized on the jumbotron. (My son's team looked into it this year) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said: I wonder what deals they have for youth teams. A league or team should be able to call and get in really cheap. I've also enjoyed watching the youth teams on the floor at halftime over the years. There used to be tons of youth teams throughout the season in past years. I wonder if people forgot about Zips game after COVID shut them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westie Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 2,061 at the game tonight. Nice to have the kids back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 How the hell is Enrique Freeman not plastered all over the city of Akron as a marketing plan? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZippyRulz Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said: How the hell is Enrique Freeman not plastered all over the city of Akron as a marketing plan? they should be promoting him for the basketball equivalent of the Heisman award 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 10 hours ago, ZippyRulz said: they should be promoting him for the basketball equivalent of the Heisman award The Wooden Award. Frye for Heisman 2004 Freeman for Wooden 2024 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 12 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said: How the hell is Enrique Freeman not plastered all over the city of Akron as a marketing plan? A promotional night would be so easy. Do a trading card, a t-shirt, a poster...SOMETHING. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 The halftime GOAT 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 (edited) 19 hours ago, Zippy87 said: The halftime GOAT That's rough for DeBoer, having to share a halftime stage at Alabama with Red Panda. You're following Nick Saban and already losing tons of talent to the Transfer Portal. Meanwhile, the other person on stage with you is flipping bowls onto her head and can do no wrong. Edited January 18 by Let'sGoZips94 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Good for Chuck. Someone finally said it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrelegazna Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 My thoughts on this stuff: 1) If you live in Summit County, there's a fair chance that public transportation is an option to you to get to games and not have to pay parking. Don't be afraid of the bus. 2) Someone made this point earlier, but there's a tendency for people to think that attendance would improve if they addressed whatever their personal bugaboos are with respect to going to games, but people don't necessarily think like you (the royal you), so stuff that bothers you may not bother a lot of other people, and stuff you're not bothered by might be a problem for others. In the macro, that means catering to/trying to pull in casual fans probably makes more sense financially than appeasing the diehards when those two groups are at odds. In the micro, I'm looking at start times. People are complaining about the 9PM starts, (that's only 3 of 14 home games, although I realize more could be added), and obviously that's being done for TV purposes. Are you sure it's better to tell CBS Sports Network/ESPNU/ESPN2(!) "no" to a 9PM start time, and forsake that TV money, and maybe get some more butts in the seats at the JAR, then it is to foresake those butts and get on TV? This is still a capitalist society and however we improve attendance is gonna take money. As lowly as you may think of UA marketing or athletics financial offices, I doubt they haven't bothered to look at the $ difference between 7PM ESPN+ start times vs 9PM CBSSN/ESPNU/ESPN2 start times. P.S. I doubt a meaningful number of viewers are looking at empty seats on 9PM Friday or for Tuesday night football games and saying OH MY WORD HOW DISGRACEFUL I SHAN'T EVER ENTERTAIN THE NOTION OF WATCHING A GAME WITH THESE AKRON FELLOWS AGAIN AND MY SPORTING OFFSPRING FORSWEAR TO ATTEND THEIR INSTITUTION. P.P.S. I include ESPN2 in this because if you haven't heard, our home game against Toledo is indeed on the Duece on Friday, February 2nd. I am happy about this! 3) As far as societal changes with respect to going to games, I think Covid really messed that up - I must admit I am way less active and going out-y than I was pre-Covid - and I am not alone. That's the only aspect of our attendance issues that really don't have much of an guess on how to resolve. That said... 4) I think both camps are correct in this "promotional gimmicks!" vs. "promote the hell out of the great product on the floor!" debate. These are only anecdotes, and anecdotes are not data. But while I don't live in Ohio anymore, growing up in Akron, I went to a Zips football game that featured the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders performing at halftime (since they were able to be there during football season makes me think this must have been a season opener and probably and Acme-Zip game, speaking of promotions.) I was probably 8 or 9. In front of us in the stands was an older couple, and the woman was wearing a Dallas Cowboys....bandanna? I'm not sure what to call it. Older women wore them all the time on their heads in the 80s or earlier. Anyway, shortly after the third quarter started, they left. 8-year-old me was SO confused about this for about 5 minutes, before it dawned on me....they were only here to watch the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. So, it's like how someone mentioned upthread about people buying tickets just to giveaways and not staying for the game. Do I wish they would stay and become Zip fans and regulars? Of course. But this is better than not coming at all, right? We get their money, we get to count them as paid attendance, and these are beneficial things, no? Fast-forward about 15 years. I drag my sister (pretty much hates sports) and brother-in-law (only cares about the Browns) to a Zips basketball game. Jimmal Ball era. They had a GREAT time and LOVED it. That's the thing about basketball, IMO, that hasn't been mentioned in this thread. If you have good seats, which are plentiful in the JAR, it is thrilling. No other sport can compare (again, my 2 cents here). We weren't even particularly good around this time! We didn't even win the game I took them to (it was a close loss against Miami IIRC)! Now, full disclosure, this did not in fact make them lifelong Zip fans and the only other games they went to were because I went with them and paid for their tickets. But if I can show these non-Zips, non-sports fans a great time simply by taking them to a game with good seats, imagine what is possible with people (students or otherwise) who already care a little bit? I've also been told in this forum we used to indeed fill the JAR for pitched games vs. Cleveland State in the late 80s. Mouse McFadden vs. Eric McLaughlin. If true, how do we recapture that lightning in a bottle? Should we start trying to schedule CSU/YSU yearly (perhaps even for home-and-homes) and promote the hell out of these now-dormant rivalries? Probably not the worst idea. I also think we should partner as strongly as possible with the city of Akron to try to get the whole city aware of, and hopefully then excited about, the Zips. Living in Texas now, the mucky-mucks at Baylor often point out that there's no real connection to the city it's in (Waco). It's like Baylor is its own city, Waco is its own, and the two don't care about the other. If that's at all the case in Akron, it needs worked on ASAP. I personally don't see much value in trying to get people from the surrounding counties, especially those with their own D1 schools or pro teams, to come support the Zips. But this Akron's team, dammit. Summit County's, too. I grew up in Akron. North Hill. I hate the way people make fun of Akron. I am up to my eyeballs in Akron pride. Zips basketball could and should be a gift to the city. The city and the university need to figure out a way to make that happen. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 19 Author Report Share Posted January 19 2 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said: It was actually 800 pennies, 20 nickels and 10 dimes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 1 hour ago, mrelegazna said: My thoughts on this stuff: ... I've also been toBut this Akron's team, dammit. Summit County's, too. I grew up in Akron. North Hill. I hate the way people make fun of Akron. I am up to my eyeballs in Akron pride. Zips basketball could and should be a gift to the city. The city and the university need to figure out a way to make that happen. Outstanding post, brother. Thank you! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reslife4Life Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 On 1/19/2024 at 3:17 PM, mrelegazna said: I hate the way people make fun of Akron. I am up to my eyeballs in Akron pride. Zips basketball could and should be a gift to the city. The city and the university need to figure out a way to make that happen. Great thoughts, people that I work with and aren’t from here say “There is nothing to do in Akron”. Well we’ve got a pretty great thing right in the middle of the city, we need to take pride in it and embrace it 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 23 Report Share Posted January 23 FWIW, I went to the Zips official site today and tickets were listed as $15 for GA. On the Zips app, they're only $10 after fees. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 23 Author Report Share Posted January 23 14 minutes ago, Zippy87 said: FWIW, I went to the Zips official site today and tickets were listed as $15 for GA. On the Zips app, they're only $10 after fees. They also offered some of us unwashed an opportunity to move down into the lower bowl tonight with the privileged folks. I turned it down when they said I couldn't sit behind NWAkron with my vuvuzela. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 23 Report Share Posted January 23 1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said: They also offered some of us unwashed an opportunity to move down into the lower bowl tonight with the privileged folks. I turned it down when they said I couldn't sit behind NWAkron with my vuvuzela. Missed opportunity to torment him with a can of air, simulating the pressure sound that comes before a tshirt cannon fires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.