Spring Practice

[Zips1991]

8 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Apparently spring practice will be open to season ticket holders. 

 

Seems like a move to scramble and hold onto some goodwill. Probably a compromise between the coaches and the athletic department more broadly.

[kreed5120]

2 minutes ago, Zips1991 said:

Seems like a move to scramble and hold onto some goodwill. Probably a compromise between the coaches and the athletic department more broadly.

 

This is likely. If it helps sell a few more season tickets then so be it. As @clarkwgriswold said this event has been poorly attended in recent years anyway. I personally haven't attended since the surplus sale days. 90% of the people who go are probably season ticket holders anyway. The other 10% probably didn't care that much to attend anyway if a $75 season ticket is going to deter them from going.

[catdaddyp]

I understand most spring games are going by the wayside, but this whole thing has seemed like an absolute **** show. Kent State is doing it right and now this is supposed to be the answer? Just a few years ago they opened up the suites and had free food for everyone. How far things have fallen.
 

I’m incredibly disappointed as I can only get up there twice a year and the spring game is one of those times. This is exactly how not to resonate with your fanbase. 

[Reslife4Life]

1 minute ago, catdaddyp said:

I understand most spring games are going by the wayside, but this whole thing has seemed like an absolute **** show. Kent State is doing it right and now this is supposed to be the answer? Just a few years ago they opened up the suites and had free food for everyone. How far things have fallen.
 

I’m incredibly disappointed as I can only get up there twice a year and the spring game is one of those times. This is exactly how not to resonate with your fanbase. 

The free food in the club seats was fantastic a couple years ago. I am always last minute on buying season tickets for football, this isn't really speeding up my decision

[LZIp]

This could’ve been prevented if Zipsnation members were on the fan council.

[clarkwgriswold]

This screams of indecision and the type of second guessing that makes me question their overall judgment.

[exit322]

36 minutes ago, Zips1991 said:

Seems like a move to scramble and hold onto some goodwill. Probably a compromise between the coaches and the athletic department more broadly.

 

If the athletic department were remotely serious about expanding their market, they'd tell the coaches "here's what we're doing, deal with it."

 

But they're not.  And now they've heard loud and clear that people were displeased with this decision.  And did like a quarter measure to reply to it.

 

Still completely pantsed by Kent

[clarkwgriswold]

5 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

If the athletic department were remotely serious about expanding their market, they'd tell the coaches "here's what we're doing, deal with it."

 

But they're not.  And now they've heard loud and clear that people were displeased with this decision.  And did like a quarter measure to reply to it.

 

Still completely pantsed by Kent

Show me such a good time at your Spring game that I want to buy regular season tickets to duplicate the experience.

[WeRise225]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

Apparently spring practice will be open to season ticket holders. 

 

People buy football season tickets? 

[kreed5120]

4 minutes ago, WeRise225 said:

People buy football season tickets? 

 

There are dozens of us! Dozens!

 

[AkronAlumnus]

GOOD DEVELOPMENT!! I actually wanted to get a look at the QB - hopefully someone here can go and report back. 

[exit322]

20 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

Show me such a good time at your Spring game that I want to buy regular season tickets to duplicate the experience.

 

So you're saying that this was a terrible idea from Kent and Akron is right to not do anything to try and grow the fanbase:

 

Kent State Football on X: "𝗞𝗜𝗗𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗬 Thank you to everyone who came out this morning and spent your morning with us! ⚡️ https://t.co/n1d5BOLBZs" / X

[clarkwgriswold]

On 4/11/2026 at 2:20 PM, exit322 said:

 

So you're saying that this was a terrible idea from Kent and Akron is right to not do anything to try and grow the fanbase:

 

Kent State Football on X: "𝗞𝗜𝗗𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗬 Thank you to everyone who came out this morning and spent your morning with us! ⚡️ https://t.co/n1d5BOLBZs" / X

 

No, not at all.  I'm saying what I said, that the Spring game should be made such a good time that it will make you want to buy tickets to come back to see the team and duplicate the fun experience.  Looks like they accomplished that in Brimfield.

[GP1]

2 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

No, not at all.  I'm saying what I said, that the Spring game should be made such a good time that it will make you want to buy tickets to come back to see the team and duplicate the fun experience.  Looks like they accomplished that in Brimfield.

It looked almost completely empty.

 

Spring games are bad football. I don't see how exposing people to bad football will make them want to come back for more. 

[kreed5120]

30 minutes ago, GP1 said:

It looked almost completely empty.

 

Spring games are bad football. I don't see how exposing people to bad football will make them want to come back for more. 

 

I thought theirs looked pretty empty myself. Casuals don't attend spring practices, at least not at the MAC level. The ones who show up are mainly the ones who are regulars anyway.

[exit322]

15 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

No, not at all.  I'm saying what I said, that the Spring game should be made such a good time that it will make you want to buy tickets to come back to see the team and duplicate the fun experience.  Looks like they accomplished that in Brimfield.

 

Yep, we are 100% in agreement there.  Yeah, the game itself isn't exactly going to be the highlight of anything because it is effectively a practice.  Which means the other parts of the package actually have to do work to make it a fun experience.

 

And Akron has failed amazingly at that task.

[exit322]

12 hours ago, GP1 said:

It looked almost completely empty.

 

Spring games are bad football. I don't see how exposing people to bad football will make them want to come back for more. 

 

That's why Kent made it "kids day" and had activities for the kids with the football players being involved with the kids.

 

Yeah, it was bad football...but I bet they made a couple fans for life because they actually tried to.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Spring football is a big "nothing burger" for all but a handful of fans. I'm one of them.

 

Every fall a massive amount of players depart. Portal and HS replacement players don't arrive until the summer. In April there are barely enough guys on campus to fill a 2-deep. Many of the ones that play will be walk-on's and scout teamers...guys that will never see meaningful minutes in September.

 

Kent won the Spring Game Marketing Championship, and will likely sell 2 more season tickets because of it. Great job Golden Flashes.

 

FYI - "Kids Day in The Straight of Hormuz" drew only 6 fewer grammar-schoolers than Kent's Spring Game.

[exit322]

5 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Kent won the Spring Game Marketing Championship, and will likely sell 2 more season tickets because of it. Great job Golden Flashes.

 

FYI - "Kids Day in The Straight of Hormuz" drew only 6 fewer grammar-schoolers than Kent's Spring Game.

 

So you're saying making effort to involve the community are stupid.  Interesting concept, and completely in line with how Akron currently operates.

[Captain Kangaroo]

21 minutes ago, exit322 said:

So you're saying making effort to involve the community are stupid.  Interesting concept, and completely in line with how Akron currently operates.

I am saying - The Spring Game is a Nothing Burger, and UA is smart to spend their time on events that draw people and not flies.

 

It is a waste of time to promote a nothing-event that no one cares about, and shouldn't care about. Watching a bunch of walk-ons practice is a nothing-event.

[kreed5120]

17 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

So you're saying making effort to involve the community are stupid.  Interesting concept, and completely in line with how Akron currently operates.

 

You can achieve that without an open spring practice. A few years ago they had a concert featuring Soul Asylum and other festivities before a home game.

 

The focus should be on improving the gameday experience, not on a spring practice that maybe a few hundred attend. Most of which are already long-term season ticket holders like @Captain Kangaroo.