It is my opinion that these schools across the P4 aren’t getting their fans into it, I think it’s because their alumni love to support their team . Our alumni do not . It’s the fans that make the experience not the school manufacturing experiences. That is why I asked what you suggested the school do. Maybe they begin soliciting different groups , associations, schools, churches, clubs and organizations around the metro area with discounted tickets or discounted food or beverage coupons. Drum up some merchandise sales with discount coupons . Maybe we host cooking competitions pre game and give out complimentary tickets to those who attend the competition.
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I sit above you in 230 and your level seemed more full than usual annd ans you mentioned their were a bunch of UTAH fans and I agree on the groups in 300. I think this is something the school has to nurture and continue to do since our alumni isn’t going to show up let’s get others in the stadium. The season ticket holders which I’ve met since TDECU opened and have friendships with aren’t UH alumni nor do they have kids attending UH yet both sets of them stay until the end of every game and have more season tickets than they use . Point being if we can’t get our own to come we need to find away to generate more fans like these
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Miami and UCLA both play in stadiums that are 20 miles away from their home campus, and Miami is a private school.
Again, Cincinnati and UCF – who have been our direct conference peers for the last three decades – have figured out a way to get crowds to come out when they’re bad. Cincinnati dragged up the rear in conference play in a major city last year and is still selling out this year. The excuse-making for our gameday atmosphere and our fanbase has gotta stop.
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Just win baby
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It’s simple.
You want people to show to games, then you have to provide a watchable product.
Houston only shows out when their teams are winning. That includes professional sports.
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I have been around a long time as well, we need to be patient. CWF is good hire and will do a great job!
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The thing that seemingly every other P4 school has figured out, and that we still struggle with, is that the “watchable product” doesn’t necessarily have to be good, winning Football. Your gameday experience can still be a show worth seeing even when the team is losing.
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Honestly, why should anybody be surprised? Even in UH’s glory years in the SWC, attendance was a problem, and this is when UH had a great coach, was winning the conference and going to bowl games. Weather was not not an issue for home games, because UH played in the Astrodome, and there were less entertainment options back then than there is now. When the novelty of being in the SWC wore off in the mid 1980s, attendance leveled off. If not for Texas and Texas A&M boosting UH’s home attendance, UH’s attendance would have been in the low 20,000s.
As much as we like to nitpick on the stadium issues, the marketing, the administration, as cause for UH’s attendance woes, it is on the fans to support the team. And the fans have proven time and again they will not support the team unless it is winning. And to give yourself a better chance to win, you must pay players.
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What was the stadium capacity for UT and A&M games during the SWC?
Was UH expected to sell out the 70K-seat Astrodome every week?
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The dome never held 70k it was 60k standing room after the 87 renovations.
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Cincy and UCF are peers in a way but they’re in smaller markets where the school can still have an influence. UH campus is basically out of mind and out of site for most people.
We do have a fanbase problem that I don’t know is solvable. If a lot of alums are indifferent then it’s a steep hill to climb.
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I agree about the feeling walking out. It didn’t feel like a win. To me it felt like I had just watch a game between two teams that I was neutral about. Like I had attended a game b/c a buddy had two tickets to a random college game but obviously that was not the case so it felt really strange.
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Does everyone like loud pop music played over the band at every break in the action?
I’ve been to other stadiums and most let the band play and you can talk to your neighbor.
I think it hurts the experience to blast music just for the sake of blasting music.
And an escalator to the 300 level would be a nice addition. Not sure we even have beer vendors anymore roaming Tha aisles.
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…and tailgating should be right next to the stadium. Can’t stand where they built the IPF.
You should not have to walk across to the other side of campus to find a tailgate party.
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You are right they should have built the IPF on the other side of campus so the 6 times a year we tailgate it will be more convenient, really the stadium garage is the real issue, but if you have been to a lot of other stadiums you would know tailgating next to the stadium is pretty rare. On a serious note I like how they have the Frats physically on Cullen, but I would love to see more tailgating on Cullen, maybe close half the street from the stadium to Elgin, create a tailgate alley.
And on the Blasting music point, I have been to UTSA, Baylor and Memphis in the last few years and what we do with music and volume is nothing compared to what they are doing, hell even the Astros, Rockets, and Texans blast music for the sake of blasting music.
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No, but this is happening everywhere.
When I went to the UH-Tech game last year, it was the same thing, and the people I know who hold season tickets at Tech say it is even louder this year with their new video boards, sound system and end zone structure to hold in the sound.
I can only assume that they have some kind of data around fan engagement, but it feels like college games are trying to emulate the NFL game experience, which is kind of stupid. If they’re trying to boost fan interest and engagement, they’re doing it wrong.
I don’t even care about the volume as much as the fact that they’re shutting down one of the cool things about college football. Let the band do its thing, too.
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Fine line between pleasing the alumni and pleasing the students.
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I’m not convinced that the students are more engaged by having their faces melted at every break as opposed to having the band go at it every once in a while. The band-student interaction at basketball games seems to work pretty well.
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We are our own worst enemy.
We make every excuse in the book to not show up.
Yet, we want to blame the administration 100% even when a majority of us have been through multiple ADs, presidents, chancellors, coaches etc.
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Then whose fault is it to not increase the fan base?
Students don’t owe anything to the university so it’s the university’s responsibility to foster caring of the student to become a contributing alumnus.