Butts in the seats...

BilldGopher

Section 211
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Lot of missing butts tonight except for the STUDENTS.

THEY WERE ELITE ATTENDANCE-WISE. Thank you.

We know a full stadium can happen on the Thursday night before Labor Day...with both the Twins and Vikings playing...cue TCU two years ago.

Does who we're playing really matter that much? Doesn't the curiosity factor (new coaching regime) count for something? Doesn't PERFECT weather matter?

Very disappointing on this front. It does however give Coach Fleck some perspective. He may not be completely starting from scratch with the team but certainly there's room to improve with the fanbase.

He knows who the diehards are. They were there tonight. Did not look like 40,000 from Section 211.

On to Corvallis...
 

I thought it was disappointing crowd size



I was also told sit down when I stood and cheered during third down early in game when Buffalo offense was on field. I got season tickets, I'll be standing for third down stops all year, they better get used to it
 


Lots of no shows in even the prime sections.

Gophers need to institute a system where season ticket holders can resell their tickets through the gopher sports site if they're not going to be there. The Wild have a great system for that.
 

TCU game proved it can happen. This game last night had little in common with the TCU game in terms of anticipation and buzz. Yes, Fleck is of some interest. But I look at that TCU game in a similar way as I saw the 2003 Michigan game. This town continues to wait for a real contender in terms of Gopher football but the interest will remain fickle and fleeting until something really big is achieved. Kill got momentum going, the town loved him, it was seen as a big achievement to get the New Year's Day bowl game, and there was actually some buzz for the 2015 season. Add to that a top five opponent and household name for the first game and TCF Bank Stadium was going to be filled that night regardless of what else was going on in town. If the Gophers could string along some wins in the first half of this season, the stadium will again be filled. But, even a single loss will lead to the air going out and back to small crowds right away, again. Just like 2003. Just like 2015.
 


The lack of crowd size really stuck out to me on tv. I predicted that there would be less than 35,000 fans at this game. It seems like the actual number was pretty close to that. I read somewhere else that the announced crowd was 43,000. I don't believe that, unless 5,000 of them were in the bathroom all game long.

I love the look and feel of TCF stadium. All the brick and maroon inside the stadium gives it an old school feel. However, gopher fans are really apathetic. If you show excitement you are looked at by other fans as though, "What are you doing? Quiet down." That has been my experience. I have been to more non-gopher college fb games than gopher games at Mpls. and I will say that I love TCF stadium by far and away over any other stadium I have been too, but our fan base is pathetic. Our fan base, IMO, really takes away a lot of the fun at a game. I am strictly talking about non-students.
 

Our fan base, IMO, really takes away a lot of the fun at a game. I am strictly talking about non-students.

IMO, when we pack the stadium we can start critiquing the fans that do show up. Until then I'll take a corpse in a chair over an empty chair and wishing the corpses away isn't going to help the atmosphere. Section 103 was cheering all night, standing up on 3rd downs etc... but it was basically an island of 20 of us with few in front and few behind. I'd rather have some old man yelling at me to get off his lawn than have nothing.
 

IMO, when we pack the stadium we can start critiquing the fans that do show up. Until then I'll take a corpse in a chair over an empty chair and wishing the corpses away isn't going to help the atmosphere. Section 103 was cheering all night, standing up on 3rd downs etc... but it was basically an island of 20 of us with few in front and few behind. I'd rather have some old man yelling at me to get off his lawn than have nothing.

Damn right. Though we've never had people telling others to sit. Take that back, one lady did in the first season. She stopped before the season ended.

Oh and people should feel free to buy as many of those empty seats as they can to fill them up.
 

IMO, when we pack the stadium we can start critiquing the fans that do show up. Until then I'll take a corpse in a chair over an empty chair and wishing the corpses away isn't going to help the atmosphere. Section 103 was cheering all night, standing up on 3rd downs etc... but it was basically an island of 20 of us with few in front and few behind. I'd rather have some old man yelling at me to get off his lawn than have nothing.

I get that. But these cranky, apathetic fans can really ruin another fan's experience and prevent the fun fan from wanting to go back and put up with the cranky fans.
 



I get that. But these cranky, apathetic fans can really ruin another fan's experience and prevent the fun fan from wanting to go back and put up with the cranky fans.
If those cranky, apathetic fans are alumni and boosters, then they have thick emotional scars, calluses if you will, from following a program that has continually let them down. The manic behaviors of new fans recall how they felt initially and reminds them of how deep the hurts are.

This isn't an orchestra concert or a ballet, it is a football game. We don't need to sit on our hands, but we need to respect those who came before us. We need to remember they sat through horrible debacles, yet they are still there. The passion they had, and still have, needs to be energized without reminding them of pain.

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Two miles away was an announced sellout, but there might've been even fewer fans there.
 

I get that. But these cranky, apathetic fans can really ruin another fan's experience and prevent the fun fan from wanting to go back and put up with the cranky fans.

I don't recall any of those fans at the TCU game or the Michigan game.... they must not have gone to those games, or maybe the game(s) makes a difference.
 

Two miles away was an announced sellout, but there might've been even fewer fans there.

Wasnt there a vikings and twins game at the same time? and something else ( st. paul saints? )that would account for a dilution of fans attending, even with a market the size of the twin cities.
 



I don't recall any of those fans at the TCU game or the Michigan game.... they must not have gone to those games, or maybe the game(s) makes a difference.

It probably does, but that shouldn't make a difference.

Hey, gopher fans are what they are. I get it. I have been following this program for a long time and it has ripped my heart out countless times.

I am not jaded about my gophers, but I will say I am a lot more reserved in my enthusiasm and expectations at the beginning of each season now than I used to be. Too many times I have heard the hype that this is our year, only to fall back to Earth rather quickly.

Go Gophers!!
 

Wasnt there a vikings and twins game at the same time? and something else ( st. paul saints? )that would account for a dilution of fans attending, even with a market the size of the twin cities.

Twins game was at noon. It was Gophers, Vikings, Saints, plus high school football starting across the state which probably took away a bunch of outstaters. And the state fair too.
 

It probably does, but that shouldn't make a difference.

Hey, gopher fans are what they are. I get it. I have been following this program for a long time and it has ripped my heart out countless times.

I am not jaded about my gophers, but I will say I am a lot more reserved in my enthusiasm and expectations at the beginning of each season now than I used to be. Too many have I heard the hype that this is our year, only to fall back to Earth rather quickly.

Go Gophers!!

Why shouldn't it make a difference?

I recall commentators noting how Michigan Stadium was quiet at times when we won there.... and they weren't generally bad at football for 60 years...
 

Why shouldn't it make a difference?

I recall commentators noting how Michigan Stadium was quiet at times when we won there.... and they weren't generally bad at football for 60 years...

I would expect Michigan stadium to be quiet if we win there. They are likely stunned beyond belief that they lost to the gophers.

I am talking more about the apathy of gopher fans.
 

Nebraska and Wisconsin fans must not have bought as many season tickets

Lot of missing butts tonight except for the STUDENTS.

THEY WERE ELITE ATTENDANCE-WISE. Thank you.

We know a full stadium can happen on the Thursday night before Labor Day...with both the Twins and Vikings playing...cue TCU two years ago.

Does who we're playing really matter that much? Doesn't the curiosity factor (new coaching regime) count for something? Doesn't PERFECT weather matter?

Very disappointing on this front. It does however give Coach Fleck some perspective. He may not be completely starting from scratch with the team but certainly there's room to improve with the fanbase.

He knows who the diehards are. They were there tonight. Did not look like 40,000 from Section 211.

On to Corvallis...
State Fair must have had a lot of folks cause it was a pisser getting on to 280 from 94 last night.
Don't give the students to much credit there were 5,000 free tickets and half of those bailed at half time.
The U will never admit it but the scholarship seating tax has chased away 10,000 to 13,000 season ticket holders. Even some of us diehards that had 1 to extra seats had to cut back or drop out because of the cost. If they were always planning on adding the donations charge they should have been up front on it and did it from the beginng.
I had three tickets I could not give away last night for free. That tells you how low priority this game was. Gopher football isn't the event we hoped for.
 

Look, I had Student season tickets for football from 1981-1984. My first season was the last seson in Memorial Stadium, then we were forced in to the Metro dump where somebody in power decided it would be a good idea to put the students and the marching band in the upper deck, and shut down the cheering of fans along with the antics of the Marching Band. I sat through the some of the most lopsided losses in Gopher football history. It jades you.

I give props to alums who still go regularly and still have season tickets. Economics prevents me from following their lead.

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I would expect Michigan stadium to be quiet if we win there. They are likely stunned beyond belief that they lost to the gophers.

I am talking more about the apathy of gopher fans.

I feel like this expectation about apathy (I think the description is changing dramatically...) is like the expectation I hear in here about how we just get better each year ... just because.

I've no idea where folks get those expectations, nor if they really are paying attention to other teams and fans and football.

It's like the argument is things should be different just because people want them to be, and still complain despite the obvious that they have been better when variables are different.
 

The U will never admit it but the scholarship seating tax has chased away 10,000 to 13,000 season ticket holders. Even some of us diehards that had 1 to extra seats had to cut back or drop out because of the cost. If they were always planning on adding the donations charge they should have been up front on it and did it from the beginng.

Why do they need to "admit" anything? Coyle wasn't the one who authorized it. The guy who did isn't here.
 

State Fair must have had a lot of folks cause it was a pisser getting on to 280 from 94 last night.
Don't give the students to much credit there were 5,000 free tickets and half of those bailed at half time.
The U will never admit it but the scholarship seating tax has chased away 10,000 to 13,000 season ticket holders. Even some of us diehards that had 1 to extra seats had to cut back or drop out because of the cost. If they were always planning on adding the donations charge they should have been up front on it and did it from the beginng.
I had three tickets I could not give away last night for free. That tells you how low priority this game was. Gopher football isn't the event we hoped for.

You're delusional. Most the students didn't leave until after the drawing.
 

Lot of missing butts tonight except for the STUDENTS.

THEY WERE ELITE ATTENDANCE-WISE. Thank you.

We know a full stadium can happen on the Thursday night before Labor Day...with both the Twins and Vikings playing...cue TCU two years ago.

Does who we're playing really matter that much? Doesn't the curiosity factor (new coaching regime) count for something? Doesn't PERFECT weather matter?

Very disappointing on this front. It does however give Coach Fleck some perspective. He may not be completely starting from scratch with the team but certainly there's room to improve with the fanbase.

He knows who the diehards are. They were there tonight. Did not look like 40,000 from Section 211.

On to Corvallis...

I have been to every home game. There has never been a sell-out. They may announce there is a sell-out but there has always been empty seats. This is not going to change. This is happening in all sports and at every level. People would much rather stay home and watch TV. There are a lot of people at the game looking at their phone and not evening watching the game. This is the new reality and it is happening at places where this has never been a problem before.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Thanks for perspective all. Just venting.

Been to all home games except two...sick for one and wedding for second. The stadium has been full for the marquee match-ups which is great to experience.

Love the Gophers and TCF. Guess that's where my priorities are. Good at least for two butts a game.
 

Just using empty seats as the metric for gauging attendance is flawed. The stadium has lots of great places to stand and watch the game.

My group never made it to our seats in Sec 238 on Thursday. We spent the first part of the game on the plaza getting some food and beer, while watching the game from there. Then we moved to the concourse at about midfield. We liked the view from there, so we stayed.

I've seen this many people on the concourse, particularly during very hot or cold days. So butts in seats can be a bit deceptive. That being said, physical attendance on Thursday was pretty light.


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Concur on the concourses. There are some very nice sightlines in TCF from that level.

Taking that and no-shows into consideration, the flaw in the visuals for TCF is the maroon seats with the gold seats for MINNESOTA.

The empty gold seats really stand out in a "low attendance" game...making it look even less populated.
 

Concur on the concourses. There are some very nice sightlines in TCF from that level.

Taking that and no-shows into consideration, the flaw in the visuals for TCF is the maroon seats with the gold seats for MINNESOTA.

The empty gold seats really stand out in a "low attendance" game...making it look even less populated.

Yep to all of that. Took awhile for that "MINNESOTA" to be obscured, but it never disappeared.
 

Idea...Everyone in the upper deck wears maroon EXCEPT for the folks in the gold seats...who of course would wear gold.

That might actually work, especially on TV.
 


Idea...Everyone in the upper deck wears maroon EXCEPT for the folks in the gold seats...who of course would wear gold.

That might actually work, especially on TV.

This fan base is like 0 for 20 on pulling off a simple "gold-out". Zero chance we are coordinated enough to pull this off - although it would be cool.


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