Halftime Retention

[CajunPride]

Excuses are like noses, everybody has one. I have talked to many fans that came, some that did not, and some left after half. One of the most original excuses from a big fan caught me off guard. With opening weekend for football and marquis games on at the same time, this fan was able to set up multiple tvs at home to watch 3 games live at same time and our game on espn 3.
The solution to that problem is tough.

[Hark Mudspeth]

Excuses are like noses, everybody has one. I have talked to many fans that came, some that did not, and some left after half. One of the most original excuses from a big fan caught me off guard. With opening weekend for football and marquis games on at the same time, this fan was able to set up multiple tvs at home to watch 3 games live at same time and our game on espn 3.
The solution to that problem is tough.

I think this is the biggest problem across all sporting events drop in attendance everywhere, the cost to attend constantly going up and the availability of almost every game in front of a 65" HDTV sitting in a climate controlled room in a recliner.

[cajunfan79]

I think this is the biggest problem across all sporting events drop in attendance everywhere, the cost to attend constantly going up and the availability of almost every game in front of a 65" HDTV sitting in a climate controlled room in a recliner.

And this supports the opponent argument, why go watch average competition for $150-200 for a family when you can watch at home.

[Hark Mudspeth]

And this supports the opponent argument, why go watch average competition for $150-200 for a family when you can watch at home.

It isn't just us with attendance issues, the big time programs and pro sports are seeing it also. Why go for $200 at all when you can watch from home and get all the replays, see everything up close...hit pause and go to the bathroom, get another drink or eat and not miss any of your game.

[Duckster]

Any fanbase wants to see continuous progress. The football program made immediate progress under Coach Hud, fun days, thought we turned the corner for good. That was naive. Then we plateaued, even in a weakened conference, although it took awhile for someone like me to realize it. Then before we knew it the program was losing again. Getting blown out by LaTic at home in 2014 represented the end of continuous progress under Coach Hud's program. Due to our weak conference and with the generous assumption the program's plateaued, I optimistically predicted 7 wins this year, a middle of the pack SBC team. That's not good enough for a Cajun fan base with higher conference aspirations knowing football is the key opening doors. I believe when we start winning big year over year, our attendance ceiling is greater than 30,000.

[Just1More]

It isn't just us with attendance issues, the big time programs and pro sports are seeing it also. Why go for $200 at all when you can watch from home and get all the replays, see everything up close...hit pause and go to the bathroom, get another drink or eat and not miss any of your game.

This is true... but it was never part of the local culture to stay away from social gathering opportunities. I always felt we would benefit the greatest... and the longest... due to that culture.

Even with that culture under challenge, I still see our future gatherings being substantially driven by the way the football operation performs. But it isn't proportional to wins/losses (ie it is not a sliding scale ratio of attendance to wins). There's a barrier of implied greatness that has to be overcome. The wider gatherings of our friends and neighbors will not show up and stay until they "feel" that something "special" is happening. And no form of insult will attract them or keep them. I don't make those rules. But I understand them.

[ManAboutTown]

It isn't just us with attendance issues, the big time programs and pro sports are seeing it also. Why go for $200 at all when you can watch from home and get all the replays, see everything up close...hit pause and go to the bathroom, get another drink or eat and not miss any of your game.

I think it's a combination of convenience and programs pricing out the "average fan". Season ticket prices for P5 schools rival professional sports franchises. UL has to be careful when balancing the two. There is a tipping point. Product has to match the value.

[Hark Mudspeth]

I think it's a combination of convenience and programs pricing out the "average fan". Season ticket prices for P5 schools rival professional sports franchises. UL has to be careful when balancing the two. There is a tipping point. Product has to match the value.

I agree, hopefully Maggard understands we need a lot more people paying rather than the current people paying a lot more. Unfortunately that concept is lost on most people today and not just in sports.

[LaGrid]

When I was in school the students stood at the 50 yard line. I wouldn't stay either where they sit now.

[cajunhawk]

When I was in school the students stood at the 50 yard line. I wouldn't stay either where they sit now.

Back in my day the students were chained to each other and forced to watch football for 3 hours...AND WE LIKED IT THAT WAY!!!

[Esqueleto]

When I was in school the students stood at the 50 yard line. I wouldn't stay either where they sit now.

They can STILL go stand at the 50. Nobody else is there.

[Oiler]

Doc, it's simple. They can shoot fireworks and have gourmet nachos, ...

Until we start playing and BEATING upper tier CFB teams, there will always be an attendance problem. Real fans of the game don't care about the ancillary crap at games. We want to see good football and we want to see wins. We want to be relevant, and compete with the best. That's the real draw; that's what made major college football so appealing. Not nachos and fireworks.

Our September home games need to start at 7:00 or maybe even 8:00. It's too hot at 6:00 in Lafayette during the month of September.