ULM attendance

[fanof71]

Note to self: don’t go to festivale Internationale next spring because the economy is down and I can’t afford it.

Also note to LCG: stop with the $75,000 contribution you make the festivale; You’re throwing good money after bad because the economy is down and nobody will go.

Nice...love this post

[JMV JustMyView]

I thought distractions would be too much, and I was nearly right. Glad I wasn't.

Should I sugar coat the sad truth that this region (you're welcome T-bine) doesn't give a rat's ass about supporting our local university's football team?

I said from the beginning that you were mostly right about the region not caring. But you said folks are going to restaurants etc now. Were they not going when Hud was here? I can assure you the restaurant business isn't what it was like during Huds years. The economy once again is part of the reason.

[CajunRebel]

Now that I’ve had a night to reflect on it, I’m a little less disappointed than I was yesterday.

I really think this is part of a larger trend taking place with CFB attendance. With ESPN+ I end up watching a lot of non-marquee matchups and attendance is drastically down everywhere. You won’t notice it if you’re watching primetime SEC games because those games are top matchups against the biggest programs. Of course they are packed. But even at P5 schools the stands are empty. For example, LSU announced 90,000 last weekend against ULM, and I don’t doubt that they sold that many tickets, but there probably weren’t more than 40,000 butts in seats. Earlier in the season Kansas hosted Oklahoma who was the #2 team in the country at the time and there were so few people there (maybe 20k) that they announced on the radio that anyone could just walk in for free. UAB sold out their first game in their brand new stadium, but had maybe 10,000 at their second game.

As far as the Sun Belt is concerned, besides App State, nobody is drawing any better than we are. Same thing goes for C-USA, and some of the MAC games have literally only had a few hundred people there.

Attendance simply hasn’t been a focus of the athletic department or Coach Napier. One thing I’ve learned over the past few years is that our marketing team almost
exclusively markets to recruits, not fans. I can’t argue with the results on the field, but it comes at the expense of a disconnect from the community.

Coach Hud knew how to get the community to care. He convinced people that UL football was important, that being a fan and showing up to games was meaningful and rewarding, and that supporting UL would pay big dividends for the community. As great as Coach Napier is at being a football coach, I don’t think he ever really tried to get that same message across.

I mention this because it means we have an opportunity to do better. I just think we need to put more of a focus on it as an athletic department. We need to develop a marketing plan, and then dedicate resources to executing it.

[Esqueleto]

I said from the beginning that you were mostly right about the region not caring. But you said folks are going to restaurants etc now. Were they not going when Hud was here? I can assure you the restaurant business isn't what it was like during Huds years. The economy once again is part of the reason.

Ok. Agree to disagree. Cheers. See you at Cajun Field next Saturday!

[fanof71]

Now that I’ve had a night to reflect on it, I’m a little less disappointed than I was yesterday.

I really think this is part of a larger trend taking place with CFB attendance. With ESPN+ I end up watching a lot of non-marquee matchups and attendance is drastically down everywhere. You won’t notice it if you’re watching primetime SEC games because those games are top matchups against the biggest programs. Of course they are packed. But even at P5 schools the stands are empty. For example, LSU announced 90,000 last weekend against ULM, and I don’t doubt that they sold that many tickets, but there probably weren’t more than 40,000 butts in seats. Earlier in the season Kansas hosted Oklahoma who was the #2 team in the country at the time and there were so few people there (maybe 20k) that they announced on the radio that anyone could just walk in for free. UAB sold out their first game in their brand new stadium, but had maybe 10,000 at their second game.

As far as the Sun Belt is concerned, besides App State, nobody is drawing any better than we are. Same thing goes for C-USA, and some of the MAC games have literally only had a few hundred people there.

Attendance simply hasn’t been a focus of the athletic department or Coach Napier. One thing I’ve learned over the past few years is that our marketing team almost
exclusively markets to recruits, not fans. I can’t argue with the results on the field, but it comes at the expense of a disconnect from the community.

Coach Hud knew how to get the community to care. He convinced people that UL football was important, that being a fan and showing up to games was meaningful and rewarding, and that supporting UL would pay big dividends for the community. As great as Coach Napier is at being a football coach, I don’t think he ever really tried to get that same message across.

I mention this because it means we have an opportunity to do better. I just think we need to put more of a focus on it as an athletic department. We need to develop a marketing plan, and then dedicate resources to executing it.

And our next coach (If there is such a thing) needs to bring some of that HUD energy...as GREAT as CBN is, he's not a promoter...

[JMV JustMyView]

Ok. Agree to disagree. Cheers. See you at Cajun Field next Saturday!

10-4 Geaux Cajuns.

[Cajun Monkee]

The economy is so down we can’t afford to go to a college football game six times a year.

But we’re on the eve are breaking ground on a $75 million improvement to Cajun Field.

[Boomer]

Guys, we've NEVER drawn well on Thanksgiving weekend. I think those who were predicting 25000 plus didn't take that into consideration.

…..lSo Jay…..did CBN divulge his school of employment for next year to you?

[Boomer]

>…………Ok what was the attendance at LSU??? What is the capacity??? what was the UL attendance??? what is the capacity??? Get the %s of both and you will get some answers!

[Cajun Monkee]

But seriously, to Jay’s Point, I really didn’t expect 25,000.

And since the only number I’ve seen so far is 18,000, I, Like Reb, I am not disappointed.

However, I don’t know if it was on this thread or another, I did see the word embarrassed with regard to next weekend.

We are going to be on national freaking TV.

Not a platform, not a plus, not something designed to be picked up and watched on your iPhone.

National. Freaking. Television.

And here we are, a week out, and somebody literally had the balls to say that we could be embarrassed.

And make no mistake, that’s not on the field; it’s in the stands.

I said it years ago: loving UL is loving Lafayette.

Hopefully next weekend doesn’t prove me to be a liar.

[fanof71]

App put 28000 into a 31000 seat stadium vs GA. Southern...Geeze, wonder what excuses are being made for those 2000. Oh, and their students are on break as well...guaranteed student section was packed. They have a fan culture...we don't.

[SMD7636]

We need to show up and cheer like a champion on Saturday!