Louisiana Football Attendance & "The Money Tree"

[zeppelincajun]

I was thinking about the point that Vic has made a couple times with the possibility of Maggard being given access to "the money tree", not showing returns in a few key areas (football attendance, RCAF fundraising, etc.), and having the funding eventually pulled. First: I'd like to say I'm not necessarily challenging Vic's contention. I have no idea if this actually happened. I'd just like to point out the reasons why this logic, if used as rationale to cut funding, was somewhat shortsighted, at least in terms of football attendance. I looked up attendance figures for the last 6 seasons (throwing out the Covid year):

2021: 3/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 126,440; average 21,073; SBC championship game not considered

2019: 5/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 104,978; average 17,496

2018: 6/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 111,303; average 18,551; this includes the opening home game against Grambling with attendance of 28,866

2017: 4/5 Saturday home games; total attendance 78,754; average 15,751

2016: 5/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 121,346; average 20,224; home games against Boise State & McNeese

2015: 6/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 129,577; average 21,596; this season's average was saved by a 22k+ crowd on Senior Day for a 4-7 team

Adding in the SBC title game for last year would put 2021 as the highest attendance season. This was with one of the worst home schedules imaginable with only 3 Saturday home games. The 2021 season saw a 20%+ increase in average attendance over 2019, a 13%+ increase in average attendance over 2018 (again this year was aided by 6 Saturday home games and a game where a significant portion of attendance was not Cajun fans), and a 33.8% increase over 2017. I fully understand the attendance is nothing like we would have liked to see. 21k average attendance for the most successful team in school history still stinks, but when you consider the whole picture, we seemed to be headed in the right direction.

[fanof71]

Great research...but if you put this on a graph, you'd have a nearly straight line across the years with little variance year to year. We should be growing by increments of 10k+ per year, not a few thousand here or there...For me, it says we're stuck in a rut...and when that happens, if you're not changing things up, you're bound to fail, which is where we are...

BTW, our game with USM drew around 190,000 total viewers, average.

[CajunVic]

I was thinking about the point that Vic has made a couple times with the possibility of Maggard being given access to "the money tree", not showing returns in a few key areas (football attendance, RCAF fundraising, etc.), and having the funding eventually pulled. First: I'd like to say I'm not necessarily challenging Vic's contention. I have no idea if this actually happened. I'd just like to point out the reasons why this logic, if used as rationale to cut funding, was somewhat shortsighted, at least in terms of football attendance. I looked up attendance figures for the last 6 seasons (throwing out the Covid year):

2021: 3/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 126,440; average 21,073; SBC championship game not considered

2019: 5/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 104,978; average 17,496

2018: 6/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 111,303; average 18,551; this includes the opening home game against Grambling with attendance of 28,866

2017: 4/5 Saturday home games; total attendance 78,754; average 15,751

2016: 5/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 121,346; average 20,224; home games against Boise State & McNeese

2015: 6/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 129,577; average 21,596; this season's average was saved by a 22k+ crowd on Senior Day for a 4-7 team

Adding in the SBC title game for last year would put 2021 as the highest attendance season. This was with one of the worst home schedules imaginable with only 3 Saturday home games. The 2021 season saw a 20%+ increase in average attendance over 2019, a 13%+ increase in average attendance over 2018 (again this year was aided by 6 Saturday home games and a game where a significant portion of attendance was not Cajun fans), and a 33.8% increase over 2017. I fully understand the attendance is nothing like we would have liked to see. 21k average attendance for the most successful team in school history still stinks, but when you consider the whole picture, we seemed to be headed in the right direction.

If you want to fool yourself and believe that attendance and fundraising have moved to a level on par with performance on the field the 4 years before this one, have at it.

[BabbForHeisman]

I was thinking about the point that Vic has made a couple times with the possibility of Maggard being given access to "the money tree", not showing returns in a few key areas (football attendance, RCAF fundraising, etc.), and having the funding eventually pulled. First: I'd like to say I'm not necessarily challenging Vic's contention. I have no idea if this actually happened. I'd just like to point out the reasons why this logic, if used as rationale to cut funding, was somewhat shortsighted, at least in terms of football attendance. I looked up attendance figures for the last 6 seasons (throwing out the Covid year):

2021: 3/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 126,440; average 21,073; SBC championship game not considered

2019: 5/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 104,978; average 17,496

2018: 6/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 111,303; average 18,551; this includes the opening home game against Grambling with attendance of 28,866

2017: 4/5 Saturday home games; total attendance 78,754; average 15,751

2016: 5/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 121,346; average 20,224; home games against Boise State & McNeese

2015: 6/6 Saturday home games; total attendance 129,577; average 21,596; this season's average was saved by a 22k+ crowd on Senior Day for a 4-7 team

Adding in the SBC title game for last year would put 2021 as the highest attendance season. This was with one of the worst home schedules imaginable with only 3 Saturday home games. The 2021 season saw a 20%+ increase in average attendance over 2019, a 13%+ increase in average attendance over 2018 (again this year was aided by 6 Saturday home games and a game where a significant portion of attendance was not Cajun fans), and a 33.8% increase over 2017. I fully understand the attendance is nothing like we would have liked to see. 21k average attendance for the most successful team in school history still stinks, but when you consider the whole picture, we seemed to be headed in the right direction.

I think the other variable to consider is that Lafayette in general (the "casual fans") will change their support of the football program based on the wins and losses (or even the trajectory from year to year).

So it doesn't surprise me that things tapered off from 2015-2017, because the Hud year were tapering off as well. Now they trend back up to where they were...until this year. We lose a few games and people are off the bandwagon again.

All this points to the admin not understand how an aggressive marketing campaign can counteract the complacency. The ball has been dropped, and its going to take a little bit to recover again.

[Swamp]

Excellent analysis Zeppelin

[zeppelincajun]

If you want to fool yourself and believe that attendance and fundraising have moved to a level on par with performance on the field the 4 years before this one, have at it.

I never said they had. At the same time, we put little to no effort in to market and promote the rise of the program. I can remember ONE properly promoted game in the stretch above. 2019 against App. We drew a 21K crowd on a Wednesday which was a huge weekday crowd for us at the time. I also remember we, as usual, were not prepared for the crowd that showed up. In game experience was a disaster. My point is that if your contention is correct (again I’m not arguing that it isn’t), IMO our admin look like self fulfilling prophets. While claiming to be “all in,” we clearly weren’t. We put the money forward to improve the team but spared every expense when it came to promoting the program and making sure the people who showed up had a good experience. We did half the job, still got incremental improvements in attendance, and are now throwing our hands up saying, “ya see? We told you it wouldn’t work!” Well no ____. We wanted all the results for half the work.

[CajunNation]

I never said they had. At the same time, we put little to no effort in to market and promote the rise of the program. I can remember ONE properly promoted game in the stretch above. 2019 against App. We drew a 21K crowd on a Wednesday which was a huge weekday crowd for us at the time. I also remember we, as usual, were not prepared for the crowd that showed up. In game experience was a disaster. My point is that if your contention is correct (again I’m not arguing that it isn’t), IMO our admin look like self fulfilling prophets. While claiming to be “all in,” we clearly weren’t. We put the money forward to improve the team but spared every expense when it came to promoting the program and making sure the people who showed up had a good experience. We did half the job, still got incremental improvements in attendance, and are now throwing our hands up saying, “ya see? We told you it wouldn’t work!” Well no ____. We wanted all the results for half the work.

Yes, we just finished the most successful stretch, but in that same time frame, people were either kept out of Cajun Field or told to stay away from Cajun Field by government and health care officials. Also, midweek games are known attendance drains. Nobody in their right mind would make decisions based on attendance during that time frame.

Now, the financial situation of the university may be such that the administration needs to tighten the belt, but in no way should attendance numbers be blamed for that.

[CharlieK]

Yes, we just finished the most successful stretch, but in that same time frame, people were either kept out of Cajun Field or told to stay away from Cajun Field by government and health care officials. Also, midweek games are known attendance drains. Nobody in their right mind would make decisions based on attendance during that time frame.

Now, the financial situation of the university may be such that the administration needs to tighten the belt, but in no way should attendance numbers be blamed for that.

Exactly anyone basing decisions on attendance during the last two years is just using that as a convenient excuse to do what they already wanted to do.

[CajunVic]

My conclusion was with respect to end results, no matter the cause. The "Money Tree" was extended for a period of time and during that period, for whatever reason, the results were not satisfactory for the "Money Tree" to remain available. That in addition to the fact that the "Money Tree" no longer bears as much fruit as it might have once beared.

Regardless of each of the minute or not so minute details which contributed to the end result, the end result is the end result and that appears to be upon what Dr. M has been judged.

[CajunNation]

... that appears to be upon what Dr. M has been judged.

Nobody who knows how UL conducts business is blaming Dr. M for anything.

[CajunVic]

Nobody who knows how UL conducts business is blaming Dr. M for anything.

There is a difference between moving the Money Tree in and out based upon factors that in fact exist, and BLAME.

Where in any of my posts did I lay blame anywhere for what has happened?

[ULvictory]

We have to take into contention that during the beginning of the Hud years, winning was a new thing. We never experienced consistent winning like that at the time, so our fans were hungry to see it in person. Factor in the school to the east dominating that particular year (2011), yet we still broke a record for the highest attendance average in school history.

I still believe that community outreach is crucial regardless of the money tree. Coach Hud toured Acadiana his first few years and made the community feel like they were playing a role in the success. I attended one of his first RCAF events right after he was hired as the new coach and remember him distinctly saying, "This program is like a ticking time bomb ready to explode, and we are ready to light the fuse. But I need YOUR help in lighting this fuse. I can't do this alone. We all need to join and light this fuse together."

Whether it is Des or someone within the administration, we still need to go to the different surrounding areas and sell the message that the people are just as much a part of this program as the team itself.