SBC Final Avg Attendance

[zeppelincajun]

If we were 10-1 instead of 4-7 when that happened you wouldn't have heard much about it. What occurred after that incident let a lot of "so-called fans" off the hook that were looking for an excuse and they got it.

Bingo.

[CajunVic]

Let’s get the team to do a Let’s go Brandon chant, then maybe we can get the attendance back up a little.

You may be surprised . . .

[Million$Mullet]

Bingo.

We went to the Nola bowl that year.

[ChanceEncounter]

You remember in the early stages of COVID, if you had a cough it was super easy to get out of going to something you didn't want to go to.

"Man, I got a cough and I don't want to get y'all sick." Then you got to stay home and make a gumbo and drink whiskey because you had an easy out.

Feels like the same situation with "fans" that didn't want to go to games or donate anymore because some football players chanted F Donald Trump. Just an easy out.

And I say all this because I don't doubt some of you have heard someone cite those two incidents as reasons they don't support UL anymore, but I'd bet my bottom dollar it's just an easy out.

The dumb trump chant and the grown up hurt feelings were in and out with the wind. No body was really hurt they just wanted a new coach and they got it. The only thing that changed was covid. People found out they don't like going out as much as they thought they did.

[John Cocktolstoy]

It has become quite obvious that the powers that be believe the TV money is way more important than the tradition and attendance that would build . . .

By powers that be are you talking about ESPN? Any game time that gets moved due to TV that is dictated by the network. The university can’t refuse if they wanted to they are at the mercy of the network.

[Esqueleto]

The dumb trump chant and the grown up hurt feelings were in and out with the wind. No body was really hurt they just wanted a new coach and they got it. The only thing that changed was covid. People found out they don't like going out as much as they thought they did.

Yeah, that's another aspect of it. People are too damn comfortable these days. Temp has to be b/w 60-75, no precipitation in the 3-day forecast, and God forbid if they have to walk across Congress street. That's asking too damn much.

[John Cocktolstoy]

The dumb trump chant and the grown up hurt feelings were in and out with the wind. No body was really hurt they just wanted a new coach and they got it. The only thing that changed was covid. People found out they don't like going out as much as they thought they did.

The Trump chant could have been nothing if handled correctly. But the coach went ahead and said everyone that voted for DJT and has a problem with that video is a hypocrite. Well that was about 60% of Lafayette and 100% of his oilfield donations. It wasn’t the actions of the misguided youth as much as it was the way the meat headed coach handled it.

[CajunVic]

I think the two episodes did some to erode the base but NOTHING did as much as Covid did to erode the base of fans willing to attend games.

Covid forced some fans that before Covid would never have even considered missing games at CF to enjoy them in the comfort of their homes and accordingly experience the latter. Considering that our fan base is graying and balding rapidly, that experience of being a home fan was found to be quite palatable. Because we have not done a very good job of replacing gray hairs and bald heads with younger alumni while they were at school in the past 30 years and even less so in the past 15 years combined with all the fan experience issues from tailgating and parking to concession lines and quality have brought us to where we are now.

Again, don’t underestimate the effects of the two events but most importantly don’t underestimate the effects of Covid on our aging fan base.

[CajunVic]

The Trump chant could have been nothing if handled correctly. But the coach went ahead and said everyone that voted for DJT and has a problem with that video is a hypocrite. Well that was about 60% of Lafayette and 100% of his oilfield donations. It wasn’t the actions of the misguided youth as much as it was the way the meat headed coach handled it.

Bingo. If I am not mistaken, Cameron Parish was the highest percentage of Trump voting people (like 92%) in the country. While it might not be that high, I would venture to predict that the percentage of donors to athletics here in Acadiana would approach closer to that percentage than the percentage vote Trump got here. I further agree that HUD’s response had way more weight in the detrimental effects than the video itself.

[Big Poppa]

Bingo. If I am not mistaken, Cameron Parish was the highest percentage of Trump voting people (like 92%) in the country. While it might not be that high, I would venture to predict that the percentage of donors to athletics here in Acadiana would approach closer to that percentage than the percentage vote Trump got here. I further agree that HUD’s response had way more weight in the detrimental effects than the video itself.

Dang Vic. I knew we could find a thread that we would agree 100% if we keep trying. Agree with both the above post.

[lafman1]

I think the two episodes did some to erode the base but NOTHING did as much as Covid did to erode the base of fans willing to attend games.

Covid forced some fans that before Covid would never have even considered missing games at CF to enjoy them in the comfort of their homes and accordingly experience the latter. Considering that our fan base is graying and balding rapidly, that experience of being a home fan was found to be quite palatable. Because we have not done a very good job of replacing gray hairs and bald heads with younger alumni while they were at school in the past 30 years and even less so in the past 15 years combined with all the fan experience issues from tailgating and parking to concession lines and quality have brought us to where we are now.

Again, don’t underestimate the effects of the two events but most importantly don’t underestimate the effects of Covid on our aging fan base.

Everyone on here won’t acknowledge it but everyone knows it.
Never underestimate the effects of the RCAF.
It’s a simple fix.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Yeah, that's another aspect of it. People are too damn comfortable these days. Temp has to be b/w 60-75, no precipitation in the 3-day forecast, and God forbid if they have to walk across Congress street. That's asking too damn much.

I believe an empty parking lot you can’t pay to park pesses people off. It’s not the short walk across Congress.