They’ve Given Up

[MountainDew]

During the time after I graduated and before the wife and I had kids (2008-2016), we would routinely go to Cajun Field with the sole intention of tailgating. We would bounce around from one spot to another, visiting and catching up with people, drinking some cold beers... Sometimes we'd go to the game if we got handed tickets. Sometimes if enough people said they were going in, we'd pick up a family four pack of tickets ($40), and then find two more people to give the second pair to. The gameday experience was no different than, say, Festival Acadiens or any of the other 200 festivals this city pulls off without issue.

The challenge for UL was always: "how do we get the 40k+ people in the parking lot to come into the actual game?". It was routine to have 25k in the stadium watching UL, and another 10-15k in the parking lot drinking and watching LSU in their truck bed. But the problem seemed simple enough.. We have enough people to fill this stadium standing outside, we just have to get them in.

Then, after a year or two of success with Hud, the university tries 'clean up' the tailgate experience so they can charge more for it. Moving people out of the spots they've had for a decade so those spots could now be "premium spots".. Charging 3-4x more for new spots. Cracking down on music, on food, on parking personal vehicles.. Campus police go from writing MIPs in the student section during the game, to handing out tickets to students in the parking lot. What used to be a 'gameday festival', was turned into "we'll just meet you by the door 10-15 minutes before kickoff", and the 40k people outside were gone.

What the university and some fans just don't want to admit, is that college football gameday is not a 'family friendly' event any more than say Festival International or Mardi Gras. Kids are of course welcome, but they're going to hear foul language, they're going to see Uncle Kevin get drunk and yell at other teams' fans, they're going to see 18-20 year olds drinking. Whatever the number of people is that say "we won't go to UL game because we don't want our kids around that", there are five people that would love to bring their families and enjoy a day of shooting the ____ outside the stadium. Then the university will be back to figuring out how to get the people outside to buy tickets, but at least you got them off the couch.

You walk through the tailgate area now and it's anything BUT Ragin' or Cajun. If you want to fill Cajun Field, you need to fill the parking lot first.

THIS!!!!! What a post. When they decided to "revamp" the tailgating and jack up the prices after a couple years of success, I always thought it was going to be a bad idea. A couple years of success and they thought they could jack up prices. In my opinion, this is where they started to lose the momentum that was gained just a couple years before.

[CajunNation]

THIS!!!!! What a post. When they decided to "revamp" the tailgating and jack up the prices after a couple years of success, I always thought it was going to be a bad idea. A couple years of success and they thought they could jack up prices. In my opinion, this is where they started to lose the momentum that was gained just a couple years before.

I think the bottoming out of Fracking had more to do with the drop off in attendance than anything else, but we need to discuss this more. There is a bigger issue here.

The changes in pricing and tailgating were supposed to go hand in hand with what the Alden Report suggested to grow revenues. Remember, the reason that report was wanted in the first place was to prepare ourselves for the next realignment. Well, here we are. I don't think that Big12 invite is coming any time soon.

Perhaps, it is time to ditch that way of thinking and grow our revenues the Cajun way. The way we know best. We tailgate our asses off! I believe we need to embrace who we are, invite all of our cousins back home for the BBQ and to Hell with the freakin' Alden report, reseating, and price hikes!

[JMV JustMyView]

I think the bottoming out of Fracking had more to do with the drop off in attendance than anything else, but we need to discuss this more. There is a bigger issue here.

The changes in pricing and tailgating were supposed to go hand in hand with what the Alden Report suggested to grow revenues. Remember, the reason that report was wanted in the first place was to prepare ourselves for the next realignment. Well, here we are. I don't think that Big12 invite is coming any time soon.

Perhaps, it is time to ditch that way of thinking and grow our revenues the the Cajun way. The way we know best. We tailgate our asses off! I believe we need to embrace who we are, invite all of our cousins back home for the BBQ and to Hell with the freakin' Alden report, reseating, and price hikes!

How much of that report actually was put into play?

[GreatestStory]

Give the tailgates back over to the people and let us fix the problem. Do some premium sponsor slots near the stadium but other than that, turn the fans and students loose again.

I have been saying this for years. Search my post history and you will see how many are regarding "fix tailgating".

I remember when tailgating was the talk of the town during football season. It was very similar to the vibe generated by Downtown Alive: let's go out there, meet up with our friends, make some new friends, have a few drinks, eat some food, and have a great time. It was all organically grown by the fans, for the fans.

Then the university decided to take over the tailgating scene. Every year the restrictions, requirements, and pricing increased to the point where it became more of hassle for casual fans to tailgate. Gone was the Downtown Alive vibe. It felt as if tailgating was no longer an event open to the public, but rather a membership type atmosphere. Instead of just showing up to tailgate, you had to try to find a group to tailgate with.

We are one of the few universities that charge for basic tailgating. Yes, most universities have premium tailgating and/or turnkey tailgating, but those same universities still have free "first come, first served" areas for general tailgating. I don't think it's a great idea for there to be zero free tailgating.

I agree with having premium spots next to the stadium, but cut the students and fans loose and let them do their thing. People in South Louisiana definitely don't need to be told how to party.

GEAUX CAJUNS!!

[CrazyCajun]

Imo they need to first, get off the students backs and let them cultivate a atmosphere. Then they need to get the party back at tailgating, they have made it where there isnt really anything for tyhe 1,2,3 games a year people. They are forcing peopole to be all in, rcaf, season tickets parking passes and giant tailgate spot. A lot of people that cant go to every home game dont see the value in that. Figure out how many actual spots you need forthe passes you sold on the pavement, save a few extra and open up the rest to game day pay to park. I have a parking pass but would gladly pay to park in the morning so i can leave my wife the parking pass to come later in the day with the kid. Have per game tailgationg spots available somewhere inside the gate. A good start would be to take the unsold 30' x 30' TG spots and cut them in half which would allow 2 diiferent groups to put pop up tents on the same spot for half the price and teh university gets twice the money bc you know, they are empty. I think families have been priced out in that aspect and not everyone needs room for a 20' x 20' tent and 2 vehicles, offer something more practical. We will never get people in the stadium if we cant even get them outside the stadium.

[Cajunrunner]

I think the bottoming out of Fracking had more to do with the drop off in attendance than anything else, but we need to discuss this more. There is a bigger issue here.

You’ve mentioned the “bottoming out of fracking” more than once.

Can you explain further? Because yes, there was a slump in 2014/15, then Covid-induced crash in 2020, but there is now a ____ ton of fracking going on these days. And oilfield service companies in Louisiana are doing well, even if it’s all Permian and GOM work.

[Cajun Monkee]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what I'm reading is that tickets need to be cheaper, parking and tailgating access needs to be cheaper, and RCAF contributions need to be abolished.

I don't care either way, but what I'm reading really seems contrary to what some of the very posters in this thread were suggesting in the not too distant past.

"We shouldn't be giving something of value away for free."

Like I said, I don't care.

But if you were wrong in your initial assessment (which was pretty consistent with how the Athletic Department was doing things) at least admit you were wrong.

[Kid Rock]

This is 100% accurate.
We used to have 2 tailgating spots, season tickets to baseball, basketball and football.
They went up DOUBLE on the baseball patio boxes, almost double on tailgating spots.
Had to make a financial decision and kept baseball and dropped the rest.

I remember calling in on Jay’s radio show and telling him they just went up double (DOUBLE) on our baseball patio box and he said no, no way they would do that. Then the next caller who called in and that Jay knew said uh uh Jay that guy was right they did go up double. He didn’t know what to say. We signed a seven year contract. The cost for one box (6) tickets for each year was $3336 per year ($556 per person for one year). We were promised concierge service and many other perks. They came through for about 2 years on this and then it was gone. What we ended up getting was a bunch of bad policies:
Fired peanut man (eventually brought him back)
No local food products
Tried to ban kids (do away with young ragin cajun club attending all games) eventually brought back
Only letting kids run on the field after sunday game (this was never ever a problem under Coach Robe).
The yellow shirts standing by the bricks to make sure KIDS do not go on the field after the games (almost like treating them like criminals not kids as fans)
Making up new polices that my own kids could not sit with me (which eventually got changed)
Hot beer and ran out of beer horrible sodexo food and service.


I could go on and on and on.

I guess my point is that my family goes to at least 90% of the games and it is very costly.

My question is do you all think they will go up from the $556 yearly price per person?

If so they will start to price people out that are die hard baseball fans.

I did get the McDonalds 6 pack the last couple of years for football as it was something I could afford.

[CajunNation]

You’ve mentioned the “bottoming out of fracking” more than once.

Can you explain further? Because yet, there was a slump in 2014/15, then Covid-induced crash in 2020, but there is now a ____ ton of fracking going on these days. And oilfield service companies in Louisiana are doing well, even if it’s all Permian and GOM work.

All I know is that A LOT of the attendance back then was group ticket purchases by oilfield companies, and when the initial fracking boom ended, they quit doing that. To my knowledge, they have never resumed doing that.

[JMV JustMyView]

I have been saying this for years. Search my post history and you will see how many are regarding "fix tailgating".

I remember when tailgating was the talk of the town during football season. It was very similar to the vibe generated by Downtown Alive: let's go out there, meet up with our friends, make some new friends, have a few drinks, eat some food, and have a great time. It was all organically grown by the fans, for the fans.

Then the university decided to take over the tailgating scene. Every year the restrictions, requirements, and pricing increased to the point where it became more of hassle for casual fans to tailgate. Gone was the Downtown Alive vibe. It felt as if tailgating was no longer an event open to the public, but rather a membership type atmosphere. Instead of just showing up to tailgate, you had to try to find a group to tailgate with.

We are one of the few universities that charge for basic tailgating. Yes, most universities have premium tailgating and/or turnkey tailgating, but those same universities still have free "first come, first served" areas for general tailgating. I don't think it's a great idea for there to be zero free tailgating.

I agree with having premium spots next to the stadium, but cut the students and fans loose and let them do their thing. People in South Louisiana definitely don't need to be told how to party.

GEAUX CAJUNS!!

Not much search history available past a few weeks since the reboot.