I made a visit back to Lafayette for HOF weekend and to see the OLOL Stadium improvements. No disrespect to all the photos taken, but they don’t do it justice!
Looking at the staff directory, it doesn’t appear that we have ANYONE in the marketing department so I have no clue who is producing these games. I agree with the HOF presentation. It should ALWAYS be done during halftime. There’s plenty of time for the band to preform and to have this presentation. As someone who worked in in-game production for many years, whoever is in charge needs to be able to have the experience and confidence to make the call to push in-game elements to prevent this from happening. For example, when we score a TD or FG, don’t do a presentation/promotion on the field that kills the energy. Let the band play the fight song and then transition into house music or hype music that everyone knows regardless of generation. Or, like in this case, don’t have the dance team perform before the presentation. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math: 3 min TO, 1:30 for dance performance total leaves you only 1:30 for a presentation. That’s not enough time.
For in-game music, the band should always have it in-between offense downs. Defense can be substituted with music, but needs to be instrumental hype (zero lyrics). Regardless if it’s the band or the DJ, it’s a rule they have to completely stop when the center touches the ball. If not, then it’s a penalty on the home team.
College football and basketball games have SIGNIFICANTLY evolved quickly over the years. With larger media contracts, marketers (game presentation specifically) are challenged to create the FOMO effect. Create the experience that one cannot get at home sitting on the couch. In my opinion, that’s the area that UL has really struggled with. Wins alone aren’t enough to put butts in seats, have to focus on the overall atmospheres and experience. We use Hud years as examples of putting butts in seats, but let’s be honest, not all those games were broadcasted on TV or through streaming so fans were forced to go to games to watch the Cajuns. Now, with everything accessible, why would anyone want to go to pay money for tickets, parking, concessions, tailgating etc. to watch and experience a crappy in-game experience. There’s a lot of things admin can’t control (market prices, team performance etc.) but they can control how a game is produced and the overall fan experience. Music isn’t the problem. It’s the type of music and the timing of the music. They can’t just focus on one generation versus another, but both younger and older crowd needs to recognize that it’s not about them.