Gameday Experience

[GMUSig03]

The students suck and the effort from the administration to get them out sucks. This can not be debated because the proof is in the pudding - the students rarely show up in large numbers. Platoon has failed to expand and the Gmen are hardly ever even at the games.

I'm sure there are students trying to lead the drive to get better turnout, as Tweeder, Jollay, others and I have all done in the past, but institutionally the support is not there to add fuel to any such drives, so they ultimately stall out.

Winning will certainly help, but it will take intentional actions by the administration to change the culture.

I minored in sports marketing - the professor that taught most of the classes could not have been less interested in any of the Mason sports teams and was very open about it (but she loved all the teams from Cincy). I emailed the athletic department volunteering to intern 15 hours a week but was only offered the application for the full time unpaid internship, which I could not do because I had to work a paying job full time.

So much more I could talk about this... So easy... BUILD AN ARMY OF UNPAID STUDENT INTERNS WITH THE SOLE TASK OF IMPROVING STUDENT TURNOUT. Only costs will be pizza for them occasionally, printing for flyers and a ration from Coach P's mountain dew stockpile.

 

[GMUgemini]

Look how easy it was to fundamentally change the student pep band. All it took was one hire.


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[RelvaoMakeBasket]

Relvao will make more baskets, then the students will come.

 

[mason89]

Relvao will make more baskets, then the students will come.

Don't you mean, "Relvao fará mais cestas, então os estudantes virão."

 

[BandWagon18]

Don't you mean, "Relvao fará mais cestas, então os estudantes virão."

Nossa!

 

[mkaufman1]

At least when I was a student I remember that there was a small group (maybe 10-15) Platoon members who went to every game. Obviously the "bigger" games like ODU and JMU got more. This is back before the Final Four even.

Once the FF passed, there was another group of Platoon members probably around the same size that were at every game. You couldn't get a seat in the first 5 rows unless you camped out.

But as time went on, and once Hewitt came in, that all died off. Why there hasn't been a refresh of students interested is strange to me. Why are the greeks not out all together (they used to be out in force at games).

Winning will cure a lot of it, even when I got on campus, the program was winning for 5 or 6 years by that point. I'm just not sure what the person in charge of the platoon is doing to try to get students out (other than having those tables at orientation). It may still be a struggle for any of the non-key games for a while even if the program starts winning. At least Mason has won a few homecomings in a row now.

Added: I read that former to be Umass coach Pat Kelsey helped get students out by having a freshman pep rally in the beginning of the year with the teams (not Midnight Madness), so that they were on board with the program from the beginning..interesting idea.

 

[Falco]

At least when I was a student I remember that there was a small group (maybe 10-15) Platoon members who went to every game. Obviously the "bigger" games like ODU and JMU got more. This is back before the Final Four even.

Once the FF passed, there was another group of Platoon members probably around the same size that were at every game. You couldn't get a seat in the first 5 rows unless you camped out.

But as time went on, and once Hewitt came in, that all died off. Why there hasn't been a refresh of students interested is strange to me. Why are the greeks not out all together (they used to be out in force at games).

Winning will cure a lot of it, even when I got on campus, the program was winning for 5 or 6 years by that point. I'm just not sure what the person in charge of the platoon is doing to try to get students out (other than having those tables at orientation). It may still be a struggle for any of the non-key games for a while even if the program starts winning. At least Mason has won a few homecomings in a row now.

Added: I read that former to be Umass coach Pat Kelsey helped get students out by having a freshman pep rally in the beginning of the year with the teams (not Midnight Madness), so that they were on board with the program from the beginning..interesting idea.

Students are scared, most schools have a more relaxed alcohol policy. I've said this a million times. Have homecoming on opening night. It gets everyone out and excited.

Baseball does it! People don't go for the game, they go for the party!

 

[JimP]

Students are scared, most schools have a more relaxed alcohol policy. I've said this a million times. Have homecoming on opening night. It gets everyone out and excited.

Baseball does it! People don't go for the game, they go for the party!

Yeah - it was Towson, but not cracking 5,000 on opening night last year was ridiculous.

 

[GMUgemini]

Students are scared, most schools have a more relaxed alcohol policy. I've said this a million times. Have homecoming on opening night. It gets everyone out and excited.

Baseball does it! People don't go for the game, they go for the party!

ASU is a dry campus...

Very few schools have "a relaxed alcohol policy."


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[sleeperpick]

ASU is a dry campus...

Very few schools have "a relaxed alcohol policy."


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they are allowed to tailgate football games with beer and wine up to 3 hours before every game.. having been to ASU I can assure you they are WAY more relaxed than we are.

 

[The Great PATSby]

they are allowed to tailgate football games with beer and wine up to 3 hours before every game.. having been to ASU I can assure you they are WAY more relaxed than we are.

I feel like every other university except for BYU and Liberty are more relaxed than Mason is.

 

[EXpatriot13]

they are allowed to tailgate football games with beer and wine up to 3 hours before every game.. having been to ASU I can assure you they are WAY more relaxed than we are.

There wasn't a single home game my freshman or sophomore year where my group of friends and I weren't completely obliterated. We'd have 15-20 person pre-games at someone's student apartment or dorm room. You're in college - f***ing drink. You don't need the University to tell you they "might" be okay with it.

 

[MasonSAE4]

It's really not difficult to get booze in there. I came to sitting in the rafters drinking Gatorade mixed with everclear during homecoming 2013. I have no idea what I did to get the booze in but clearly if I can get a Gatorade bottle in blacked out it doesn't take a genius to get booze in there.

 

[mason89]

Filling the stands is overrated. Some of the best games were we had a good team, there were so few fans in the stands that you could hear the FSC riding the refs and the other team, AND it was an easy exit out of the parking lot!! THOSE were the days!!

 

[GSII]

Filling the stands is overrated. Some of the best games were we had a good team, there were so few fans in the stands that you could hear the FSC riding the refs and the other team, AND it was an easy exit out of the parking lot!! THOSE were the days!!

Seriously. And Jay Marsh let it all slide bc nobody there to complain.

 

[Falco]

There wasn't a single home game my freshman or sophomore year where my group of friends and I weren't completely obliterated. We'd have 15-20 person pre-games at someone's student apartment or dorm room. You're in college - f***ing drink. You don't need the University to tell you they "might" be okay with it.

. I kid you not undercover ATF agents broke up a party. Not joking.

But yeah, Mason is relaxed.

 

[couchcoach]

. I kid you not I undercover ATF agents break up a party. Not joking.

U Undercover DTF?

 

[EXpatriot13]

. I kid you not undercover ATF agents broke up a party. Not joking.

But yeah, Mason is relaxed.

I never said Mason was relaxed. I got an underage drinking charge my sophomore year. But we were only busted 1 out of about 30 times. Just don't be stupid about it and you're more than likely fine.

Regardless if the students are sober or hammered - they need to get their asses into the arena.

 

[Steve33]

I think getting students to EBA for basketball is tougher than we all think. I honestly think the vast majority of students just arent into basketball at all. I wasnt as a kid, and still hate the NBA. If someone isnt a fan of the game they probably arent gonna go to one, let alone 15 of them.

its simple, Winning will draw more students. and by winning i mean, 3+ seasons of 25+ wins and NCAA tourney appearances. We are on the right track and will get back to that point.

 

[GMUgemini]

I think getting students to EBA for basketball is tougher than we all think. I honestly think the vast majority of students just arent into basketball at all. I wasnt as a kid, and still hate the NBA. If someone isnt a fan of the game they probably arent gonna go to one, let alone 15 of them.

its simple, Winning will draw more students. and by winning i mean, 3+ seasons of 25+ wins and NCAA tourney appearances. We are on the right track and will get back to that point.

You only need about 5% of the student population to go, maybe even less. Averaging 700-900 students a game would be just fine. That's, what, about 4% of the undergrads (at 900 a game).