Leatherneck Nation

rocki wrote: ↑Thu Nov 09, 2017 10:14 am So, has anyone heard anything at all about the powers that be doing anything to try and bring a bigger crowd for Senior Day?
Like I said, I got the form email back from Tanney, but that was the only response. Apparently I was spitting into the wind.
How do you say it? At least I gave it the "old college try".

Boy, that sounds very disappointing.

We just need to repeat what we did in 2010:
$1 General Admission.
Lower concession prices.

Since the game is at 1PM, it is perfect for fans along the Amtrak route to take the morning train down and then the evening train back. The Alumni Association could send out an email promoting the game to those along the route. And the Leatherneck Club could do that as well for members who live along the route.

I know. But it's going to take someone higher up than me. Got any ins with anyone?

Here is how the 2010 Western Athletic Staff promoted the 2010 final game of the season:

Leathernecks Announce 'Operation: Defend the Turf' for UNI Matchup.
http://goleathernecks.com/news/2010/11/ ... h=football

Dollar Concessions at Hanson Field for 'Operation: Defend the Turf'.
http://goleathernecks.com/news/2010/11/ ... h=football

I see that Northern Illinois had a crowd of 6,603 for their Thursday night home game vs Ball State.

They are tied with Toledo at 5-1 in the MAC-West. And their overall record is 7-3.

You would have to think that they would have had a much larger crowd if that game had been played on Saturday.

wiu712 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:29 am I see that Northern Illinois had a crowd of 6,603 for their Thursday night home game vs Ball State.

They are tied with Toledo at 5-1 in the MAC-West. And their overall record is 7-3.

You would have to think that they would have had a much larger crowd if that game had been played on Saturday.

I think the thing is, with MAC teams and the whole mid-week "MAC-tion" thing they have going on is that they don't really care how many people are in the stands for the game, it's all about getting on ESPN during prime time. ESPN has live football to put on during the week when the die-hard football people have nothing else to watch, and the MAC teams get more TV watching eyeballs. I don't know if the math works in their favor or not (smaller in-person crowds vs increased awareness and visibility), but they've been doing it for a few years and I guess they think it's worth it.

I know what you are saying. However, lets see- especially late October on- do you want to play in front of several thousand on a Saturday, or, several million on national TV during the week. The crowds are generally smaller, but, die hard fans will go any way. That type of national visibility is hard to buy, so why not do it. Think of all of the sports bars and home televisions that see the school and hear the name. Again, you can't buy that type of national exposure if you are a non power five school.

I am a NIU alumnus. I can tell you that these mid-week MAC games are not popular.

My NIU alumni friends have stopped buying season-tickets because it is not practical for them to go to a mid-week game.

While it is true that you are getting national exposure by playing mid-week, you are also showing the country small crowds and empty stadiums.

wiu712 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2017 5:57 pm I am a NIU alumnus. I can tell you that these mid-week MAC games are not popular.

My NIU alumni friends have stopped buying season-tickets because it is not practical for them to go to a mid-week game.

While it is true that you are getting national exposure by playing mid-week, you are also showing the country small crowds and empty stadiums.

It's definitely a trade-off. Personally, I would not want Western to go that route, even with the increased exposure. Evidently the "powers that be" in the MAC have decided it's worth it. If their deal with ESPN dries up at some point though, they might end up finding that they don't have many fans left to sustain the program.

I don't believe we need to worry about Western being on ESPN mid week. I don't know, but, how many games does a MAC school play at mid week a season? It may only happen once a season if that much. Maybe a couple if the two teams are battling for conference division titles.

leatherface wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2017 6:47 pm How many games does a MAC school play at mid week a season?

The last 5 weeks of the MAC season are played on week-nights.

This season NIU has 3 home games and 2 away games played during the week. For their 3 home games, two are on Thursdays and the other is on a Wednesday.

NIU has 6 home games this season. But 3 of those games are played on weeknights.