Link: Coach Saban to fans: Stay the full game or give tickets to someone who will!
- Thread starter BamaLuver
- Start date
We were there last Saturday and stayed the whole game. It sure did clear out after half time though.
I agree 100%. If the students of the University don't want to support their team, sell those darn tickets (or as Coach Saban said -- give them away)/ There are thousands of folks who would absolutely love to attend a game. Talk about complacent. Seems student's want their school to have the "best program, best coach, & best team", but aren't even willing to stay the entire game to support them? Spoiled...
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The only tickets I've gotten off the student donation system this year was the Colorado State game and I actually stayed for 4 quarters.
I was at the game last Saturday and I stayed for the whole game as normal. I noted early on that it wasn't just the student section that was empty, the whole upper deck was only about half full (I think the upper deck of the student section was better than the rest of the upper deck). The student section stands out more because those seats don't have crimson chair backs.
I agree. Everyone always attacks the students for leaving early, but it is not just them. I have been a season ticket holder for almost 30 years. At every game no matter the opponent or how close the game is, starting toward the end of the 3rd quarter into the 4th, there is a steady stream of folks leaving from the surrounding sections. Most often, it is the same fans every game. The last two games, the exodus was earlier and more wide spread; it was embarrassing.
When it comes to no shows, it's not just the students either. This season has been one of the worst that I can remember and includes the sanction/probation years. So, it is not just the students who are spoiled. It seems that the season ticketholders have become very complacent in recent years.
I think part of it is supply and demand. During the sanction years, we were not on TV as much because UF, UTe, OU, UTw, and USC were the media darlings. In order to get your BAMA fix, you had to come to the game. Now, there is an over saturation of college football. Every Bama game this year is on TV for most of us and most SEC games, too. Last weekend, you had all of those compelling SEC match ups with upset potential on TV with us playing the hogs in what was expected to be a blowout that was also on TV. Many fans stayed at home to watch the smorgasbord of college football. This will be more of an issue when the SEC network airs next year.
For those that argue that student tickets are too cheap, I would counter that the students pay a heck of a seating license in the form of tuition. The cost of instate tuition is way more than my annual TidePride fees. So jacking up student prices is not going to solve the problem of no shows and people leaving early for the student section. Raising the prices certainly hasn't corrected that problem amounst the non-student ticketholders. I do believe eliminating block seating will help for those student s that really want to attend and have good seats.
I agree. Part of the problem is that bad games that would be 11:30am to 4:00pm kicks 10 years ago are now 6-8:30pm kicks for the benefit of television. Fans need to go home, students want to enjoy the campus party scene. Television has hurt attendance more than you immediately realize.
OSU breaks the students into two sections. The "Block O" section is for the more die hard fans. They really get their "fan" on for games, and generally stay for the entire game. The tickets are a little more expensive because there is a club involved, and there is no block or assigned seating, so they also get there early.
The remaining students are in the opposite end zone, and they are allowed group seating. We do see some of what you describe in this section, though it is not as noticeable as it is in your stadium (on TV - I have never been to an Alabama game in BDS).
Amen, Coach. I'm going to the game this Saturday and I'm staying for the Rammer Jammer. And our seats are in the UT section.
Very good observation rgw. I only go to a couple of games a year but am in my seats early and stay to the final snap. But you are right, the number of games on television is a double edged sword, it produces revenue and exposure for teams but the other side is it does hurt attendance. I also believe that the economy over the past 4-5 years has kept a lot of potential fans at home. I do however agree with Coach Saban stay for the entire or give your tickets to someone who will.
Amen, Coach. Singing RammerJammer is a big part of the game experience anyway....why would you NOT want to do that?
Always deflecting.
The STUDENT SECTION is the most important of all sections. They make the most noise AND THEY PAY THE LEAST FOR THEIR SEATS.
More is expected from them than from the donors who give $500-$1M+ a year extra just for the privilege of buying tickets.
That's it.
I have left one game early in my entire life, When the team lost to La Monroe I left about a minute before the end out of disgust. But I am not a season ticket holder nor can I afford to be one. The ones who are there every week sometimes plan to stay for a half against lesser opponents to try to beat the crowed home.
Though it sounds like I'm throwing the "rich" people under the bus there is one factor that needs to be remembered. Who shows up on the road? Who goes to the bowl game even if it's in California? The vast majority are those very same people who leave at half during blowouts. Few teams travel as well as Alabama fans and many of our fans are the swing for the fence sort of people. They get bored in a blow out but will follow you to California to make sure someone is there to sing rammer jammer.
Part of the problem is on Tuscaloosa. The city/state hasn't done jack to fix the traffic problems out town. It's exactly as it was in 1984 when I got there, yet the stadium went from something like 60K to over 100K with many more who just go to campus to tailgate.
Having said all that there is NO QUESTION that not once person should leave early, I don't care if it's 100-0. The players deserve that considering what they have to give up to give us a championship.
Though it sounds like I'm throwing the "rich" people under the bus there is one factor that needs to be remembered. Who shows up on the road? Who goes to the bowl game even if it's in California? The vast majority are those very same people who leave at half during blowouts. Few teams travel as well as Alabama fans and many of our fans are the swing for the fence sort of people. They get bored in a blow out but will follow you to California to make sure someone is there to sing rammer jammer.
Part of the problem is on Tuscaloosa. The city/state hasn't done jack to fix the traffic problems out town. It's exactly as it was in 1984 when I got there, yet the stadium went from something like 60K to over 100K with many more who just go to campus to tailgate.
Having said all that there is NO QUESTION that not once person should leave early, I don't care if it's 100-0. The players deserve that considering what they have to give up to give us a championship.
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