HoyaNyr320
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,233
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Post by HoyaNyr320 on Sept 12, 2010 10:40:02 GMT -5
I know it is still early in the season, but I don't think it is too early to say thank you to the players and coaches for putting in the work this summer to make our team competitive and fun to watch. I know that this was posted in the preseason thread, but I think this article is worth revisiting in light of our start: tiny.cc/qcb0mSpecifically, I wanted to point out the maturity of the 14 remaining seniors on the team. Despite 3 tough, often thankless seasons, these guys not only stuck with it, but took the initiative to meet with Coach Kelly to figure out how they could help ensure that this year would be different. Now I have no idea what the dynamics are on this football team - having graduated 4 years ago I can't even say that I've met any of them - however, I don't think it is a stretch to point to the leadership, commitment and maturity exemplified by the seniors in this article as one of the reasons for the successful start to the season. Of course the coaches deserve credit too - it appears that the change at offensive coordinator has already yielded HUGE dividends. And Coach Kelly never wavered from his confidence that he could build a program here. However, good coaching is nothing without mature, skilled players leading the way on the field. I've been very tough on the team and the administration on this board. I think a lot of the criticism has been deserved. However, it is important to recognize when things are going in the right direction. I'm hopeful that continued efforts like we've seen the past 2 weeks from the players and coaches will inspire the students, alumni base, and the administration to invest in this team, its facilities, and the rest of the program. Of course this may be a pipe dream, as we haven't been able to break ground on the basketball practice facility despite our team's success. But back to the positive - if the football team keeps improving, the economy rebounds, the science center gets completed, and the administration moves on to the MSF, we might get to see something special develop on the Hilltop. GO HOYAS!
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Sept 12, 2010 10:47:12 GMT -5
I agree. Keep up the great work hoyas!
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Sept 12, 2010 11:36:58 GMT -5
+1 - Time to strike while the iron is hot and finish up the MSF fundraising.
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Post by strummer8526 on Sept 13, 2010 19:30:33 GMT -5
Well said. I'm looking forward to Homecoming, and this is the first time that football is a reason! If they can take such strides in just one year, I really see potential IF the school invests in program. Hopefully, they will.
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Post by 98hoya on Sept 14, 2010 7:56:40 GMT -5
I'm with you strummer. Perhaps this is a comment for its own thread, but the school also needs to support the program in non-financial ways. My theory is that if football is a positive experience for the community, people will support it; if people support it, the school will support it financially.
So...why not invite student bands to play before the game and half time? Why not do goofy contests during time outs (like at hoops games), why not allow - and ENCOURAGE - tailgating?
Football should be FUN for fans. Winning is a good, but not only, way for a game to be fun. And the administration has been as ineffective at creating a fun atmosphere as the offense was last year at generating touchdowns.
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DFW HOYA
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,756
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Post by DFW HOYA on Sept 14, 2010 8:31:02 GMT -5
The underlying problem with game-day promotion is that no one is really charged with doing it. Outside of Homecoming, there is little coordination between departments outside athletics to ensure an overall positive experience for alumni and guests (and we tend to ignore the impact of guests (including recruits) that attend these games.
Plenty of responsibility to go all around--even students. Hoya Blue can get 1,500 kids in gray shirts to show up for a game with Jacksonville but they won't get 40 to sit together for a football game. A few years ago, someone told me that they didn't even push wearing the "We Are Georgetown" shirts at the games because they were trying to sell their own blue shirts instead. New students get to Georgetown, they unfinished stands that even their high school didn't have, the gravel on the ground, and the 20 year old scoreboard that will inevitably malfunction in the second quarter and figure out pretty quickly that this isn't a priority.
Now if basketball went 0-27, you wouldn't see these students either, of course. Building a winning program will bring people if the message is sent to students and alumni that this is something worth supporting, something never done in the MAAC years. (That, and finishing that construction project promised but never delivered.)
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theexorcist
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,506
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Post by theexorcist on Sept 14, 2010 8:50:05 GMT -5
The underlying problem with game-day promotion is that no one is really charged with doing it. Outside of Homecoming, there is little coordination between departments outside athletics to ensure an overall positive experience for alumni and guests (and we tend to ignore the impact of guests (including recruits) that attend these games. Plenty of responsibility to go all around--even students. Hoya Blue can get 1,500 kids in gray shirts to show up for a game with Jacksonville but they won't get 40 to sit together for a football game. A few years ago, someone told me that they didn't even push wearing the "We Are Georgetown" shirts at the games because they were trying to sell their own blue shirts instead. New students get to Georgetown, they unfinished stands that even their high school didn't have, the gravel on the ground, and the 20 year old scoreboard that will inevitably malfunction in the second quarter and figure out pretty quickly that this isn't a priority. Now if basketball went 0-27, you wouldn't see these students either, of course. Building a winning program will bring people if the message is sent to students and alumni that this is something worth supporting, something never done in the MAAC years. (That, and finishing that construction project promised but never delivered.) Hoya Blue organized gamewatches early on and got students to attend last year. The problem was that it was ana awful, awful season. I've attended Hoya football games in the past, but every time I did it for the past five years I was reminded why I didn't do it more often - an uncompetitive team, an unattractive offense, and no game day atmosphere. Blaming Hoya Blue is unacceptable - students aren't responsible for creating a game-day atmosphere, though they can help. That lies with the administration. I'm hoping that this week's game, the first at home, will lead to an improved atmosphere with an effort to make sure that people go to the game and stay there.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Sept 14, 2010 9:10:26 GMT -5
As for the shirt thing Hoya Blue encourages everyone to where the I bleed Hoya Blue shirts to all sporting events besides the Basketball Games which have their own shirts. I don't see the problem there.
I think Hoya Blue does a pretty good job most of the time to try and get students out to football games. There's always a good crowd of students the first game, but in the past they've seen the performance on the field and then there's no incentive to come back, most are gone by half time. In the past Hoya Blue has had a tailgate on harbin patio and done kegs and eggs as ways to promote Hoya Football. They've also being trying to work with the Athletic Department to create a space for students to tailgate( with out alcohol) outside of the stadium, there just isn't a real space for it. There was talk of blocking off the road in front of the stadium but they weren't able to do that.
In the past there have been contests at football games, usually involving kicking field goals, but yes there could be a lot more going on. I think a half time performance by a band would be a great idea. Not sure if the AD has the wherewithal to set up for a band and clear it off in time though might have to have them set up somewhere else besides the field.
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Post by 98hoya on Sept 14, 2010 9:25:12 GMT -5
Don't we have some full time employee at GU whose job it is to promote sporting events? HoyaBlue and Gridiron are great in theory, but they should be supporting - not replacing - the university promotional effort.
In any event, how tough can it be to recruit a campus band to play in the parking lot or pay a work study student $10 an hour to sit in Red Square and sell gray t-shirts at cost and encourage everyone to wear them to the game?
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Post by 98hoya on Sept 14, 2010 9:29:02 GMT -5
PS - I REALLY wish our first home game wasn't against Holy Cross.
If we show the sort of grit and firepower we did against Lafayette, I'm not saying HC will be an ugly game (or that we might not even have a chance) but looking at our schedule, I'd say it's one of the higher probability games for an unwelcome outcome. Not exactly a way to get people excited.
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GUHoya07
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,083
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Post by GUHoya07 on Sept 14, 2010 10:25:31 GMT -5
The underlying problem with game-day promotion is that no one is really charged with doing it. Outside of Homecoming, there is little coordination between departments outside athletics to ensure an overall positive experience for alumni and guests (and we tend to ignore the impact of guests (including recruits) that attend these games. Plenty of responsibility to go all around--even students. Hoya Blue can get 1,500 kids in gray shirts to show up for a game with Jacksonville but they won't get 40 to sit together for a football game. A few years ago, someone told me that they didn't even push wearing the "We Are Georgetown" shirts at the games because they were trying to sell their own blue shirts instead. New students get to Georgetown, they unfinished stands that even their high school didn't have, the gravel on the ground, and the 20 year old scoreboard that will inevitably malfunction in the second quarter and figure out pretty quickly that this isn't a priority. Now if basketball went 0-27, you wouldn't see these students either, of course. Building a winning program will bring people if the message is sent to students and alumni that this is something worth supporting, something never done in the MAAC years. (That, and finishing that construction project promised but never delivered.) I'm not sure exactly what the club is doing now, but when I was involved 3 years ago we would always sit together at football games and probably had about 15-20 die hard people at every game. We promoted attendance at football games in a variety of ways and were probably able to get about 100 students to attend the first game each year, but students were so disgusted by what they saw on the field that most of them would leave and not come back no matter what we tried. Anyone who was at the Duquesne rain game saw the group of die-hards that I'm referring to. It was a small, but very devoted group. There would always be a spattering of other students throughout the stands, but those were just casual fans not willing to stand with us and cheer throughout. As for the shirts, the "We Are Georgetown shirts" have always been men's basketball specific and we have encouraged students to wear them only to those games, and the "I Bleed Hoya Blue" shirts to all other games. The claim that this was financially motivated is absurd because when I was still in school we were making money off of all of them. In fact, we were selling WAG shirts for $15 to alumni and IBHB shirts for $10, so we would have had even more motivation to sell the gray shirts if we were just trying to make money. The We Are Georgetown shirts have a giant numeral III, Hoya Hoop Club, and a basketball specific message on the back, so they have always been meant as the basketball gameday shirt. Hoya Blue could have probably done more, but I honestly don't think we could have gotten more students to games. We did truly make an effort, and it was a constant uphill battle with no support from the administration. As has been mentioned by many people, there needs to be more of a focus placed on creating a fun gameday atmosphere. We need to have some sort of tailgating culture for every game, not just homecoming. Furthermore, all of the things you mentioned about the stands, gravel, scoreboard etc. are huge impediments. As a student when you arrive at Georgetown and see that it makes it very obvious to you that Georgetown football is not a major priority for anyone and that there are probably better things to do, which for most big sports fans meant watching major college football on TV rather than coming out to the MSF.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Sept 14, 2010 10:25:45 GMT -5
Well I mean Lafayette was picked 2nd in the patriot league while Holy Cross was only picked 4th, so who knows. And even keeping it close and playing more exciting football is a step in the right direction. We're already doing that.
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The Stig
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,844
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Post by The Stig on Sept 14, 2010 10:30:56 GMT -5
Hoya Blue has always tried hard to promote football, but in previous years it was like spitting into a hurricane.
Every single year the same thing happened - Hoya Blue would heavily promote the season opener, especially among freshmen. We'd get a TON of students to come out to the game, again mostly freshmen. Georgetown would then proceed to get absolutely crushed on the field and look awful in the process. Most of our new fans would be gone by halftime and never came back for another game.
We always said that if Georgetown could just win that first home game, or at least look strong and make a game out of it, it would do more than Hoya Blue ever could to get those freshmen to come back for a second game and make Hoya football a part of their Saturday routines in the fall.
That's why the reports of a more exciting Hoya team this year are so encouraging. Georgetown students like football, and they want to watch football. They just want to watch a team that isn't painful to watch, as so many previous Georgetown football teams have been. If the Holy Cross game is at least competitive, it'll be a huge boost for the on-campus relevance of the football team. I was talking to a few fellow young alums recently (not Hoya Blue people), and I mentioned that Georgetown football was now 2-0. They immediately changed their plans to include the Homecoming football game. Now imagine what they and so many current students would do if they actually saw Georgetown football win a game.
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Post by 98hoya on Sept 14, 2010 10:44:37 GMT -5
Well I mean Lafayette was picked 2nd in the patriot league while Holy Cross was only picked 4th, so who knows. And even keeping it close and playing more exciting football is a step in the right direction. We're already doing that. HSB, you're right. And I also agree that keeping it close and playing more exciting football is a key. As I figure it, getting people interested isn't even about winning (although I'd strongly prefer it and I'm sure it helps), it's about making being there enjoyable, i.e. not getting blown out and make it occasionally so people feel like the team could score. We're doing that this year and I hope we've turned the corner!
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hoyatables
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,603
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Post by hoyatables on Sept 14, 2010 11:39:14 GMT -5
In the past, the Pep Band has tried to do a scramble band during halftime to liven up football. I think Athletics let us do it once in the 2000 or 2001 season. The problem is that anything that is funny and/or entertaining enough to amuse a crowd usually makes the hairs stand up on the back of McDonough leadership's necks. I attended most of the football games during undergrad (the Benson years) and generally enjoyed the experience - actually, I look back on it more fondly than I probably did at the time. Nothing like a little liquid breakfast to kickstart a beautiful fall morning, especially when shared with a few of your closest friends. I really would encourage more students to go out and enjoy the games. Probably preaching to the choir on the few that will read this, but it really was a fun part of my Georgetown experience. Besides, the more students that get drunk and pass out in the afternoon, the fewer students that will be out in the neighborhood late at night. Win-win for everyone .
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Post by nycalumn on Sept 14, 2010 12:30:12 GMT -5
Having these 2 victories has been fantastic and congrats are deserved and its great to see the tone turning ...I'm now positive there will be continued improvement , growth and better decision-making BUT we do need to win games ...we've done our share of losing SO lets not be satisfied with keeping it close , lets continue to go for it and turn some heads ...By the way , Iknow thats what everybody meant ,I am realistic but we need those W's
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Sept 14, 2010 16:41:19 GMT -5
One thing to keep in mind on the promotional side is that the areas from which GU draws many of its students are not college football-focused in terms of the fan base. Students from NJ do not flock to Rutgers football games in high school (or watch on television) as might a high schooler from College Station. The same might be said for students from CT at least 5 years ago. NY state does not have a college football team of any significance and hopefully never will again. Students in Philadelphia do not make a point of going out to a PSU game during high school in my mind either.
Conversely, if you're from a California area near LA or an area near Baton Rouge, Austin, etc., you might go to a GU football game and simply laugh at the experience. There are rarely tailgates due to policies etc., and there just is not the same panache due to the size/scope of what those schools can offer compared to GU. There's a degree to which that part of the fanbase will always be disappointed.
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PhillyHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,016
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Post by PhillyHoya on Sept 14, 2010 17:41:54 GMT -5
It's not just college fandom. Some of us went to high schools with much bigger programs, better facilities and a larger fanbase. I went to nearly every home game as an undergrad but having come from one such high school, I just became frustrated with the efforts both on and off the field.
Many of those NJ/NY people are Notre Dame fans (I mean, even YES shows their games) and a lot of Philly area kids do make weekly pilgrimages to State College. Those kids would rather watch those games than ours (and the same goes for every other major college fanbase). There were also more than a few students in my time that would leave campus on weekends and go to games elsewhere (ND and Alabama just to name 2). And neither will likely change whatever you do.
In addition, the lack of an inherent rivalry hurts us. We don't play our basketball rivals or schools most students have frankly, heard of. People don't get excited for Holy Cross. I only got excited for Lehigh and Lafayette because I had friends there/knew alums or knew their players. I know playing the Ivies is supposed to help us but it hasn't. There's not that word of mouth going on and maybe winning will help with that, maybe not but something has to be done there.
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Post by HometownHoya on Sept 14, 2010 19:45:09 GMT -5
Fortunately our first two games have been on the road. I think the fact that we have won has created lots of buzz across campus and attendance will be good for the first home game. Lets hope the team continues to perform and keeps all those fans.
On the other hand, we don't want our coaches to leave ;-)
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theexorcist
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,506
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Post by theexorcist on Sept 15, 2010 8:36:14 GMT -5
It's not just college fandom. Some of us went to high schools with much bigger programs, better facilities and a larger fanbase. I went to nearly every home game as an undergrad but having come from one such high school, I just became frustrated with the efforts both on and off the field. Many of those NJ/NY people are Notre Dame fans (I mean, even YES shows their games) and a lot of Philly area kids do make weekly pilgrimages to State College. Those kids would rather watch those games than ours (and the same goes for every other major college fanbase). There were also more than a few students in my time that would leave campus on weekends and go to games elsewhere (ND and Alabama just to name 2). And neither will likely change whatever you do. In addition, the lack of an inherent rivalry hurts us. We don't play our basketball rivals or schools most students have frankly, heard of. People don't get excited for Holy Cross. I only got excited for Lehigh and Lafayette because I had friends there/knew alums or knew their players. I know playing the Ivies is supposed to help us but it hasn't. There's not that word of mouth going on and maybe winning will help with that, maybe not but something has to be done there. What we really need is an on-campus stad... oh, right. The "lack of name opposition" seems like a canard. The other schools in the conference draw much better than Georgetown. Georgetown drew better than they do now when they played in the MAAC, against schools so renowned that they have since shut down their programs. Georgetown can improve attendance by putting a better product on the field (working so far this year) and making the game-day experience more enjoyable. The second one is a biggie - teams like Cornell wrestling and Arizona and Kentucky club ice hockey have very high attendance despite playing sports that aren't on TV. Those coaches/schools work on marketing their product. Georgetown is the next school north of Charlottesville that has D-I football. It is just to the east of all of Northern Virginia, where schools like Robinson turn out thousands on Friday night. It shouldn't be that hard to recruit at least some of them to come for a nice day of college football where you can be home by 6PM rather than midnight.
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