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Post by mthollyaggie98 on Oct 16, 2011 7:49:13 GMT -5
The official count for homecoming was 19,454. Although change is good, I think too many changes at the same time may have affected the attendance and the overall GHOE experience. It was noticeably less people and even less vendors in the stadium. Hopefully, this will change next year once the kinks have been worked out.
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Post by blessedaggie84 on Oct 16, 2011 8:23:31 GMT -5
I thought it was good, I want to say keep it like it is for right now. I liked the fact that i could walk to the tailgate area and not have to fight through so many extra people that like to walk through the stadium gates like years past. Campus was still packed with tailgaters and as long as we keep winning attendance will go up for games. I do think somethings will be changed for next year as well.
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Post by pj on Oct 16, 2011 9:07:41 GMT -5
To me the jury is still out. I parked and decided to wait and listen to some of the pregame show in my car. I saw two Sisters and 4 children park and get out, and go to the game. The kids were bouncing like they were headed to the parade. I finally went to the game and saw them in a grassy area on their phones like they were 'waiting for a tow truck' type vibe and the kids were sad and sitting down. IDK what happened but they prob. did not know about the fees at the gate. To me that was some sad stuff. I guess they could have gone over to the old stadium for the music and such after all.
If you have to pay to have fun then you will always be broke...Dick Gregory said something like that.
The Sheraton had people shaking their heads...Elevator Police. Oh yea, it was as quiet as a mouse upstairs, and the Ques party (thank goodness for them), by the vendors, ended at 1am! You didnt have time to say your hellos and give some dap! My High School Gig that we threw 30 yrs ago, went to 'f-ing' 3am! This is not GHOE! We are shutting down Mardi Gras!
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Post by aggie2ru on Oct 16, 2011 10:46:18 GMT -5
pj.........i agree w/u 100000000%. The Shearton was like a funeral home. Many, many people said that it was horrible. Mari Gras is in February cause, sadly, it's over for the GHOE party experience as we knew it!!
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Post by pj on Oct 16, 2011 12:35:27 GMT -5
To me, when the Sheraton was at its apex i saw the younger Alums in blazers or collared shirts, come into a grownfolk suite party and groove. Without having to pay a dime to party, only to tip the bartenders and join in the 'Aggie Pride' chant whenever it came up.
$30 here and $30 there. Man, you cant carry a homeboy, who may be a little down on his luck, to GHOE any longer. smh.
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Post by Aggie One on Oct 16, 2011 18:35:53 GMT -5
I know I will catch a lot of hell from folks of a differing opinion and that's fine but I feel real strongly about this debate so today I am going to say my piece and will not make any more public comments on this subject.
The nature of running a FCS program is not what it was in 1991 or even 2001. It costs money to stay competitive and although we may grumble at the extra charge for tailgating, like we did about parking five years ago, this world of college athletics is now about business, generating as much revenue as is feasible, first and foremost.
I would just like to ask a question of how many folks that post on this board have donated to the AAF this year either by one time check or by debit and I mean that seriously. How many people here even give back to the National Alumni Drive each year?
I'm by no mean a rich guy who's making buckets of money but I feel the duty to give something back to leave a legacy for my kids and now grand child. Maybe I feel so strongly about this because I believe in things bigger than me like God, family, justice, and yes A&T State University.
The gap to run a above average program in the MEAC that is competitive and can give the scholarships necessary to sponsor 14 major sports sits at about $3 million dollars for A&T right now.
A while back before the season started I suggested that if a meager number of 4,000 Aggie fans would donate a paltry 25 bucks a month for a year to the AAF we could cut that gap in half in one year which would be one hell of a start.
Sure some can give more but you can't even take your wife or girlfriend to the movies and buy a popcorn and split a large drink for $25.
Is that so much to ask or we just that cheap and selfish? We spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year on entertainment and we don't even realize it making game makers for X-boxes and the like, Hollywood stars, and Music Moguls millions who don't give a damn about HBCUs or even set foot on a HBCU college campus unless there were bucks for them to made off the students for concerts or appearances.
Oh, we'll do that in a minute plucking down hundreds of dollars to Mr. Koury and all the party promoters in business in this city but we won't even give the institution that gave many of us our only real chance at a college education a measly 300 dollars per year to help our own student athletes stay in school.
I'm sorry, I'm not buying the poor us Mission College cock and bull routine anymore.
You get what you pay for nowadays and what we sacrificed to get Coach Broadway and his staff here is paying immediate dividends.
But I forget the naysayers say oh its too much and we must be frugal no matter how it may hurt. I ask you to what end? A return to second class status? Well, not for me. You go by yourself and those who wish to follow you, have a nice trip.
I want more than the past or the usual and I'll willingly to work my butt off to get it.
If your wish to continue to advance not only football but baseball, track, volleyball, swimming, tennis, bowling, mens and women's basketball let's just cut the carp and put your money where you mouth is.
If you're not willing to spend it on our kids and their future to make a mark and get them an education then shame on you, shame on everyone of you that complain about A&T doesn't do this and that but aren't willing to lift a finger or are too self absorbed to take a stand and do something about it by contributing to rectify this problem.
My late mom and dad were die hard Aggies and the one thing they told me a long time ago when I was looking at colleges to attend was simply this.
"When you are in need of answers, always first look within yourself and your heart then to the heavens above to find your guidance and your choice will be clear."
I wasn't sure back then exactly what that meant but I do now.
Congrats to the kids, the coaching staff, and all their supporters for yesterday. Take care and hopefully I'll see you all again 2012.
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Post by aggiedog on Oct 16, 2011 21:39:50 GMT -5
Aggie One, very well stated
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Post by aggierattler on Oct 16, 2011 23:38:05 GMT -5
Aggie One, very well stated DITTO...
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Post by aggierattler on Oct 16, 2011 23:41:28 GMT -5
The folks that I talked to who attended this weekend's GHOE said that it was a fantastic experience, and that they liked the new "Game Zone" concept at the stadium and had no problems.
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Post by ohsixrain on Oct 17, 2011 8:43:13 GMT -5
Well...as they say you will always have some folk that are unsatisfied. I like the new game zone as well. While sure, it can be tweaked a bit...but to listen to folk complain as if A&T has a responsibility to provide a place for folk to come tailgate for free is beyond me. But I may be looking at it from a skewed perspective because, when I set out to go to an A&T game, tailgating isn't my biggest priority. Don't get me wrong, tailgating is very good for the gameday experience but, if we didn't have it I wouldn't lose one iota of sleep. That's just me. I always thought that tailgating was to cookout for pregame, get a bite to eat and go and watch some football. But, being around our university for years, I was wrong about that notion. At A&T, tailgating is a cookout/party at a football venue. In my world, I cannot equate the two...so the way I see it is, most folk who have a problem with the new game zone or the tailgating policy, whatever you want to call it, are the people who want something for nothing. I really don't wanna sound like I'm on a soapbox, but tailgating just doesn't affect my as much as it does other people. My brother called and like to had a fit talking about the new game zone. I simply responded by saying "Well, what do you want A&T to do?" That was the end of the discussion.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Oct 17, 2011 9:48:51 GMT -5
Yeah, I cant really feel too sorry for that family because all they had to do was literally walk around the corner and they could experience free games, free live music, plenty of people and food.
I don't see how you go to a football game and expect to spend zero dollars. That's not realistic. I think A&T did more than enough to provide low cost entertainment options for the entire community.
I took my own son to the Aggie Fun Fest on Sunday, didn't spend a dime and had a great time.
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oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 24,207
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Oct 17, 2011 10:31:15 GMT -5
this is the first homecoming i've attended in 4 years and imo, clearly the fan zone didn't help homecoming attendance but it certainly did diminish the tailgating experience. the tailgating area was not nearly as dense as it has been in the past and it was very much less festive. sorry folks, i don't see any benefit to the fan zone. but don't get me wrong, i'm all for raising additional revenue for a&t. however, i don't see how the fan zone accomplishes that at all.
if anybody can prove to me how the fan zone has significantly increased attendance and revenue, i'd shut the hail up and fall right in line. but it ain't increasing revenue and it ain't increasing attendance. all it does is run away our neighbors if they don't want to buy a game ticket and i don't see how that helps a&t at all. the last thing we need to do is "alienate" our potential customers.
so far, the concepts that the fan zone was created for has been an utter failure. it is "conceptually" suppose to increase attendance and increase revenue. yet, it has done neither. i suppose those ticket purchasers who feel they're being cheated out of something just because some folk had rather hang around outside for free is probably happy about the fan zone. but it ain't because the fan zone has been financially beneficial to a&t. its because of some other personal reasons...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2011 11:30:48 GMT -5
this is the first homecoming i've attended in 4 years and imo, clearly the fan zone didn't help homecoming attendance but it certainly did diminish the tailgating experience. the tailgating area was not nearly as dense as it has been in the past and it was very much less festive. sorry folks, i don't see any benefit to the fan zone. but don't get me wrong, i'm all for raising additional revenue for a&t. however, i don't see how the fan zone accomplishes that at all. if anybody can prove to me how the fan zone has significantly increased attendance and revenue, i'd shut the hail up and fall right in line. but it ain't increasing revenue and it ain't increasing attendance. all it does is run away our neighbors if they don't want to buy a game ticket and i don't see how that helps a&t at all. the last thing we need to do is "alienate" our potential customers. so far, the concepts that the fan zone was created for has been an utter failure. it is "conceptually" suppose to increase attendance and increase revenue. yet, it has done neither. i suppose those ticket purchasers who feel they're being cheated out of something just because some folk had rather hang around outside for free is probably happy about the fan zone. but it ain't because the fan zone has been financially beneficial to a&t. its because of some other personal reasons... How and why did you come to this conclusion?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2011 11:32:24 GMT -5
We should see $10 Gamezone only tickets for sale if and when we hit that 21,500 mark for the NCCU game.
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Post by ohsixrain on Oct 17, 2011 11:37:37 GMT -5
I disagree...the gameday atmosphere was just fine. What I saw was a festive tailgating area without the additional folk who doesn't a dime anyway. Those folk were probably at the baseball stadium hanging...I'm assuming. I'm just not seeing the correlation between having this huge tailgating area for free and that helping the gameday experience. From where I sit, 2006 - zero wins, tailgating FREE and gameday experience = EXCELLENT; 2007 - zero wins, tailgating FREE and gameday experience = EXCELLENT; 2008 - 3 wins, tailgating FREE and gameday experience = EXCELLENT; 2009 - 3 wins on the field and 1 forfeit, tailgating FREE and gameday experience = EXCELLENT; 2010 - 1 win , tailgating FREE and gameday experience = EXCELLENT; 2011 - 4 wins , tailgating cost of game ticket and gameday experience = POOR....what gives? If I look at that alone, that says to me, our way of thinking needs to be changed. Something has to give. I will say that the fan zone can be tweaked to only folk to purchase a ticket to tailgate only. But other than that...this sounds like a bunch of folk that want something for nothing, which often times seems to be the case with our people.
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