SECU/Basketball Game Day Improvements

[TuTigers2012 1,061]

Since the state of athletics has come up. Aside from a better schedule and going to the NCAAs, list your wish list of improvements for SECU and game-day overall. Can be realistic or not.

-Change the color of seats in lower bowl. (gold is a bad look when empty)

-Move the students, how little they may be, back to the opposite baseline where they are closer to the band and opposing team.

-Tarp off the upper level baseline sections with a Tiger logo

-Offer better selection of food. crabcakes, crab fries, burgers, pizza, chicken tenders, etc.

-Advertise that beer is sold (fairly cheaply) up top

-Play highlights and recap of previous games on the big screen before the game. 

-Show out of town and other CAA scores during breaks (they used to do this)

-Sell ad space for the big screen (enough of the whose who at tu bit)

-Giveaways for students (shirts, hats, etc) have some incentive where they get a ticket or something for staying until the under 4 timeout or something of that nature

-Half court shots/contests for students

-Frat and sorority days

-Like the orioles, give kids under the age of 13 free tickets to EVERY game with a paying adult.  1 comped child ticket is a drop in the bucket for an adult admission + food/souvenirs and the experience. 

-Midnight madness

-"Indoor Tailgate" for students/alums at Auburn Pavilion or the field house before a big saturday home game

-Actually advertise the games. 

 

Have at it...

[TSU88 1,070]

Hire TUTigers2012 to run the marketing department 

[mat1992 2,231]

Some excellent ideas. The students should be next to the band but move the band to the opposite side. Put the students in the corner and opposite of the Towson bench. 

Also like the video part, though I don't know about copyrights for the JMU video feed or whatever. But it can be done. That could be shown 10 minutes before the game. Yes, don't ignore that there are other CAA games going on. That's a joke that the out of town scores are not show.

I know some people from the AD read this and possibly the hoops team. Maybe they can email some of the ideas to those who are responsible for the gameday experience.

Indoor tailgate at Auburn House or Field House also good idea for students. Midnight Madness never seems to work unless they invite frats and sororities. I have no issue if they try it again sometime in mid-October even though practice starts earlier now. 

 

[Billy1121 4]

My biggest issue is that the students sit until maybe 2 minutes left if it’s a close game.  I’m not sure how you can force them to stand or if you can remove the bleacher seats in that area to make it more of an incline bowl but that’s pretty embarassing.  I was part of Tunit years ago and we stood and that was in the Towson Center and there were only 5 of us.

Students can build the energy in the building.

[TheGoldCrotchPiece 87]

8 minutes ago, Billy1121 said:

My biggest issue is that the students sit until maybe 2 minutes left if it’s a close game.  I’m not sure how you can force them to stand or if you can remove the bleacher seats in that area to make it more of an incline bowl but that’s pretty embarassing.  I was part of Tunit years ago and we stood and that was in the Towson Center and there were only 5 of us.

Students can build the energy in the building.

tunit!! the free wings!

we had something going there for a bit with student leadership, then athletics and student affairs (aka Deb Moriarty, the fun police) killed it with that stupid docs army thing.  

[TheGoldCrotchPiece 87]

1 hour ago, TSU88 said:

Hire TUTigers2012 to run the marketing department 

+1

[Chris Datres 423]

I'll reiterate what I had said in a previous thread -- send someone from marketing to Grand Canyon University and get some ideas from them on how they turn their basketball games into a showcase.  They've been in D1 for 5-6 years now and they almost sell the place out every night and students are in their seats whooping it up an hour before gametime.  GCU is located in a bigger city footprint than we are (Phoenix vs. Baltimore) and their arena seats more than SECU.  Find out some of the tricks they use out there and see if it's feasible to implement them at SECU.  GCU's biggest basketball crowd was for....wait for it...the Kangaroos of UMKC.

[Tigerone94 29]

Chris beat me to it referencing Grand Canyon.  I remembered reading the attached article a year ago on what makes GCU so special and thought god I wish it was like that back in the 90s and still today at a Towson game.  It's worth the 5 minute read and viewing the videos.  I'll continue to dream that one day before I die that it comes true.  I agree that we should hire TuTigers2012.  Waddell might have run the department in the red, but he sure knew how to market and  he had the support staff to make it happen.  TL on the other hand seems to have trimmed his staff to bare bones while still giving the coaches the resources to coach/recruit and the players the support to be successful on and off the court.  His #1 deputy had no athletics experience prior to Towson.  He's a military vet thus the reason for all the cannons, US Army promotions, etc.  Not a single person on his executive staff has any significant background in marketing/promotions.  Appears to me that sponsorship dollars have dried up since TL came on board (notice blank ads in the stadium and blacked out ads on the back of the baseball scoreboard).  How in the world can we bring in ticket revenue when every game involves a community partner (teachers, first responders, military) and they're offered 4 free tickets a game.  GCU focused on getting students to the game first and then the community.  Makes sense...I'd be more interested (and my kid would be too) in watching Towson play in front of 2500 students instead of 200 students no matter if we were playing U Made a Bad Choice or an A-10 school.  Gotta think the community would feel the same way too.  My 2 cents.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/grand-canyon-university-antelopes-basketball-best-student-section-havocs-dan-majerle

[TuTigers2012 1,061]

Another idea would be to have an Autism Walk/Run, around campus/York Rd the morning of the Autism Awareness game.  A way to raise funds for a great charity and to get more people in the area that can go to game.  

 

Also stealing from the Atlanta Hawks, a social network/dating night. They did something with the tinder dating app, where people got to meet or something of that nature. I would think college students might have an interest in that.

[TSU86 16]

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 12:52 PM, Tigerone94 said:

I'd be more interested (and my kid would be too) in watching Towson play in front of 2500 students instead of 200 students

EXACTLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ive thought this for years. We desperately need for students to attend to add to the atmosphere.

For football games, I forego my normal seats, to sit over by the students. (of course, I them mumble under my breath at them when they arrive late and leave early)