From what I’ve heard the attendance number, at least for students, is based on how many tickets were claimed, not necessarily how many were scanned at the stadium (further validated by someone I know claiming a ticket and ending up not making it to the game, and still winning the rogers rewards money). Surely the old system where you swiped your id just used swipes to track attendance, I don’t see why it would be different if you tap your id
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Reposting this where it belongs……
If Miami’s athletic department administrators spent a tenth of the time discussing how to improve FB attendance as posters on these boards spend bitching about attendance issues, they might actually come up with an idea or two….but I believe they have no real interest in addressing the decades old problem which goes back to when Miami AD Dick Shrider opined that if the fans care to show up, they will. (essentially a 6+ decade continuum of doing nothing. Why should we care if there’s interest from the depths of Millett?)
I graduated in 1965. Both Miami Field and Withrow Court (admittedly smaller venues than Yager and Millett) would be filled for games (and the student body was 7,500 when I enrolled and about 9,000 when I graduated)….so I’m not terribly sympathetic to the “size” case. And, as far as social media being a distraction, that doesn’t explain average crowd sizes at Big10 and SEC games.
I just wish that Miami would do something, especially when other, lesser MAC schools outdraw Miami. Hopefully, the new BB arena, whenever that opens (reminds me of the Yager years of waiting and waiting for construction to actually begin) might create additional help with hoops…though props to Travis Steel for helping restore some BB attendance while we wait for the new arena.
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If this works I am nominating myself for some award
https://eblade.toledoblade.com/.pf/showstory/20251018103/1?fields=FlippAd?fields=SubTitle%2CFlippAd
I don’t understand the complaints about radio coverage. It’s 2025, you can stream virtually any station in America on I❤️ Radio. You can listen to Miami football and basketball anywhere, even in Ross.
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Claimed tickets does make sense as attendance these days is tickets “sold”, not how many show up to watch.
Not sure when Miami moved on from the student ID swipe for entry, but possibly it coincided with changing to a new ticketing system. Having students use the same process as non-student ticket purchasers definitely makes it easier for Miami’s limited ticketing/operations staff.
Again, I wonder what is best practice for other schools where students don’t have to separately buy a ticket? Anyone with some insight?
2022 season I believe
This is where you need @Jive to weigh in as I refuse to believe there isn’t a way to make it seamless. Dumb idea: have a student entrance and make entry tied to scanning a QR. Could be tablet based. Each site ping is a student. Note: (Not sure if the cell towers can handle the load even with just a couple thousand entering at once, so might not be feasible.)
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Maybe they need to bring in some marketing ideas from minor league baseball which has created a fun environment thoughout the entire game more so than the majors or bring in bands/concerts for 1/2 time and end of game shows?
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Dress the coaching staff up like the Savannah Banannas!
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We have no rituals. Nothing that fans would ever be able to take part in as a tradition. I think fans are maybe like tribes. Each has beliefs and rituals. What the hell does chop pig suey even mean. Arkansas fans know. Why does Grinnell do silent night in hoops. Because it means something. There is a lot of stuff that needs to happen to improve attendance (tactics) but there are maybe even more to improve the innate connection a fan has to the team and its story. I would argue if you don’t fix that you can’t really fix the other.
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I think this is very true, has to be fun, part of why Miami hockey is fun (even if they aren’t good), tons of unique chants to join in with
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Also want to point out I bought tickets for the UNLV game through the athletic site. I was really surprised there wasn’t even a fan survey afterwards. So many areas for improvement
The “Love & Honor” Timeout Blast (2 Minutes 30 Seconds)
1. The Drumline Drop (30 seconds)
• Action: The Miami University Marching Band (MUMB) Drumline immediately takes center field and performs a fierce, complex, 30-second drum break (like a sudden jolt).
• Visual: The jumbotron flashes a fast-paced sequence of RedHawk defensive highlights—big tackles, sacks, and turnovers.
• Audio Cue: The announcer cuts in over the final beats: “RedHawk Nation: It’s time to Lock In!”
2. The Love & Honor Pledge (1 Minute 30 Seconds)
• Action: The MUMB brass and woodwinds join the drumline, playing the initial, triumphant four-note phrase of “Love and Honor to Miami” on a continuous loop, getting louder each time.
• Crowd Cue: The announcer guides the crowd: “Look to your left, look to your right. Link arms with your fellow RedHawks! We are one body, unified by our pledge. Now, chant it with us, from your heart!”
• The Chant: The crowd begins a slow, rhythmic, and growing chant: "LOVE! AND! HONOR! HAWKS!" (repeated 5-6 times). The band matches the rhythm, increasing the intensity of the music until the entire stadium is shaking with sound.
3. The Energy Eruption (30 seconds)
• Climax: On the final repeat of the chant, the music and the chant stop abruptly.
• The Blast: The MUMB immediately launches into the most explosive, final eight bars of the traditional “Love and Honor to Miami” fight song. All lights flash, and the players on the sideline jump and pump their fists.
• Audio Cue: The announcer screams: “That’s the Miami Spirit! LET’S GO, HAWKS!”
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I like it! BTW, things seem to have gone to hell since the NIU coach ( a Miami grad). complained so much about our band and students harassing them that changes were made. It used to be a point of pride back in the day when you could get the opposing team to react to your comments. It was fun. We were the Cameron Indoor of football. Not obscene but certainly bordering nasty. Echoing what has already been said, there was a time long ago when students would line up early to get the best seats. Frats would send pledges to save seats for them. Ah, the good old days.
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We don’t have anyone close enough on either side to link arms.
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Win some early season games (especially P4) and occasionally try to bring in an OOC opponent with some name recognition.
What’s the identity of Miami football? I think this question goes hand-in-hand with a distinct lack of rituals and traditions on game-day for fans to learn, enjoy, and look forward to. That’s a really astute observation you guys have made.
When I was coming up in the 90s, Miami’s identity was a tough-ass team which would play and compete against anybody, anywhere. They weren’t Ohio State, but they were just as good as any program in and around SW Ohio (UC, Louisville, Indiana, UK, etc). They are nowhere near those programs today, and we all know the reasons why. Can that issue be solved? It doesn’t feel like it, so what does that mean for the program?
Miami football also wasn’t on television very often. If you wanted to see them, you had to get to Oxford. Now, as we all know, you can watch every game from the comfort of your couch. How many fans does that dissuade from coming to Oxford? Television revenue has been beneficial for Miami, likely a net positive overall, but I think it’s also done *a lot* to hurt attendance. I still don’t enjoy the Tuesday and Wednesday MACtion games, philosophically.
So it all begs the question—what’s the value proposition for people (alumni, football fans, locals) to come to Yaeger? We can say best-in-class MAC football. What kind of market does that represent? I’d argue it’s what we have seen now for years, attendance-wise (ie. not a very big market of folks). Cheap, affordable D-1 college football? There’s probably truth in this. How much is this message being delivered in SW Ohio? Are they getting tickets into people’s hands? Every youth football team in all of SW Ohio should get tickets to come to a game. How do they entice people to make the effort to come? Is being cheap/affordable even what you want to be known for? I don’t know…
What else is there? I know the Cradle of Coaches is a thing, but that’s not getting people to Oxford week to week. Nor is Miami’s piss-poor OOC performance over the last 20 years. Does the administration care about this issue? And if they do, are there any resources to combat it?
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My freshman year we opened at home with the Quantico Marines. The game was full of fans. We went on to beat Purdue at their place. Boy is my spelling awful.
Honestly, it’s not that hard. Most 18-22 year old males who like football are interested in spending their weekends drinking and chasing pu$$y. Make the games a party. Millett lawn should be beer trucks and food trucks. Quit pandering to the dorks who want a free hot dog and a tee shirt. Make it cool to go to the games.
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I just don’t think Miami students care enough about MAC football. Sure bringing in some good opponents in OOC would help for those games but we still have to play the MAC games and I don’t think people will show up even if we win a couple more OOC games. I think a big thing that would help is joining a new conference. And now with pretty much every Miami sport at the top of the MAC I think now is the time to explore that possibility
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