It seems like years of mediocrity/irrelevance has killed the culture of going to games outside of special events. Plus there’s way more competition for attention than there was even just a decade ago.
I also think the in game experience has gotten noticeably worse compared to what it was when I was attending. Taking a 3:30 - 4:00 break basically every time there’s a change of possession completely kills the momentum/energy/flow of the game and is brutal to sit through. There were so many times last night where we’d make a huge stop, the crowd would start to get fired up, and then the red vest guy would put up a 3:40 and wander out onto the field and everything would die down.
Someone mentioned beat the clock and country night having more appeal than the game. I think that is accurate with todays students. I hate to say it but the students I have come in contact with are odd to me. I have been for dads weekend the last 8 years and rugby alumni Weekend every year. The “men” at this school are frat boy clones wearing every team except miami jerseys…
I told my daughter I did not think any men existed at Miami and she may have to wait until after college to find a good one. She did not completely disagree. It’s a bit of a clown show really. I know I am generalizing but just what I have seen.
Bring beat the clock and a good country band to the tailgate…that might be a good start.
I wouldn’t use students per se (not personal, just that they have a full time job called school) and I’d stop paying outside consultancies and instead find alums willing to give perspective perhaps as a tax write off. There are a number of people on this forum that would likely add instant value.
I remember a Playboy description of Miami’s students way back in the day. It said the guys were Barbie’s Ken with a fraternity pin and the girls were daughters of bridge playing suburbanites with very good teeth.
Interesting numbers from last night: 45 total offensive plays for Miami - 36 rushing and 9 passing. 1 carry for Kenny Tracy for 36 yards. Zero carries for Keyon Mozee.
With the emergence of Amos, Mozee hardly sees the field now. Also saw Brunson on the sidelines…remember all the yards he piled up against Delaware State…hardly played since.
You’ve described my experiences perfectly. I’ve asked for minor and major things, e.g., help setting up 30-minute interviews with 10 student-athletes to discuss their perceptions regarding NIL all the way to access to ticket and food sale data so I could develop optimal pricing models for food and tickets together with a student-athlete who was doing research with me.
I even offered to teach any number of student-athletes how to create and sell digital assets in a compliant way, while asking for nothing in return. Most people I contacted by email or phone never replied back. I had meetings with a couple just to get the idea dismissed quickly or to receive a classic “I will get back to you later.”
As @skin66 said, the impression was that no help was needed, and I finally stopped begging to help somehow.
It is sad because even in a worst-case scenario, it is a win-win situation: The Athletics department could always get some good publicity on how it is innovating and preparing our students-athletes beyond sports, and the students working on projects would get valuable experience with a real-life client.
Congrats to the team on another W. We even threw two passes ( completions ) to TE Bolden last night - I believe his first two catches this year! I believe , however, we have fewer than 10 pass attempts to TE’s all year. At least a start last night. TE targets for AV a good option. Also we should roll him out with TE drag pass patterns, run/ pass option, short out and come back ( old button hook ) routes, etc. We can beat poor to mediocre teams with our current O package but we are going to need a lot more ingenuity - and common sense play calling -to beat Toledo and a good bowl team ( and maybe Ball State ).
I’d be like the damn county Sheriff and say “hey kids, turn in your Vuvezuela (spelling?) at this weeks game and get a free pizza” It would be like a damn fire arm collection. It sorta has to be that way when you unleash that hideous noise maker to the world.
Yes, the last time Toledo visited Oxford before this year They were driving for the winning TD and fumbled just before the goal line and the ball trickled out of bounds. That was our only win in a 1-11 season ( But we went 10-4 the next season with a MAC championship and a Bowl win.)
I created a list of 12 items that I believed would have improved the viability of ICA…but all were ignored…basically inexpensive, mostly easy to implement, etc., etc…They did require some work and I think that was the stumbling block
My “giving” of my time, talent and treasure to Miami stopped after I got so frustrated…for the umpteenth time…actually about half a dozen legitimate suggestion meetings/ calls.
