CML future not with WSU???

[CougPatrol]

A few points:

2) There is a plethora of outstanding tailgate space that goes unused every single gameday. The lack of motivation to participate is really on the fans. Most don't venture off of college hill unless they are in an RV, and that is unfortunate.

5) The gameday experience isn't perfect, but it really is what you make of it. The tailgating culture at other schools doesn't exist because the schools force it, it exists because they allowed it to develop. The fans were interested and created the scene. Our fans that show up do the same, there just aren't as many of us.

Any fan who hauls their butt to Pullman for a game, doesn't lack motivation. By the time our fans get to Pullman, they're beat. It's hardly a short commute, and the thought of having to put together a robust tailgate is just one more thing to plan. WSU needs to step up and the make the game a party.

The game day experience at other schools is better because they have the population numbers to make it better. There's not one school in our league who's fans have to drive a minimum of 160 miles roundtrip.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

A few points:

1) Parking: A huge drawback to our stadium being in the center of campus is lack of parking nearby. Anyone who has season tickets gets access to very reasonable parking. Single game ticket holders do get the shaft a bit, but there really isn't any option. There is no where else to put them.

2) There is a plethora of outstanding tailgate space that goes unused every single gameday. The lack of motivation to participate is really on the fans. Most don't venture off of college hill unless they are in an RV, and that is unfortunate.

3) No disagreement on the ticket taking. That always is a coin flip for some reason. Some games it is quick, others like last Saturday it is a complete mess.

4) Hotels already sell out for most games in their current condition and price points. Not much can really be done about that short of adding supply, and until Pullman grows and has more events requiring hotel space, we are kind of stuck. To WSU's credit they have started the gameday shuttle bus program, bringing fans from Spokane, Tri Cities, and Walla Walla for a very reasonable price, with alcohol allowed on the buses.

5) The gameday experience isn't perfect, but it really is what you make of it. The tailgating culture at other schools doesn't exist because the schools force it, it exists because they allowed it to develop. The fans were interested and created the scene. Our fans that show up do the same, there just aren't as many of us.

6) One thing I have often wondered is how much the stadium location hurts us (despite how awesome it is.) It makes it so easy for students to leave. If the stadium had been built, say, east of town out by the airport, with big parking fields around it, what would the tailgate scene look like? Would people be more inclined to stay?

They'd probably be more inclined to not show up at all. You know..."it's too far away from campus."

 

[wazzucougs96]

Any fan who hauls their butt to Pullman for a game, doesn't lack motivation. By the time our fans get to Pullman, they're beat. It's hardly a short commute, and the thought of having to put together a robust tailgate is just one more thing to plan. WSU needs to step up and the make the game a party.

The game day experience at other schools is better because they have the population numbers to make it better. There's not one school in our league who's fans have to drive a minimum of 160 miles roundtrip.

They are driving cars, no walking. It just takes a little creativity and desire to want to tailgate. WSU isn't in the business of throwing parties. Expecting them to be is unrealistic.

Most Oregon and Oregon State fans are driving from Portland, which is comparable to driving from Spokane. Their fans still make it happen.

 

[wazzucougs96]

They'd probably be more inclined to not show up at all. You know..."it's too far away from campus."

Yeah, unfortunately that is very possible. But, if it had been that way since forever, it may not be the case. Oregon students walk a long ways to Autzen every game, even before they rose to the elite level they are at now.

Beaver Stadium at Penn State is a 1.5 mile walk from Greek row. They have open parking surrounding the stadium, so students drive cars there and set up tailgates and such.

 

[E Jones]

A few points:

1) Parking: A huge drawback to our stadium being in the center of campus is lack of parking nearby. Anyone who has season tickets gets access to very reasonable parking. Single game ticket holders do get the shaft a bit, but there really isn't any option. There is no where else to put them.

2) There is a plethora of outstanding tailgate space that goes unused every single gameday. The lack of motivation to participate is really on the fans. Most don't venture off of college hill unless they are in an RV, and that is unfortunate.

?

This seems to be part of the problem. There are plenty of unused spaces in lots all around campus, yet single game ticket holders get shoved to the outskirts. I know they want to insure parking for certain people, but reserving 1000 parking spaces for 500 cars doesn't seem necessary. consolidate some of the lots and open up some lots of campus (owen library perhaps) for people with single game tickets.

 

[wazzucougs96]

This seems to be part of the problem. There are plenty of unused spaces in lots all around campus, yet single game ticket holders get shoved to the outskirts. I know they want to insure parking for certain people, but reserving 1000 parking spaces for 500 cars doesn't seem necessary. consolidate some of the lots and open up some lots of campus (owen library perhaps) for people with single game tickets.

I agree, some consolidation and restructuring would probably go a long way.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

This seems to be part of the problem. There are plenty of unused spaces in lots all around campus, yet single game ticket holders get shoved to the outskirts. I know they want to insure parking for certain people, but reserving 1000 parking spaces for 500 cars doesn't seem necessary. consolidate some of the lots and open up some lots of campus (owen library perhaps) for people with single game tickets.

Even season ticket holders get the shaft on parking. I have a friend who's been a season ticket holder for 15 years and he was told that he has to park by Orton. That does not qualify as good parking.

 

[wazzucougs96]

Even season ticket holders get the shaft on parking. I have a friend who's been a season ticket holder for 15 years and he was told that he has to park by Orton. That does not qualify as good parking.

Your friend is either lying or clueless. Here is the CAF parking map, you'll notice none of these lots are south of Olympia where Orton is:

http://www.cougarathleticfund.com/tickets/parkingfootball.html

 

[Cougatron]

There's no question that fan support matters. Our fans have always frustrated me, but WSU needs to claim their share of the blame as well.

• We should have the conferences biggest tailgate / beer garden
• Ample parking should be available
• Access into the stadium should be FAST and convenient. Instead, we have the smallest attendance and longest wait times because WSU cheaps out and has only 2 ticket takers at each gate.
• Our current family fun play area is a good idea, but there should be at least one more area on the adjacent side of the stadium as well. Bounce houses for the kids, beer gardens for the parents, live music, etc.

We should have the best game day experience in the conference to make up for the fact that our venue is (by far) the least accessible and most expensive trip there is. Instead, we have a subpar experience.

As I've said before, WSU Athletic Department should start playing hardball with the city of Pullman and the University. Move 2 games/year to Seattle and let the city and the area businesses feel the lost revenue impact. You want to charge $200+ night for lousy hotels? You want to issue parking tickets to fans who drove 2+ hours to see a lousy team play? Don't want to create an SEC type, game day atmosphere? OK, then we have no choice but to cut the number of Pullman homes games down to 4/year.

I agree with all of this. You are absolutely right Patrol.

I'm not one of those people that just thinks oh it's all the students/fans fault. It's not just their fault. The coaches and University share in the blame, and you are absolutely right there is no reason why we don't have one of THE best tailgating experiences in the country.

There is a lot we can improve, but the attitude of the students is something they have to fix. Nobody is going to fix that for them...because it's not about winning...they leave even if we are winning. They don't show up even if we are on the verge of bowl eligibility. There is something wrong with their attitude and as the most energetic and loudest group when there is a problem in that we are hosed for a long time.

 

[CougPatrol]

Perhaps our Athletic Director should organize a "town hall" meeting with all of the fraternities and sororities to discuss ways to improve the game day experience and to lean on them to help with student recruitment.

Don't leave out the dorms either. You can't meet all the residents, but you can certainly work to increase awareness and stress the importance and significance of having a successful athletic department.

Decreasing attendance is something that many schools are facing now that all of the games are on TV. Nick Saban and Alabama have recently called out their student section for not staying through the game. Have we reached out to other schools across the Nation who've successfully dealt with this type of thing? My guess is no.

I consider this kind of thing to be a vital part of our CAF committee's job. You won't have donors tomorrow if the students don't give a $hit today.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Your friend is either lying or clueless. Here is the CAF parking map, you'll notice none of these lots are south of Olympia where Orton is:

http://www.cougarathleticfund.com/tickets/parkingfootball.html

Feel free to note that the parking map you posted starts for CAF members at the $250 level. My friend only donates $100 per year because he figures the $1700 he spends on season tickets ought to mean something. It doesn't.

 

[wazzucougs96]

Feel free to note that the parking map you posted starts for CAF members at the $250 level. My friend only donates $100 per year because he figures the $1700 he spends on season tickets ought to mean something. It doesn't.

You get what you pay for. This is nothing more than usual WSU fan whining.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

You get what you pay for. This is nothing more than usual WSU fan whining.

You say that....and then you bitch about people not showing up. WSU shouldn't be trying to screw its fans if they want them to come to Pullman for games. Why tell someone who has already given you $1700 that if they don't want to walk almost a mile to the stadium, they need to pony up another $250? You can't have it both ways. Either don't complain about people not coming, or make it as easy and economical as possible to get them to the stadium.

 

[wazzucougs96]

You say that....and then you bitch about people not showing up. WSU shouldn't be trying to screw its fans if they want them to come to Pullman for games. Why tell someone who has already given you $1700 that if they don't want to walk almost a mile to the stadium, they need to pony up another $250? You can't have it both ways. Either don't complain about people not coming, or make it as easy and economical as possible to get them to the stadium.

I think you have me confused with someone else. I have been arguing that I don't blame anyone for not coming anymore.

But for parking, others are willing to pay it, so WSU is going to sell it. No one is entitled to anything just because they spend a lot on tickets. Parking is tied to donations. Moos and Company have been tasked with ramping up donations for years now. He has been talking that mess to anyone who will listen. This isn't news.

Also, there are gameday shuttles that pick up from the various parking lots, so no one is forcing them to walk.

If your friend had Seahawks season tickets, he would have to pay a premium for their parking passes, otherwise they have to pay and park just like anyone else who doesn't pay the premium.

 

[CougEd]

You say that....and then you bitch about people not showing up. WSU shouldn't be trying to screw its fans if they want them to come to Pullman for games. Why tell someone who has already given you $1700 that if they don't want to walk almost a mile to the stadium, they need to pony up another $250? You can't have it both ways. Either don't complain about people not coming, or make it as easy and economical as possible to get them to the stadium.

Flat...250 after shelling out 500.00 bills for a weekend is probably low on the complaint list.

 

[chinookpirate]

What if they're a student with a job?

 

[wazzucougs96]

What if they're a student with a job?

Then they have a sports pass and don't need to worry about parking?

 

[wulffui]

Flat...250 after shelling out 500.00 bills for a weekend is probably low on the complaint list.

Yeah, I would think the guys at the top of the complaint list would be whoever took the counterfeit 500 dollar bills.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

For the comment about paying for Seahawks parking, this isn't pro football and Pullman isn't a huge metro with a million people living in it. It's stupid to charge someone $20 to park almost a mile from the stadium when you're struggling to get people to come to games. At the end of the day, when you are adding new reasons to discourage fans, don't complain when they don't show up. Start winning football games before you try to gouge fans for every little item. You can get the maximum amount from the diehards that will pay whatever it takes or try to make it affordable, convenient and fun for everyone. I am glad to see that they removed a lot of the language that forbid tailgating outside of the RV lot from the official website. At least they are listening a little bit.

 

[wazzucougs96]

For the comment about paying for Seahawks parking, this isn't pro football and Pullman isn't a huge metro with a million people living in it. It's stupid to charge someone $20 to park almost a mile from the stadium when you're struggling to get people to come to games. At the end of the day, when you are adding new reasons to discourage fans, don't complain when they don't show up. Start winning football games before you try to gouge fans for every little item. You can get the maximum amount from the diehards that will pay whatever it takes or try to make it affordable, convenient and fun for everyone. I am glad to see that they removed a lot of the language that forbid tailgating outside of the RV lot from the official website. At least they are listening a little bit.

You are absolutely clueless. The donor lots are packed almost every game. Why should someone get better parking for paying less?

And who cares about whatever language regarding tailgating you are whining about? Those rules were never enforced by anyone.

Leave the flyover states once in a while and come to a game, you might be surprised.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

You are absolutely clueless. The donor lots are packed almost every game. Why should someone get better parking for paying less?

And who cares about whatever language regarding tailgating you are whining about? Those rules were never enforced by anyone.

Leave the flyover states once in a while and come to a game, you might be surprised.

Who cares about the language? While you are lecturing me about leaving the flyover states, maybe you should get out of Pullman? Every place that I've ever gone to has had far more people hanging out by their cars and drinking with their friends compared to WSU. A significant part of that is because of that language that you feel doesn't matter. If you had read the "rules", it basically said that you couldn't tailgate unless you were in the RV lot and you'd better not plan on getting there too early or staying too late. It was a fairly concerted effort to make a gameday experience before and after the game as limited as possible. It wouldn't surprise me if it was part of a plan to force fans to go to the Field House or other WSU sponsored event prior to the game. Again, I'm glad to see some changes there.

Whether or not it was enforced doesn't matter to the fan who is thinking of going to the game, reads the rules and then thinks, "screw that". Again, this is about putting up barriers to fans. You can discount the opinion of my friend if you want, but just realize that it is the opinion of a guy who has spent over $30k supporting WSU football over the years.

 

[wazzucougs96]

Who cares about the language? While you are lecturing me about leaving the flyover states, maybe you should get out of Pullman? Every place that I've ever gone to has had far more people hanging out by their cars and drinking with their friends compared to WSU. A significant part of that is because of that language that you feel doesn't matter. If you had read the "rules", it basically said that you couldn't tailgate unless you were in the RV lot and you'd better not plan on getting there too early or staying too late. It was a fairly concerted effort to make a gameday experience before and after the game as limited as possible. It wouldn't surprise me if it was part of a plan to force fans to go to the Field House or other WSU sponsored event prior to the game. Again, I'm glad to see some changes there.

Whether or not it was enforced doesn't matter to the fan who is thinking of going to the game, reads the rules and then thinks, "screw that". Again, this is about putting up barriers to fans. You can discount the opinion of my friend if you want, but just realize that it is the opinion of a guy who has spent over $30k supporting WSU football over the years.

You're like the guy who goes out to dinner, and whines because the steak is 40 bucks but doesn't come with a side salad. It costs what it costs. Stop playing this "I deserve more for less" card. It just comes off as whining. If you want cheap parking, go get tickets to Eastern.