Seattle game: when/if we have a home game, weekend before Thanksgiving
- Thread starter ttowncoug
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What Bruce said. Especially a league game, and most especially a UW game.
I'm long since on record in complete opposition to the Seattle game. But there's one situation in which I might be in favor of it: even years, an interesting non-conference opponent, as a neutral site or 7th home game, on the weekend following thanksgiving...provided that the Apple Cup is played in Pullman in the weekend before thanksgiving. The game should not, however, be in husky stadium.
Absolutely not. When WSU is relevant in football, people will come to Pullman (or stay to watch the game). You do not become relevant by travelling to your enemy's turf to play the games just to get some extra cash. If playing body bag games for cash helped a program, Idaho wouldn't be moving down to FCS.
Personally, I was very happy when WSU hosted a "home" game in Seattle on Labor Day weekend. As a long distance fan who has family/friends in the Puget Sound, it was great to make that trip and kill multiple birds with one stone. Unfortunately, the AD decided that we didn't have fans at those games because of the quality of competition so they changed to conference games in October, which was a monumentally stupid decision because again, you don't get better by giving your opponents an advantage.
I don't understand why WSU fans are so interested in seeing the other team? You go to watch WSU!!! Who cares who they play!
A highly qualified "maybe" from me. Living within five miles of the Clink, it is convenient for me travel-wise but without the atmosphere of Martin. I would rather deal with the time, effort and money of traveling across the state.
A Clink game might be reasonable under very limited circumstances:
1) Students are not in Pullman.
2) OOC game only.
3) The opponent cannot be convinced to come to Martin.
3a) Said opponent has a following in the Puget Sound area. eg. Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin.
3b) Opponent provides quality competition but not to the extent of becoming a "body bag" game.
4) Clink only. Never, ever, no way Montlake. I cannot bring myself to enter uw's stadium even for Apple Cup games. The thought of giving money to the uw's coffer is too much for me.
5) Revenue from the game must be substantially greater than an alternative game in Pullman.
Despite my location I prefer Martin by far. Under extremely limited circumstances a Seattle game might make sense but those circumstances are likely to be rare. It's possible but I doubt it will occur with frequency. Martin>>>>>>the Clink for a number of reasons.
A Clink game might be reasonable under very limited circumstances:
1) Students are not in Pullman.
2) OOC game only.
3) The opponent cannot be convinced to come to Martin.
3a) Said opponent has a following in the Puget Sound area. eg. Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin.
3b) Opponent provides quality competition but not to the extent of becoming a "body bag" game.
4) Clink only. Never, ever, no way Montlake. I cannot bring myself to enter uw's stadium even for Apple Cup games. The thought of giving money to the uw's coffer is too much for me.
5) Revenue from the game must be substantially greater than an alternative game in Pullman.
Despite my location I prefer Martin by far. Under extremely limited circumstances a Seattle game might make sense but those circumstances are likely to be rare. It's possible but I doubt it will occur with frequency. Martin>>>>>>the Clink for a number of reasons.
To tell you the truth, you have excitement when you have good teams. Traveling to Pullman and watching games during the Wulff years was not exciting at all. Dead crowd as well. Half the stadium was empty after half time.
Winning breeds excitement.
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Moos should work with the conference to never allow a game the weekend before Thanksgiving (I think WSU is one of the few conference schools off the entire Turkey week).
I would also have him work out, if they're going to plan the Apple Cup day after Thanksgiving, it's only in the years it is in Seattle (obviously a larger pop base). Pullman would be on Saturday when it's held at WSU.
Pullman is unique. Most remote of all schools and not a large population base. Just makes sense to have the stands as full as possible.
I would also have him work out, if they're going to plan the Apple Cup day after Thanksgiving, it's only in the years it is in Seattle (obviously a larger pop base). Pullman would be on Saturday when it's held at WSU.
Pullman is unique. Most remote of all schools and not a large population base. Just makes sense to have the stands as full as possible.
There was rarely an issue with attendance when Apple Cup was on Saturday before Thanksgiving. That's the only game that should ever be played on that day though.
I've never understood it either, chalk it up as one more reason/excuse not to attend a game
I was mainly curious on the Saturday BEFORE thanksgiving break. Remember, the game we had to beg students to stick around and watch the CU game.
I tend to think this weekend, and ONLY this weekend, might have some merit in moving that game to Seattle.
Generally speaking, I think this game would fall on the Saturday before a SEATTLE Apple Cup. Maybe we could stay in Seattle this whole week and practice in the Seahawks facility. Might be a cost prohibitive, but tying a "Seattle week" into a Seattle Apple Cup, could have some play. You could schedule a "Seattle basketball game" vs. Seattle U as an example.
I tend to think this weekend, and ONLY this weekend, might have some merit in moving that game to Seattle.
Generally speaking, I think this game would fall on the Saturday before a SEATTLE Apple Cup. Maybe we could stay in Seattle this whole week and practice in the Seahawks facility. Might be a cost prohibitive, but tying a "Seattle week" into a Seattle Apple Cup, could have some play. You could schedule a "Seattle basketball game" vs. Seattle U as an example.
Some interesting thoughts but I don't see all of them as practical. The weekend prior to Turkey Week is not the major problem. The problem rests with the games during Turkey Week. Martin's attendance on the Saturday prior comes down to having a team which the students will find worth delaying their departure in order to attend. As far as the games scheduled during said week, any scheduled date is a problem. Thanksgiving is a family holiday and not one amenable to unobservance when children are involved. Games scheduled in a remote location like Pullman are asking for disaster attendance-wise. The Friday after the holiday is only slightly less problematic. Saturday is still a problem as the students are not scheduled to return yet. A team worth returning a day early to watch would rectify some but not all of that issue.
Scheduling bottom line does not rest with me, you, the other posters, Moos or even the conference. We have sold our souls to the television devil and that scoundrel has the last say. If the TV guys want it on a certain date and time then that's it, half empty and relatively subdued stadium or not. About all we can do is point out that their programming will portray a disappointing crowd and that another date and time would solve that issue. Good ideas or not, the broadcasting people make the final decision and we can only nudge them in the right direction.
Here's the thing. This is what started the premise of having the Seattle games in the first place. There was a small window that was to be chosen from. It was only going to be Non-con games. Those lower tier games didn't sell well in Pullman anyways, kind of thing. While I don't/didn't like that concept, it was supposed to be just for that. Then it was the higher tier non-con's like Baylor. Then they started tinkering with conference games. Then they started using it for the Oregon schools.
We can sit here and think of all the caveats. The problem is, when someone else gets a hold of the idea, they have to expand on it. It changes. Every year there's some brain child that someone saw as an opportunity. Moos sits during the game at the CLink and wonders about, "What if we do this, or that? Would that make the experience better? We should try that!" Kinda thing.
I kinda like a couple of the idea's above but they would never stay as such. After 2 or 3 years, it gets changed. Thus I'm just against any game in Seattle, regardless of the situation(s). We all just need to realize, Pullman is our home, not Seattle. Not even a little. Spring Game in Spokane is the furthest I ever want to go for a "home game".
We can sit here and think of all the caveats. The problem is, when someone else gets a hold of the idea, they have to expand on it. It changes. Every year there's some brain child that someone saw as an opportunity. Moos sits during the game at the CLink and wonders about, "What if we do this, or that? Would that make the experience better? We should try that!" Kinda thing.
I kinda like a couple of the idea's above but they would never stay as such. After 2 or 3 years, it gets changed. Thus I'm just against any game in Seattle, regardless of the situation(s). We all just need to realize, Pullman is our home, not Seattle. Not even a little. Spring Game in Spokane is the furthest I ever want to go for a "home game".
Agree 100%. There isn't anything wrong with keeping games in Pullman when you factor in the human desire to tinker. I enjoyed the labor day games because it made my life easier, but I don't ever want to see conference games in Seattle again. When we are winning games, students will stay on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and other fans will cross the state too.
I still say put Pullman Apple Cups back to the Friday before Thanksgiving - even if it means it's not the last game of the season. A lot of the other conference rivalries are no longer in the final week, so let us play it before break and then have a road game after Thanksgiving. Students will stay for Apple Cup, especially if we're winning.
You're close. About 3/4s of a mile west on first hill.Oh, so you live in the Shorewood Apartments?
I used to live there too.
The proof is in the attendance. Those huge crowds that were supposed to show up in Seattle???
Never happened. Time to find another idea.
You know what I always wondered? Why did Subway try to sell pizzas? Why not just make a better sandwich?
At the end of the day, WSU needs to sell tickets in Pullman. WSU needs to market a trip to Pullman as a trip to the Mecca of everything Coug. Why not just get better at gameday in Pullman? Trying to be something you're not will end up like selling pizzas at Subway. It doesn't work.
Never happened. Time to find another idea.
You know what I always wondered? Why did Subway try to sell pizzas? Why not just make a better sandwich?
At the end of the day, WSU needs to sell tickets in Pullman. WSU needs to market a trip to Pullman as a trip to the Mecca of everything Coug. Why not just get better at gameday in Pullman? Trying to be something you're not will end up like selling pizzas at Subway. It doesn't work.
Agree whole heartedly. My analogy is always like Spokane trying to look and act like Seattle. Just looks dumb and lost. It's ultimately a failure and it looks like your the guy that's trying to keep up with others and wondering why the girls are going after the other guys he's trying to emulate. When all you need to do is be yourself and you'll catch all the hot chicks you want. For some, finding your identity is hard, I get that. But man… Seems like we are banging our head against this wall for decades.
Could you imagine, on the day GameDay came, there was a Flag Giveaway? And during the game (that would hopefully be airing on ESPN) the whole stadium waving a flag? TAMU would have nothing on us. There are some logistical issues there, but man. That would look awesome.
Now there is a good idea. If and when GameDay finally comes to Pullman we need to do something different. Or several somethings. Something fun for the attendees and viewers both. Some action that will make us stand out. I like the idea man2 offered about the flags. That would work and work well. The flags need to be a reasonable size though. With the usual size- what are they, about 3'x4' ?- we would be bumping into each other and Martin would resemble a bar fight with flags. Once and if we are scheduled for that show we need to have a flurry of similar suggestions. Thanks, man2.
IDK. It was rather amusing to hear some Cougar fans wonder aloud why Drew Gesser wasn't on the roster.
The best game day experience in Pullman is winning games consistently. Throw in great weather, and not getting gouged on prices for all things game-related and I'm thrilled. I hope WSU administrators remember the gouging part when the winning comes consistently. There's always a temptation to get greedy on prices, but they must resist that. The game day experience can be terrific, but if we lose the game, I'm not having that much fun.
It'll be a Coug flag printed as a page in the Evergreen, and handed out at the gates.
I'll go a step further though - WHEN Game day comes, it needs to be a university event. The entire gallery behind the stage should be filled with flag wavers. Students should be encouraged to camp out as long as it takes to make sure that the entire backdrop is crimson, and the only flags in frame have a Coug head on them
If we have the opportunity to schedule a home and home series with a big power 5 program in Seattle, we take it; especially in years when we play 7 home games.
WSU would be wise to look at ways to increase their home attendance average. We offer the conference little to nothing in the grand scheme of things; attendance, TV market, etc.
WSU would be wise to look at ways to increase their home attendance average. We offer the conference little to nothing in the grand scheme of things; attendance, TV market, etc.
The only thing that we learned about this comment is that we need to host the first game. Wisconsin bought their way out of their obligation to play us in Seattle a while back. I agree that if it's the only way to get someone like Auburn, Wisconsin, Michigan or the like to Washington, it's better to play in Seattle than not at all. FWIW, I believe that a game with that caliber of opponent will have great attendance.
Just out of curiousity......what does WSU offer the conference? I personally think that there are positives and negatives for every program out there when it comes to what they bring to their respective conference. What do you think that WSU offers to the conference?
I think CougPatrol is erring on the negative side with his comment, FWIW.
No, CougPatrol's comment is based on the financials that WSU brings to the conference. Unfortunately, that's the only thing that matters anymore.
Conference affiliation is changing all the time now. We're even starting to see members belong to a league for only one sport. Like it or not, the Wal-Mart/Costco/Power5 business model is here to stay. At the very least, WSU needs to average 40K fans for home games and become regionally relevant in the major sports.
If you were to poll all Pac-12 fans, conference employees, and media members and asked them which school(s) should be concerned if realignment were to hit again, do you not think WSU and OSU would be first on the list? That's the only point I'm trying to make. WSU should consider anything that could lead to increased ticket sales and TV marketing exposure.
FWIW, the Sun Bowl had pretty decent TV ratings. Other games that we were involved in last year had good TV ratings. Leach is a coach with a national following to some degree, and, as long as he is our coach, everyone knows that there are people in Texas and other areas that will pay attention when WSU is playing good football. WSU has always produced an exciting brand of football when we have the talent to compete.
I agree 100% that if a major implosion of the college football universe occurs and there is a complete restructuring.......WSU is one of the teams (along with OSU) that is in a position that is not enviable. There are a number of programs that are on sketchy ground. Fortunately, WSU has enough political clout in the state of Washington to prevent UW from pulling the shenanigans that they did in the 1950's, at least for now.
I also agree that we need to make sure that we do what we can to maximize exposure and interest in WSU football. 40,000 is an arbitrary number though. We need to actively plan for growth of our fans, but it needs to be done with more thought than 40,000 seats is the goal. I don't claim to know what the target should be.
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