WSU Game Day Experience Improvements

[CougSinceBirth]

Free advice for anyone in the WSU AD. Toss on the 4k feed during the Saturday Night ESPN game to understand how to keep fans in seats. South Carolina is putting on a clinic right now. Previous weeks with Texas (which I've also seen in person) is another great example. In short, it's an entertaining show from pre-game to finish.

The 4k feed currently runs a live stadium feed during commercials. So you get to enjoy some stadium experience + save yourself from 3.5+ hours of advertising.

 

[Wazzubrooz]

This year is a new low for how WSU runs its game day. The Field House situation completely sucks compared to how it used to be run. No hard drinks, only beer & wine in cans. This has wrecked the field house and even my wife doesn’t want to go there any more. The concessions in the stadium near section 24 closed and forced more people to fewer lines. This sucks. The food is crap too, both in the FH and stadium. However the pulled pork in the FH is very good. It’s the only thing. Pops in the stadium are smaller and almost 7 bucks. This is highway robbery. The fan just doesn’t seem to matter at WSU anymore. Then throw in all the 7:30 and late game starts and I’m about done. A season ticket holder for over 25 years and it’s getting very close to watching on the big screen from the comfort of my own home. Everything WSU does for fans is to basically diminish the whole experience.

 

[95coug]

This year is a new low for how WSU runs its game day. The Field House situation completely sucks compared to how it used to be run. No hard drinks, only beer & wine in cans. This has wrecked the field house and even my wife doesn’t want to go there any more. The concessions in the stadium near section 24 closed and forced more people to fewer lines. This sucks. The food is crap too, both in the FH and stadium. However the pulled pork in the FH is very good. It’s the only thing. Pops in the stadium are smaller and almost 7 bucks. This is highway robbery. The fan just doesn’t seem to matter at WSU anymore. Then throw in all the 7:30 and late game starts and I’m about done. A season ticket holder for over 25 years and it’s getting very close to watching on the big screen from the comfort of my own home. Everything WSU does for fans is to basically diminish the whole experience.

Beat you to it. I had tickets for 25 years and dropped them this year. Went to 1 game early season and the fieldhouse only had 2-3 beer choices, none of which I wanted. Cougville was closed at halftime. Only 2 food vendors on the concourse, and about 1/4 of the concessions lines weren’t staffed.

Gotta say, it’s been pretty nice watching games from my couch. No loudmouth idiots behind me, I like all the beer options, there’s no line at the pisser, I’m always at a comfortable temperature, and I don’t have to drive a couple hours to get to bed. And, there’s no difference in the level of support or appreciation I feel from WSU.

 

[M-I-Coug]

Beat you to it. I had tickets for 25 years and dropped them this year. Went to 1 game early season and the fieldhouse only had 2-3 beer choices, none of which I wanted. Cougville was closed at halftime. Only 2 food vendors on the concourse, and about 1/4 of the concessions lines weren’t staffed.

Gotta say, it’s been pretty nice watching games from my couch. No loudmouth idiots behind me, I like all the beer options, there’s no line at the pisser, I’m always at a comfortable temperature, and I don’t have to drive a couple hours to get to bed. And, there’s no difference in the level of support or appreciation I feel from WSU.

Video Killed The Radio Star
YouTube Killed Satellite/Cable Television
and...
4K Big TV's Killed Season Ticket Transactions

 

[mikalalas]

This year is a new low for how WSU runs its game day. The Field House situation completely sucks compared to how it used to be run. No hard drinks, only beer & wine in cans. This has wrecked the field house and even my wife doesn’t want to go there any more. The concessions in the stadium near section 24 closed and forced more people to fewer lines. This sucks. The food is crap too, both in the FH and stadium. However the pulled pork in the FH is very good. It’s the only thing. Pops in the stadium are smaller and almost 7 bucks. This is highway robbery. The fan just doesn’t seem to matter at WSU anymore. Then throw in all the 7:30 and late game starts and I’m about done. A season ticket holder for over 25 years and it’s getting very close to watching on the big screen from the comfort of my own home. Everything WSU does for fans is to basically diminish the whole experience.

Tell that to the AD via letters, phone calls, in person if can, and on coug talk, post game radio show, and as a comment at the Zeppos HC show.

Also convince others who feel the same to do the same.

If everyone is Apathetic, does nothing, except complain on here, then nothing will be done to fix the problem. If enough people complain to WSU leadership, then maybe problem gets fixed.

And even if it doesn't get fixed, it's like the saying that if you don't vote, you have no right to complain, etc.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

Fan experience was only a priority during the Leach years. Even then...it still wasn't exactly perfect. But before and after those years, WSU has done very little, and athletic events are run like the budget matters more than anything else. You get 7 premier events a season to bring in a lot of revenue and if you're not going to invest into making it badass, then why should people return? People buy with emotion. These events should be a sales pitch of the entire university, and unfortunately, it's always a whimper. WSU AD/Admin lacks visionaries.

 

[95coug]

Fan experience was only a priority during the Leach years. Even then...it still wasn't exactly perfect. But before and after those years, WSU has done very little, and athletic events are run like the budget matters more than anything else. You get 7 premier events a season to bring in a lot of revenue and if you're not going to invest into making it badass, then why should people return? People buy with emotion. These events should be a sales pitch of the entire university, and unfortunately, it's always a whimper. WSU AD/Admin lacks visionaries.

I’m curious why you believe it was a priority during the Leach years. I didn’t see much going on then either.

 

[UberCougars]

Some might say Fan experience began going downhill the minute they stopped kegs from getting smuggled in by wheel chairs and hard liquor bottles in diaper bags.

 

[Loyal Coug1]

This year is a new low for how WSU runs its game day. The Field House situation completely sucks compared to how it used to be run. No hard drinks, only beer & wine in cans. This has wrecked the field house and even my wife doesn’t want to go there any more. The concessions in the stadium near section 24 closed and forced more people to fewer lines. This sucks. The food is crap too, both in the FH and stadium. However the pulled pork in the FH is very good. It’s the only thing. Pops in the stadium are smaller and almost 7 bucks. This is highway robbery. The fan just doesn’t seem to matter at WSU anymore. Then throw in all the 7:30 and late game starts and I’m about done. A season ticket holder for over 25 years and it’s getting very close to watching on the big screen from the comfort of my own home. Everything WSU does for fans is to basically diminish the whole experience.

Hmm. I admit that I have not been to a game since Gameday. Guess I need to buck up and go to one to check it out. Back in the day, the fieldhouse was a madhouse. Packed, all kinds of alcohol, also easy to sneak a few of your own in. Was open during halftime. The Corporate tents out on the track, kiddie zone as well. Then the tents got moved to the practice field - is that still going on? And pre-FB only building, anyone else remember the endzone beer garden? Was only there for a season I think as construction was imminent.

Funny story. They had (maybe still do) a line of Honey Huts outside along the track outside the Fieldhouse. Somebody apparently shook one of them from behind, and this guy comes bursting out screaming "who did that, you made me spill my Coke!". And he wasn't talking about the soft drink.

Some might say Fan experience began going downhill the minute they stopped kegs from getting smuggled in by wheel chairs and hard liquor bottles in diaper bags.

Are you that old buddy? Based on your posting history, I had you pegged as, well, about 12.
I've told the story of my college days where students got in free and you could bring in anything as long as it wasn't glass. Thus the 5-gallon gas can of Spodie-odie that we brought in for I believe the AZ game in 1983. I'll refrain from repeating the entire story, including it running dry by halftime and we raced to the liquor store on my Yamaha to grab another half gallon of vodka to replenish it. Why I am still alive is mystifying.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

I’m curious why you believe it was a priority during the Leach years. I didn’t see much going on then either.

Went to games pretty consistently from early 2000s through the mid 2010s and that period always felt more of a party. I'm not saying the execution was nailed perfect by any means.