We need to have a CONSTRUCTIVE conversation about the Student Section

[WPDawg]

Yeah ...we can hope students want to sit in same spot for another 1 1/2 hours and watch football because they dont have anything else to do.....Another thing IMO is lot of them probably played sports in HS and were not spectators. They are not far enough removed from that to actually miss it enough that they can watch someone else play the field. Outside of a "big game", the ritual fun of going to the game runs out by half-time. They were used to being on the field and in the action. Watching is boring so they go to find the action they can still be involved in. And the ones who didnt play are following their ex-jock friends because "that is where he action is". They will be back when they have graduated and partying days began to mellow.

[I seen it dawg]

I was in school 95-99. 95 and 96 no one stayed at the games because we sucked major balls. 97-99 it was packed from start to finish because we had a good to great team.

Students are going to leave the when the team blows because there are a ton of other things to do than sit and watch a shitty football game.

You guys are making an extremely simple issue very complicated. Bringing twitter, Facebook, social media etc. into this as if the students are different today than those that were students before the advent of those things is bullshit. No one wants to watch a shitty football game no matter what year it is.

Coming up with ideas like giving away free tvs and shit is ****ing retarded. Do you think someone that is purely in attendance to see if they win a big screen tv will be engaged and cheer loudly? **** no.

The answer to this problem is and will always be about the quality of the football team. Plain and simple and no raffle ticket giveaways will ever change that.

Put a team on the field that's going to whip the opponents ass and people will cheer their asses off. Remember Auburn in 2000 when they had Rudy Johnson? We didn't score but 17 points in that game but we destroyed the country's leading rusher and the crowd was one of the loudest ever in that stadium. And not a single flat screen tv was given away that day.

This. Shitty football=less people staying. Exciting hard nosed get in your ass football makes people stay. We've lost the latter.

And I'm not saying we have to win 9-10 every year. I'm saying exciting, intense, hard-nosed football teams. We aren't that.

[Will James]

1. I think many students now haven't been raised on Bulldog sports so its just another event to them. Imagine going to, let's say, a Kansas State-Iowa State game in Kansas. Granted if I were a student there I would still be doing all I could to help, but the passion for some just isn't there.

2. It's not "cool" anymore to make noise and be rowdy. Generation XBOX have not competed for much in their lives and probably haven't had much experience in aggression. Too many soft pussies roaming around these days. Like dawgs said, it's not just here. But our student mimicking of "typical Ole Miss" is why I have the extra dislike for them. Look at the students you see leave at halftime each week and you'll notice the patterns that form.

3. Our older "down in front I cant see" fans are a problem in that many do not contribute to the noise. See Rougedawg's post from last week.

4. We fail to maintain a high intensity atmosphere.

5. Noise level has always been higher with good defense. When most drives end in points after many first downs, why bother? Think about it.. When do the crowds erupt?
A. Big hits- but we've outlawed them. Equate this to "people like NASCAR for the wrecks". If wrecks were outlawed, what would fan support do?
B. Defensive stops- but now everyone converts first downs all the time. There are no dominant defenses in the big games so why yell when you know the first down is coming anyway? Our old defensive struggles were much louder than nowadays.

[ShotgunDawg]

This. Shitty football=less people staying. Exciting hard nosed get in your ass football makes people stay. We've lost the latter.

And I'm not saying we have to win 9-10 every year. I'm saying exciting, intense, hard-nosed football teams. We aren't that.

I just don't think this is the problem, and, if it is, shame the **** on us because we don't deserve to win shit. Students left in the 4th quarter of last year's Tennessee game. We have gone to 3 bowls in a row and will push for 4 in a row. If we can't get students to stay now, then why have they stayed for the past 60 years? This is one of the best runs in school history.

The point is, we have to think of solutions other than just having a bad ass team. We won't ever have a bad ass team if our students don't stay because it will always be harder to recruit. We must find other ways, because, while we may have a year here or a year there of big time success, our entire fan base can't be so fair weather that our student section goes to shit when we are only competing to go to a bowl rather than the national title.

If we want to be better than the schools with more resources, then have to do extra, stay a little longer, and have a little more passion. Leaving because you don't have a National Title caliber team is going to keep us at the bottom of the west. We must fix this problem if we are going to make progress

[SignalToNoise]

Leaving because you don't have a National Title caliber team is going to keep us at the bottom of the west.

A mixture of recruiting and mediocre coaching will be responsible for that, not students leaving at the end of the 3rd quarter.

[bluelightstar]

I just don't think this is the problem, and, if it is, shame the **** on us because we don't deserve to win shit. Students left in the 4th quarter of last year's Tennessee game. We have gone to 3 bowls in a row and will push for 4 in a row. If we can't get students to stay now, then why have they stayed for the past 60 years? This is one of the best runs in school history.

The point is, we have to think of solutions other than just having a bad ass team. We won't ever have a bad ass team if our students don't stay because it will always be harder to recruit. We must find other ways, because, while we may have a year here or a year there of big time success, our entire fan base can't be so fair weather that our student section goes to shit when we are only competing to go to a bowl rather than the national title.

If we want to be better than the schools with more resources, then have to do extra, stay a little longer, and have a little more passion. Leaving because you don't have a National Title caliber team is going to keep us at the bottom of the west. We must fix this problem if we are going to make progress

I was in the student section for that Tennessee game and it was at least still 90% full when we scored that last TD against UT last year.

[I seen it dawg]

I just don't think this is the problem, and, if it is, shame the **** on us because we don't deserve to win shit. Students left in the 4th quarter of last year's Tennessee game. We have gone to 3 bowls in a row and will push for 4 in a row. If we can't get students to stay now, then why have they stayed for the past 60 years? This is one of the best runs in school history.

The point is, we have to think of solutions other than just having a bad ass team. We won't ever have a bad ass team if our students don't stay because it will always be harder to recruit. We must find other ways, because, while we may have a year here or a year there of big time success, our entire fan base can't be so fair weather that our student section goes to shit when we are only competing to go to a bowl rather than the national title.

If we want to be better than the schools with more resources, then have to do extra, stay a little longer, and have a little more passion. Leaving because you don't have a National Title caliber team is going to keep us at the bottom of the west. We must fix this problem if we are going to make progress

It is the problem. The crowd feeds off the team and coaches being fired up, excited, and intense. It shows in the way we play when those things are present and it keeps the crowd in it. We are boring.

[Squidawg11]

Give the fraternities block seating. They will be evaluated at the end of season and if they do not keep their section full the entire game, they lose their block. I know a lot of yall will disagree with this, but coming from an ex student, the best way to keep the student section rowdy is to keep the fraternities together. If the fraternities stay rowdy then it becomes contagious and the entire student section benefits and entices more to stay longer. Most spontaneous stadium chants are started by these groups. It was even that way in Omaha.

[theloungeinleft]

Give the fraternities block seating. They will be evaluated at the end of season and if they do not keep their section full the entire game, they lose their block. I know a lot of yall will disagree with this, but coming from an ex student, the best way to keep the student section rowdy is to keep the fraternities together. If the fraternities stay rowdy then it becomes contagious and the entire student section benefits and entices more to stay longer. Most spontaneous stadium chants are started by these groups. It was even that way in Omaha.

agree, 100%.

[Bucky Dog]

I just don't think this is the problem, and, if it is, shame the **** on us because we don't deserve to win shit. Students left in the 4th quarter of last year's Tennessee game. We have gone to 3 bowls in a row and will push for 4 in a row. If we can't get students to stay now, then why have they stayed for the past 60 years? This is one of the best runs in school history.

The point is, we have to think of solutions other than just having a bad ass team. We won't ever have a bad ass team if our students don't stay because it will always be harder to recruit. We must find other ways, because, while we may have a year here or a year there of big time success, our entire fan base can't be so fair weather that our student section goes to shit when we are only competing to go to a bowl rather than the national title.

If we want to be better than the schools with more resources, then have to do extra, stay a little longer, and have a little more passion. Leaving because you don't have a National Title caliber team is going to keep us at the bottom of the west. We must fix this problem if we are going to make progress

This is it!! I had to read through 60 something posts to get to someone who gets what I started the original post about during the game the other night.

There are just so many excuses that don't make sense from shitty game to shitty team to shitty coach. I stated that our fans complain and make excuses why NOT to come to the game OR stay at the game. He is right when he says we are in a great run and am I completely satisfied with year? Of course not but we have lost to 3 top 25 teams.

It's about the big picture here guys. Are we a Bama or LSU? Of course not. Will we ever be? Who knows. But we have to understand where we are in building a program and to have the winning seasons and bowls recently are unprecedented. We MUST do out part as fans and support our team just as hard when we win 6 games because of young players in skill positions, tough schedule, or questionable coaching, just as we do during a 9 win season!! That is how you build support and respect for your program.

We are easily looking at 8 wins next season with and outside chance at 9-10 wins. Don't be the fans that sit back and wait. It's simple: Come to the game, Cheer at the game, Stay for the game.

I am grateful to Mullen but at times want to scream at some of the decisions. Does that mean I'm going to quit on MS State and those guys? Hell no!

To the students, have your band party on Friday night before the game if it is a night game if that is your excuse. If you "need to be entertained" at a football game then keep your ass at home and play Xbox. If football itself is not entertainment enough for you the I'm sorry. Yeah I get the thing with video boards and music and such but come on it's about school pride and being a part of building a tradition on some way, shape and form.

And though the students left en masse at halftime and did see a good number of seats empty out on the West side. So let's old folks be leaders and set an example for our kids!

[maroonmania]

Give the fraternities block seating. They will be evaluated at the end of season and if they do not keep their section full the entire game, they lose their block. I know a lot of yall will disagree with this, but coming from an ex student, the best way to keep the student section rowdy is to keep the fraternities together. If the fraternities stay rowdy then it becomes contagious and the entire student section benefits and entices more to stay longer. Most spontaneous stadium chants are started by these groups. It was even that way in Omaha.

Hate for it to be that way but you are probably correct. I know that is the way they do it at Auburn (my daughter is there) and they don't have the problem of mass student exodus that we do.

[wofat]

I think you nailed it.