Welcome New AD Marvin Lewis

[Verdad]

The article has the wrong date for the wrestling meet in the JC - it is on Friday January 30th at 5pm (not 29th).

Should be a pretty good match against conference rival Rider.

 

[NewPatriot]

The article has the wrong date for the wrestling meet in the JC - it is on Friday January 30th at 5pm (not 29th).

Should be a pretty good match against conference rival Rider.

Pardon me but wasn't he the former coach of the bengals?

 

[Verdad]

Pardon me but wasn't he the former coach of the bengals?

Huh?

 

[psyclone]

Huh?

Marvin Lewis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[TweederGMU]

New article from GMU Athletics Director Marvin Lewis:

https://gomason.com/news/2026/1/7/this-week-in-george-mason-athletics.aspx

Lots of info in it

Glad I got to see pics of the "Baseline Hospitality" area test environment for the one bball game behind the hoop.

Love this idea to draw/reward big time companies and their people to our games. Create that section and brand it as Accenture night, or Deloitte, Boeing, "Insert whatever company they want to invite here".... the space looks bigger than I thought so the AD could invite multiple companies and say this is their own section for the game.

I would throw down some green carpeting in the area to cover up the ugly grey floor and decorate it out with mason stuff to elevate the experience - like a sports lounge. Maybe throw in a case in the corner with our Final Four trophy or something similar so people can see some hardware when in the area eating and drinking.

Man... my wheels are spinning. So much potential there and ideas flooding in for how we can pimp it out in numerous ways!

 

[Verdad]

Glad I got to see pics of the "Baseline Hospitality" area test environment for the one bball game behind the hoop.

Love this idea to draw/reward corporate companies and their people to our games. Create that section and brand it as Accenture night, or Deloitte, Boeing, "Insert whatever company they want to invite here".... the space looks bigger than I thought so the AD could invite multiple companies and say this is their own section for the game.

I would throw down some green carpeting in the area to cover up the ugly grey floor and elevate the experience a bit more and decorate it out a bit more with mason stuff. Maybe throw in a case in the corner with our Final Four trophy or something similar so people can see when back at the area eating and drinking.

Man... my wheels are spinning. So much potential there and ideas flooding in for how we can pimp it out in numerous ways!

Floor hospitality area is AWESOME - loved it

Move students behind opposing team bench - move band somewhere (anywhere allowed will work) and make both ends hospitality areas.

Maybe keep gold room just for food and that way the other areas can be entirely open. Go to gold room to grab food and then hang out in floor areas rest of the time.

Keep green room as exclusive/premium.

 

[Jack Strop]

Floor hospitality area is AWESOME - loved it

Move students behind opposing team bench - move band somewhere (anywhere allowed will work) and make both ends hospitality areas.

Maybe keep gold room just for food and that way the other areas can be entirely open. Go to gold room to grab food and then hang out in floor areas rest of the time.

Keep green room as exclusive/premium.

I'm OK with the corporate hospitality zone, but only if it's one or two games per season while the students are on break and not during A10 play.

 

[Old Man]

I'm OK with the corporate hospitality zone, but only if it's one or two games per season while the students are on break and not during A10 play.

If the students showed up en masse, I would agree, but they don't. Put them beside the green machine and use the other side to pimp out the program so we can afford NIL.

 

[GSII]

For a corporate type setting, they arent getting a good view of the game. Thats more of a play area for families with kids. If you wanna do a big money corporate suite, then thats exactly what you build. With a great view in case anybody wants to watch the game.

 

[Jack Strop]

If the students showed up en masse, I would agree, but they don't. Put them beside the green machine and use the other side to pimp out the program so we can afford NIL.

Many on this forum, myself included, go bonkers over lack of student participation. Herding them into a smaller location will kill student-fan development. I agree that Mason can do a lot with "corporate fan" development, but you need students to be future season ticket holders. The program needs both. However, I wouldn't want to sacrifice student development over corporate dollars—it's too shortsighted.

 

[TweederGMU]

I'm OK with the corporate hospitality zone, but only if it's one or two games per season while the students are on break and not during A10 play.

Nah, that time has come and gone.... students are not consistently showing up over the past 2 years, even with a major winning streak and team the past 2 years. Time to move on with getting more paying people in attendance. The constant pandering to students to try and get them out will not pay our bills - AKA athletes and coaches moving forward.

We need money.... we need paying attendees. Not students who sit on their phones, barely cheer, and not buying anything.

Marvin and company are starting to wake up and tinker with things.

Take out the big bleachers and pimp that space out. Elevate the fan experience and keep that Patriots Lounge in operation next year. I may even rent out a table there and bring some prospects and clients.

Put the students next to the band and give them that section behind the visitors bench.

 

[psyclone]

Nah, that time has come and gone.... students are not consistently showing up over the past 2 years, even with a major winning streak and team the past 2 years.

Marvin and company are starting to wake up and tinker with things.

Put the students next to the band and give them that section behind the visitors bench.

If you're talking section 102, I hope you realize that there are long-time season ticket holders there (including me!), particularly those in the lower bowl and close to the aisle they share with 101.

 

[GunstonsGhost]

I would reckon that we could convert folks at the local corporations that went to Mason to become season ticket holders (or at least start coming to games), as opposed to converting current students. Students are too broke anyways.

As for getting the students involved, I feel like it's a bigger cultural issue across the campus. I know we had a rabid student section for a couple years, but it doesn't seem like we can reproduce that. The University has to make the campus feel like a place young adults want to hang out and not just clock in and out of class. Basketball can be a pillar of those cultural offerings, but it's not going to carry the entire student experience. That's a job for someone getting a salary to figure out, but it's broader than just the athletic department imo.

 

[Jack Strop]

If you all think that corporate sponsors are going to bring attendees to every game and cheer like they mean it then, yes, gameday atmosphere will suffer.

At least the students who attend games have a little stake in the team. Corporate sponsors have stake in brand exposure. When attendance fails and the target audience is no longer in EBA the Corporate sponsors will look elsewhere for a better return on their dollars. Then Mason will have no money, no fans, and a downward spiral spinning into the Patriot League or DIi.

How wonderful. The $$$ you think you see will doom our team. The student section is not the place for a Corporate oasis.

 

[GunstonsGhost]

Well neither the corpos or the students are gonna cheer like they mean it lol

I don't think it's an ultimatum though. It just seems like getting the students to show up and be engaged isn't something they can figure out. Again, I don't think this is all on the athletic dept. On the other hand there are wealthy corpos with money falling out their pockets on every street corner around here.

 

[jessej]

For a corporate type setting, they arent getting a good view of the game. Thats more of a play area for families with kids. If you wanna do a big money corporate suite, then thats exactly what you build. With a great view in case anybody wants to watch the game.

Corporate Suites - and other amenities - come with the future version of EBA

 

[mkaufman1]

Two things can be absolutely true

1) corporate money is always needed and giving any sort of improved experience is key. Whether we give the extra hospitality for just low attendance games is tbd, but I think that’s fine. Maybe even have the space open for 3 to 2 hours before game time to socialize and then collapse it if needed. There’s flexibility to be looked at and it’s a good thing to try considering the limitations.

2) students are not interested in basketball. There were some mason students at the Fordham game the other night because they were visiting Wall Street and they socialized and played on their phones for 2 hours. It’s the same thing in Fairfax. For certain games they can be moved. For bigger games the same sections can remain. Unless we shove we are a basketball school down kids throats, it’s just not going anywhere.

 

[GSII]

Two things can be absolutely true

1) corporate money is always needed and giving any sort of improved experience is key. Whether we give the extra hospitality for just low attendance games is tbd, but I think that’s fine. Maybe even have the space open for 3 to 2 hours before game time to socialize and then collapse it if needed. There’s flexibility to be looked at and it’s a good thing to try considering the limitations.

2) students are not interested in basketball. There were some mason students at the Fordham game the other night because they were visiting Wall Street and they socialized and played on their phones for 2 hours. It’s the same thing in Fairfax. For certain games they can be moved. For bigger games the same sections can remain. Unless we shove we are a basketball school down kids throats, it’s just not going anywhere.

If student population living on campus has tripled over the last decade or so, while the student section has gotten worse, then it must be the type of student we are addmitting, imo.

 

[mkaufman1]

If student population living on campus has tripled over the last decade or so, while the student section has gotten worse, then it must be the type of student we are addmitting, imo.

It could be the type of student, it could be the culture of the school, it could be that basketball isn't talked about enough.

Could be about 1,000 things. Point is, its not improving drastically with winning like folks thought. And at this point, having a corporate section for our pillow home games isn't a terrible idea. Not like they are going to do it for Homecoming or in the middle of February when first place is on the line. That would be dumb.

 

[jessej]

Two things can be absolutely true

1) corporate money is always needed and giving any sort of improved experience is key. Whether we give the extra hospitality for just low attendance games is tbd, but I think that’s fine. Maybe even have the space open for 3 to 2 hours before game time to socialize and then collapse it if needed. There’s flexibility to be looked at and it’s a good thing to try considering the limitations.

2) students are not interested in basketball. There were some mason students at the Fordham game the other night because they were visiting Wall Street and they socialized and played on their phones for 2 hours. It’s the same thing in Fairfax. For certain games they can be moved. For bigger games the same sections can remain. Unless we shove we are a basketball school down kids throats, it’s just not going anywhere.

I don't know the actual number of full-time undergraduate students that live on campus but compared to the average student attendance at non-holiday games, but the percentage attending games must be very small.
The students are billed an athletic fee which guarantees them free admission to all GMU home athletic events. I seriously doubt that the AD wants to give back the athletic student fee money or any portion of it. I believe there will be some instant recoiling from the student population over reseating and the loss of something that is there, but most students don't attend.