Improve Mason home game experience discussion

[mkaufman1]

I still say it starts with one gimic game to teach the students every year. Very simple. Have a "stand up to cancer" game for the first home game every year. During timeouts and halftime, have video of pediatric cancer patients saying, "40 minutes, no sitting", etc.

If you sit, you can be shamed into oblivion. Market it ahead of time so the old farts that don't want to stand don't come. Donate some of the ticket sales to cancer research. Two birds, one stone.

Standing fans are loud fans. Hope that game sets the tone for the season. If not, at least you've done some good.

Love this idea. I'm going to add it to the document I have (and reference your post and idea).

 

[dr. gunnie]

Someone needs to print off three large STOP signs to help the students tonight. We get a stop, one sign goes up. We get a second stop, sign number 2 goes up… I’m not sure half of the students will even know what 3 straight stops mean. Maybe the visual might help them know when they are close to getting the pizza and make them louder.

 

[GMUgemini]

I graduated in 2009. I'll be honest, I still live nearby, but I don't see the big need to go to see the team live. I can just watch the game on TV. Yeah, I'm probably jaded by the fact the team hasn't really been great and won much (aka gotten to the NCAA/NIT) much since I was there (2004-2009). so I don't really feel the need to go and cheer them on in person. Do they even have half the student stuff we had years ago? Perhaps we need to look back into the past and bring back some of the older generation stuff for the students who are there now?

Now back then when I was in college lol, I was there for just about all the home games... and I remember them being packed for the most part. I was part of the Mason Platoon (I think it was called that) for all my years there. If I remember correctly, if you paid like $20 at the start of the season to be part of it, you got to sit in the two sections right behind the basket on both sides of the court as long as you wore your shirt. The shirt you got was pretty cool, not sure who made them, and I think each year was a different one if I remember correctly -- and yes, before you ask, I still have mine lol.

I remember the newspaper thing was big (pretending you were reading the newspaper when the opponents were being introduced). Probably stupid now, but yes, it was a thing then. I remember jumping on the silver bleachers making noise during the opponents FTs. I remember the Platoon leaders would hand things out before the games to wave or use during the game.

As I said, I was there during our "prime years". I came just after our 2004 NIT run. I was there for our 2006/2008 NCAA bids and 2009 NIT bid. 2011 I was around and watched our NCAA win over 'Nova, the dunk by Morrison to seal the win as the #8 seed... then watching our clockes get cleaned by Ohio State lol.

I don't really count the CBI/CIT as really worth anything. Perhaps make it past the 2nd round of the A10 tournament for once? Also, I think there was some buzz after we beat a ranked MD on the road... then went we went into SD and promptly lost all three games there, it went from woah, Mason to meh, Mason.

Just my two cents as well

The Patriot Platoon has been reconstituted into the G-Force. This is their Twitter: https://twitter.com/gforcemason

This is their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gforcemason/

And when I try to go to their website I get a server error: https://gforce.gomason.com/

 

[GMUgemini]

Hey, isn't Daniel Frank a senior a Mason right now? Can we somehow get him to talk about what's going on?

 

[Quentin Daniels]

I hate that the Coach doesn't let everyone have a turn. It just doesn't seem fair and probably hurts their feelings.

 

[GMU79]

I hate that the Coach doesn't let everyone have a turn. It just doesn't seem fair and probably hurts their feelings.

Everybody should get a participation trophy.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

Vuvuzelas

 

[GMUgemini]

Vuvuzelas

OMG...no!!!!

I'd prefer drums, but NCAA wouldn't allow it:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uISJeNi6iM

 

[gmubrian]

I think you guys are approaching this the wrong way. We have to embrace our crowd, especially, since I am quickly landing in the very age demographic you guys seem to hate so much.

We need to tailor our approach to our fan base. Here is one suggestion. Right before the opposing team is about to shoot their free throws, we ask all AARP members to stand to be honored. Given their ages, most of the old guys pants will be falling down about the time he is taking his foul shot, the rest of us fans stand up and drop our drawers at the same time. Bingo, the entire crowd is in unison.

 

[ProfessorCFK]

A huge problem, which has been ongoing for at least the past 10-15 years, is that the first row of the student section (left side) is taken up by the cheer leading/dance "coaches." The athletic department needs to ensure that the most die-hard student fans (if there are any left) are in the front row on BOTH sides of the basket. By having "coaches" sit down the entire game, it sets the tone for that entire section. At an absolutely bare minimum, those folks need to be standing and cheering the whole time themselves.

There is absolutely zero reason why spirit coaches need to be sitting in the front row of the student section, and it kills the vibe for the entire section. I almost got kicked out of the CAA championship game in 2008 because the dance team coach demanded a front row seat in the spaceship and I wasn't going to budge...

 

[ProfessorCFK]

The Patriot Platoon has been reconstituted into the G-Force. This is their Twitter: https://twitter.com/gforcemason

This is their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gforcemason/

And when I try to go to their website I get a server error: https://gforce.gomason.com/

G-Force is the stupidest thing ever. Bring back the platoon. Greg and James used to run the platoon when I was involved - they were great at making sure us die-hard fans were taken care of. I have no idea who runs the program now that Greg's been promoted and James is at GW.

 

[Patriot8]

Speaking from my experience. During the 2016-2017 season, Tennessee Basketball averaged 13,500 fans per game. During the 2019-2020 season, they averaged 19,000 fans a game.

The only thing that changed was winning.

 

[Mason32]

Speaking from my experience. During the 2016-2017 season, Tennessee Basketball averaged 13,500 fans per game. During the 2019-2020 season, they averaged 19,000 fans a game.

The only thing that changed was winning.

I don't like comparing to P5 football schools, they had built in fans who have a tradition of attending athletic events as students because of history. Mason doesn't have anything close to that, we had kids googling "what is basketball" in the student sections

 

[Patriot8]

I don't like comparing to P5 football schools, they had built in fans who have a tradition of attending athletic events as students because of history. Mason doesn't have anything close to that, we had kids googling "what is basketball" in the student sections

Fair, but that doesn't change the fact that winning gave them a reason to come out and watch.

 

[GMUgemini]

Brilliant

I don't like comparing to P5 football schools, they had built in fans who have a tradition of attending athletic events as students because of history. Mason doesn't have anything close to that, we had kids googling "what is basketball" in the student sections

That is a good question: what are Mason's peer schools (large public universities situated in affluent suburban neighborhoods)? One I can think of off the top of my head is UC Irvine.

edit: San Diego State might be a good one to look at...located about 12 miles outside of downtown San Diego? Great basketball tradition. Averaged almost 11k fans per game in pre-pandemic 2019.

 

[TweederGMU]

So my section, Section 129 behind our bench, is a barren landscape now with hardly any die hard fans. This year Covid or other family activities (kid sports leagues) forced some of the die hards to not renew their season tickets or they moved to different sections.

I think KE and the AD is using a different strategy to get butts in seats and that is using our coaches to get their local friends or connections to the games with free tickets. Now the coach uses the first 4-6 rows for his family and friends or local coaches to come sit at in section 129.

On Saturday KE's cousin sat beside me and he brought along an old player from Georgetown and his sons who play basketball in DC who sat behind me (I didn't get his name). The old Georgetown player behind me asked out loud what conference this was - Patriot or CAA!? I was like this is the A10. KE's cousin pointed out that the first 2 rows of high school kids sitting in the student section in front of the cheerleaders was Woodrow Wilson's (DC high school) bball team. Apparently we are recruiting one of their studs - a 6'6 sophomore. I kept looking at them most of the game and 95% of them were on their phones majority of the game and didn't seem too interested in being there. I think KE is trying to repair / reach out to high school teams to get butts in seats so take it for what its worth - filling seats with people who don't really care or cheer vs. having seats open. Maybe the AD or coaches have a program in place where they are extending invites out to local basketball teams with a player we want or are recruiting to get their entire teams and coaches to games. Could be just a one-off but not a bad idea to continue to do to get more of DC, MD, and VA kids and coaches interested in GMU and our program.

One other point of interest is during the game I discussed with KE's cousin is the lack of great point guard play and he stated wait until next year when Dinkins comes, he said he is the real deal.

 

[GMU79]

So my section, Section 129 behind our bench, is a barren landscape now with hardly any die hard fans. This year Covid or other family activities (kid sports leagues) forced some of the die hards to not renew their season tickets or they moved to different sections.

I think KE and the AD is using a different strategy to get butts in seats and that is using our coaches to get their local friends or connections to the games with free tickets. Now the coach uses the first 4-6 rows for his family and friends or local coaches to come sit at in section 129.

On Saturday KE's cousin sat beside me and he brought along an old player from Georgetown and his sons who play basketball in DC who sat behind me (I didn't get his name). The old Georgetown player behind me asked out loud what conference this was - Patriot or CAA!? I was like this is the A10. KE's cousin pointed out that the first 2 rows of high school kids sitting in the student section in front of the cheerleaders was Woodrow Wilson's (DC high school) bball team. Apparently we are recruiting one of their studs - a 6'6 sophomore. I kept looking at them most of the game and 95% of them were on their phones majority of the game and didn't seem too interested in being there. I think KE is trying to repair / reach out to high school teams to get butts in seats so take it for what its worth - filling seats with people who don't really care or cheer vs. having seats open. Maybe the AD or coaches have a program in place where they are extending invites out to local basketball teams with a player we want or are recruiting to get their entire teams and coaches to games. Could be just a one-off but not a bad idea to continue to do to get more of DC, MD, and VA kids and coaches interested in GMU and our program.

One other point of interest is during the game I discussed with KE's cousin is the lack of great point guard play and he stated wait until next year when Dinkins comes, he said he is the real deal.

Loved the last paragraph.

 

[Patriot8]

Brilliant


That is a good question: what are Mason's peer schools (large public universities situated in affluent suburban neighborhoods)? One I can think of off the top of my head is UC Irvine.

edit: San Diego State might be a good one to look at...located about 12 miles outside of downtown San Diego? Great basketball tradition. Averaged almost 11k fans per game in pre-pandemic 2019.

Just looked them up. Averaged 6,760 in 2008, then became a perennial tournament team.

 

[GMUgemini]

Just looked them up. Averaged 6,760 in 2008, then became a perennial tournament team.

6,760 was still top 100 wasn't it (yeah, 81st nationally just ahead of ODU; GMU was 85th nationally that year)? That's like Mason's post-Final Four peak. Looks like arena seats about 12,500 and opened in 1997.

Also just looked at a random year pre-2008, and they were at 7,172 (69th nationally) in 2003. So, solid attendance for awhile now.

Enrollment is similar too: 33,778
Mason's is: 35,960

Have to edit this, because looking at their post-season tournament appearances 2002 was the year their success really started (NCAA in 02, 06, 10, NIT in 03, 07, 08, 09 -- I think we'd salivate over that kind of success right now).

In 1997 (the year Viejo Arena opened) they averaged 2,670.
In 2001 4,538

So, one takeaway here: even without a real post-season since 1985 it looks like they built a decent fanbase out of practically nothing and then their program really took off.

 

[Mason32]

This is a minor detail but I think not having many Noon-late afternoon tip times on saturday or sunday hurts a bit. If alum or locals want to catch a game or two it's easier to schedule and make a plan for this time period instead of 7 pm. I know theres kids sports but some weekends it definitely works depending on the month