Improve Mason home game experience discussion

[jkh1978]

it feel like Liberty brought the crowd,

"feel like"? There was a lot of red

 

[Jack Strop]

Got it — bad ideas should be shut down. But when the atmosphere makes it feel like Liberty brought the crowd, maybe the worse idea is pretending everything’s fine.

Ideas are one thing. Execution is another.

 

[TweederGMU]

Liberty fans travel well in a lot of sports.

 

[TweederGMU]

$55 for a Green room pass tonight and then having to pay for drinks is ludicrous. I get it's mainly a donation to the program but come on.... $25 and we got a deal.

 

[DRK331]

Now that this season is over, what can Mason Athletics do to improve the EBA home game experience for next season? How can the Gold Room be improved?

 

[Verdad]

How can the Gold Room be improved?

Same as last 20 years - more space/no lines for food.

 

[99 Patriot]

Gold room beers and food items should be $5 each. Deep discount from normal concessions but that $5 should go 100% towards the Basketball Greatness fund. Not sure another A-10 school offers so much free food/drink to so many. Use the room to fundraise for the program.

As for game experience, I liked many of the improvements this year (DJ booth, full-court putt, balancing music during timeouts, quicker replays on the big screen). Would be nice to see a full perimeter video board around the top of the arena similar to Capital One and an enhanced sound system. The screens above the concourse entrances can probably be improved as well.

 

[DRK331]

Can Mason use the open space area outside of the EBA Gold Room to have more food, beer, and tables? What can be done with that open space outside?

 

[Portlandian]

Play a handful of games at the RAC for some vintage nights where fans are encouraged to dress for a certain era--70s, 80s, 90s. The smaller venue (for games against boring out of conference teams( might bring a fun energy to the experience and if they are playing against a meh opportunity the smaller arena will make it feel more crowded and intimate a watching experience.

Sometimes EB can feel like a tomb.

 

[Old Man]

Gold room beers and food items should be $5 each. Deep discount from normal concessions but that $5 should go 100% towards the Basketball Greatness fund. Not sure another A-10 school offers so much free food/drink to so many. Use the room to fundraise for the program.

As for game experience, I liked many of the improvements this year (DJ booth, full-court putt, balancing music during timeouts, quicker replays on the big screen). Would be nice to see a full perimeter video board around the top of the arena similar to Capital One and an enhanced sound system. The screens above the concourse entrances can probably be improved as well.

Uh, no. If you start charging for food and beer in the Gold Room, then what's the point of having Gold Room passes?

I go to ODU games with my mom and she has Big Blue room passes. There's a lot of people in there, but she just uses it to go to her seats since there is a special entrance for BB room members. They charge for food and beer, and it's the same stuff as in the stadium. At the last game she finally said "why do I bother paying for this if I don't get anything for it."

So, if we only paid approximately half the cost of beer on the concourse, I might as well drop my passes, save that money and buy my beer and popcorn in the arena, and I will come out ahead. I get that I'm not expecting an equal exchange for my money for 'freebies' from the Gold Room, but you want to make members feel special, so they continue to donate.

 

[psyclone]

Can Mason use the open space area outside of the EBA Gold Room to have more food, beer, and tables? What can be done with that open space outside?

Don't think this is a new idea, but is it feasible to cover the open balcony with a retractable awning/ tent and add some portable heaters? Place more high tables out there and rent them out for the season.

Nearly all of our games are played when the weather is too cold for being out on a cold open balcony.

As for lines, I typically don't arrive until 30-40 minutes before the game, at which point lines are not an issue. On the other hand, I typically don't try to wolf down dinner at the Gold Room before the game or spend a lot of time socializing there. Grab a cookie, or maybe a wing, slice of pizza and get a soft drink.

 

[GMUgemini]

I don’t know that anything related to the gold room will improve the gameday atmosphere.

I say designate a “loud side” and a “family side” in the way soccer stadiums do. I would even name the sections formally something. This way when you are buying tickets and you’re someone who likes to watch a nice basketball game while you crochet a hat you can sit on the proper side and stop yelling at the loud people to sit down and be quiet.

The loud side obviously is the side the cameras are facing.

I also think ushering people down to fill the lower bowl at some point will help with the atmosphere during low attendance games. I get there’s a season ticket problem with that (but do we have tons of season ticket holders that just don’t show up—or more importantly show up after the under 10:00 timeout in the first half?

I’m hoping Barstool (whoever you are) continues his efforts to boost student attendance and the first few rows continue to be withheld for students who want to stand up and be a little wild during the game (and hopefully that section will expand until it reaches the rafters).

 

[GSII]

Free Beer and Food for the students so they can get loud and crazy! Set it up in the smoking section outside with a heated tent.

 

[99 Patriot]

Uh, no. If you start charging for food and beer in the Gold Room, then what's the point of having Gold Room passes?

I go to ODU games with my mom and she has Big Blue room passes. There's a lot of people in there, but she just uses it to go to her seats since there is a special entrance for BB room members. They charge for food and beer, and it's the same stuff as in the stadium. At the last game she finally said "why do I bother paying for this if I don't get anything for it."

So, if we only paid approximately half the cost of beer on the concourse, I might as well drop my passes, save that money and buy my beer and popcorn in the arena, and I will come out ahead. I get that I'm not expecting an equal exchange for my money for 'freebies' from the Gold Room, but you want to make members feel special, so they continue to donate.

In theory you're right, but if you were starting the whole season ticket/hospitality process from scratch there is no way you would try to feed and give alcohol to hundreds of people 18 times a year for $600/head. It makes no sense. 90+% of the gold room crowd is in there because their mandatory seat donation covers all or most of the cost of the room so this is just excess spending the athletic department has inherited.

We have pages of people complaining that we need more money to compete with other A-10 schools and to attract talent. $5 per beer/sandwich/slice of pizza doesn't get you all the way there but it helps. If people don't see value, then the crowds people complain about go away. If people like paying less, hearing from a coach and supporting NIL in the process then this will be the spot for them.

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

Free Beer and Food for the students so they can get loud and crazy! Set it up in the smoking section outside with a heated tent.

I realize it’s been a few years but has the university’s pov on campus alcohol consumption changed since the battle over the ByGeorge tailgate?