The so-called "true fans" are already there. If you want to fill the stands, than you have to get the fair weather fans that are so despised here. It does no good to just lament about the lack of loyalty to YSU, or to admonish a "fan" who is wearing Buckeyes apparel (not a good way to win them over).
One win over SDSU does not undo well over a decade of neglect of the YSU FB program. It may take a few years and several big wins to convince the locals that YSU FB is the best show in town.
Wolford is a entertaining guy. Add his non-conformity to some eye-opening wins and folks will become interested.
Meanwhile, the Marketing department should look at everything...gameday experience....halftime entertainment....team entrance on the field......student involvement....working the local media....promotions..advertising...etc...may have to resort to gimmickry until the winning tradition rebuilds. Make it more than a FB game....add non-football fun.....
You are correct in what you are saying on all of your points , however, as I am trying to point out and Wick is supporting to some extent, is that if our fan base, which claims to know football, really had a clue those stands would be filled.
How is it that a high school game gets the same stadium packed the night beforehand? The high school teams don't offer tailgating experience, it does offer the sale of merchandise, consumption of adult beverages, or even half of the concessions that are offered. If you attend to see the band, well the band's are not not nearly as good as YSU's band, and there is absolutely no comparison to the level and brand of football played at YSU. You know what is even better yet?
While nearly every fair weather fan watched the buckeyes pummel an opponent that YSU would now take to the woodshed (with more playing experience and a different qb), they were probably smug and happy that the buckeyes won setting up a showdown with Michigan State (which by the way Dantonio and Narduzzzi are going to smash the poor coaching staff of Urban Meyer and end the season of another Ohio state qb). Seriously that is the best the big 10 has to offer? A prime time game with those 2 teams? That's like watching Mooney or Ursuline beat the little sisters of the poor.
I know many on here don't like the conference affiliation and the distance of our opponents, however, we play in the best league in the FCS. It is highly likely that the National Championship goes through our teams and the parody of our teams is second to none top to bottom of the league (and you can compare that to the Southeastern Conference the pac-12 the big 12 and the ACC as well as all other FCS leagues).
People in the Mahoning valley think they are educated football fans when in fact they are not. All they know is North Dakota State and there is some other news....they can be beaten by other MVFC teams and YSU is capable of being one of those. How is that not more interesting than watching a mismatch on prime time tv?
Then there are all of the ********s in the community that schedule basket weaving activities among other things during YSU games. Those morons should be chastised in the local paper because that is the only way to make that bullsh** stop. Halloween was on Friday. Do Halloween on Halloween, do your craft show on Sunday after church you've got an obligation as a community to support your football team and if you attend a high school game over a YSU game you are a sorry sack of sh**. There are no acceptable excuses if you are able to attend high school games then there is no good reason you can't attend YSU's game. Do you think that happens at our other league schools? The answer is no. They consistently fill the stands.
We have "reported attendance" numbers not tickets sold but rather tickets given away. Oh and by the way tickets are not free. The Mahoning valley people were trained like Pavlov's dog and think all tickets are free because the scam artist gave away free Youngstown Pride tickets and conditioned their dumb asses. Pay for a freaking ticket. It is some good entertainment for a few dollars that will go toward making your team a contender every year.
I guess the marketing department needs to put the dots really close together with single digit numbers for the Mahoning Valley.
