Students

[gophermom]

Let's not be too hard on the students. We sit on the 5 yard line near the student section and I have to say that watching them experience for the first time what BIG TEN college football is all about has been as entertaining as some of the games. Think about it. They can't hear the band (and neither can half the stadium). The cheerleaders are never in front of them because there is NO room (in case you hadn't noticed, the student section is the ONLY section that never has a cheer, pep or spirit squad in front of them, so what's up with that?), and in fact, I've noticed that the students--on their own--start most of the cheers. Have you ever seen another BIG TEN stadium where the cheerleaders ignore the students????

Give them some slack. They are going to figure out it's much more fun to stay and be part of keeping the team pumped up for all four quarters. In the meantime, the adults who sit in the premium seats could sure set a better example for them.

 

[GopherOnWheels]

I'm a student, and what happened disgusted me. Although I think the problem was the fact that many of the students weren't actually the real season ticket holders. I know TONS of students that went to Madison this year, not sure why but WAY more than average numbers... So a lot of people sold their ticket. Hell I had an extra ticket I was offering for $5 and still couldnt find a buyer!

GO GOPHS and an awesome game last night. No worries, I definitely stayed past the Alma Mater

 

[GoAUpher]

Can someone explain to me who these "terrible student fans" are supposed to turn their tickets in to? Cause these superfans who should take their place don't exist. We couldn't sell out a 10K student section in the Dome when students could buy multiple seats. 1 year later we've sold out a 10K student section where students can only buy 1 seat. Did our student fan base have thousands of new passionate fans appear following a 5 game losing skid to end last season? No. There was a new stadium and many students said "hey, it looks cool lets go". These students don't really care one way or the other. Yes that sucks, yes that's dumb. But if you think there is some oppressed group of die hard Gopher students crying outside of TCF each weekend wishing they could get in you are sorely mistaken.

We need to win more. Period.

 

[raisedinmaroonandgold!]

The student section has not been full yet for any of the games they left early after half at the homecoming game also, it is sad showing maybe they dont need 10 thousand seats

 

[cncmin]

What I would like to know is, where did the students who left early go? And if it was to party, why couldn't they wait another hour? Did the parties end at midnight or something?

Do you guys not understand just how many flirty women there are out partying on Halloween night? And in skimpy outfits? SOMEtimes, there are more important things than a Gopher game.

(Especially when your team is showing all the signs of blowing a sure win, and it's cold out - which reminds me, whose awful idea was it to schedule a football game the last day of October at night in Minnesota? I've delivered newspapers on Halloween in a foot-and-a-half of snow before. But I digress - it was likely mostly the scantily-clad women and potential of such causing the mass exodus.)

 

[gopheraschells]

You realize that like 90% of the students who leave early are girls that go just to socialize right?

THANK YOU! i dont understand why people dont understand this

 

[Schnoodler]

I guess when I was a student getting laid was my primary focus. Then party. Football came in a little further down on the list. Now that I'm old the other things have gone away more than football has moved up. So maybe we're being a little hard on the little bastards.

 

[GoAUpher]

THANK YOU! i dont understand why people dont understand this

Because everyone wants us to have the best atmosphere ever I guess. The fact is, we still have a pretty small core of truly passionate fans and we'll keep seeing the same student/regular season ticket behavior until we win more (which will then see more passionate fans hopefully). In the meantime, look at it this was. The atmosphere was top notch despite the empty seats. We haven't even reached the best of what the new stadium has to offer.

 

[GopherLady]

I personally, was surprised at how poor the turnout was. I knew there would be a lot that wouldn't go because of Halloween, but I thought that would be about the same amount that wouldn't wake up for an 11am game.

Plus, how much did the oversell the student section. I can't recall, but I want to say there were at least 1000 extra tickets sold, if not more. I thought that would also help fill all the empty seats.

 

[Khaliq]

You guys sound like grumpy old men when you bitch about students.

As the team improves so will student support.

 

[loki]

Just win baby.....and the students and season ticket holders will be there. Do you think Iowa or Wisconsin fans were filling their stadiums to the max when they were below average or mediocre. Hell no! The answer is in winning. Name one program in the nation that fills their stadium every weekend who loses 50% of the time like we do. I hear silence.....The teams that win on a regular basis on the other hand fill their stadiums. It 's not that hard to figure out.

 

[Khaliq]

Even if they did what other options are there in Iowa and Wisconsin? The Twin Cities are relatively cosmopolitan for the midwest, in Iowa and Wisconsin you pretty much have sports or drinking to stave off the pain of your late onset diabetes.

 

[AhliBobwa]

Yeah, also for those of you ripping the students you need to get a reality check. The student section is the ONLY section in the stadium that yells every single defensive snap. Every single one. Think about that! Think about what would happen without the students that were there from start to finish? You think the rest of the crowd is gonna boo the officials for 10 minutes without the student section getting the ball rolling and leading the charge?

You should all be thanking the student section! I don't often take people to task on message boards but some of you posters are completely delusional and disrespectful.

 

[GoAUpher]

Yeah, also for those of you ripping the students you need to get a reality check. The student section is the ONLY section in the stadium that yells every single defensive snap. Every single one. Think about that! Think about what would happen without the students that were there from start to finish? You think the rest of the crowd is gonna boo the officials for 10 minutes without the student section getting the ball rolling and leading the charge?

You should all be thanking the student section! I don't often take people to task on message boards but some of you posters are completely delusional and disrespectful.

I think ripping on the students is pointless. But I also think you're missing everyone else's point. They're cranky about the students who leave early or don't show. Not the ones providing tons of energy every play.

 

[Khaliq]

I think ripping on the students is pointless. But I also think you're missing everyone else's point. They're cranky about the students who leave early or don't show. Not the ones providing tons of energy every play.

Yeah, I just don't like how fractured the fanbase can be at times. Surely there's a more positive way to encourage students to support the team more fully than brow beating them.

Tradition begets loyalty, and maybe we have to more actively try to get students into our traditions somehow.

 

[loki]

I used to worry about the student section filling up as well but now I figure I'm just going to enjoy the game no matter what. When the Gophers get better the stands will be full and the girls will stay and there will be great rejoicing! The key is winning!

 

[stevedave23]

I think they should cut the student section down by 25%. Sell half of the upper deck portion of the student section as standard tickets. It doesn't seem like we're getting enough students to consistantly fill their section.

 

[GoAUpher]

Yeah, I just don't like how fractured the fanbase can be at times. Surely there's a more positive way to encourage students to support the team more fully than brow beating them.

Tradition begets loyalty, and maybe we have to more actively try to get students into our traditions somehow.

+1. And tougher said than done. I think it will get better as we get further along in the life of the new stadium. The U made a big push to involve the frosh during Welcome Week, bringing them in to TCF to learn the cheers/traditions, hear from Brew, etc. Keeping that going each fall should pay dividends in 4 years when all the classes of students will have "grown up" at the U with football on campus. Of course, W's will help too.

 

[bankonit]

worry about yourselves

I can't understand why people get so concerned over others actions. If someone needs to or wants to leave in the 3rd quarter so be it. You have no idea what people need to do or what plans they might have. Their leaving may have nothing to do with the score or their "allegiance" to the team. I went to the opening game of the Minnesota Wild this year and left after the 1st period to get my pregnant wife and 2 year old son home to bed so it would not be late for them, I guess I am pathetic. Peoples tickets are their tickets and they can leave early, come late or not even show, its their business and not yours.

 

[Iceland12]

Lousy Fan Support

After every Home Game there are posts about the lousy fan support, gray hairs and students combined. This happened often after Dome games too.

After every Home Game the recruits who visit are also unanimous in their praise of the "fan support" at TCF. Something often missing in the Dome years. Last night also drew praise along those lines. No editorial position offered, just noting the difference in perception.

 

[Goldentimeofday]

Can someone explain to me who these "terrible student fans" are supposed to turn their tickets in to? Cause these superfans who should take their place don't exist. We couldn't sell out a 10K student section in the Dome when students could buy multiple seats. 1 year later we've sold out a 10K student section where students can only buy 1 seat. Did our student fan base have thousands of new passionate fans appear following a 5 game losing skid to end last season? No. There was a new stadium and many students said "hey, it looks cool lets go". These students don't really care one way or the other. Yes that sucks, yes that's dumb. But if you think there is some oppressed group of die hard Gopher students crying outside of TCF each weekend wishing they could get in you are sorely mistaken.

We need to win more. Period.

+1

Not like there are 10,000 OTHER students dying to get into the game.......

 

[Mike Rotch]

I don't understand why everyone seems to hate the student section so much. This is a college football team, therefore it has the most ownership to the students currently attending the school. The University just has to find the right mix of overselling the section until it fills up. I think this board needs to calm down in the first season of the new stadium. It is an adjustment.

 

[Gophers4Life]

I'm assuming most of the people wanting to cut the size of the student section recently graduated from the U of M and haven't quite made the season ticket list...if this is true, they can use their old U cards and get in with student seats. There were plenty of people looking to sell tickets cheap (as low as $5) but no one would/could buy them because they need U cards to get in.

 

[GoldyPush-Ups]

Yeah, also for those of you ripping the students you need to get a reality check. The student section is the ONLY section in the stadium that yells every single defensive snap. Every single one. Think about that! Think about what would happen without the students that were there from start to finish? You think the rest of the crowd is gonna boo the officials for 10 minutes without the student section getting the ball rolling and leading the charge?

You should all be thanking the student section! I don't often take people to task on message boards but some of you posters are completely delusional and disrespectful.

Lord, does it feel good to be appreciated! Thanks Bobber

To all the haters-- Getting upset with the student on a board like this is irrelevant because it isn't helping the problem at all and, also, we students that care enough to read and respond to gopherhole are obviously the ones who stayed for the entire game anyways. I can never really see the 2nd tier student section because I always make sure to be on the 1st tier, but I doubt that only 25% of students remained until the end of the game. The few people (girls) that I know that left early, left because they had to go do their make-up for their costumes that night. I gave them crap for leaving early, but I wasn't going to change their minds. Besides, when I saw them later as unbelievable sexy safari animals, I completely forgot that they had left early.

 

[Assashian]

Even if they did what other options are there in Iowa and Wisconsin? The Twin Cities are relatively cosmopolitan for the midwest, in Iowa and Wisconsin you pretty much have sports or drinking to stave off the pain of your late onset diabetes.

Iowa City and Madison are both awesome and have lots of other stuff to do like...oh you included drinking already.

Seriously though, at least in Iowa City there are a decent number of other options out there, although the town does sorta shut down on gameday. I knew plenty of people while I was there that didn't give a crap about football and still loved the town. It's not like the Cities, but it's also way different from the rest of Iowa.