Dome Crowd

[Yellow]

So far this season, i have been a little dissapointed in the crowds during the bison games. We are to quiet! There is no reason why we cant get 16-17,000 each game, no matter who we are playing! I agree the student government needs to step it up and advertise the games A LOT better! You dont see anything on campus about the games. Maybe people are turned off because we are not playoff elgible? Even so, real bison fans should show up and support their team. Kinda nervous about the nicholls game turnout. What can be done?

[BismarckBison]

We all have neighbors/ friends/ customers/ co-workers who are football fans. Let us all ask 2 or 4 of them to attend the game this Saturday, and if we have to let's buy them a ticket.

We need to get the word out, we should tell them how exciting D1 football really is. I have an open seat/ticket and over the course of the season I bring a round robin of relatives and friends to the games. Each year I try to get at least one new fan to a home game. No one has turned me down yet, and some keep calling me for the next open game. Based on this thread, next time they ask I will suggest season tickets. After all Billboards only go so far, someone still has to ask for the sale.

[TheBisonator]

I'm afraid I'm gonna have to disagree there. Before the season started, I was really nervous that we wouldn't even average 12,000 for our first three games (UAM, WSU, NSU). But I have been very impressed with the turnout for our first two games. We had 13,793 for a sub-par Division II team, and 14,368 for the worst team in the Big Sky Conference. During the Weber game, I was very pleased (while watching from the northwest corner) at the attendance in the west side stands. It looked almost COMPLETELY full from my vantage point. It looked like the grandstand was jam-packed up to the very top row at least between the 20-yard lines. The student turnout was very good for a Saturday night game too.

Not only that, but I think the dome crowd has been a little louder this year than I remember it during the past two years. During the opening intro last year at the beginning of games, they had the intro with the awesome computer/stereo effects, but no one cheered during it. Now it seems like a LOT more people are cheering their guts out during the computer/pyrotechnic intro.

However, I do agree with you about the Nicholls State game. That one has me worried as far as attendance goes. It will most likely be our least-attended game this season, because the last three games are against HUGE-interest names. I'm not sure if people will be up for the NSU game. But I believe that we will sell out SDSU (19,000+), we'll have between 16-17,000 for Cal-Davis, and at LEAST a minimum of 15,000 for Northern Colorado. If we can attract 13-14,000 for Nicholls State, that will put us right up around the 15,000-average mark for season attendance. That would be as big of a year-to year jump from 2004-2005 than 2003-2004 was.

I'm expecting us to average 15,000 a game this year, and I feel good about it.

[bisonmike]

The crowd against SDSU will be rockin'. I will be very disappointed if it isn't a sell out. I still think that SDSU winning that first game for the marker did more for the rivalry than anything else.

[Tatanka]

With all due respect, I don't think the student turnout has been anything but spectacular so far. Of course, it remains to be seen how many show up for NSU, but I'd wager they bring 3-4k at the very least. And they are by their very nature loud, and they clearly support the team.

Now for the REST of the dome. I agree that we should all adopt a neighbor/friend/relative fencerider and bring them to a game, by force if necessary (e.g. buy their damn ticket and eliminate all reasonable excuses). Hell, even bring a fan of the upstate normal school. Let them see the difference firsthand. They'll be back. It's a small (<$50) investment in a future Bison fan. There's no reason we can't make the Dome the place to be on Saturdays. Heck, just sell out Davis and SDSU and we're on our way. Once the mentality sets in that 19k of your friends and neighbors are in on the best ticket in town, it isn't a stretch to believe that we can average 17k next year.

[Yellow]

My comments were directed towards the rest of the dome, not the student section. The student section has been great this year! Keep it up!

[sambini]

It looks impressive when that student section is full of gold tshirts...

[bisongold]

The student section is definitely coming around!! If everyone would yell the entire time our defense is on the field, we can turn the Dome into a great homefield advantage! Then carry it thru to the basketball season!!

[Herd_Mentality]

I would actually be surprised to see the SDSU game sell out. I think NDSU/the FFD or whoever made a huge mistake by scheduling this game at 6 and not even moving it back an hour.

This year, NDSU has 2 home games during deer hunting season. The SDSU game falls on the first weekend of late season. Having the game at 7 might have allowed more folks to get home, showered and up to the FFD for the game. The attendance at the UNC game will be the lowest of the season I believe since it is opening deer weekend.

[Da_Bizon]

Someone needs to get the word to the Dome staff that it's ok to stand up and cheer. I've been hearing a few different stories about people being told to sit down and shut up last weekend, which is quite disturbing.