32 replies to this topic

[UNT90]

The stadium didn't sell out because: no one cared about who we were beating, most students/alums felt like the athletic program was a joke, and going to a game at Fouts is a pretty terrible college football experience. The new stadium solves two, and hopefully some day, three out of three.

We've come a long ways even since I was a student, but to tell yourself that winning will fill the stadium is gearing yourself up for disappointment. The largest crowd I've ever seen there was an opening game against the '03 Bumbling Baylor Bears.

I think what was missing in the DD era was a statement win. I kept an eye on UNT back then, and attended only about one game a year, so I qualified as the average fan, and I kept waiting for UNT to challenge a major team. Not necessarily beat, but compete down to the wire with a top 25 team. It never happened. You just can't get the casual fan excited about a 27-0 loss to Texas, I don't care how many times you sack Chris Sims. Alumni, and everyone else, will take notice when we compete with top 25 competition, not when the new stadium opens.

Texas loves it's football winners.

[ColoradoEagle]

Like I said, winning doesn't magically solve problems. TCU struggles year after year to get over 35k (stadium holds 45k I think?) to their home games, despite regularly putting a ranked squad on the field. You could argue that they have fewer alumni than we do, but I think you could also argue that they probably have more alumni who give a crap than we do.

[UNT90]

Like I said, winning doesn't magically solve problems. TCU struggles year after year to get over 35k (stadium holds 45k I think?) to their home games, despite regularly putting a ranked squad on the field. You could argue that they have fewer alumni than we do, but I think you could also argue that they probably have more alumni who give a crap than we do.

I think we kill them with the shear number of grads we have in the area if we could go 12-1 . Wouldn't it be nice ot find out??

[LoveMG]

let us host 8 home games including georgia, texas, texas tech and put us in the big 12 in an area with no pro sports then you will get your dreamed attendance at a preseason event. until then think fau for homecoming and consider the real differences.

[Green Mean]

Just consistently win and create buzz against well known teams nationally and everything else will take care of itself.

[FirefightnRick]

Our Apple tree doesn't grow nearly as many Apples as their Orange tree does.




Rick

[KRAM1]

Point is...if you want to be "big time" you better start acting like it...and start by getting yourself and everyone else you can into the stands at Fouts this season. See you at Fouts.

GO MEAN GREEN.

And, stop blaming the fact that DFW is not like Stillwater...everyone can find a reason why they can't do something...I am asking you to find the reason why you CAN support UNT!

GO MEAN GREEN...Fill Fouts Field for every home game in 2009!!!!

[GreenBat]

Point is...if you want to be "big time" you better start acting like it.

Kram has it figured out, now if the University will figure it out!

[GrandGreen]

The stadium didn't sell out because: no one cared about who we were beating, most students/alums felt like the athletic program was a joke, and going to a game at Fouts is a pretty terrible college football experience. The new stadium solves two, and hopefully some day, three out of three.

We've come a long ways even since I was a student, but to tell yourself that winning will fill the stadium is gearing yourself up for disappointment. The largest crowd I've ever seen there was an opening game against the '03 Bumbling Baylor Bears.

Actually a history of winning is the most likely way to build up a program. I believe those that think a new stadium is a panacea for all of NT's football woes are in for a big disappointment. The stadium, short term, is not going to significantly alter the competition coming into Denton. Going from an old to new 30,000 seat stadium is not going to alter the economics of college football. Teams that can fill mega stadiums are not likely to schedule away games when they can make substantially more money at home and keep the home field advantages. Likewise, I don't think a new stadium will have much of an effect on the scheduling of other Texas teams in Denton who can come up with a myriad of reasons not to play NT. The new stadium will be a great building block for recruiting and elevating the program, but it is not going to turn a struggling Belt team into big time program without a lot more factors greatly improving.

ColoradoEagle, based on your comments here; I doubt that you will ever be more than a casual NT fan. I have been going to NT games for decades, and I have never thought going to Fouts was a "terrible experience" or that the program was a joke. First, I have been to a lot of so called great football stadiums and I can honestly state that the stadium I watch a game is a minor consideration in my enjoyment of the game. Now where I set in the stadium may be, paying premium prices to be in the OU or UT end zone in seats that wouldn't accommodate the average pygmy does have a negative effect. NT is not going to be playing in a big six conference any time soon, and most that think NT's program is a joke will not change their opinions. Because those opinions are derived from a type of herd mentality that believes winning and hype are superior to loyalty or allegiance to their University.

Edited by GrandGreen, 12 August 2009 - 05:54 PM.

[ColoradoEagle]

I have been and will always be a die-hard fan of NT sports. I've put a lot of time, effort, and money (at least for the time, ha) into helping the program in what little way that I could.

You contradict yourself on the 'winning' argument. You say that winning builds a program, and then later you say that we can't rely on people who only care about winning and aren't loyal to their school. Obviously a winning program generates more interest than a losing program, but it's not the most important ingredient. Having students who are proud of their alma mater, later becoming alumni with fond memories of their school and athletics is what builds a program. RV and the athletic department has done a lot in slowly building up interest at a school whose students and community were apathetic for decades. Part of being proud of your school is the venues the sports are played in, and honestly, my first thought when I saw Fouts was of Waterboy.

That isn't to say that people can't be proud with inferior facilities; many people still are. But we're not talking about people on this message board, we're talking about current students, alumni, and DFW. Those people take a bit more prodding to show up on Saturdays. A new stadium, as I said before, will not magically result in sell-outs. What it will do is give future students a different perspective of North Texas, the same way little additions like the Rec Center have in recent years.

As far as scheduling the big time opponents, I personally don't care. I know others obviously do, and hopefully that is a cog that will fall into place eventually.

[FirefightnRick]

First, I have been to a lot of so called great football stadiums and I can honestly state that the stadium I watch a game is a minor consideration in my enjoyment of the game. Now where I set in the stadium may be, paying premium prices to be in the OU or UT end zone in seats that wouldn't accommodate the average pygmy does have a negative effect. NT is not going to be playing in a big six conference any time soon, and most that think NT's program is a joke will not change their opinions. Because those opinions are derived from a type of herd mentality that believes winning and hype are superior to loyalty or allegiance to their University.

Let me tell you what has a negative effect.

Tuesday night towards the end of practice at Fouts, around 9:30 p.m., my 5 year old F4 tells me she's gotta go #2, and there's not a single restroom open anywhere in the stadium that I could find, and I checked every damn restroom door there was. Luckily, I've worked inside Fouts in the past and knew by chance where I could get into the visitors' locker room. Holy....Freakin...$hithole, BATMAN! Has anyone here on this board been under the Eastside stands in the visitors locker room lately? From the bottom of my heart, I'm so embarrassed to think we put any visiting team and their coaches in that place? What they all must think of and say about North Texas???? And to think, of all the teams,OF...ALL...THE...TEAMS...TO...DO...THIS...TO... we put our future hero's of this great nation, the players from the Naval Academy there, and will do the same this year when Army comes to visit? I..I...(sigh)...I'm telling you, it makes me sick. How we have ever gotten any named team(Baylor, TCU, SMU, Houston, Oregon St, Navy, Army) to agree to come and play us there is simply amazing, especially getting them to return, is even more amazing.


Rick

[KRAM1]

Let me tell you what has a negative effect.

Tuesday night towards the end of practice at Fouts, around 9:30 p.m., my 5 year old F4 tells me she's gotta go #2, and there's not a single restroom open anywhere in the stadium that I could find, and I checked every damn restroom door there was. Luckily, I've worked inside Fouts in the past and knew by chance where I could get into the visitors' locker room. Holy....Freakin...$hithole, BATMAN! Has anyone here on this board been under the Eastside stands in the visitors locker room lately? From the bottom of my heart, I'm so embarrassed to think we put any visiting team and their coaches in that place? What they all must think of and say about North Texas???? And to think, of all the teams,OF...ALL...THE...TEAMS...TO...DO...THIS...TO... we put our future hero's of this great nation, the players from the Naval Academy there, and will do the same this year when Army comes to visit? I..I...(sigh)...I'm telling you, it makes me sick. How we have ever gotten any named team(Baylor, TCU, SMU, Houston, Oregon St, Navy, Army) to agree to come and play us there is simply amazing, especially getting them to return, is even more amazing.
Rick

Hey, Rick...how about we do something about that? Could the folks here on GMG.com get together and try to fix it up at least a little...maybe paint the thing? New carpet....I don not know what we could do as I have never been in the thing, but from your description it sure sounds like it could use a bit of "fixin' up". I hear a bunch of complaining on here, but I know that GMG.com folks are real fans...maybe we can come together and help pitch in to fix the place up a bit...especially for Army and the like. Could turn it into a Saturday work day and have a sort of tailgate while we are doing it. Think it's possible? I'd volunteer to help if we find a day that works...maybe even a Sunday afternoon when all the Saturday events are "over" for the guys with families, etc. And the ladies, of course...they are usually much better at this decorating thing...just saying...as I know I have little to no creativity when it comes to this stuff.

Is this even remotely possible????

GO MEAN GREEN!

[Stan R]

Let me tell you what has a negative effect.

Tuesday night towards the end of practice at Fouts, around 9:30 p.m., my 5 year old F4 tells me she's gotta go #2, and there's not a single restroom open anywhere in the stadium that I could find, and I checked every damn restroom door there was. Luckily, I've worked inside Fouts in the past and knew by chance where I could get into the visitors' locker room. Holy....Freakin...$hithole, BATMAN! Has anyone here on this board been under the Eastside stands in the visitors locker room lately? From the bottom of my heart, I'm so embarrassed to think we put any visiting team and their coaches in that place? What they all must think of and say about North Texas???? And to think, of all the teams,OF...ALL...THE...TEAMS...TO...DO...THIS...TO... we put our future hero's of this great nation, the players from the Naval Academy there, and will do the same this year when Army comes to visit? I..I...(sigh)...I'm telling you, it makes me sick. How we have ever gotten any named team(Baylor, TCU, SMU, Houston, Oregon St, Navy, Army) to agree to come and play us there is simply amazing, especially getting them to return, is even more amazing.
Rick

I'm picturing the place to resemble the room of the guy on the move "Seven" - sloth, with all of the hanging air fresheners. I would just advise them to NOT look in the box in the corner.

[SilverEagle]

Kram, from what Rick told me over the phone about this incident, we would need some volunteer plumbers to go along with the "scrape and paint brigade". Again, after Rick described this place to me, I honestly don't know why the health department hasn't shut that part of the stadium down.

I'm wondering if this volunteer project might run into liability issues with the Athletic Department.

Otherwise, it sounds like a great idea.

[EagleGreen]

The new stadium will help, winning will help even more, but if you really want 7,000 on Kickoff Day then put us in the Big 12.

No sir, we must win first and foremost. WIN, WIN, WIN, and keep WINNING. WINNING get's people excited and on board. We must WIN (at least 1).