"Where Are The Fans?"

UNTLifer · October 3

https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/brett-vito-eric-morris-becoming-familiar-with-age-old-unt-issue-with-fan-support/article_66fde1a2-7e84-11ef-9b5a-7316195ea700.html

Eric Morris had just finished talking about an emphatic win over Tulsa on Saturday when UNT’s coach took time to address what has become an age-old topic when it comes to the program.

Where are all the fans?

The stands were pretty empty to start when UNT kicked off its game against Golden Hurricane at DATCU Stadium. It didn’t get much better throughout the night and emptied out by the time the Mean Green finished off a 52-20 win.

SUMG · October 3

It's pretty obvious....a lot of our fans are in the Portal. I know so many hard cores who no longer come to games. The portal/NIL was the final straw for many. And this is my 50th year as a fan....I plan on making it my last......as an "in person" fan.

UNTLifer · October 3

I gave up my season tickets this year because I just couldn't make it to town for many of the games this year, but I plan on renewing next year. I feel the same about the portal/NIL, but I really enjoy the games and am hopeful some guidelines get established soon to control the constant moving, etc...

Shark84 · October 3

Unless we somehow get ranked, and going to the games become "the thing to do", our attendance will remain the same. Good years maybe a couple of thousand more but people have to many other entertainment options and our students generally don't care. It's been this way for a long time.

Monkeypox · October 3

UNT's record over the last 20 years is 89-149. We are 1-6 in Bowl Games. We have had 4 winning seasons (that's being generous about a 7-7 finish). Our best players are poached every year.

Why would that program have fans outside of the handful of diehards on this board, especially in this state and this area where people have options?

MeanGreen22 · October 3

One whiff of adversity and our casual fans disappear. It's really annoying that we cant get people to care unless things are going perfect. Which is funny because those same people have no problem tuning in week after week to watch the Cowboys not win anything for 25+ years. Keep that same mindset for your alma mater.

Edited October 3 by MeanGreen22

UNTcrazy727 · October 3

This is a lame excuse but I really think Tulsa being our 3rd home game in 4 weeks was a factor. Especially for fans who live an hour or more from Denton.

Edited October 3 by UNTcrazy727

JayDub · October 3

Saw this article and logged in to GMG.com for the first time in years to see if there was any discussion on it.

Frankly, the (as of this posting) lone comment on that linked story is sizable part of the problem. Blowhard clowns like that guy make attending UNT Football games a less than inviting experience. It's part of the reason why I haven't been back in 10-plus years, despite living closer than ever.

And, just like Occult Nostradamus...I'm in the wind again.

Edited October 3 by JayDub
Yep

Texas Stranger · October 3

49 minutes ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

This is a lame excuse but I really think Tulsa being our 3rd home game in 4 weeks was a factor. Especially for fans who live an hour or more from Denton.

Well then we'd better get used to it, because we have 7 home game seasons coming up in 2025, 2027, and 2029. 2027 and 2029 have 3 September home games in a row currently.

Edited October 3 by Texas Stranger

Coffee and TV · October 3

A wild JayDub appears....

MeanGreenZen · October 3

2 hours ago, SUMG said:

It's pretty obvious....a lot of our fans are in the Portal. I know so many hard cores who no longer come to games. The portal/NIL was the final straw for many. And this is my 50th year as a fan....I plan on making it my last......as an "in person" fan.

No one is more disgusted by the portal/NIL than me, but North Texas didn’t invent those things. Our program is just playing under the rules we are given.

Based on the early results, the portal was a net positive for this team. Don’t know if we can do that every year, but 4-1 is pretty damn fun. Come on back.

SUMG · October 3

2 minutes ago, MeanGreenZen said:

No one is more disgusted by the portal/NIL than me, but North Texas didn’t invent those things. Our program is just playing under the rules we are given.

Based on the early results, the portal was a net positive for this team. Don’t know if we can do that every year, but 4-1 is pretty damn fun. Come on back.

Nice response. I'll keep an open mind. Obviously I still care or I wouldn't be on here. Go Mean Green!

rcade · October 3

2 hours ago, Monkeypox said:

Why would that program have fans outside of the handful of diehards on this board, especially in this state and this area where people have options?

Why would the Mean Green have fans?

Because people who graduated from UNT have a stronger lifelong tie to UNT than any other school that plays football.

Because even in down years it's still a good time to be at a college football game drinking beer, eating nachos and yelling obscenities when they run a draw play on third and long.

Because the Green Brigade is great.

Because we have a Victory Cannon.

Because supporting a school you didn't attend more than you support your own school causes genital shrinkage. Everybody knows this. Ask Craig Miller. He knows it better than anybody.

KingDL1 · October 3

1 hour ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

This is a lame excuse but I really think Tulsa being our 3rd home game in 4 weeks was a factor. Especially for fans who live an hour or more from Denton.

UNT challenges start with a mostly uninterested student and alumni base.

In addition to what you said and the Nil, which depressed many, it was also the starting weekend for the State Fair.

I do think you are correct. Our general fanbase, not those on this board, for the most part, is not committed to being here for games. Whether watching it on TV is more convenient, 3 out of 4 consecutive Saturdays in Denton, or just having other things to do.

But - Man oh man, that offense is getting fun to watch. Things may change.

untbowler · October 3

Where are the fans? Where is the administration that does not give fans a reason to attend athletics. We have the highest paid AD staff and Executive Admin but seeing less about the teams. I know from having a kid in her 2nd year that the students are getting better but until there is a major culture shift from the top, fans will not attend in the amounts us die hards would like to see.

A huge issue also is the need for a FB Coach who wants to interact with fans and does not hide from pressers or cut them short or no show.

Edited October 3 by untbowler

GBarksdale · October 3

8 minutes ago, KingDL1 said:

UNT challenges start with a mostly uninterested student and alumni base.

In addition to what you said and the Nil, which depressed many, it was also the starting weekend for the State Fair.

I do think you are correct. Our general fanbase, not those on this board, for the most part, is not committed to being here for games. Whether watching it on TV is more convenient, 3 out of 4 consecutive Saturdays in Denton, or just having other things to do.

But - Man oh man, that offense is getting fun to watch. Things may change.

All of these things.

I've been following NT sports for over 40 years and we've never had a lot of people consistently show up for games -- football or basketball. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, North Texas has never had a tradition of "school spirit." So, it's not surprising that alumni, let alone the general public in the DFW area don't bother to make it to the games.

Maybe that will change at some point if we are consistently winning championships/bowls and beating ranked teams. But, realistically, I don't know how it does.

They've been fun to watch the last couple of games. Even the defense.

Rudy · October 3

1 hour ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

This is a lame excuse but I really think Tulsa being our 3rd home game in 4 weeks was a factor. Especially for fans who live an hour or more from Denton.

Nope. I live an hour away, had to use vacation days for the first two games, and then had to be at work Sunday morning at 0600 after tailgating and being at The stadium the entire day before.

GRN-WHT · October 3

I’ve been beating this drum in other posts, but the bottom line is that the culture and identity of this university does not attract sports fans. Those students turn into alumni that still don’t like sports, no matter how much winning is going on.

You would think that the administration would be interested in why our alumni are less engaged and less likely to donate compared to other schools of our size, but the answers likely won’t be pretty and go far beyond just wins and losses.

DentonStang · October 3

9 minutes ago, GRN-WHT said:

I’ve been beating this drum in other posts, but the bottom line is that the culture and identity of this university does not attract sports fans. Those students turn into alumni that still don’t like sports, no matter how much winning is going on.

This is very fixable with games that matter. SMU has had over 2/3 of their entire student body at the last two games. If UNT did that you'd sell out the stadium. Do you think SMU just has sports crazy students?

Generating that excitement will be harder without marquee opponents but with winning and the right promotion you can get much, much farther down the line and mostly fill the TCU stadium

GRN-WHT · October 3

7 minutes ago, DentonStang said:

Do you think SMU just has sports crazy students?

Compared to our student body, yes, no doubt.

Marty · October 3

What would our attendance be if we didn't have the Green Brigade? Seems like most in my section are band parents & there's a mass exodus after halftime.

untcampbell · October 3

I'm a fan. I go to games. Every home game, and a couple on the road, ever year. Since 1980. That won't change. I hope enough of us show up so that I can keep being a fan. I'm selfish that way.

(In my opinion, marketing has had its best year. Amongst the regular excuses we offer on this board as to why no one attends our games, we have won 4 games out of 5. That should negate anything else for enough people to show up so that we don't have to ask the question: "where are the fans?" May be the best answer is: "there aren't enough." And that sucks.)

GMG

UNTLifer · October 3

The effort the AD put into the Wyoming game should be the minimal effort for every game, period, no excuses.

1 hour ago, untbowler said:

A huge issue also is the need for a FB Coach who wants to interact with fans and does not hide from pressers or cut them short or no show.

Is this an issue with Morris? If it is, this is the first I have heard.

Where were the Maniacs last game? Greeks?

IF our alumni and enrollment figures are accurate, then it shouldn't be difficult finding 8% of those that want to attend. See my first comment above the quote from untbowler.

Our games have been in the evening, so no conflict with kid's games and the stadium is in the shade by the 2nd Quarter. Starting times have been favorable.

Coffee and TV · October 3

13 minutes ago, Marty said:

What would our attendance be if we didn't have the Green Brigade? Seems like most in my section are band parents & there's a mass exodus after halftime.

There's only 450 in the band, so even if you had both their parents & step-parents you're talking about 1000 at the absolute most. I've seen the exit happen after halftime, but rarely has it ever been more than a few people.