Crowd Today

[Jaguar 88]

Still don't get it. There are simply not that many alums to buy those tickets. There are only about 65K undergrad alumni (student body has gone from about 6k to 8K over that time but some are 5 year and people die so average of about 1600 per year) over the last 40 years total and probably less than half stay in the Chicago area. Plus most were not really fans while in school (especially with our history including dark ages) We are also not the state school so we do not have much in the way of other affiliations. Pretty hard to get that much of a season ticket or fan base out of that.

Compare that with state schools such as IL, Mich, dOSU etc. They graduate 10-12K per year or more (and likely more stay in state) and they have the affiliations of being the state school and they don't have our history. Reality is that their fan base is at least 10-20 times as large as ours with the more successful programs like PSU, OSU, UM etc even more.

Oh and by the way, this year those tickets including donations were $1700 for the two tickets and $200 each for games against dOSU and IL

I am glad some folks in here understand the real score. CFB is all about the money anymore, which means who is going to bring in not only the fans in the stands, but those that watch from who knows where around the globe, either at a sports bar, or at home. According to an older B1G Facebook page, there are only about 14-15 counties in B1G country that are majority Cat fans. CFB is a business first and foremost. Yeah, it does suck, but that is the way it is. It seems NU has a pack of nerds in the administration. A few more years of this and the program might very well be kaput in terms of getting back to the 2015-18 level. Can't compete with bigger schools that really utilize the portal and NIL while you don't. Hundreds of millions would have been wasted in the new facilities if NU just sinks back down to the 70's level. Doesn't somebody in the administration have a plan?

 

[hdhntr1]

I am glad some folks in here understands the real score. CFB is all about the money anymore, which means who is going to bring in not only the fans in the stands, but those that watch from who knows where around the globe, either at a sports bar, or at home. According to an older B1G Facebook page, there are only about 14-15 counties in B1G country that are majority Cat fans. CFB is a business first and foremost. Yeah, it does suck, but that is the way it is. It seems NU has a pack of nerds in the administration. A few more years of this and the program might very well be kaput in terms of getting back to the 2015-18 level. Can't compete with bigger schools that really utilize the portal and NIL while you don't. Hundreds of millions would have been wasted in the new facilities if NU just sinks back down to the 70's level. Doesn't somebody in the administration have a plan?

Early 70s was a high point that. 2nd in BIG 70 and 71 I believe. Second half of the 70s was beginning of Dark Ages

 

[Gatabowl]

Never seen a worse on. Generally you try to pick a game against an opponent that you can potentially beat. And you don't have it where events are spread out like this. Being at the Wrigley game last year against IA, it was pretty obvious what the crowd would be like, 90-10 dOSU. For homecoming that is just an embarrassment. It was a BS move by the administration.

It was the earliest guaranteed game to be in a reasonable location. Seat Geek would have been so much worse.

 

[Gatabowl]

I am glad some folks in here understand the real score. CFB is all about the money anymore, which means who is going to bring in not only the fans in the stands, but those that watch from who knows where around the globe, either at a sports bar, or at home. According to an older B1G Facebook page, there are only about 14-15 counties in B1G country that are majority Cat fans. CFB is a business first and foremost. Yeah, it does suck, but that is the way it is. It seems NU has a pack of nerds in the administration. A few more years of this and the program might very well be kaput in terms of getting back to the 2015-18 level. Can't compete with bigger schools that really utilize the portal and NIL while you don't. Hundreds of millions would have been wasted in the new facilities if NU just sinks back down to the 70's level. Doesn't somebody in the administration have a plan?

We need fans that aren’t alumni. Thats the issue.

To do that we need to win more.

 

[Secho99]

Currently in a packed Rizzo's, I'm the only purple lol.

Bernie's looked same.

G-Man not yet open.

I went to the official NU alumni party before the game at the Cubby Bear and just stayed there to watch the game with a few dozen NU fans. I was with about 10 friends for our 25 year reunion and nobody was interested in paying $150+ for bad seats to watch an assumed loss with mostly opposing fans. Maybe that makes us bad fans (although only 2 or 3 of us even pay attention to the FB team) but I don’t regret it.

I was more upset that the BB game overlapped with our reunion event on Friday. That’s the game I would’ve rather gone to.

 

[CMcCat]

I am glad some folks in here understand the real score. CFB is all about the money anymore, which means who is going to bring in not only the fans in the stands, but those that watch from who knows where around the globe, either at a sports bar, or at home. According to an older B1G Facebook page, there are only about 14-15 counties in B1G country that are majority Cat fans. CFB is a business first and foremost. Yeah, it does suck, but that is the way it is. It seems NU has a pack of nerds in the administration. A few more years of this and the program might very well be kaput in terms of getting back to the 2015-18 level. Can't compete with bigger schools that really utilize the portal and NIL while you don't. Hundreds of millions would have been wasted in the new facilities if NU just sinks back down to the 70's level. Doesn't somebody in the administration have a plan?

They most certainly have a plan. Yesterday’s email referred to it as a the new “sports and entertainment venue.”

Football is going to become increasingly and then, in a future moment, dramatically irrelevant to NU’s financial future. Leadership is aware of this. That is why they are leveraging the interest of a major donor to fund the construction of a major concert venue which will open up a new, significant stream of revenue.

That is the plan. It just doesn’t involve football much.

 

[1060Ivy]

Sun-Times notes lack of NU home field fans/advantage at home games and the new stadium

To Northwestern football, 'home-field advantage' must sound like a foreign language

Even if the new Ryan Field, coming in 2026, is as amazing as the school is cracking it up to be, will the majority of its 35,000 seats be occupied by real, live Wildcats fans?

chicago.suntimes.com

 

[NUChicago]

Sun-Times notes lack of NU home field fans/advantage at home games and the new stadium

To Northwestern football, 'home-field advantage' must sound like a foreign language

Even if the new Ryan Field, coming in 2026, is as amazing as the school is cracking it up to be, will the majority of its 35,000 seats be occupied by real, live Wildcats fans?

chicago.suntimes.com

Someone is talking about us but I doubt NU is listening. He did not do his research and point to the fact we did have a solid season ticket base, but has been eroded over the last few years, bad teams, Fitz firing, Gragg, etc....

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Sun-Times notes lack of NU home field fans/advantage at home games and the new stadium

To Northwestern football, 'home-field advantage' must sound like a foreign language

Even if the new Ryan Field, coming in 2026, is as amazing as the school is cracking it up to be, will the majority of its 35,000 seats be occupied by real, live Wildcats fans?

chicago.suntimes.com

Wisconsin grad, what do you expect?

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Still don't get it. There are simply not that many alums to buy those tickets. There are only about 65K undergrad alumni (student body has gone from about 6k to 8K over that time but some are 5 year and people die so average of about 1600 per year) over the last 40 years total and probably less than half stay in the Chicago area. Plus most were not really fans while in school (especially with our history including dark ages) We are also not the state school so we do not have much in the way of other affiliations. Pretty hard to get that much of a season ticket or fan base out of that.

Compare that with state schools such as IL, Mich, dOSU etc. They graduate 10-12K per year or more (and likely more stay in state) and they have the affiliations of being the state school and they don't have our history. Reality is that their fan base is at least 10-20 times as large as ours with the more successful programs like PSU, OSU, UM etc even more.

Oh and by the way, this year those tickets including donations were $1700 for the two tickets and $200 each for games against dOSU and IL

Because a fair amount of the stadium will be “premium seating,” which are likely to be sold to corporations (often with alumni connections) throughout the Chicagoland area.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

I was a "B+" HS student with high board scores that got in NU off the wait list.
NU was so much easier than my HS that I graduated "With Highest Distinction". A CAS degree should be easily achievable for the majority of HS grads, as are degrees from other disciplines. Provide adequate support, mentoring and develop a model program for educating students at supposed risk, possibly a 5 year degree program. Why should students , from possibly disadvantaged circumstances , be denied an opportunity to attend NU, receive a degree while elevating NU's athletic success(remember Georgetown's academic rise following their basketball success)

And what years was that?

Times change.

 

[hdhntr1]

And what years was that?

Times change.

What he is saying was that the challenge was getting in and not getting through and that hasn't changed. If anything it is probably even more pronounced

 

[gocatsgo2003]

What he is saying was that the challenge was getting in and not getting through and that hasn't changed. If anything it is probably even more pronounced

…and you literally have folks on this thread saying that the curriculum is challenging at today’s NU.

Yes, getting into NU is damn near impossible today but it’s not a cakewalk once on campus (especially for scholarship athletes who have a lot of demands on their time and are likely less prepared for the challenge as “normal” students).

 

[hdhntr1]

Because a fair amount of the stadium will be “premium seating,” which are likely to be sold to corporations (often with alumni connections) throughout the Chicagoland area.

What does that have to do with what was being discussed? He was complaining about NU alums being cheap and not buying tickets and I pointed out that there were just not that many of them

 

[gocatsgo2003]

What does that have to do with what was being discussed? He was complaining about NU alums being cheap and not buying tickets and I pointed out that there were just not that many of them

Incomplete thought on my part… was getting at the idea that a lot of the “premium” seating will likely be eaten up by corporate expense reports, so there may not be too-too much demand for those experiences.

NU fans are often quite cheap and then also like to complain about the consequences thereof quite loudly. Never gonna argue against that.

 

[docrugby1]

And what years was that?

Times change.

Fraternities, sororities, beautiful coeds, diverse speakers -those were the years