I'm happy for all the Stanley Cup playoffs attention the Predators and the Pred fans have garnered. Is there anything you think MT can learn from Predators (building a fan base, game day, promotions, ticket sales, atmosphere, etc)????
What, if anything, can MT learn from the Predators?
- Thread starter SpaceRaider
- Start date
I live in the Chattanooga area and the Pred's have a tremendous following here. Their organization has done a wonderful job promoting their product in this general market.
As a MT graduate (class of 75 and season ticket holder since the move to big boy ball) finding anything MT in this town is almost impossible. There are NO sporting goods stores in the Chattanooga area who have any MT gear. Finding any sporting write up's in the local paper is basically non-existent. I sometime think the school and athletic department only see the Murfreesboro, Nashville and local area as places to promote the school.
I understand the competition with UT and UTC for fans, but if you check there is quite a large number of MT graduates in the Chattanooga area.
I would also suspect this is true in other areas across the state.
To be a successful salesman you have to get out and beat the bushes!!! We are the largest school in the state, lets act like it!!!
Go Raiders!!!
D-wins
As a MT graduate (class of 75 and season ticket holder since the move to big boy ball) finding anything MT in this town is almost impossible. There are NO sporting goods stores in the Chattanooga area who have any MT gear. Finding any sporting write up's in the local paper is basically non-existent. I sometime think the school and athletic department only see the Murfreesboro, Nashville and local area as places to promote the school.
I understand the competition with UT and UTC for fans, but if you check there is quite a large number of MT graduates in the Chattanooga area.
I would also suspect this is true in other areas across the state.
To be a successful salesman you have to get out and beat the bushes!!! We are the largest school in the state, lets act like it!!!
Go Raiders!!!
D-wins
The Preds are relentless in their marketing...but they have the funds to do it...the key to learn is when the team finally won, the organization was ready to capitalize.
I live in Jackson and it is virtually impossible to find any Preds or MT gear. It's all SEC and Memphis Grizzlies at the sporting good stores
I drove by a store this past week in Murfreesboro and they had all sorts of tailgating chairs with logos, utk, uk, alabama, etc. but no MT...
I know I have shared this story several times but...
A couple years ago, I parked at centennial park in a valid spot. Came back to my car and had a "ticket" on the windshield. It looked like one of those parking ticket envelopes but it was from "Officer Gnash" for not having enough blue and gold. The ticket inside "looked" like a violation but at the bottom, it said that I had 4 free tickets waiting for me for any game that month.
That is the difference. They have been building on fans for 20 years.
A couple years ago, I parked at centennial park in a valid spot. Came back to my car and had a "ticket" on the windshield. It looked like one of those parking ticket envelopes but it was from "Officer Gnash" for not having enough blue and gold. The ticket inside "looked" like a violation but at the bottom, it said that I had 4 free tickets waiting for me for any game that month.
That is the difference. They have been building on fans for 20 years.
Waiting for Nashville's NHL season to be over to make any comments since I'm not a hockey fan or even happy that big-time pro sports arrived in middle TN shortly after MT announced the move up to D-1 in FB. I am a fan of college sports, almost exclusively MT although, and follow several high school programs. I look and everything in relation to how it impacts MT athletics. The entrance to the mid state of the NFL and NHL clearly hurt area college and high school sports. You only have to hear one MT BkB season ticket holder say he is going to attend a game at the tire barn rather than a MT game on the same night since someone offered him tickets to realize that MT has been hurt. Even UT-K reported a loss of FB season tickets in the mid-state with the arrival of the Titans.
All that aside, one must be impressed by the obvious excitement generated by this run in the hockey playoffs. I had thought that there were few fans outside of the season ticket holders but if that opinion was correct then one must admit they were poised to attract casual fans once they had success on the national stage. That thought reflects the opinion by many on this board regarding MT athletics: "win and they will come".
I realize we're comparing apples and oranges but why has the success of the men's BkB team not generated at least a portion of the uptick we've seen on lower broad? Why is the excitement only increased only incrementally. An article in this morning's Tennessean reflects on the increased sales of Predator merchandise. Have you seen more MT gear in the Boro, much less the mid-state, because of the BkB success?
Is MT fighting a losing battle to gain support since we are not in a "Power" conference, don't have much media coverage, and promotional $$$s are lacking? Why can't we build upon success? Will we ever?
All that aside, one must be impressed by the obvious excitement generated by this run in the hockey playoffs. I had thought that there were few fans outside of the season ticket holders but if that opinion was correct then one must admit they were poised to attract casual fans once they had success on the national stage. That thought reflects the opinion by many on this board regarding MT athletics: "win and they will come".
I realize we're comparing apples and oranges but why has the success of the men's BkB team not generated at least a portion of the uptick we've seen on lower broad? Why is the excitement only increased only incrementally. An article in this morning's Tennessean reflects on the increased sales of Predator merchandise. Have you seen more MT gear in the Boro, much less the mid-state, because of the BkB success?
Is MT fighting a losing battle to gain support since we are not in a "Power" conference, don't have much media coverage, and promotional $$$s are lacking? Why can't we build upon success? Will we ever?
Predators have access to the championship.
In football, A school like MT does not.
In my opinion, basketball presents itself as a easier pathway to have a shot on the big stage than that of football. This question has been rolling in my head for a while and the only thing, as a fan, I can come up with is "what is the point of what we are doing?". Is our highest goal to win a conference championship? Is our highest goal to just be bowl eligible?
I just don't think a even comparison to a pro sports team is a fair contrast. One thing is for sure...I have no desire to follow any college football team other than my Alma mater.
In football, A school like MT does not.
In my opinion, basketball presents itself as a easier pathway to have a shot on the big stage than that of football. This question has been rolling in my head for a while and the only thing, as a fan, I can come up with is "what is the point of what we are doing?". Is our highest goal to win a conference championship? Is our highest goal to just be bowl eligible?
I just don't think a even comparison to a pro sports team is a fair contrast. One thing is for sure...I have no desire to follow any college football team other than my Alma mater.
I think it has something to do with hosting championship games, or at least playoff atmosphere games, honestly. The MBKB team hasn't generated that kind of buzz because the 1st rd games they won were not at home, or not really that nearby. So there wasn't much of a feeling of generating momentum like the playoff run did. I think if the MBKB team made it to the Sweet 16, there would have been that opportunity, because fans would have come back talking about how great a time they had and how other fans HAD to make it to the next game. That's what's fueling the Preds excitement, the feeling that the games are events that shouldn't be missed, not because they suddenly started winning, which they've been doing for the past decade or so.
I don't think "win and they will come" even works anymore. Everything is on TV and we are in a sub market since we are in a G5 "who cares?" league. We won 10 games in 2009 and we didn't exactly have standing room only. Granted, we did have more than now but we had maybe 2-3 games on TV back then, not 9-11. We won our bowl game and no one talked about it and the school did nothing to promote it.
Years of success may be needed but who has done that other than Boise?
Years of success may be needed but who has done that other than Boise?
A couple of thoughts :
1) Win and they will come remains true, but one season of 10-3 isn't going to sell out Floyd.
2) On-field product + Off-field product = sellout
Following up 10-3 with a 6-7 and 2-10 didn't help either. For us to build any momentum, we have to win early...even in the 10-3 year, we were 3-3 after 6.
Multi media, internet, Multi media, internet, Multi media, internet.
It isn't only hurting G5 schools, it is also taking its toll on power 5 schools as well as Professional sports.
It is hard to compete with a reclines, air conditioning or heat, and dry.
I for one still love the atmosphere of game day, but todays hustle and bustle crowd don't have the time for the finer things in life.
While we are fighting a loosing battle, give me a Saturday afternoon college or a Friday night high school football game any day!!!
Go Blue Raiders
D-winns
It isn't only hurting G5 schools, it is also taking its toll on power 5 schools as well as Professional sports.
It is hard to compete with a reclines, air conditioning or heat, and dry.
I for one still love the atmosphere of game day, but todays hustle and bustle crowd don't have the time for the finer things in life.
While we are fighting a loosing battle, give me a Saturday afternoon college or a Friday night high school football game any day!!!
Go Blue Raiders
D-winns
So we have to win 10-12 games per season for 5 years straight? Sounds reasonable. LOL! WKU has been on fire with back to back championships and they couldn't get more than 18k to either one of their championship games. They've won like 53 games in the last 6 years and are like 3-1 in their bowl games since 2011. Winningest team in the conference for the last 6 years and yet they can't fill a stadium 2/3rds the size of ours. Win and they will come doesn't work like it used to.
There are too many other games to watch when we play. That's why I'm for weeknight games. No competition on a tuesday night.
There are too many other games to watch when we play. That's why I'm for weeknight games. No competition on a tuesday night.
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