Winner!

Where's all the herd fans saying they had 8,000 fans in Athens?!  They didn't have as many MU people show up as 2011.  There was a herdite wearing hunter green a few seats down from me, I think i'll count them as an OU fan. 

I don't typically like to be THAT GUY, and I also don't like spending a lot of time second guessing the Cutler administration on matters of policy, but I really think it is time to sell beer, everywhere in Peden, and to anyone of age.  We lose both students and GA customers to their tailgates/house parties/Uptown, and it is because some of them want to BOTH watch the game AND catch a beer.  No shame on them as they paid for their doucat, so why not provide the atmosphere in Peden so they can have both?!

The data shows that consumption is down in OHIO's student population of both alcohol and drugs, and arrests are down for alcohol and drug related issues.  Selling beer at seven events a year is not going to reverse that positive trend.

I've been in enough collegiate stadiums at this point that sell beer to the general population and students that to my untrained eye are not having significant intoxicated/rowdy/unruly fan issues.  At this point I believe it will create needed revenues and will provide an atmosphere that will both attract new fans and entice current consumers of the football product to remain later into the event.  Sell students a $4.00, 16oz. PBR, and you'll both retain them later in the evening and turn a nice profit.  Hell, Peden might even turn into a really cool place to be for more students than we currently attract.

I say convert the Touchdown Club into a Jackie O's beer garden, create a sports bar area behind Victory Hill complete with leather couches and big screens with multiple games to view while there are breaks in action on the field, and let the beer flow. (and the profits, for that matter)  If you went to Louisville, you can see that money makes a difference in the success of a program, and money isn't going to be less important anytime soon.

If I were a business person in Cbus/Parkersburg/Lancaster/Zanesville/Chillicothe and could use the event to entertain customers, and could do so with our the short ticket cost AND with access to beer/hospitality through the event, I'd be all over it. 

Commence the stoning...NOW! 

I agree 100%. I had a huge crowd pregame, starting at noon. We had every kind of drink, tons of food, music and all the games during the afternoon on a satellite dish and tv under our tents. It was a fantastic day and nobody was out of control. With so many entertainment options for the casual fan, I think the administration should do everything they can to make people want to come to the game and stay and spend money.

I agree 1000%. If you sell beer, people arent going to leave to go to the bars

and forget selling beer... BrainStompers all the way!!

The students leaving at halftime apalled me on Saturday just as it has apalled me basically every other game.  They just plain truly don't care AT ALL about the outcome of the game if they're gonna leave that game at halftime.  If it wasn't for the free ticket, they wouldn't even come at all. 

We fill the student section and the whole stadium, and most of the people in this thread judge and scold. Those of you who are apoplectic about students leaving are projecting your own values and priorities onto others. Sure, I wish students approached the game with as much ardor as we do, but it's not realistic. We're extreme fans -- sitting on a message board for the team chatting about minutiae. With very few exceptions, they're not. We base our weekends on trips to Peden. Their weekends involve sampling from the buffet of entertainment options available to young people in a college town. They paid their very high student fee to do what they want. I was happy to see them loud and proud and wearing green in the stands and in the streets. Some of you won't be happy until everyone is on their feet, frothing at the mouth and living and dying with every down.

It has become amazing to me over the years. We finally have "a program" and I just don't get it. I'm sure it's my age and the fact students have other interests these days. 

My buddy and I we jawing with some students or young alumni over in Section 104 (may be the Optimist and his friends). We were hooting it up trying to do our best to get people into the game. I was literally threatened by some goat who didn't like me getting fired up over the Bobcats success. All I did was point forward for first downs. 

I do think most people in our section are warming up to the guys trying to get people into the game. I have no issue with it at all. There is another older gentleman in our section who showed up with OSU Gear on. I really don't think it clicked with him that it isn't acceptable to most anymore. I just called him Woody Hayes and we had some laughs and moved on. He actually does get up and root for the Cats so it's cool I suppose. 

I'm no longer at a point in life that I try to convert the world to follow OHIO. I have a big appreciation for those who try and the younger generation of Bobcats has much more of a reason than many of us "older" alums to carry the flag. I will say I have no intention to curb my enthusiasm for future games. If people around me don't like it, move to the hill. 

At this point, we have an opportunity for improvement which I don't choose to see as a problem:

• The on the field product has improved, and now we have butts in seats in record numbers.
• However, it is clear that we are not meeting the entertainment needs of many of the paying customers, some who are buying the tickets and some who are paying student fees.  Their entertainment meets are being somewhat, but not entirely met for a 3h 30min window.
• Hence, take the opportunity to meet the needs of those customers to retain them throughout the entire experience.
• You can certainly strive to do that through improving the physical plant via improved concessions/AV/other collateral pertaining to the game.
• However, if it were me, which it isn't, I would strive to make upgrades that increase revenues (concessions) BEFORE I would make investments in things such as AV, so that perhaps I could pay for the non-revenue generating amenities.

But that is just me.  I'm not talking InBev signage all over the stadium and selling our soul to adult beverages.  Just give customers what they are clearly leaving the game for, and make some money along the way.  We don't have luxury suites in which to isolate adult beverage consumption, but what is there to be ashamed of?  Why not create some areas that are specifically catering to people that are looking for additional entertainment through the entire game.

I'm all for improving the A/V part of the experience as well, as clearly our systems are outdated.  I know Pepsi ponied up all the cash for the current scoreboard, but a modern, large HD screen is going to cost well over $1MM, and I don't know who is out there that is going to make that kind of donation at this point, especially with the MPF just having been funded, and with the struggles the Department has had to fund the football locker room and ICA student learning center.

Co-sign.

Louisville has a stadium with 55,000 seats but only reserves 3,000 for their students, and that section is behind the goal post. We could adopt the same strategy, adjusted for size, our student section would be about 1,300 seats and that would fit nicely on Victory Hill.

This would then leave entire east side bleachers empty so now all of the "real" fans that are sick of all of "not real" fans on the tower side can move over to the east side and stand and cheer all by themselves with nobody to tell them to sit down. And with the students relegated to Victory Hill nobody will even notice when they leave after half time. Problems solved, solved and solved.

OR, we could acknolwdge that we're counting on our student section to fill up half of our stadium because we don't have the alumni/local resident support to do it without them.

I'll say it again, the problem is not with the people INSIDE the stadium.

I wouldn't be so negative on this young batch of Bobcats.

Keep in mind, none of them were around when we truly felt the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

From their perspective, if they're a senior, we've been to a bowl game every year since they came here.

They simply EXPECT us to win the game.

For me, I still celebrate the day that we hired Coach Solich.  I'm thankful that we've had an administration that supports keeping the staff together.

I think Jim Schaus is an excellent AD.  I hope we can keep him longer, too.

These are our salad days, my friends.  Let's enjoy them!  

GO BOBCATS!