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In-Game Challenges for fans

IndyIUFan66

All-Big Ten
Jun 23, 2013
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This isn’t to whine or criticize anyone, but start a dialogue.

First, IU’s not so great FB tradition has led to smaller crowds and student fans who leave early.

Per last night, I was there for an 8pm kick off. The game ended literally around 11:45-Midnight range.

Issues live:
-TV timeouts can be brutal. Really leave fans sitting there waiting.

-Play reviews - they are reviewing a lot of calls and that slows things down too.

-Refs game #1 too. There were a few different times the crew had to gather to discuss (that were not play reviews) that also slowed things down too.

Other things:
-It makes a huge difference if your team has some kind of superstar playmaker or standout area fans can bank on. Our defense is close to being that, but our offense is not there yet. It becomes a lot to ask fans to see defense do all it can, turn ball over and see a three and out that ends on a pitiful one yard play by the offense.

Bazelak’s last drive done more consistently could help boost enthusiasm with the fan base.

Winning will help bring more fans in and keep them (& students) there longer. We should be 3-0 heading into Cinci game. If momentum grows and they beat Cinci and sneak one out at Neb, imagine a 5-0 team hosting Michigan (or is it PSU?). Either way, could see a sellout game and eager fans, hopefully watching a team on the rise.

-I think we do night games for TV (& maybe to avoid some still summer heat?). I much prefer day games as it’s not midnight when asking people to drive home, more fun game day experience and sunshine too. Night game would be a lot better starting at 7, versus 8!

Suggestions:
-Can they put TV’s at every concession stand? Righ now they have SMALL (32’?) TVs about 20-30 yds from concessions. Help fans know they can watch ch & hear the game while spending money on concessions!
-More day games.
-Consider a “Disney Tram” to help shuttle fans from far tailgating lots to the stadium and into the game!

-Any way to invent students who stay to the end? (Free food, t-shirts, points for BB tix?)

-Improved music during the game, as well as better hype videos on scoreboard.

In conclusion, I don’t think there are any silver bullet solutions that will ever be better than winning.

I do hope TV producers and refs can help kee play moving quicker. There is no way it is sustainable to have 100% fan support long term for 3hr 45 min games that end at midnight.

keep winning IU!
 
This isn’t to whine or criticize anyone, but start a dialogue.

First, IU’s not so great FB tradition has led to smaller crowds and student fans who leave early.

Per last night, I was there for an 8pm kick off. The game ended literally around 11:45-Midnight range.

Issues live:
-TV timeouts can be brutal. Really leave fans sitting there waiting.

-Play reviews - they are reviewing a lot of calls and that slows things down too.

-Refs game #1 too. There were a few different times the crew had to gather to discuss (that were not play reviews) that also slowed things down too.

Other things:
-It makes a huge difference if your team has some kind of superstar playmaker or standout area fans can bank on. Our defense is close to being that, but our offense is not there yet. It becomes a lot to ask fans to see defense do all it can, turn ball over and see a three and out that ends on a pitiful one yard play by the offense.

Bazelak’s last drive done more consistently could help boost enthusiasm with the fan base.

Winning will help bring more fans in and keep them (& students) there longer. We should be 3-0 heading into Cinci game. If momentum grows and they beat Cinci and sneak one out at Neb, imagine a 5-0 team hosting Michigan (or is it PSU?). Either way, could see a sellout game and eager fans, hopefully watching a team on the rise.

-I think we do night games for TV (& maybe to avoid some still summer heat?). I much prefer day games as it’s not midnight when asking people to drive home, more fun game day experience and sunshine too. Night game would be a lot better starting at 7, versus 8!

Suggestions:
-Can they put TV’s at every concession stand? Righ now they have SMALL (32’?) TVs about 20-30 yds from concessions. Help fans know they can watch ch & hear the game while spending money on concessions!
-More day games.
-Consider a “Disney Tram” to help shuttle fans from far tailgating lots to the stadium and into the game!

-Any way to invent students who stay to the end? (Free food, t-shirts, points for BB tix?)

-Improved music during the game, as well as better hype videos on scoreboard.

In conclusion, I don’t think there are any silver bullet solutions that will ever be better than winning.

I do hope TV producers and refs can help kee play moving quicker. There is no way it is sustainable to have 100% fan support long term for 3hr 45 min games that end at midnight.

keep winning IU!
I’ve brought up the 32” Sanyo t.v.’s before in the concourse.
It takes zero imagination to swap those out for a 75” screen somewhere (anywhere!!!) outside those concession stands.
Hell, I’ll go buy them one if only to put outside my own entrance so that I can still catch the action while waiting in line for a rabbi-blessed, kosher Eisenburg hot dog! Those are good dogs. I prefer brats but it will do.
 
This isn’t to whine or criticize anyone, but start a dialogue.

First, IU’s not so great FB tradition has led to smaller crowds and student fans who leave early.

Per last night, I was there for an 8pm kick off. The game ended literally around 11:45-Midnight range.

Issues live:
-TV timeouts can be brutal. Really leave fans sitting there waiting.

-Play reviews - they are reviewing a lot of calls and that slows things down too.

-Refs game #1 too. There were a few different times the crew had to gather to discuss (that were not play reviews) that also slowed things down too.

Other things:
-It makes a huge difference if your team has some kind of superstar playmaker or standout area fans can bank on. Our defense is close to being that, but our offense is not there yet. It becomes a lot to ask fans to see defense do all it can, turn ball over and see a three and out that ends on a pitiful one yard play by the offense.

Bazelak’s last drive done more consistently could help boost enthusiasm with the fan base.

Winning will help bring more fans in and keep them (& students) there longer. We should be 3-0 heading into Cinci game. If momentum grows and they beat Cinci and sneak one out at Neb, imagine a 5-0 team hosting Michigan (or is it PSU?). Either way, could see a sellout game and eager fans, hopefully watching a team on the rise.

-I think we do night games for TV (& maybe to avoid some still summer heat?). I much prefer day games as it’s not midnight when asking people to drive home, more fun game day experience and sunshine too. Night game would be a lot better starting at 7, versus 8!

Suggestions:
-Can they put TV’s at every concession stand? Righ now they have SMALL (32’?) TVs about 20-30 yds from concessions. Help fans know they can watch ch & hear the game while spending money on concessions!
-More day games.
-Consider a “Disney Tram” to help shuttle fans from far tailgating lots to the stadium and into the game!

-Any way to invent students who stay to the end? (Free food, t-shirts, points for BB tix?)

-Improved music during the game, as well as better hype videos on scoreboard.

In conclusion, I don’t think there are any silver bullet solutions that will ever be better than winning.

I do hope TV producers and refs can help kee play moving quicker. There is no way it is sustainable to have 100% fan support long term for 3hr 45 min games that end at midnight.

keep winning IU!
Good comments. There should not be any dead time. I went to a Miami Dolphins game for the first time last year and between the sound system and the giant screens they had that stadium rocking at every commercial break and even in between individual plays. It was also very nice having a comfortable seat. I wouldn't want to sit on an aluminum bench for 4 hours.

They also had cheerleaders / dancers that rivaled the Laker girls. Very impressive!
 
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The biggest key is the time it takes to play the game. The NFL has the 3 hour game down to a science. Colleges must find a way to make it a 3 hour game.
NFL games also feature 20-30 plays per game less by each team. UI ran 90 plays Friday night and we ran 78. Pro teams rarely come close to the lower number, and even less close to the combined figure. That’s the trade off, unless you great.y shorten the play clock.
 
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4 hour games are insanity!!! Hardly anyone will put up with that…. Even at home. There’s only about 15 minutes of actual game play. If there’s a non fan or casual fan in the home, they just get pissed. “Wtf!!! Is this stupid thing STILL ON?!?!”

There’s PLENTY of more entertaining options available on TV on Saturday night besides watching commercials and guys standing around.
 
NFL games also feature 20-30 plays per game les by each team. UI ran 90 plays Friday night and we ran 78. Pro teams rarely come close to the lower number, and even less close to the combined figure. That’s the trade off, unless you great.y shorten the play clock.
Just keep the clock running. Why stop it all the time? Makes no sense.
 
NFL games also feature 20-30 plays per game les by each team. UI ran 90 plays Friday night and we ran 78. Pro teams rarely come close to the lower number, and even less close to the combined figure. That’s the trade off, unless you great.y shorten the play clock.

A 25 second play clock is plenty. As are the other NFL rules with respect to starting and stopping the clock. There are many reasons the NFL is so popular, but time management is a big part of it.
 
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A 25 second play clock is plenty. Another the NFL rules with respect to starting and stopping the clock. There are many reasons the NFL is so popular, but time management is a big part of it.
Again, fewer actual plays and less actual game action is the trade off. I’d rather have more plays, but casual fans don’t care about that as much.
 
4 hour games are insanity!!! Hardly anyone will put up with that…. Even at home. There’s only about 15 minutes of actual game play. If there’s a non fan or casual fan in the home, they just get pissed. “Wtf!!! Is this stupid thing STILL ON?!?!”

There’s PLENTY of more entertaining options available on TV on Saturday night besides watching commercials and guys standing around.
I wouldn’t be surprised if young people, especially, notice the enormous amount of time in a football game where there’s actually nothing happening.

It’s a much different environment than 40 years ago, when the game’s “competition” on the airwaves was “Midwest Farm Report” and (new) Lawrence Welks.

Four hours for a mid- to low-level Big Ten game is absurd.
 
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More plays bc of faster game play with a running clock. Stop ads that interrupt the game. That’s archaic. Allow sponsorship ads to run on the TV screen. On the unis. Etc.
Those are different issues. I’d love for the ads to run while the game runs a la the English Premier League and other futbol group telecasts, but that’s a television thing. Under the current set up, a running clock designed to create a three hour game will undoubtedly result in fewer plays and less game action. Hopefully, broadcasters go in the direction of split screens or ads that crawl. That would be great. Until then, shorter windows equals less game action.
 
Is there any reason a school, right now, can’t have advertisements on uniforms? The whole thing is about making money and getting laid so it isn’t as if it’s going to compromise the purity of the student-athletes’ competition.
 
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Is there any reason a school, right now, can’t have advertisements on uniforms? The whole thing is about making money and getting laid so it isn’t as if it’s going to compromise the purity of the student-athletes’ competition.
Adidas, Nike and Under Armour already advertise on uniforms. That’s part of the deal they sign when they supply uniforms and equipment, and it includes exclusivity.
 
The biggest key is the time it takes to play the game. The NFL has the 3 hour game down to a science. Colleges must find a way to make it a 3 hour game.
100% agree. People have to drive home…at midnight! Not good. Start them at 7pm FS1!
 
4 hour games are insanity!!! Hardly anyone will put up with that…. Even at home. There’s only about 15 minutes of actual game play. If there’s a non fan or casual fan in the home, they just get pissed. “Wtf!!! Is this stupid thing STILL ON?!?!”

There’s PLENTY of more entertaining options available on TV on Saturday night besides watching commercials and guys standing around.
In reality, it’s only IU fans that get fed up with 4 hour games. Nobody in the SEC is complaining about the length of football games. In fact, they would play 8 hours if they could.
There’s a good percentage of IU fans that don’t even like the game of football. Most don’t follow it or even understand basic rules of the game.
You would never hear our basketball-only guys complain about long basketball game days. They watch from noon until midnight and catch all the games that day if a weekend game day. And then, they grab the IU men’s preseason magazine and a jar of Vasoline to disappear into the bathroom for hours.
So, yeah, it’s only IU fans with the real issue with this.
 
In reality, it’s only IU fans that get fed up with 4 hour games. Nobody in the SEC is complaining about the length of football games. In fact, they would play 8 hours if they could.
There’s a good percentage of IU fans that don’t even like the game of football. Most don’t follow it or even understand basic rules of the game.
You would never hear our basketball-only guys complain about long basketball game days. They watch from noon until midnight and catch all the games that day if a weekend game day. And then, they grab the IU men’s preseason magazine and a jar of Vasoline to disappear into the bathroom for hours.
So, yeah, it’s only IU fans with the real issue with this.
Yep Four hours isn't the problem, 8 pm is the problem (for those that attend). That said, we spend too much time reviewing plays. Full TV time outs are a pain but all schools want the pay out plus the opportunity to run paid promotional nonsense on the field.
 
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All 40,000 who are there, as compared with the million-plus watching on television.
I understand, and that will always drive the bus.

That said, much of the reason there were so many empty seats late Friday is the start time. Just wait until this sat when the game will be already decided by the end of the third quarter at the latest.
 
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More plays bc of faster game play with a running clock. Stop ads that interrupt the game. That’s archaic. Allow sponsorship ads to run on the TV screen. On the unis. Etc.
A running clock isn't the answer but keeping the clock running after a first down should help. TV breaks to make $$$$ is a big issue. That isn't going to improve.
 
In reality, it’s only IU fans that get fed up with 4 hour games. Nobody in the SEC is complaining about the length of football games. In fact, they would play 8 hours if they could.
There’s a good percentage of IU fans that don’t even like the game of football. Most don’t follow it or even understand basic rules of the game.
You would never hear our basketball-only guys complain about long basketball game days. They watch from noon until midnight and catch all the games that day if a weekend game day. And then, they grab the IU men’s preseason magazine and a jar of Vasoline to disappear into the bathroom for hours.
So, yeah, it’s only IU fans with the real issue with this.
Except they don’t *play* for anything like four hours. It’s like 15 minutes. So - going out on a limb here - even in the South, where everything moves more slowly, nobody’s sitting for eight hours to watch an actual half hour of sport.

But give it time. Maybe we can bump it up to, say, five hours, anyway. And when I get the check for my share of the proceeds the Big Ten earns from its media deal, I’ll celebrate just like everybody else and take the old lady out to Culver’s or something.

P.S. Your joke about IU basketball fans masturbating was genuinely funny the first time. Don’t run it into the ground.
 
-I think we do night games for TV (& maybe to avoid some still summer heat?). I much prefer day games as it’s not midnight when asking people to drive home, more fun game day experience and sunshine too. Night game would be a lot better starting at 7, versus 8!

Suggestions:
-Can they put TV’s at every concession stand? Righ now they have SMALL (32’?) TVs about 20-30 yds from concessions. Help fans know they can watch ch & hear the game while spending money on concessions!

-Any way to invent students who stay to the end? (Free food, t-shirts, points for BB tix?)
I've never been one to dwell much on the in-game entertainment/atmosphere. I don't think playing AC/DC vs Lizzo vs 'Seven Nation Army' at time outs is going to bring or keep more people in the stadium. But, I'm willing to admit I might be outlier on this.

Three points above:
  • We are in an era where conferences are 'selling content' more than broadcasting games. The networks, streaming services, and others need viewer eyes to make money. Live events have greater value than ever thanks the shift to watching scripted content when you want vs when a network chooses to show it. So you're going to get more games where networks pay to fill a slot on their schedule rather than pay to broadcast a game as scheduled, if that makes sense. Second tier sports networks like FS1 won't get top tier football programs on Friday night at 8 PM when they want those eyes, but they can get second tier teams in big conferences like IU. I fear we may see more games scheduled like this as our broadcast rights spread out over more networks who want those prime time eyes.

  • They need to get TVs in the concourses yesterday.

  • Take the Kilroys approach and do a 'shirt of the week.' I assume kids still line up to get them every week. Give it away post-game. Hell, partner with Kilroys to create it.
 
In regards to the length of the games,nothing aggravates me more than the dreaded TV timeout,kickoff,TV timeout sequence.
6 minutes of commercials sandwiched between a downed kickoff in the endzone.Ridiculous.
 
I've never been one to dwell much on the in-game entertainment/atmosphere. I don't think playing AC/DC vs Lizzo vs 'Seven Nation Army' at time outs is going to bring or keep more people in the stadium. But, I'm willing to admit I might be outlier on this.

Three points above:

  • They need to get TVs in the concourses yesterday.
Calling BRCB...
 
Calling BRCB...
I may be running out to Best Buy to get that t.v. thing fixed. It’s a really annoying part of being on the concourse. If I have to wait for 20 mins on the Eisenburg kosher, rabbi-blessed Hoosier Dog and the plastic bucket of popcorn, I need to see the action while standing in line. I literally went out 4 times during timeouts to see if the line had dropped during the first half. Nope.
I finally bit the bullet and stood in line and missed probably 3 mins of the 2nd quarter off the game clock squinting at the 1997 Sanyo. There were multiple people in line watching it as well asking “what just happened on that play. I cannot see it.”
 
They have to go with coaches challenges. Make it exactly like the NFL. It doesn’t seem hard.

We left early. 8 is awful for a Friday. I was tired, kids were tired from a week of school, and I only had a half hour drive home. They have to get these games down to 3 hours and 15 at max.
 
They have to go with coaches challenges. Make it exactly like the NFL. It doesn’t seem hard.

We left early. 8 is awful for a Friday. I was tired, kids were tired from a week of school, and I only had a half hour drive home. They have to get these games down to 3 hours and 15 at max.

Bingo! Three TOs per half or even make it two and 3 coaches challenges per game. NO OTHER plays are automatically reviewed.
 
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I may be running out to Best Buy to get that t.v. thing fixed. It’s a really annoying part of being on the concourse. If I have to wait for 20 mins on the Eisenburg kosher, rabbi-blessed Hoosier Dog and the plastic bucket of popcorn, I need to see the action while standing in line. I literally went out 4 times during timeouts to see if the line had dropped during the first half. Nope.
I finally bit the bullet and stood in line and missed probably 3 mins of the 2nd quarter off the game clock squinting at the 1997 Sanyo. There were multiple people in line watching it as well asking “what just happened on that play. I cannot see it.”
Too bad HHGregg is not gone. They were all IU people and could work a deal with one of the mfgs. That said, today they could take the grass lot parking revenue for one game and put up 70" QLEDs all around.
 
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