Future plans?

[greengeezer]

I have read several posts and news articles about sections of the Cam being covered with tarps. Is this a temporary solution to attendance or structural problems or has it been done for other reasons? Any plans to refurbish the facility or rearrange the seating? Seems kind of tacky to simply cover up half your arena.

 

[The Real SamC]

The seats are tarped over because they are unsellable. This creates an artificial shortage and allows false claims of a "sell out".

There are no plans to do anything about it, as this is a token effort.

 

[greengeezer]

There are no plans to do anything about it, as this is a token effort.

A shame. Should do something with it. Office space, training rooms, food court, Holiday Inn Express, faculty apartments.

 

[sluggo72]

The seats are tarped over because they are unsellable. This creates an artificial shortage and allows false claims of a "sell out".

There are no plans to do anything about it, as this is a token effort.

why are the seats unsellable? tia

 

[greengeezer]

why are the seats unsellable? tia

Ever watch our team play?

 

[KyMUfan]

why are the seats unsellable? tia

One there is no demand for them. Also I don't believe the handrails or the steepness of the steps are in compliance for accessibility and/or insurance. At least that was the story from the athletic department.

 

[greengeezer]

accessibility and/or insurance.

Shaking my head trying to imagine someone navigating a wheelchair up those steps.

 

[BleedsGreen33]

why are the seats unsellable? tia

We were told those seats were unsafe and nee safety measures would need to be taken before they could be resold. Something to do with the stairs and claims someone could fall down them too easily and potentially fo over the edge of the deck.

Now did the athletic department decide to take advantage of the new seating capacity and claim sellouts? Yes.

 

[MarkyMark75]

The basketball program as a whole seems to be fading away. The team struggles to be competitive in a very weak basketball conference, the support from the fans is slowly shrinking, the excitement we have all seen flashes of recently is nowhere to be found, the AD is apathetic to the sport it seems, the staff is basically the same as it has been since this decline became obvious, and last but not least, the stadium is severely outdated.....an overhaul is seriously needed.

 

[muthed]

One there is no demand for them. Also I don't believe the handrails or the steepness of the steps are in compliance for accessibility and/or insurance. At least that was the story from the athletic department.

What handrails? I was told the steps are too narrow to put in handrails.

 

[greengeezer]

The building has been a mess since it was constructed. Structural problems caused the original court floor to crack, retractable bleachers didn’t retract, and there were times when the place was an inferno because of no air conditioning. Did they ever add AC?

Really should gut the the building or start over, but considering how long it took to get a baseball field, a new basketball arena would be a 500 year project. Especially now that big money goes to buy players.

 

[KyMUfan]

What handrails? I was told the steps are too narrow to put in handrails.

Or the lack thereof...

 

[The Real SamC]

The idea that the upper seats are in any way unsafe is laughable. They were used, when wanted, for more than 30 years. Nothing has changed. They are exactly as they were. They just tarped them off to reduce capacity. Nothing more, nothing less.

They are unsellable because the team is a token effort that is going to be within a game or two of either side of .500. People would rather do something else with their time and money. That simple.

 

[BleedsGreen33]

The idea that the upper seats are in any way unsafe is laughable. They were used, when wanted, for more than 30 years. Nothing has changed. They are exactly as they were. They just tarped them off to reduce capacity. Nothing more, nothing less.

They are unsellable because the team is a token effort that is going to be within a game or two of either side of .500. People would rather do something else with their time and money. That simple.

What used to be acceptable by insurers is no longer acceptable. We were told two years ago to fix them or section them off. Evidently fixing them isn't so easy or so cheap.

There's also not that much a demand for those seats which another reason why it hasn't taken top priority. That lack of demand hasn't changed in over 30 years so if it were just because of demand we would have sectioned them off years ago.

 

[greengeezer]

It still just baffles me that there is no long range plan for the upper section. To cover over half an arena with tarps is Mickey Mouse. It is as bad as my local Walmart that puts kiddy swimming pools around the store every time it rains to catch leaks. Fix the damned roof.

 

[W-S HerdFan]

It still just baffles me that there is no long range plan for the upper section. To cover over half an arena with tarps is Mickey Mouse. It is as bad as my local Walmart that puts kiddy swimming pools around the store every time it rains to catch leaks. Fix the damned roof.

Instead of feeling baffled, how about suggesting 3 ways in which concrete rows with seats attached in a large building, with no plumbing or access to electricity could be converted into more useful purpose?

 

[JeremyBlake]

Instead of feeling baffled, how about suggesting 3 ways in which concrete rows with seats attached in a large building, with no plumbing or access to electricity could be converted into more useful purpose?

I've got one. Turn it into a parking lot.

 

[mufan08]

What used to be acceptable by insurers is no longer acceptable. We were told two years ago to fix them or section them off. Evidently fixing them isn't so easy or so cheap.

There's also not that much a demand for those seats which another reason why it hasn't taken top priority. That lack of demand hasn't changed in over 30 years so if it were just because of demand we would have sectioned them off years ago.

My understanding was this came about in conjunction with selling alcohol to the general public and the insurance carrier would not sign off on it unless handrails were placed in herd haven. We wanted the revenue for alcoholic beverages so bad, we just tarped that whole area and called it a day.

 

[sluggo72]

My understanding was this came about in conjunction with selling alcohol to the general public and the insurance carrier would not sign off on it unless handrails were placed in herd haven. We wanted the revenue for alcoholic beverages so bad, we just tarped that whole area and called it a day.

How much revenue does alcohol raise??

 

[KyMUfan]

How much revenue does alcohol raise??

Probably not enough to pay for the tarps...

 

[greengeezer]

I envision a row of Marshall Mile High Suites.

 

[goherd73]

Herd beats JMU 80-78

 

[raleighherdfan]

Herd beats JMU 80-78

Well shit. Now we cant complain about bleachers no one has used in 25 years. Damn you!!!

 

[MStap]

We all complained for years about Marshall not selling alcohol in the venues. We can't be hypocrites now and complain about the issues that come with serving alcohol in the venues. Insurance carriers evaluations absolutely change based on whether a place sells alcohol to the public or not, and it is a material factor. Particularly with a set of stairs like those in Herd Heaven that are very steep with no handrails when a fall down those could easily put someone in a wheelchair or kill them.

It is one or the other, and we picked the right one.

 

[greengeezer]

Take off the tarps and change the name to “Teetotaler Heaven.” Half price tickets.

 

[The Real SamC]

What used to be acceptable by insurers is no longer acceptable. We were told two years ago to fix them or section them off. Evidently fixing them isn't so easy or so cheap.

The state of West Virginia is self-insured.

Make all the excuses you wish. Just don't ask me to believe idiocy. These seats are tarped over because they are unwanted. Anything else is simply spin. AKA lies.

 

[greengeezer]

These seats are tarped over because they are unwanted. Anything else is simply spin. AKA lies.

Even with the poorly designed and constructed basketball arena, there was a time back in the 80s where Marshall averaged over 8,000 fans. Even before that when I was a student, crowds of 6,000 were not uncommon. Sadly, the recent product does not draw nearly as many fans. * Clarification note: When I was a student, we played at the old field house. Capacity there was, i believe, around 6,500.

 

[The Real SamC]

Even with the poorly designed and constructed basketball arena, there was a time back in the 80s where Marshall averaged over 8,000 fans. Even before that when I was a student, crowds of 6,000 were not uncommon. Sadly, the recent product does not draw nearly as many fans.

Exactly. The seats are tarped off because they are unsellable. Not because some insurance company, beer, some new government rule, or any other LIE used to make EXCUSES for this fact.

That simple.

 

[raleighherdfan]

It’s both. They are unsellable and they are dangerously steep risking lawsuits if someone falls.

Of course, Sammy hasn’t attended one of these games in years so none of this matters.

 

[MStap]

The state of West Virginia is self-insured.

Make all the excuses you wish. Just don't ask me to believe idiocy. These seats are tarped over because they are unwanted. Anything else is simply spin. AKA lies.

Incorrect. The state has a master policy with National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh and the claims are normally handled by AIG that political subdivisions and other state entities can opt into. The state does not self-insure.

 

[raleighherdfan]

Incorrect. The state has a master policy with National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh and the claims are normally handled by AIG that political subdivisions and other state entities can opt into. The state does not self-insure.

Call me shocked that Sammy would be wrong.

 

[HerdGradinFL]

I have read several posts and news articles about sections of the Cam being covered with tarps. Is this a temporary solution to attendance or structural problems or has it been done for other reasons? Any plans to refurbish the facility or rearrange the seating? Seems kind of tacky to simply cover up half your arena.

Just curious, when do you attend games at Marshall? I currently live in Florida and I make it to at least one home football game and one basketball game each year to connect with The Herd. Both trips I fly up for the games.

Do you live in Huntington or close to Marshall? I would think if you are a MU grad, you would make it back at least once per year. Now if you you are not healthy or if you are retired I can understand if you don't make it back very often. If you contribute to The Big Green Club or the Marshall Foundation, you should be aware of what is going on at Marshall. You only have to contribute about $100 per year to Marshall to find out what is going on at our university.

 

[muthed]

The state of West Virginia is self-insured.

Make all the excuses you wish. Just don't ask me to believe idiocy. These seats are tarped over because they are unwanted. Anything else is simply spin. AKA lies.

They may want to look into tarping the upper chair backs. They looked pretty empty Thursday night.

 

[marshallsig]

They may want to look into tarping the upper chair backs. They looked pretty empty Thursday night.

Weather did not help Thursday’s attendance, not that it would be stellar if the weather was good, just saying.

And for some of you that wanna talk about attendance back in the day, and I was there 84 through 88, it’s an apples and oranges thing now. Don’t get me wrong, if we had the same kind of run as we did with Huck’s Herd right now, we would have a huge jump in attendance. But it wouldn’t be like the 80s.

That will never happen again. The whole dynamic is different now. There’s some businesses that have left that were here in the 80s. And now with streaming services and the ability to watch every game on ESPN plus, they’re just too many options and other things for people to spend entertainment dollar on.

In the 80s, I would never miss a game. I remember one time being sick and the only way to watch the game was on the PBS channel. And then that was hard to get a good picture. And that wasn’t always the case that it was available.

I have season tickets now. With the weather and other issues going on, it was easy for me to stay home the last two home games and watch it on my 115 inch theater screen.

And as much as I hate to say it, we will never have the football crowds like we did in the 90s. Again, the dynamics of the community has changed., there are so many other options and ways to watch games now.

Add in the fact that you’re fielding a brand new team every year, there are those that will lose that connection with the players and watching them develop..

People that still want to compare attendance numbers from 20 or 30 years ago, aren’t looking at all the facts. I’m not saying the mediocre product doesn’t hurt attendance. But you can bring the 1999 football team back and you wouldn’t pack out the place.