Nothing yet regarding this from the university. Masks are required on campus and in class rooms. No word yet about full capacity and whether masks will be required or voluntary. Has anyone seen/heard anything that I have missed?
Game Day and Covid Concerns
- Thread starter bbneutralfan
- Start date
Haven't seen anything other than the return to 100% capacity that was on herdzone.com in June.
MCGILL: Full capacity crowds are back at sporting events - Marshall University Athletics
Marshall head coaches are thrilled to have passionate Herd fans return and to fill venues.
O'Malley has said that there is no guarantee that the entire season or basketball season will be played at 100% capacity.
I am seeing that HS football games are already being postponed/cancelled
I am seeing that HS football games are already being postponed/cancelled
At this point I think it will take a miracle to play the whole season at 100%... Case numbers are rising across the region including in states where we have away games (Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, etc)
I wouldn't be shocked if they don't put a capacity limit in place before the ECU game. Declare it a "sellout" and limit the capacity to however many tickets have been sold as of that Friday (no game day walkups).
Current active C**** cases in WV, per WV DHHR - 8806
Population of WV, per US Census Bureau - 1,793,716
There are literally more people in WV who believe UFO Bigfoots are stealing children to make them slaves on the planet Kobol, than have this disease.
MATH is power.
Population of WV, per US Census Bureau - 1,793,716
There are literally more people in WV who believe UFO Bigfoots are stealing children to make them slaves on the planet Kobol, than have this disease.
MATH is power.
1) Last year Marshall let in everybody who wanted to come - no games reached maximum capacity, and I honestly didn't think it was much different than most Marshall seasons in terms of attendance.
2) If you're still pretending a year and a half into this that this is all a hoax perpetrated by a cabal of leftist media outlets for the purposes of [we're still working on this], your ability to shape your world from the confines of your own mind overwhelms anything the real world could ever do to change it. (Well, apart from that one thing that keeps happening to people who post on social media that this is a hoax.)
2) If you're still pretending a year and a half into this that this is all a hoax perpetrated by a cabal of leftist media outlets for the purposes of [we're still working on this], your ability to shape your world from the confines of your own mind overwhelms anything the real world could ever do to change it. (Well, apart from that one thing that keeps happening to people who post on social media that this is a hoax.)
This is a great point... They could come out tomorrow and say that the attendance is capped at 75 percent and it wouldn't make a difference with this year's home schedule. There isn't a team coming to Huntington that will draw more than 30,000 actual fans.
I disagree. I think with the excitement over a new coach, staff, and system - if Covid declined, we could see crowds in excess of 30,000. JMO like your opinion.
I've never seen a Marshall crowd top 30k without opposing fans making up a decent sized chunk of that. ECU is the only team on the schedule with the potential to bring fans, but it'll be interesting to see if they're still as avid as they were when they thought they were being called up to the big leagues.
I think the only chances to top 30k would be if we are 2-0 and so is ECU and its perfect weather for a night game (70s and sunny) because they tend to travel pretty well... Or if we are undefeated and hosting the CUSA title game.
There are too many ifs in those scenarios to plan for over 30k fans.
Honestly during Mark and Docs tenure the only time I have seen us have more than 30K without the opposing team bringing a ton of fans was the Kansas State and Purdue games and the 2014 Ohio U game. Outside of those I don’t remember any other games being over 30 without having a ton of fans from the visitors. Even during Byrons time I don’t remember how many times we were over 30.
We have to remember that Huntington has lost 20K plus in population and several big corporate donors since the Pruett years. I think we only averaged 28K and change in 1999.
Our attendance won’t average much more than 25K from here on out without some big time wins and success. Sadly. Jmo
The kids who were born the day ESPN 2 was launched turn 28 this fall, and the ESPN U kids can all drive now. Advent of smart phones? You're a Sophomore in high school.
The decline in live sports viewership is a trend that is destined to continue, as there are fewer and fewer of us who remember the world where live viewing was the only way to see a game, and cherish the experience for that reason. To younger folks, it might be a fun thing to do, but not necessary, and certainly not required in order to be a fan of a team.
The decline in live sports viewership is a trend that is destined to continue, as there are fewer and fewer of us who remember the world where live viewing was the only way to see a game, and cherish the experience for that reason. To younger folks, it might be a fun thing to do, but not necessary, and certainly not required in order to be a fan of a team.
I really feel sorry for today’s kids. You are dead on.
I was in the airport last week in Miami and a kid (early 20s) sat down next to me and was watching the St. Louis Cardinals on his phone... I asked how he became a Cardinals fan making small talk. He said his grandparents lived near St. Louis and took him to a game when he was little. He added that he rarely misses a game on TV/computer/phone but hasn't been to a game in St. Louis since (saw them once in Atlanta a few years ago, he said).
Kids in rural areas can be fans of any team nowadays and see all their games/highlights online at the touch of a button... Some will fall in love with the pageantry of going to games in person, but in general the next generation of fans aren't going to be as tied to the live game experience. This is why TV/streaming deals are more important than ever and ticket sales are becoming less and less important for athletic departments.
Agree. Which is why schools like Marshall are screwed. Less tix sales, less state money and not much media money - that possibly shrinking. Not a good recipe for future cash flow.
I am drunk, loud and (I think I'm) funny, and outside of football games, there aren't many places for me to ply my craft in front of my children without having a defense attorney on retainer.
My son loves going to Marshall games for the same reason I loved going to WVU games: Dad.
My son loves going to Marshall games for the same reason I loved going to WVU games: Dad.
Live gate gets less important every day. TV becomes more important every day. Not just here, but everywhere, and not just in college sports, but throughout all sports.
As I understand it Hawaii just torn down its rotting stadium and tossed up some bleachers for the band and the die hards, maybe 5K total at its practice field. Selling everyone on a pay per season TV package, $300 for the year. Might build a new stadium in 5 to 7 years, but might not.
To make live gate work, you need to make the event special. Today you are competing against HD, soon to be 4K, coverage of every game played, from noon to well past midnight.
As I understand it Hawaii just torn down its rotting stadium and tossed up some bleachers for the band and the die hards, maybe 5K total at its practice field. Selling everyone on a pay per season TV package, $300 for the year. Might build a new stadium in 5 to 7 years, but might not.
To make live gate work, you need to make the event special. Today you are competing against HD, soon to be 4K, coverage of every game played, from noon to well past midnight.
Great thread!! Solid points all around. Huff is going to be pissed!! One of his salary incentives (I believe this is the correct#) is to average above 30 k home gate……
Good start, meaning a win at NAVY, key to early attendance, IMO. Not that the home opener foe, NC Central, is going to do much to draw the "passive" Herd fans and the average college football fan in the general population to make any significant effort to come to the JOAN. If we have 25,000 or so bodies in the stands for the Central game, that should be on the plus side of the ledger. The new coach factor after a decade of Doc ball should be a magnet for some of the above "casual" fans, unless we go into the tank early in the season. Win the first 2, and should be a real nice crowd for ECU, especially if they win their early season match with Appy, slated for Charlotte, IIRC
The COVID factor will still be a major factor/determinant of crowd sizes in 2021. Last year it was a double whammy combo of the COVID factor and the last hurrah of the "Doc factor". A combination too difficult to overcome for most fans, IMO.
The COVID factor will still be a major factor/determinant of crowd sizes in 2021. Last year it was a double whammy combo of the COVID factor and the last hurrah of the "Doc factor". A combination too difficult to overcome for most fans, IMO.
I agree with this in part at least... I would say the keys to attendance at any point in the season are:
1. Winning (the better the team, the more people that care)
2. Weather (let's be honest, we have a very weather-dependent fan base)
3. Opponent (ECU, WKU, UAB are great for guys like us, but don't draw passive fans)
4. Promotions/Events (people love cheaper tickets, and stuff going on)
An older fan base like ours doesn’t like to get wet or freeze. Lol!
With age comes wisdom. 😉
