An observation

[PHATWOOD]

I turned to a friend during the early part of the fourth quarter yesterday and asked them if they noticed how many damn yellow seats were empty. I mean, it was close, it was tense, it was a no doubt down to the wire game at that point. And all I could see was patches of yellow.

All this with an announced record crowd that I absolutely don't doubt was real.

We looked around and I swear you could see thousands of empty seats throughout the stadium - and they were selling freaking standing room seats the week of the game.

Take from it what you will, but even in photos from the upper deck taken during the Ryan Lewis INT all you see is yellow. I guess just keep that in mind when trying to figure out attendance at Pitt games in the future.

 

[eastcoasthoops]

I turned to a friend during the early part of the fourth quarter yesterday and asked them if they noticed how many damn yellow seats were empty. I mean, it was close, it was tense, it was a no doubt down to the wire game at that point. And all I could see was patches of yellow.

All this with an announced record crowd that I absolutely don't doubt was real.

We looked around and I swear you could see thousands of empty seats throughout the stadium - and they were selling freaking standing room seats the week of the game.

Take from it what you will, but even in photos from the upper deck taken during the Ryan Lewis INT all you see is yellow. I guess just keep that in mind when trying to figure out attendance at Pitt games in the future.

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I know it's a hard concept to grasp...but not everyone sits in their seats for a full 60 minutes of game time.

 

[PHATWOOD]

I think my point was PRECISELY that, but thanks for your effort at snarkiness.

 

[eastcoasthoops]

I think my point was PRECISELY that, but thanks for your effort at snarkiness.

Wasn't being snarky at you. Just at the concept. If the damn seats were a shade of grey, no one would ever say a thing. Seriously. It's the friggin yellow that makes it such an easy target for those looking at something to criticize.

 

[PHATWOOD]

My bad. I'm a little sensitive today and still kind of jacked up. Apologies.

But yes, every SINGLE unoccupied seat stands out like a sore thumb and there were more people INSIDE the stadium yesterday than actual available seats. It's insane.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

One point missing is that even at Penn State Beaver Stadium they don't sell out that often but that is 106,000 and Kent State had just 95,000, but that is not my point either.

Even when Penn state sells out at 106,000 against a Top Team once Penn State Fans see they are losing being behind like against Miami in each 2000s they leave before Half Time, and I witness that of USC Fans that abandon the Bama Game last week in Dallas?

Penn State stay in the game after the Half Time, but many some PSU Fans went home after 1st & 2nd Quarters! Plus, it was Hot in the stadium and easier to go get some food and stay in Air Conditioning and watch it on TV right there in the Stadium not the seats in Heat!

I also remember being at the Rose Bowl when Penn State played USC and in our section there was this one Women in her 50s shouting out, "State Penn & the Big Pretend" and PenN Satte responded wait until 3 hours from now and she shouted back, "I'll Be Here, i'll Be Right Here"!

Pete Carroll's USC Team was beating PSU so badly before Half-Time that he was putting in his 3rd and 4th Team Players and said it was out of tribute to Joe after the game.

The Penn State Fan left in the Section at Half-Time and not one returned. To be fair she was obnoxious, loud, and rude and later shouted who poured Beer in my Purse?

It was quite a show and even I felt some PSU Fan might have been justified to do that too. She was grating and stayed there the entire game shouting even louder as we cleared out in the 4th Quarter to beat the traffic!

The only thing that matters to the University Athletic Department is the seat sold at Start Time not at Game Over Time!

 

[hilltoppanther]

I know for a better part of the game, every time I went to the restroom, there were hundreds of people in the club section air conditioning, and that was on the home side in the shade. I could only imagine how hot it was on the visitors side being stuck in the sun all day. I'm sure a lot of people sought shade.

 

[E_Kegs]

I noticed a lot of PSU fans leave after we went up 42-31

 

[mdpitt]

I turned to a friend during the early part of the fourth quarter yesterday and asked them if they noticed how many damn yellow seats were empty. I mean, it was close, it was tense, it was a no doubt down to the wire game at that point. And all I could see was patches of yellow.

All this with an announced record crowd that I absolutely don't doubt was real.

We looked around and I swear you could see thousands of empty seats throughout the stadium - and they were selling freaking standing room seats the week of the game.

Take from it what you will, but even in photos from the upper deck taken during the Ryan Lewis INT all you see is yellow. I guess just keep that in mind when trying to figure out attendance at Pitt games in the future.

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I sit on visitor's side and I can tell you there were 10,000 in the great Hall or corridors shielding themselves from Sun. I honestly almost passed out 3 times and had to sit after screaming and seeing stars. If you are on the home side, you just won't understand the angle of the sun on the visitor's side in particular.

I have run marathons, served in the Middle East and I'm telling you the heat and humidity combined with tailgating at 7 AM pushed my physical tolerance to heat.

I understand the yellow yesterday but there were 70,000 in the stadium.

 

[htp123]

I'd also say - at least in my section - when people got up to get a beer or a hot dog it took at least 20 minutes
for them to get back. Many of those yellow seats can be attributed to that I think

 

[mdpitt]

I noticed a lot of PSU fans leave after we went up 42-31

This is true. 3 PSU fans wanted to Kill Franklin in first half and they left in 3rd. I texted some friends in bad seats and they filled them for the rest of the game.

 

[PHATWOOD]

I'm NOT questioning the announced attendance let me be clear. Not at all.

It's just startling how those yellow seats stand out - and even on a day when you KNOW there was a standing room only crowd it looks less than full.

 

[Delpanther]

Wasn't being snarky at you. Just at the concept. If the damn seats were a shade of grey, no one would ever say a thing. Seriously. It's the friggin yellow that makes it such an easy target for those looking at something to criticize.

People escaping the sun- it was brutal.

 

[eastcoasthoops]

People escaping the sun- it was brutal.

Absolutely. The East side of the stadium was like a broiler. Painful.

 

[bwh05]

I can't remember being at a hotter sporting event. Maybe when the Steelers played the Seahawks early in September a few years back. I was dying and I watched a quarter from the club in the AC. It was a flame broiler & I don't blame anyone for getting out of the sun.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I can't remember being at a hotter sporting event.

The temperature may not have been higher, but it was hotter at the Villanova game than it was yesterday. Yesterday there were clouds in the sky to give the occasional respite from the sun. There were none in the Villanova game. Yesterday there was a breeze blowing almost all game. There was none at the Villanova game.

 

[cashbin99]

I'm NOT questioning the announced attendance let me be clear. Not at all.

It's just startling how those yellow seats stand out - and even on a day when you KNOW there was a standing room only crowd it looks less than full.

Phatwood, I agree. Those awful bright yellow seats exaggerate the actual number of empty seats. Pick any other neutral color and you don't get as a pronounced "empty stadium" look. Those seats stick out even when I am returning on flight home from my business trips. Terrible look.

 

[eastcoasthoops]

Quite frankly, I think the Stadium Authority needs to take some responsibility when they have extreme weather conditions. These games are so beholden to TV, but as we've seen before...early season games at noon can be a recipe for disaster. I'm sure Heinz sold more bottles of water than ever yesterday (cha-ching), but maybe they can cut into the profit margin and create some kind of "cooling area" to help out fans in need.

From what I heard from an EMS provider yesterday, it was one of the most awful days of his career. If the stadium management and University officials are relying on EMS, they aren't doing right by the paying public.

 

[bwh05]

I thought yesterday was warmer and more humid than Villanova. Of course, the black shirt I stupidly chose to wear may have played into that.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

I was on Top of a Mountain in WV and left the Picnic to go to a Hotel nearby to watch the Second Half, and glad I did it, when I returned, most had gone home saying it was too Hot! Many avoided the the Cole Slaw and Potatoes Salad without thinking this might have gone bad. There was an EMS Truck at Cooper's Rock Park and everyone was giving them drinks and food all day long!

It was Hot and it affected the Game as well.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I'm NOT questioning the announced attendance let me be clear. Not at all.

It's just startling how those yellow seats stand out - and even on a day when you KNOW there was a standing room only crowd it looks less than full.

I have often said that yellow acts essentially as a hiliter accentuating every single empty seat. The Steelers games are mitigated by the fact that this is a natural color of their scheme so it blends in a little bit more.

 

[mike 301]

Was there with my 82 year old msu alum uncle . Sat in east club . The sun and humidity were brutal . Asked him if he wanted to go sit in the AC .
" Just one more series " We finally went in with 5 minutes to go .
He is a true trooper and I was glad to have been there with him to witness this great Pitt victory .

 

[MajorMajors]

I'm NOT questioning the announced attendance let me be clear. Not at all.

It's just startling how those yellow seats stand out - and even on a day when you KNOW there was a standing room only crowd it looks less than full.

Have hated the Big Bird yellow seats from the first day I saw them. Completely agree about how they absolutely spotlight and magnify any unoccupied seats.

This is crazy, but I have wondered if Pitt could invent a spray-on in the Pitt blue which could be applied for the Pitt games and hosed off afterwards. Seriously, I've thought about that -- that's how much I hate those seats...

Go Pitt.

 

[damase2331]

What made it worse was trying to walk around especially at half time and between quarters. You couldn't even get a breathe because the corridors were packed and just stanky, stinky, sweaty nasty smells of a football stadium.

I sat in the Champions club for nova but this week sat in sun the whole damn time.

I felt like a McDonalds hamburger that sat under an infared heat lamp for 4.5 hours. Gotta give my 10 yrd old son credit, he stuck through like a trooper sun burn and all and was cheering his ass off until the end.

It also doesn't help that college fb games take 4 to 5 hours nowadays. That needs to be addressed.

However, to the o.p. the yellow seats are by far the worse idea I have ever seen. They just stick out like a sore thumb. As someone else posted you can clearly see if even one seat is vacant!!

 

[JoeScaz]

I'm NOT questioning the announced attendance let me be clear. Not at all.

It's just startling how those yellow seats stand out - and even on a day when you KNOW there was a standing room only crowd it looks less than full.

It was because of the sun, It truly was brutal.

 

[MajorMajors]

What made it worse was trying to walk around especially at half time and between quarters. You couldn't even get a breathe because the corridors were packed and just stanky, stinky, sweaty nasty smells of a football stadium.

I sat in the Champions club for nova but this week sat in sun the whole damn time.

I felt like a McDonalds hamburger that sat under an infared heat lamp for 4.5 hours. Gotta give my 10 yrd old son credit, he stuck through like a trooper sun burn and all and was cheering his ass off until the end.

It also doesn't help that college fb games take 4 to 5 hours nowadays. That needs to be addressed.

However, to the o.p. the yellow seats are by far the worse idea I have ever seen. They just stick out like a sore thumb. As someone else posted you can clearly see if even one seat is vacant!!

Agree that they need to shorten the half-time of college games. And also shorter the time outs -- they should all be 30 second timeouts. The games just take too long.

Go Pitt.

 

[JohnnyGossamer]

Well, the yellow seats suck. I think we all agree with that. It'd be much better if the yellow seats and charcoal/grey club seats were swapped. Then the Steelers could still have their black/yellow motif but empties wouldn't look nearly as glaring from an optics standpoint. But, is what it is I guess.

 

[pitt-girl]

The temperature may not have been higher, but it was hotter at the Villanova game than it was yesterday. Yesterday there were clouds in the sky to give the occasional respite from the sun. There were none in the Villanova game. Yesterday there was a breeze blowing almost all game. There was none at the Villanova game.

Joe - have to agree. We all commented about the breeze being a God send. Having said that it was like 70% humidity, so it was still really brutal.

 

[pitt-girl]

Agree that they need to shorten the half-time of college games. And also shorter the time outs -- they should all be 30 second timeouts. The games just take too long.

Go Pitt.

Not helping were some the "official reviews". For example the TD reversal on Pitt in the 3rd quarter was crystal clear and the review took almost 4 minutes. Then I heard it was a B1G officiating crew and understood - they are the worst.

 

[crharris8892]

Those missing were either PSU leaving, going to the bathroom, or trying to get to shade before they passed out. Did you notice the huge lines for beer? And people waiting at the water fountains. It was a constant flow all game. I sat near at the beginning of a row and I couldn't stand people constantly filing up and down for whatever reasons..

 

[damase2331]

Agree that they need to shorten the half-time of college games. And also shorter the time outs -- they should all be 30 second timeouts. The games just take too long.

Go Pitt.

The instant replay is getting ridiculous also. I like and i feel it is a necessary evil but damn they need to streamline it somehow. Those replays easily extended the game by 20 min minumum. Especially reviewing every fumble even when it's obvious.

Also clock could run after 1st downs except last 4 min of each half or something.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Also clock could run after 1st downs except last 4 min of each half or something.

With how fast they normally start the clock after a first down now that wouldn't actually make all that much difference.

 

[damase2331]

There is a reason the NFL does it and it's to attempt to keep the NFL games to around 3 hours. That is the one thing NFL has right is trying to keep the games to a reasonable time. Every minute counts and when you have between 30 and 40 1st downs a game between both teams and you have 5-10 seconds between each 1st down those add up even if just a few minutes per game. Something needs to be adjusted, the Villanova game took close to 4.5 hours. That's with no T.V. and just ESPN 3.

I'm not paid to correct this issue, but all avenues need to be explored and this is one possible area that can be easily looked at and tried in non conference games to see if it makes a difference. If it doesn't so be it.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

There is a reason the NFL does it and it's to attempt to keep the NFL games to around 3 hours. That is the one thing NFL has right is trying to keep the games to a reasonable time. Every minute counts and when you have between 30 and 40 1st downs a game between both teams and you have 5-10 seconds between each 1st down those add up even if just a few minutes per game. Something needs to be adjusted, the Villanova game took close to 4.5 hours. That's with no T.V. and just ESPN 3.

Well first of all what the NFL has done is to reduce the amount of actual football that you get to watch in their allotted game time. There are way more plays in the average college game because every timing change the NFL makes is to reduce the number of plays so they don't have to reduce the number of commercials. I, for one, am glad that college does not follow that line of thinking.

Secondly, it isn't 5-10 seconds for every first down. Some first downs come when the clock would be stopped anyway. And as I said in my other post, with how fast they restart the clock it isn't anywhere close to 10 seconds and it's almost never even five seconds. The refs do not wait until the sticks are set to restart the clock like they used to. Most of the time, on a regular play with an obvious first down and a team not running a hurry up offense it take about three seconds to restart the clock. Sometimes it doesn't even take that long. Watch for it at the next home game. It really is nothing like the way that it used to be.

However, perhaps I have discovered your real problem. Maybe your internal clock is just completely screwed up. The Villanova game took no where close to 4.5 hours. It took 3 hours and 15 minutes. The kickoff was at 1:33 and the clock ran out on the game at 4:48. Maybe you didn't realize that the game was a 1:30 kick and not a noon kick, so a 4:48 ending time seemed like it was really long?

Oh, and one other thing. They take the exact same number of commercial breaks and they last exactly the same length of time for an ESPN3 game as they do for a "regular" TV game. Just like in basketball.