Football Business Plan Lacking in AD

[Gunga_Galunga]

Wisconsin has scheduled OOC:
2018 BYU
2020 Notre Dame
2022 Notre Dame
2024 Virginia Tech
2025 Virginia Tech
And has faced:
2017 BYU
2016 LSU
2015 Alabama
2014 LSU

Has Pitt played anyone Alabama's level OOC recently?

You schedule one tough OOC game and make the rest cupcakes although in Pitt's case, since we don't play Florida State or Clemson at Heinz Field every year, you should schedule an OOC game that draws some fans to attend.

Dude, you listed BYU.... not once, but twice. And the years you conveniently skipped over have even worse than BYU as the toughest game.

 

[upj87]

Firstly, I want to congratulate Heather Lyke on landing Jeff Capel. It was a great hire and hope it works out.

Though she will get an extended honeymoon because of this hire, it doesn't remove the biggest problem which is drawing people to Heinz which ultimately affects recruiting. As I've said multiple times, the Steelers relationship with Pitt is useless because look at how many 4/5 star recruits we've landed the last two years after beating PSU at home and the National champs in Death Valley. The Steelers don't move the bar because we can go through countless 4/5 star PA players who went elsewhere who likely grew up Steeler fans and serious doubt they rooted for the Browns.

My biggest issue besides landing an on campus stadium is we need to come up with a business plan to sell tickets and it shouldn't be around this year's PSU night game. We all remember when Scott Barnes was bragging about the record season tickets and outside of the PSU game, Heinz was a morgue for the rest of the games. What's not a joke is the amount of 4/5 star players who pass on us due to atmosphere when we are competing with PSU, OSU, UM, ND, etc. for elite playmakers who help compete for championships. What's not a joke is when ESPN mocks the Heinz atmosphere on National TV which sucks for recruiting.

Last season, Lyke introduced football promos a week before the season started? Are you serious? Most organizations do this when the schedule is released. I've said on multiple occasions to make the upper deck corners or highest seats (worst seats), $1 for the unattractive games or put all of them on stub hub which is how today's consumer purchases tickets. Tickets aren't sold through the ticket office which is the way people bought 30 years ago. It really doesn't matter if the tickets are $.25, get people in the building and hopefully they will come back especially the younger kids.

We also saw earlier this year that when you market a game, people will show. Case in point, Lyke did a nice job in getting 10,000 people to a ladies game and can't remember the reason for the event. No disrespect, but men's BB always draws better than ladies BB. Men's BB averaged 2000 to 3000 a game but the women's team got 10,000 people for one game? Its called marketing and if a plan or team isn't doing well, you need to change to make things better. I'm sure there are plenty of kids or families who would have loved to go to a Pitt BB game regardless of how bad they were. Sadly, common business 101 has been lacking in the Pitt athletic department since SP. I get the sense that Pitt is never proactive but is always reactive which is a bad way to run your business. I'm curious what you think. H2P.

so the same lacking of business plan in the entire history of Pitt football? City college. Does not draw well. No film at 11 needed as it is the way it is...

 

[upj87]

Do you have Pitt football season tickets?

I do not as distance prevents it...however always tons available from the never show up season ticket holders to get one from on the one or two games I make a year so I'm not sure what your point it...

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Right and really, Pitt's attendance isn't really that bad all things considered. For what Pitt is, I think our attendance is actually pretty good. Think about it:

No one under the age of say 45 remembers a really good Pitt season (defined as less than 3 regular season losses) so there have been generations of Pitt fans who could have come of age during 10-2 or 11-1 seasons that we missed out on.

It a small school per P5 standards

Massive fanbase of Pengins and Steelers make Pitt an afterthought for most fans, even alums.

Yet, somehow, we often draw 40K. That semi-amazes me. It just looks horrendous with 30K empty seats and the atmosphere is much worse than an elementary school soccer game.....because of optics and how spread out everyone is. A lot of this would go away if we just closed down sections

I compare us to the University of Minnesota as far as a program in at least as far as success, history and attendance. What is amazing, is our attendance is very much similar. But just to put things in perspective:
1) Minneapolis St Paul is much larger than Pittsburgh
2) University of Minnesota is much larger than Pitt.
3) There is no other P5 conference team in state.
4) You can drive 300 miles and touch ONE other P5 program from Minnesota (Wisconsin). At Pitt, you drive 300 miles and you hit, WVU, PSU, tOSU, Michigan, Maryland that is at least Five programs, 3 of them amongst the biggest in college football.

Yet we draw very similar. Now Minnesota has built (smartly) a 50K on campus stadium that has boosted attendance somewhat, but capping them at 50K. This, in a school that is much bigger enrollment wise, in a metro area that has a million more people and no other fanbase even close to them.

So for Pitt to even think that they are going to fill up Heinz is ludicrous. In "pro" cities, there just isn't the same demand for college football. I wonder how many Minnesota Vikings season ticket holders are U Minnesota alumni and not U Minnesota ticket holders? I bet that number is larger than Pitt grads owning Steelers season tix and not Pitt. And you cannot even compare the success of the Vikings to the Steelers.

Heinz Field just is not good for us. And then on top of all that, you get those ghastly yellow seats that when you even have 4,000 no shows for a Steeler game, it is noticeable.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

so the same lacking of business plan in the entire history of Pitt football? City college. Does not draw well. No film at 11 needed as it is the way it is...

Well this kind of hints at.........either build a new stadium or make Heinz field more tailored to Pitt's fanbase.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Right and really, Pitt's attendance isn't really that bad all things considered. For what Pitt is, I think our attendance is actually pretty good. Think about it:

No one under the age of say 45 remembers a really good Pitt season (defined as less than 3 regular season losses) so there have been generations of Pitt fans who could have come of age during 10-2 or 11-1 seasons that we missed out on.

It a small school per P5 standards

Massive fanbase of Pengins and Steelers make Pitt an afterthought for most fans, even alums.

Yet, somehow, we often draw 40K. That semi-amazes me. It just looks horrendous with 30K empty seats and the atmosphere is much worse than an elementary school soccer game.....because of optics and how spread out everyone is. A lot of this would go away if we just closed down sections

I compare us to the University of Minnesota as far as a program in at least as far as success, history and attendance. What is amazing, is our attendance is very much similar. But just to put things in perspective:
1) Minneapolis St Paul is much larger than Pittsburgh
2) University of Minnesota is much larger than Pitt.
3) There is no other P5 conference team in state.
4) You can drive 300 miles and touch ONE other P5 program from Minnesota (Wisconsin). At Pitt, you drive 300 miles and you hit, WVU, PSU, tOSU, Michigan, Maryland that is at least Five programs, 3 of them amongst the biggest in college football.

Yet we draw very similar. Now Minnesota has built (smartly) a 50K on campus stadium that has boosted attendance somewhat, but capping them at 50K. This, in a school that is much bigger enrollment wise, in a metro area that has a million more people and no other fanbase even close to them.

So for Pitt to even think that they are going to fill up Heinz is ludicrous. In "pro" cities, there just isn't the same demand for college football. I wonder how many Minnesota Vikings season ticket holders are U Minnesota alumni and not U Minnesota ticket holders? I bet that number is larger than Pitt grads owning Steelers season tix and not Pitt. And you cannot even compare the success of the Vikings to the Steelers.

Heinz Field just is not good for us. And then on top of all that, you get those ghastly yellow seats that when you even have 4,000 no shows for a Steeler game, it is noticeable.

Minnesota, Miami, BC, and GT are the best comps. Miami has major attendance issues unless they are a national title contendor but Miami might be the worst sports town in America.

 

[joeydavid]

And they are in the middle of 4 years of not playing a P5 school OOC in 5 years. The usual outcome is UW losses to P5 teams OOC then they beat up on the Western Kentucky's of the world.

If Pitt followed the same strategy they would see 10 wins much more often.

Wisconsin has scheduled OOC:
2018 BYU
2020 Notre Dame
2022 Notre Dame
2024 Virginia Tech
2025 Virginia Tech
And has faced:
2017 BYU
2016 LSU
2015 Alabama
2014 LSU

Has Pitt played anyone Alabama's level OOC recently?

You schedule one tough OOC game and make the rest cupcakes although in Pitt's case, since we don't play Florida State or Clemson at Heinz Field every year, you should schedule an OOC game that draws some fans to attend.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Minnesota, Miami, BC, and GT are the best comps. Miami has major attendance issues unless they are a national title contendor but Miami might be the worst sports town in America.

Minnesota is best comparison for actual on and off field (attendance) results

Georgia Tech though is our biggest doppleganger for actual program infrastructure and environment. What I mean is the obstacles that they have to face. They have to not just compete with UGA in state, but easy drive to Clemson, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee. So yeah. The only difference is Pro football and the Falcons are nowhere near as big of a factor as the NFL and the Steelers are here.

 

[upj87]

Minnesota is best comparison for actual on and off field (attendance) results

Georgia Tech though is our biggest doppleganger for actual program infrastructure and environment. What I mean is the obstacles that they have to face. They have to not just compete with UGA in state, but easy drive to Clemson, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee. So yeah. The only difference is Pro football and the Falcons are nowhere near as big of a factor as the NFL and the Steelers are here.

Not sure why any school with an on campus stadium (Minnesota and Ga Tech) should be in a discussion about playing in an NFL stadium woes....

 

[Cap pitt]

Firstly, I want to congratulate Heather Lyke on landing Jeff Capel. It was a great hire and hope it works out.

Though she will get an extended honeymoon because of this hire, it doesn't remove the biggest problem which is drawing people to Heinz which ultimately affects recruiting. As I've said multiple times, the Steelers relationship with Pitt is useless because look at how many 4/5 star recruits we've landed the last two years after beating PSU at home and the National champs in Death Valley. The Steelers don't move the bar because we can go through countless 4/5 star PA players who went elsewhere who likely grew up Steeler fans and serious doubt they rooted for the Browns.

My biggest issue besides landing an on campus stadium is we need to come up with a business plan to sell tickets and it shouldn't be around this year's PSU night game. We all remember when Scott Barnes was bragging about the record season tickets and outside of the PSU game, Heinz was a morgue for the rest of the games. What's not a joke is the amount of 4/5 star players who pass on us due to atmosphere when we are competing with PSU, OSU, UM, ND, etc. for elite playmakers who help compete for championships. What's not a joke is when ESPN mocks the Heinz atmosphere on National TV which sucks for recruiting.

Last season, Lyke introduced football promos a week before the season started? Are you serious? Most organizations do this when the schedule is released. I've said on multiple occasions to make the upper deck corners or highest seats (worst seats), $1 for the unattractive games or put all of them on stub hub which is how today's consumer purchases tickets. Tickets aren't sold through the ticket office which is the way people bought 30 years ago. It really doesn't matter if the tickets are $.25, get people in the building and hopefully they will come back especially the younger kids.

We also saw earlier this year that when you market a game, people will show. Case in point, Lyke did a nice job in getting 10,000 people to a ladies game and can't remember the reason for the event. No disrespect, but men's BB always draws better than ladies BB. Men's BB averaged 2000 to 3000 a game but the women's team got 10,000 people for one game? Its called marketing and if a plan or team isn't doing well, you need to change to make things better. I'm sure there are plenty of kids or families who would have loved to go to a Pitt BB game regardless of how bad they were. Sadly, common business 101 has been lacking in the Pitt athletic department since SP. I get the sense that Pitt is never proactive but is always reactive which is a bad way to run your business. I'm curious what you think. H2P.

You would complain if you were hung with a new rope

 

[Saboteur]

Winning games isn't going to sell 70K tickets. If Pitt is 8-0 and playing Duke, attendance will be 52K

I, for one, would sure as hell like to give winning a shot.

 

[pittdan77]

I kind of assumed the "Heather Lyke is doing a great job, but..." thread would appear sooner.

You guys are slipping.