From a sort of recent alum! I may the fame Pitt students suck!
- Thread starter Scrptman
- Start date
As a fellow recent alum, our student section generally isn't very passionate about Pitt football and seems to go to the games just to go. Or cuz their friends are going too.
It's ashame because I was there in the mid 90s when the team sucked and the whole stadium would be empty except a packed student section. They need to get the kids to the game somehow because when it was just walking up the hill we were there come hell or high water
My question has always been what happens to the students after they graduate - never attend another game?
That is some serious fiction right there.
That's almost as great a fiction. There are four student sections in the upper level. They haven't been used at all since the Penn State game. At several games this year the 200 level student seats have been mostly empty as well.
There is a base of a couple thousand students that do a great job attending the games and cheering like crazy. But it's not more than a few thousand, and Pitt has close to 12,000 seats reserved for students.
We as pitt fans need to stop caring about who isn't at these games, why don't we worry about who is actually at these games? There weren't a ton of people there, but honestly, if you are willing to watch 4 quarters in those conditions you deserve credit. There aren't a ton of pitt fans out there, but the ones that go to the games no matter what are as good as any other fans in the country.
We need to accept the fact that we have a fanbase of 35,000-50,000 and act accordingly
I personally don't care. What does it matter? Pitt has been able to compete with empty seats. I've seen them lose in front of a packed house (wanny's first game) I've seen them squash teams like today's game in front of tiny crowds. Doesn't make much difference.
Hard for them to get to the games , it wouldn't stop me, but I definitely understand why they skip them
I wouldn't single out the students because overall the attendance was a complete joke today. I understand our shortcomings and have rarely complained but today was an embarrassment. Coming off a huge upset of #2 Clemson and we put 20-30k in the stands? We're there any recruits at Heinz today?
As someone else that attended undergrad in the mid-90's, this is completely untrue. The selective memory and exaggeration of fans of the Oakland gameday experience is always amazing.
Packed student section???? I've only seen that for a handful of games, one this year. And in the 90's, seldom seen.
Let's face it. The people who attend any games, football or basketball, are the die-hard fans. There aren't many of those and their numbers are dwindling as that section of the population ages. I've seen it for the past 5 decades. In the next 20 years, it will only get worse.
As for the students yesterday, they're wimps and pussies. No excuses for not being there. Even if they're on break, which they're not, what about the thousands of Pitt students that live in the Pittsburgh area? Granted, many of them don't even know that Pitt has a football team. But those who do and are aware of the games could try and show up. This is what the Pitt fanbase will be in the next 10 to 20 years. Pathetic.
Let's face it. The people who attend any games, football or basketball, are the die-hard fans. There aren't many of those and their numbers are dwindling as that section of the population ages. I've seen it for the past 5 decades. In the next 20 years, it will only get worse.
As for the students yesterday, they're wimps and pussies. No excuses for not being there. Even if they're on break, which they're not, what about the thousands of Pitt students that live in the Pittsburgh area? Granted, many of them don't even know that Pitt has a football team. But those who do and are aware of the games could try and show up. This is what the Pitt fanbase will be in the next 10 to 20 years. Pathetic.
Exactly! The ones who complain are most likely Cultists posing as a PITT fan.
I have seen hundreds of ticket holders leave their seats and revert to the Club sections and watch the game on a couch or chair on TV. You can't do this in most College stadiums as they have bench seating and no posh areas where you can go to sit and watch the game. You get up , go to the toilet, get a soda then back to your bench seating. Remember at Heinz there are thousands of Club seats and all have access to the posh lounges, and when ticket holders leave for the lounge the seats are obviously empty even though they are sold tickets and also even though many of the fans are at the game.
Everyone on here is a diehard. What I don't understand is why some think everyone that went to or presently attends Pitt must be a giant football fan? Demographics are changing, football is losing popularity nationwide. Can't we just enjoy our football team without the constant lament? You want big crowds and wearing team color socks on your wang go root for Penn State
It is what it is and it will take time to build a strong fanbase from the student on up.
This is it and Heinz Field will always appear "empty" with nearly 70,000 seats. A 50,000 seat stadium and the place would be packed every week with an incredible atmosphere. Unfortunately Pitt doesn't have that type of facility right now so you just have to make due with what you have and that is a fantastic football facility, just one that won't be sold out on a weekly basis.
This is it and Heinz Field will always appear "empty" with nearly 70,000 seats. A 50,000 seat stadium and the place would be packed every week with an incredible atmosphere. Unfortunately Pitt doesn't have that type of facility right now so you just have to make due with what you have and that is a fantastic football facility, just one that won't be sold out on a weekly basis.
ill say this one last time:
We have a median fanbase of 40,000. When we stink it dwindles to 30,000 and where we are awesome it swells to about 50,000. The 2009 Big East championship game had 63,000 mainly because Cincinnati brought 13,000 fans.
If we could somehow acquire the land and funds to build a 48,000-50,0000 seat stadium like Houston, TCU and Minnesota have it wouldn't look as bad on TV. But we can't, or won't, or whatever and so we get to be second banana in a stadium which has the ugliest seats I've ever seen.
It'll be really interesting to see what happens in 10 years when the Steelers start bitching for a new stadium.
We have a median fanbase of 40,000. When we stink it dwindles to 30,000 and where we are awesome it swells to about 50,000. The 2009 Big East championship game had 63,000 mainly because Cincinnati brought 13,000 fans.
If we could somehow acquire the land and funds to build a 48,000-50,0000 seat stadium like Houston, TCU and Minnesota have it wouldn't look as bad on TV. But we can't, or won't, or whatever and so we get to be second banana in a stadium which has the ugliest seats I've ever seen.
It'll be really interesting to see what happens in 10 years when the Steelers start bitching for a new stadium.
Wait a minute...we are blaming the students? The attendance was pathetic in general yesterday. When I can upgrade to two club seats for forty total an hour before the game that are on the 40, the students aren't the issue.
I know, which is sad and the reason we aren't growing the fanbase, winning program or not.
We aren't growing the fanbase because we don't have a mythical smaller stadium?
God damn. Do all you people do is complain.
It was a great game and yet your whining about the student section.
Get real and get a life !
It was a great game and yet your whining about the student section.
Get real and get a life !
The only way to grow the fanbase in a big way is to get community support.
Another 5k students would be nice but that's not the answer. Although making sure the grads come to the games with their families helps a lot.
Keep inviting families from youth football organizations ( players, cheer squads) in large numbers to fill empty seats. Make their experience fun, and hope they make coming to a PITT football game a priority as they grow up. Eventually they'll have kids and it rolls on!
That's how they go it done down South.
Going to a Clemson, Alabama, LSU, S. Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Old Miss, Miss St., etc is an anticipated family affair if you can get tickets.
Another 5k students would be nice but that's not the answer. Although making sure the grads come to the games with their families helps a lot.
Keep inviting families from youth football organizations ( players, cheer squads) in large numbers to fill empty seats. Make their experience fun, and hope they make coming to a PITT football game a priority as they grow up. Eventually they'll have kids and it rolls on!
That's how they go it done down South.
Going to a Clemson, Alabama, LSU, S. Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Old Miss, Miss St., etc is an anticipated family affair if you can get tickets.
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I have been pretty impressed with the Student Section this year. They have done a tremendous job supporting the team. I particularly like how much they have cheered Veterans when they are on the field. Well done.
Most students are 18-22 years old. In that time both the Penguins and Steelers have won two championships. Unless these kids have a parent, uncle, older sibling etc. who is old enough to tell them how great Pitt was there is nothing appealing about Pitt football to them. It's not hard to understand why this generation doesn't show up for these games.
They go basketball because the team has been nationally relevant in their lifetimes.
They go basketball because the team has been nationally relevant in their lifetimes.
Don't forget, these kids are in dorms and appartments - they don't have a dresser full of various cold weather clothing like adults do. They have a jacket and gloves to get to class in the morning. Add two hrs of tale gating and I don't blame them for cutting out early. It was very cold and very windy yesterday. Even the WVU crown left at halftime.
I agree, I hate to bring up the on campus stadium thing again but watching Lvl at Houston had a rocking atmosphere. I believe their stadium only holds 43K but thats what a right sized venue does for you.
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