The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Watching the MAC display over 200,000 empty seats at its mid week games the last three weeks. Here is an idea. Move some of the games to Ford Field/Lucas Oil. WMU/CMU at Ford two weeks ago (not advocation every season) would have drawn over 20,000 Motown area alum and fans. Bus in 500 students from both schools, they don't get up until noon anyway. Make it a big event. Toledo/EMU/BG are a short hop. Indy has Ball State 60 mins away. Miami is a short drive.

If the MAC is stuck on Tues/Weds they really need to change the visual.

Also in case you are wondering , WMU gets $670,000 thru 2026 for this mid week deal as do all MAC schools.

(11-15-2017 09:41 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Also in case you are wondering , WMU gets $670,000 thru 2026 for this mid week deal as do all MAC schools.

That better be $670,000 a year

(11-15-2017 10:13 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 09:41 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Also in case you are wondering , WMU gets $670,000 thru 2026 for this mid week deal as do all MAC schools.

That better be $670,000 a year

It is.

https://www.hustlebelt.com/2014/8/19/604...pn-tv-deal

(11-15-2017 09:37 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Watching the MAC display over 200,000 empty seats at its mid week games the last three weeks. Here is an idea. Move some of the games to Ford Field/Lucas Oil. WMU/CMU at Ford two weeks ago (not advocation every season) would have drawn over 20,000 Motown area alum and fans. Bus in 500 students from both schools, they don't get up until noon anyway. Make it a big event. Toledo/EMU/BG are a short hop. Indy has Ball State 60 mins away. Miami is a short drive.

If the MAC is stuck on Tues/Weds they really need to change the visual.

I think this is a brilliant idea. Honestly. I would likely go to the games that are at Ford Field. I still hate the WMU/CMU game being late season and/or mid-week, but I would have much preferred if, under the circumstances, the game was indoors. Frankly, that game would have had a good crowd this year if it was at FF, as both schools would have brought a bunch. Once it gets real cold, and when there is chance or rain or snow, playing these late season mid-week games inside would be great.

I honestly don't think attendance would be THAT much better being in a dome. It's still a game on a weeknight for a mid-major school. You're still only going to pull in dedicated fans, you're just going to get the ones from the east side of the state instead of the west side.

Additionally, tickets would likely be at least $30 each unlike the BOGO offers we usually run during these games.

Good idea, but based on previous history of MAC teams playing regular season games at Ford Field, it would not work.

Bottom-line...college football games on weeknights do not work for attendance, regardless of where they are.

I seriously doubt you'd get 500 students COMBINED from CMU and WMU to bus several hours to Detroit when they have classes the following day.

There is no way locals from Kalamazoo and MP would do it, and our alumni in the Detroit area have lives and jobs, too. I doubt you'd get more than a smattering.

For perspective, look at the attendance of the WMU-Illinois game in 2008. We gave-up a home game in Kalamazoo to play in front of empty seats at Ford Field, on a Saturday. At least we won.

Likewise, EMU hosted CMU at Ford Field several times. Nobody showed.

Unless it is a championship game, or a bowl game, college football should be played ON CAMPUS, on SATURDAY, preferably at 1 p.m. That's what God intended...

(11-15-2017 10:25 AM)stogie13 Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 10:13 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 09:41 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Also in case you are wondering , WMU gets $670,000 thru 2026 for this mid week deal as do all MAC schools.

That better be $670,000 a year

It is.

https://www.hustlebelt.com/2014/8/19/604...pn-tv-deal

Have to take into consideration the advertising and marketing value of being on prime time ESPN networks.... not just relegated to weekend ESPN3 showings...

This was my first year buying season tickets... its been a disaster weather wise... add in the weekday games and the two home losses...

(11-15-2017 11:55 AM)flushtheherd Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 10:25 AM)stogie13 Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 10:13 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 09:41 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Also in case you are wondering , WMU gets $670,000 thru 2026 for this mid week deal as do all MAC schools.

That better be $670,000 a year

It is.

https://www.hustlebelt.com/2014/8/19/604...pn-tv-deal

Have to take into consideration the advertising and marketing value of being on prime time ESPN networks.... not just relegated to weekend ESPN3 showings...

This was my first year buying season tickets... its been a disaster weather wise... add in the weekday games and the two home losses...

I would love to limit the amount of games per week so that the bigger/important games get split between midweek for the national audience and weekend for the students and local audience. The hard part is scheduling and bye weeks.

I drew up a November schedule that would move two games a week to midweek and get everyone included in MACtion but the the problem is rest. I'd be upset if we were forced to play Eastern on Saturday and Central on Wednesday or Thursday the following week. So it's either everyone on the weeknights or stretch MACtion into October to facilitate bye weeks. I really don't know which is better.

I don't like neutral sites. Students don't travel well and I don't think the turnout would be so much higher than a midweek game that it makes it worth it.

(11-15-2017 10:13 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(11-15-2017 09:41 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Also in case you are wondering , WMU gets $670,000 thru 2026 for this mid week deal as do all MAC schools.

That better be $670,000 a year

Of course it is

(11-15-2017 09:37 AM)BuickBronco Wrote:  Watching the MAC display over 200,000 empty seats at its mid week games the last three weeks. Here is an idea. Move some of the games to Ford Field/Lucas Oil. WMU/CMU at Ford two weeks ago (not advocation every season) would have drawn over 20,000 Motown area alum and fans. Bus in 500 students from both schools, they don't get up until noon anyway. Make it a big event. Toledo/EMU/BG are a short hop. Indy has Ball State 60 mins away. Miami is a short drive.

If the MAC is stuck on Tues/Weds they really need to change the visual.

I think Ford Field with only 20.000 people will look just as empty as the college stadiums with 5,000 people. Plus you have to cost of leasing the stadium.

Mountain West weighs TV money versus controlling game times

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc...107671558/