It's a simple, yet all-important question: Does W&M have enough YOUNG fans?

To most, the answer is obvious...but just how big are the ramifications if the answer is "no?" Answer: MASSIVE.

Read our newest article, which dives deep into the topic. What are folks' thoughts on this board? Curious to hear.

LET'S GO TRIBE.

https://wmsportsblog.com/2021/01/21/does...oung-fans/

Common refrains of W&M not being a "sports school" or "party school" aside, I think a key to getting more young people like myself on board with donating and attending games more is building more good faith between the student body and athletics - the Tribe 7 controversy really burnt a lot of said faith (to be honest, what little there was). Restoring it would likely mean involving more students in planning/admin, reducing student fees (which IIRC is already on the future docket), and, like the article says, being more innovative. It'll be an uphill battle.

What may not be generally recognized is that many W&M teams and coaches do a terrific job working with area youth groups, leagues and
youngster charity groups which builds relationships with kids and, inevitably, their families, It can always be improved but it this involvement
surely builds young fans.

(01-21-2021 06:29 AM)bubbadog57 Wrote:  What may not be generally recognized is that many W&M teams and coaches do a terrific job working with area youth groups, leagues and
youngster charity groups which builds relationships with kids and, inevitably, their families, It can always be improved but it this involvement
surely builds young fans.

I think that you have highlighted something important. Kids raised in Williamsburg are more likely to live there when they grow up than a W&M grad is when the finish school. Yes you want to engage W&M students when they are on campus, but you are likely to draw more fans to games from the local community than you are from alums.

The other group to target are just hoops fans in general.

(01-21-2021 12:01 AM)jonaerose Wrote:  Common refrains of W&M not being a "sports school" or "party school" aside, I think a key to getting more young people like myself on board with donating and attending games more is building more good faith between the student body and athletics - the Tribe 7 controversy really burnt a lot of said faith (to be honest, what little there was). Restoring it would likely mean involving more students in planning/admin, reducing student fees (which IIRC is already on the future docket), and, like the article says, being more innovative. It'll be an uphill battle.

I don't think you can overstate how important it is to include students in planning/admin. Really hope the new AD makes that a priority in engaging the student body.

It is good to see that this question is being discussed publicly, as it has certainly been discussed privately within my group for the past fifteen years.

Having said that, this question is now moot at W&M, for the most part, IMO.

Putting aside football and hoops, all Tribe sports constituencies are now being told ... finance your own sports if you want your sport to survive. Each sport will adopt its own “best practices” within its communities. This approach will work. Fans, and the age of the fan base, is irrelevant, relative to these sports.

Let’s talk about hoops. Strength of home non-conference schedule, Saturday home games in November and December, and an exciting brand of basketball are more important than the age of the fan base. While the students at W&M may not support hoops in large numbers, the surrounding community will ... if the above “criteria” are met.

Finally, football ... totally agree that the age of the fan base is a MAJOR problem. Let’s be blunt. Alcohol and tailgating will generate numbers, but as for watching the sport itself, the sport is in trouble as a spectator sport with young people. And for Virginians in the 18-22 age group, the CAA home schedule is not attractive.

Re: football ...

In my day, six things come to mind. Football players lived on campus. Frats and sororities attended games in great numbers. There was a marching band. The home locker room was under the student section, so the football team was always entering / exiting the field from / to the student section. RC was sold in big W&M cups by vendors walking through the stands (with the resulting Adult supplemental beverage being added). There was unlimited exit and return during the game.

Make all six things return, boost Internet / cell phone access / capacity, and great creative with the video board, and things should improve with young fans.

Football and basketball are very different to me. Young almuni who live in Williamsburg are fairly limited, maybe a dozen or so each class year nowadays. I wouldn't expect a lot of fans to show up to weekday hoops games who don't live within 25 miles (Newport News, Hampton), but going to a Saturday game from as far as DC isn't a stretch. Football is a different animal. There are lots of season ticket holders in Richmond, Norfolk, VA Beach, and the DC metro area.

Compare that to ODU. There are lots of students who live and remain within 25 miles of Norfolk after graduation. They come out in droves as young alumns regardless of how bad the product might be.

(01-20-2021 08:08 PM)WMSportsBlog Wrote:  It's a simple, yet all-important question: Does W&M have enough YOUNG fans?

To most, the answer is obvious...but just how big are the ramifications if the answer is "no?" Answer: MASSIVE.

Read our newest article, which dives deep into the topic. What are folks' thoughts on this board? Curious to hear.

LET'S GO TRIBE.

https://wmsportsblog.com/2021/01/21/does...oung-fans/

It's hard not to wonder if the public address announcer at Kaplan might look behind him at a game in the near future, temporarily lose his filter, and blurt out the line from The Paper Chase and freshmen assemblies in Blow Gym: "Look to your left. Look to your right. In a year one of you won't be here." He wouldn't be referring to flunking out.

With regard to the next generation of fans, if a poll were taken of secondary education students in the Williamsburg area it's reasonable to ask which personality would emerge with more name recognition -- Hollis Mathis, Luke Loewe, or ZooMaa. ZooMaa (aka Thomas Paparetto), I learned this week, is the 25 year old professional "Call of Duty" player who announced his retirement recently due to a career ending thumb injury.

Meanwhile, the football team last had a winning season in 2015. The men's basketball team last "knocked on the door" (made it to CAA tournament finals) the same year. Wm & Mary finds itself with no enduring all sports rivalries that have much in the way of an emotional tug. Richmond put a stake through the heart of the best one. JMU, by resourcing FBS football in an FCS wrapper left another with more of a Vanderbilt - Alabama vibe than Virginia - Virginia Tech. Delaware has some local name recognition. The CAA chose to complicate the football element of this relationship with a scheduling change. Tribe athletics competes in a league whose commissioner admits that "trying to nail down what makes a CAA school is a tricky question" and it can be "tough to identify a common bond." This backdrop isn't helpful when it comes to attracting any fans, let alone young ones.

As you have identified, the shortage of young fans is a "massive" problem. Whether this generation of college and athletic department leaders (not just in Williamsburg) has the mindset and skill set to find prescriptions is tbd. The pandemic will have made the competition for the discretionary time of the next generation of fans more difficult -- traditional spectator sports will have lost ground to digital entertainment with younger fans over this time period.

I'm hopeful. I think there will be recognition of the need to resume efforts to strengthen the sense of community among students and student athletes and with local residents. I think there is recognition that it needs to be easy to attend athletic events by simplifying parking and transportation (and not just for large donors), and that once in attendance the environment needs to be welcoming which might mean less monetizing/regulation. I think this regime understands they need to frame a competitive landscape that results in more wins and better rivalries. And some college is going to figure out how to marry analog and digital at 21st century sporting events...might as well be the one in Williamsburg. Deluge of selfies to follow...

Love the commentary; only hope that folks in leadership positions at W&M are taking note. I know they are -- but it'll be an uphill battle.

The sooner we (W&M) officially identify these trends, the sooner we will be able to act on them.