Bowling Green State University Athletics
Ask The AD -- August 1, 2007
August 01, 2007 | General
Aug. 1, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Each week, Bowling Green State University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher answers questions that have been submitted to BGSUFalcons.com. Here is the latest installment ...
Q: What sport are you most looking forward to the season getting underway and why? What sport do you think has the best chance for success on this campus in the upcoming athletic season of 2007-08 and why?
Michael in Bowling Green
It's tough to pick a favorite when you have 425 student-athletes and 18 sports, so I'll stay clear of that question. I do enjoy watching teams and athletes compete at any level, ranging from my own kids and their youth sports, to college athletics. Each sport and each event are distinctive and enjoyable. Knowing the commitment athletes have to their sports, makes it fun to watch them compete and reach for the highest level.
As for the BGSU sports year in 2007-08, I am optimistic as we head into the new school year. Through the spring and summer, we have spent time with our head coaches and sport administrators in program reviews and evaluations of our various sports. As baseline evaluation, we measure how many of our sports finish in the top half of the conference. In 2006-07, six of the 11 women's sports finished in the top half, while none of our men's sports had top half finishes. The "top half" rationale comes from my thought that if a team is consistently finishing in the top half of the conference, it will compete for its fair share of championships. Any given season is difficult to predict, based on schedule, injuries and the rest of the conference, but top half finishes over time indicate a program's consistency.
Looking at this year, we believe that 11 of our sports should be able to compete for top half seasons. For the men, we seek improvement in the Reese Trophy standings as BGSU has finished 12th for two consecutive seasons. On the women's side, after a terrific second place finish in 2006-07, we now look forward to our women working to stay at the top and shoot for the first Jacoby Trophy at Bowling Green since 1994.
Q: How do you get football attendance back up over 20,000 again?
Allen in Dublin
From a historical standpoint, I think consistent season averages of 20K+ will be challenging for BGSU. Since The Doyt opened in 1966, the Falcons have averaged 20,000 for a season just four times (1983, 1985, 1994 and 2003). On the other side, BGSU has averaged fewer than 15,000 17 times in the 41-year history of Perry Stadium. With the NCAA attendance requirement of 15,000, our focus is making sure at least 15,000 tickets are sold for each home game.
There are two broad markets for football attendance -- students and the general public. Students attending football games count as paid attendees as soon as they walk through the gates, even though their attendance does not require a ticket purchase. Student support was up and down last year, so we are working on several levels across campus to encourage their backing in 2007. Stadium activities, residence hall and group incentives and more interaction with our coaches and student-athletes are pieces to a broader puzzle we are working on with student leaders. Just as it is on any campus, the students add so much to sporting events -- the atmosphere, excitement and enthusiasm students bring to our games is critical and our teams love playing in front of a raucous group of their peers.
The public fan segment can be divided many ways, but breaks into two basic large groups - season ticket holders and groups. Joel Coffman, our new director of ticket sales, is concentrating on increasing our season ticket base. Many fans ask how they can help BGSU football and one of the easiest ways to support the team is to purchase a season ticket. Even if you can't attend each game, a sold ticket counts toward the 15,000 attendance mark. On the group side, Joel and our Falcon Sports Properties staff are working to provide organizations with a complete package at BGSU football games, from pre-game activities to a great experience in the stands. Group ticket sales are an important priority for our future.
Overall, I am pleased where we stand right now heading into the 2007 campaign. Unlike larger schools, we will always have to be cognizant of the 15,000 attendance issue. But I also believe with the right plans in place and the continued support of our fans, we will hit our target.
Q: I am a student here at BG and I was wondering why we are playing the Toledo game the day after Thanksgiving. It will be hard for me to go home for Thanksgiving, just to turn around and make it back by Friday afternoon. I would think this will be a large problem for many students. What are the reasons for moving the game day?
Jared in Bowling Green
My understanding is that the BGSU/UT game has shuffled over a variety of days during Thanksgiving week in recent years. This year's Friday date came because the game was not selected for ESPN's prime-time slots earlier in the week. Given the competitive series, ESPN feels the rivalry has developed a following beyond Northwest Ohio and wanted to make sure it was televised -- thus it used one of the ESPNU time-slots. We're aware of the hardship the Friday afternoon kickoff may have on some fans and are working with campus to plan activities around the day that will hopefully attract students back to Bowling Green for the important game.
