All I know is what I saw !! THIS is a good--not great-YET-Rambler team. If people--especially those on this board cannot see this, then I guess the only purpose for RAMBLERMANIA is to find fault , SAD !! One of the few regrets I have living here in OHIO is NOT being able to SEE the Ramblers--in HOOPS , also VB and most of the rest. I realize most of you work hard for a living and have young families and I am retired --BUT LOR and I participated ! Moaned when we lost cheered when we won.
This RAMBLER team is a good one and most importantly FUN to watch--Try it --You--all of you might like what you see.

Our team will truly produce if they see you AND students in the seats--Win a few and the front running media will notice--Better teams will visit.

Last year WAS a disaster--BUT THAT tribe is gone !! These guys deserve support--IF you are real RAMBLERS !!

That brings me to the end of my diatribe !! Are not you all glad ???

Unfortunately, I disagree, Brot. We're in a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Right now, big teams don't want to come to the Joe because we are bad. We are a drain on their RPI even if they win. And if they lose? God help them. On top of it, with our miserable crowds (or, for a better description, unreliable crowds) they don't get a lot of money.

On the flip, if we start winning and are a good team, we aren't an attractive opponent. Again, they don't want to come to the Joe and lose, especially when we don't offer much in terms of financial guarantees.

I'm there game in and game out (with few exceptions). I'll continue to do so. Unfortunately, most people don't share my viewpoint and that carries over to the students. I've often thought "what can LU do to pack the student section. Right now, they need to do something...anything. They just expect these kids to come and enjoy the atmosphere. They'll never do that. Why not offer them free food at EVERY game? Why not do a "lottery system" where they get points for every game they attend and those points go towards products or a chance to win a big ticket item? After a few years of doing that and packing the student section, maybe you create an atmosphere where people WANT to go to the games independent of getting something.

Sadly, this will never happen and we're going to be stuck with middling attendance (if not terrible attendance).

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Cigarboy sucks!

Brot - Your enthusiasm is awesome. Maybe LU should hire you to come in and drum up support among the current students.

Either way, my wife and I are looking forward to catching our first game of the year with a couple of other alums. I'm sure we'll be popping by Bruno's for a pop or two before the game if anyone else is going and wants to say hello.

I strongly believe that the long term attendance will ONLY increase if the current students go to games, have a good time and create lasting memories with friends. There is an incredibly small chance than any one alumni would drive their spouse and kid(s) from the far suburbs to watch a Rambler game if they only went to 2 or 3 games during their undergrad. If he/she won't go to a game, we all know the likelyhood that they'll donate to the athletic department.

I know that times have changed (Class of '00), but as a poor college student, I would do just about anything for a couple free slices of pizza!!! So, how about each student get a raffle ticket as they enter the Joe (or maybe they get a ticket at half-time) and than turn in their "pizza ticket" after the game to get enterance into the after game pizza party.

We need to get as many students as possible into every game in order to have any chance of getting them to attend games as Alumni.

Our attendance numbers HAVE to affect recruiting too. How unimpressive must it be when a recruit comes to a game like McKendree and witnesses 300 (30 Students) people in the crowd. I know i'm over simplifying things, but could 20 pizzas for every home game (while the students aren't on break) turn our program into annual contendors and perennially part of post-season action???

DING DING DING!

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MBB Scholarship Chart

We're on the same page, Robbie. It's part of the reason I tried so damn hard as an undergrad to get people to go to the games.

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Cigarboy sucks!

Winning IS the thing !! BUT win or lose, this team is good and FUN to watch. EG--Kent made three runs at us in the second half--nothing like made threes to help--BUT this time we STOPPED them and we won !! Two oddities--
--We did outboard a bigger team--That tells me something
--Freebie shooting was HORRID until it REALLY was needed--KiKi made them !!

Last year's "team" would have collapsed after the first Kent run--check it out--Nah, you already know that.

I know little about the finer points as you guys do--BUT I do know --
--This team had fire in their eyes as they listened to PM--I was five feet away all game. I could see it and hear comments from these guys.
--This bunch has really got together. no question.

The Green Wave (Daughter's Alma Mater) is in huge trouble. How nice it would be if Students show up--WOW !!

There are only a handful of us students that go to every single game. I think athletics have started to have a larger importance on campus since I was a freshman but still not enough change. I am not exactly sure what they could do to get more of us students out to all the games but the administration needs to be trying harder than they are right now. I know they used to do the free pizza what seemed like almost every game two years ago but it seems like they do it less often now.

Johhny, you are in a position similar to the one I was in during my undergrad. Only, for us, there was no incentive at all (compared to the minimal ones that you guys have). So, given that, what do you think would entice your fellow students? You are closer to them than any of us are. What would get them to ACTUALLY come out?

Would it be beneficial to do a campus wide contest in the ilk of Notre Dame (where the halls compete against each other in a variety of ways)? Is it just giving them free stuff?

Step 1 is obviously getting them in the door. Step 2 is finding a way to get them to interact (standing for the entire game, chanting, cheering, etc).

If given your druthers...what would you do? What would you implement?

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Cigarboy sucks!

Hmm that is pretty tough. I think the free food at every game is always a good way to get college kids to go to an event. Pizza will work for the game to game basis but I also think it needs to come with a change from Pizza every once in a while. I like the reward type system that you were talking about. I think that could help get the people that already get to some games to come out to even more. I also think a large part of the lack of attendance is the university not doing enough to publicize when games. Possibly sending out an email with the game time and opponent and increasing the number of signs on campus talking about the game would probably help awareness at least somewhat. One thing I think would help boost attendance is to have the frats on campus start taking part in athletics. I know Loyola and the frats on campus are not always on the best of terms but I really think getting them would help. Maybe making a contest between the frats with a reward because all frats like being able to say they are the best and the reward for added initiative if the bragging rights are not enough. If frats are attending more athletics this will also bring numbers from the sororities as well. If any one has any other ideas I would really like to hear them.