Poor Attendance

[EWURanger]

Week after week, this team plays their hearts out an continues to win close games. I know it's a little cold and wet and all, but the team deserves a lot more. Seems like the colder it gets, the more our attendance numbers go down. We can do a lot better than this. Let's get some more butts in seats against Idaho State.

Rant complete.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Agreed, ridiculous attendance for a big game.

 

[Vic E. Wallace]

EWURanger,LdopaPDX,
What was the attendance? I taught we had a good crowd for the weather. We do need to get bigger crowds, the team is really trying hard. From where I sat in the Red Back Seats, it look full on our side by the Pressbox. maybe I am wrong, I didn't hear the attendance announce.

SUU is a legit Team coming into the Big Sky. Our Defense finally found a way to disturb their QB. He and his Wide Receivers are some Outstanding Players. Jesse Hoffman came into his own. Two Picks, and one TD. He got the pick at the right time. I froze my Butt out there today, but I wasn't going to miss this one or the other next week as long as I have a breath in me. The #1 & 3 Teams in FCS both lost today, now we will see where we ends up in the standings.

Remembered on yesterday blog I said to watch BLM, I didn't mean the 3 Sacks :lol: He was supposed to be doing more running in this game. Greg Heard didn't do his thing, Jeff Minnerly did his with the fake FG. The team practiced those yesterday. Brandon Kauffman is an Outstanding WR, he comes through when he needs to, BLM finds him when he needs to, or when the chips are down. I predicted we were going to defeat SUU by at least 14 pointss, I was wrong, they came to play.

It looked to me that SUU wanted the game more than us, glad they came through. Now on to ISU, and we better be ready for ISU, they can surprise us if we are not careful. Go Eagles!!!!! Vic

 

[jpittman]

I'm doing my part... flying my dad up from Alaska to watch Idaho State and do some serious tail gaiting!!

 

[kalm]

Snow forecasted, 38 degrees and overcast, a non-conference 6-5 foe, and the main point of importance being seeding implications which most EWU fans much less potential casual attendees don't appreciate, all contributed. Blanchette mentioned in his article that the 5300 yesterday was the largest November gate in 6 years. Baby steps.

 

[HannahO]

If you ask me, Blanchette is part of the problem. His snarky columns always seem to revolve less on the team's success and how a team with the least resources in the Big Sky can be ranked in the top 5 in the country and more on how he can say something insidiously negative about the field, the team, the fans, the Conference. Makes me wonder why he's assigned to cover the team. It's like he resents the fact that Vince Grippi covers the Pac 10 team down the road so he takes it out on the team he's assigned to cover. That's my rant for the day .... I guess I'd better get another cup of coffee.

 

[kalm]

Blanchette is not the Eagle beat writer - that's Steve Bergum. Blanchette is more of a sports/opinion guy and snarky and realism are his schtick. But he's that way with all of the local teams. He's a terrific writer, you just have to be thick skinned to read him - perhaps before you've had your coffee.

 

[93bird]

I feel a little responsible for the lack of attendance yesterday. I left the game at the end of the first quarter for a beer and never made it back in. That was SOME tailgate we had going. Anyway, the game's on TV right now so I can see what I missed. Next Saturday's going to be crazier. How's 9-2 sound everybody?

 

[EWURanger]

I have never been a fan of Blanchette's work - but to be fair, I think he's equally as negative towards all the local teams.......

 

[RockTheRed]

Actually HannahO - I'd take Blanchette as our beat writer over Bergum any day of the week. Bergum doesn't even attend our games - he takes the press release our S.I.D. sends to him and tweaks it. Occassionally he sends a Spokesman intern to cover the games and then combines their notes with our S.I.D.'s writeup. He did go to the Nevada game - managed to make the sunshiny trip - but mostly, I think he's a little "snarky" if you will, over having to cover the Eagles - period.

You hit it spot on regarding the Vince Grippi comment, though you were directing it at the wrong writer.

 

[kalm]

Actually HannahO - I'd take Blanchette as our beat writer over Bergum any day of the week. Bergum doesn't even attend our games - he takes the press release our S.I.D. sends to him and tweaks it. Occassionally he sends a Spokesman intern to cover the games and then combines their notes with our S.I.D.'s writeup. He did go to the Nevada game - managed to make the sunshiny trip - but mostly, I think he's a little "snarky" if you will, over having to cover the Eagles - period.

You hit it spot on regarding the Vince Grippi comment, though you were directing it at the wrong writer.

Bergum and Dave Trimmer before him both attended games in Cheney, and typically in Missoula and Portland before the Spokesman stopped paying for their travel expenses. I remember Bergum commenting on the EWU blog a few years ago that the paper even limited his mileage expenses to Cheney to cover fall camp. That was why he was out there less.

All of those guys are real professionals limited by the constraints of a dying industry. Their job is not to cheerlead, it is to report on EWU sports news and I think they've done a good job of that - despite two of them being Montana alumni. :mrgreen:

 

[kalm]

Actually HannahO - I'd take Blanchette as our beat writer over Bergum any day of the week. Bergum doesn't even attend our games - he takes the press release our S.I.D. sends to him and tweaks it. Occassionally he sends a Spokesman intern to cover the games and then combines their notes with our S.I.D.'s writeup. He did go to the Nevada game - managed to make the sunshiny trip - but mostly, I think he's a little "snarky" if you will, over having to cover the Eagles - period.

You hit it spot on regarding the Vince Grippi comment, though you were directing it at the wrong writer.

One more thing. I'm not sure any of the local sports writers would begrudge Grippi having to make the trip to Pullman a few times each week and cover the worst team in the PAC 10. If I were in their shoes I'd much prefer the shorter commute to follow a winner.

 

[EWURanger]

Attendance will undoubtedly will be better for the ISU game, and any subsequent play-off games. The thing that is frustrating to see, though, is that we drew so poorly for this game, yet we had a respectable 7600 show up for the NAU game and slightly less for Sac, but we had nowhere near that number yestarday. I know it was non-conference, but that's really no excuse. How many casual fans really know that SUU isn't in the BSC yet?

As I said previously, there's basicaly a direct correlation between the weather and attendance this year, which only reinforces my thoughts that Spokane area folks are basically fair weather fans. People need to toughen up some.

 

[flyingnail]

Attendance will undoubtedly will be better for the ISU game, and any subsequent play-off games. The thing that is frustrating to see, though, is that we drew so poorly for this game, yet we had a respectable 7600 show up for the NAU game and slightly less for Sac, but we had nowhere near that number yestarday. I know it was non-conference, but that's really no excuse. How many casual fans really know that SUU isn't in the BSC yet?

As I said previously, there's basicaly a direct correlation between the weather and attendance this year, which only reinforces my thoughts that Spokane area folks are basically fair weather fans. People need to toughen up some.

I think the early morning snowfall and the threat of snow kept alot of fans away! The fact that it was SSU didn't help either as there aren't many fans that know squat about them, they do now!!! Lets let'r rip next weekend and get that ring ! there's something crazy going on this year !!!!! GOEAGS!

 

[Vic E. Wallace]

Kalm,
Reference Blanchette, 5300 biggest crowd 6years, he is wrong. Maybe I read something that wasn't there. We had two crowds bigger than yesterday. Excluding 1100 plus at Montana Game. If I am not mistaking we were over 7000 the other two games.

When ever I see Blanchette at our games, I always ask myself, what negative things he will say about Eastern Sports? You are right Steve B. does cover our sports, and does great about our sport. At least he is honest about what he writes. My prediction of 9 & 2 is close to being realistic, that was my prediction beginnnig of the season. I even told Fritz on Q6 TV when asked. Let us cheer on the "Griz" on Saturday. Go Eagles!!!!! Vic Wallace p.s. "Go Griz".

 

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Vic, I think the article mentions that it was the biggest draw for a November game in 6 years, which sounds about right (unfortunately).

 

[Vic E. Wallace]

Screaming_Eagle174,
Thanks for the correction. I hope we have a great crowd this Saturday, I know our die hard fans will be there. Hope we can find some more fans like ourselves. Rain,Snow,Wind, and cold weather, we are there supporting our young men/women in our Athletic Programs. Vic Wallace

 

[marceagfan5]

The crowd filtered in after the kick off, but still wasn't where it should have been for such a good game and highly ranked team. I have a good friend who is a griz fan (I know, I know) and they were disappointed they only had 24,000 fans. I told him we would be thrilled with 1/3 of that. Anyways, baby steps is right. The weather didn't help, but besides the temp, there was no rain during the game at all. Hopefully everyone will come out and cheer on the big sky champs on Saturday, really looking forward to this game!

Go Eags!

 

[EdubAlum]

it doesn't help any that the game is on local tv....we should only put the games on local tv if we sell out. Otherwise we're enabling fair weather (literally in this case) to sell out and stay at home!

 

[FrontFive4Life]

it doesn't help any that the game is on local tv....we should only put the games on local tv if we sell out. Otherwise we're enabling fair weather (literally in this case) to sell out and stay at home!

THIS x10000000