I don't check my email all that often, most entities that I want to here from message me. I just did a quick look at the Alumni Association web page and it look likes the Alumni Association offered a $15.00 brunch in the yellow lot. Pretty sad for homecoming, especially when you consider what the event use to be.
Blue Lot,Homecoming, New Normal???
- Thread starter Boz29
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I don't check my email all that often, most entities that I want to here from message me. I just did a quick look at the Alumni Association web page and it look likes the Alumni Association offered a $15.00 brunch in the yellow lot. Pretty sad for homecoming, especially when you consider what the event use to be.
I wonder if there would be 103,000 at the Horseshoe if OSU "cracked down" on tailgating.
As an outsider on the undergrad level, here is the problem you guys are dicking about over.
Your gameday experience at RU has always focused on the tailgating scene, because the program has sucked at epic levels for nearly all of your lives.
We win and the seats get filled...whether Joey Fratboy pumps his fist on College Ave or in the Blue Lot. If the seats aren't filled with students, they'll be filled with the general public. Nearly every problem we kvetch about on this board is satisfied by winning.
Anything else is just partisan rationalization.
I'd rather be talked about on Gameday for being a Top 25 team than a Top 25 Tailgate atmosphere. If we can be both, great. If you force me to choose, I'll send Joey Fratboy to the Pine Barrens to host his party.
As an outsider on the undergrad level, here is the problem you guys are dicking about over.
Your gameday experience at RU has always focused on the tailgating scene, because the program has sucked at epic levels for nearly all of your lives.
We win and the seats get filled...whether Joey Fratboy pumps his fist on College Ave or in the Blue Lot. If the seats aren't filled with students, they'll be filled with the general public. Nearly every problem we kvetch about on this board is satisfied by winning.
Anything else is just partisan rationalization.
I'd rather be talked about on Gameday for being a Top 25 team than a Top 25 Tailgate atmosphere. If we can be both, great. If you force me to choose, I'll send Joey Fratboy to the Pine Barrens to host his party.
The issue is that we do not have that winning team (nor does it look like we are going to have one anytime soon), and the game-day experience is also on a downhill slide. Joey Fratboy represents a person in a seat as does the loyal spouse. It doesn't look like that winning season is going to happen anytime so that is why there is a discussion about the game day experience. If the attendees was made up of only those who are game only fanatics it would be a pretty empty stadium. The loyal spouse/family make up at least 1/3 of the people around us.
ugh
How does a young alum get into the Blue Lot?
If I graduated 5 years ago, am now 27 and a big swinging dick on Wall Street with a trophy wife and 2 brat kids, how much do I need to shell out RIGHT NOW to get 4 tickets and a Blue pass?
This is where the logic breaks down. We have people from multiple outer ring lots telling us they never see cops there. This entire discussion centers around ONE LOT than no young alums could reasonable afford to get into on a season long basis anyway.
And if the program is winning and int he Top 25 in 5 years, Joey Fratboy won't hold being carded in 2015 against the school. To think he will is silly.
Really?
Have you considered sending a resume to the CIA? I know for a fact they are looking for keen observers like yourself.
I'm breaking the phony correlation that you are at the head of supporting...
The only reason young alums and students will come to games is to party pre and post.
No. Win and they will come. Win at a Wisky level and they will come.
Stay a consistent 6 win team and attendance will drop if you allowed the Blue Lot to turn into Burning Man...
If kids are bombed you can't really quibble about law enforcement's reaction time.
I haven't heard of any problems with police in the Blue Lot this year heck we're basically on a first name basis with many of them this year. The parking supervisor guys are a little retarded.
Are you expecting the police to NOT enforce drinking laws? That would open the University up to plenty of lawsuits and bad press. Sorry but those days are past thanks to our litigious society these days.
As That Prick RU4Real said, cultivate the relationship. Be nice, don't provoke, be legal. (and if you're trying to underage drink be very sneaky and don't draw attention to yourself.)
Sorry but if you want to tailgate in a Mosh Pit go to a Rave. The grownups are in the Blue Lot now.
Highly publicized embarrassing news and a bad football team administered by a university that isn't really into a wining football tradition.
But hey, they sold lot's of newspapers.
I'll have to try this out. I don't even care if this is a joke; it's worth the shot when it comes to Bud Light.
Can confirm that actually going to a game is avoided thanks to the police presence. It's easier (and more fun) to throw a rager off of Commercial than it is to drink a little near the stadium.
Have you read the rest of the posts in this thread? The police are questioning and ID'ing the same people playing a friendly game of beer pong/flip cup and/or walking around harmlessly with a Solo cup multiple times during the same tailgate. That's borderline harassment of paying customers, especially when many of them are of legal drinking age. Not only that, but it's basically been admitted that some officers are showing up to the game with summons books already filled out, just awaiting names of the people they will cite and extract hundreds of dollars from.
I'm one of the first to agree that anyone clearly bombed and being verbally/physically abusive should be cited and kicked out of the lots. But the outright crackdown in several lots based on the potential for underage drinking is starting to drive students/young alumni away from the games. And until Rutgers football becomes a powerhouse top 25 team (which we would all love to happen), we need all the fan support we can get.
Screw left out one key ingredient.
You need to wring the sweat out of everyone's socks into the pot, then bring to 90F then chill
Actually OSU has a big crack down somewhat on tailgating. In the lots around the stadium you cannot have an open container. In fact, the cops can't even see you pour it. So you have to pour everything, under cover, into a solo cup. That being said, that stadium is still in a developed area where two blocks away, large bars and hotels have parties before, during and after the game. Our campus is not conducive to that.
Do you think this issue is only related to Rutgers? I'll bet you'll have just as much enforcement at any other school. It's a sign of the times.
Just in case anyone is interested, the answer is $2400. Assuming that you purchased 4 tickets each year and donated $2400 each year in the 5 years since you graduated, you would have 45 priority points. The cutoff for the Blue Lot this year was 44 points.
I agree that it seems fairly unlikely that there are many recent grads who can qualify for the Blue lot. And even if they could, they wouldn't be the ones targeted for enforcement of underage drinking laws. Just about everyone who graduated 5 years ago is likely over 21.
When you look at the donation levels needed to get into the Blue Lot this year, versus 4 years ago, it seems fairly obvious that the reason the Blue Lot is more subdued has little to do with enforcement. The Blue Lot is more subdued mostly because it has been priced out of reach of the under-27 crowd.
no open containers allowed at Arkansas either.
Nebraska tailgating is mostly on rooftop bars as they, too are in a developed area with the stadium 2 blocks from their downtown.
thanks! so are you guys! and I really like the new tradition of the National Anthem in the AM. nice touch.
Thanks for the leg work. BUt that wasn't even what I was shooting for.
In my scenario, I haven't had tickets or donated a dime. I finally got that big 6 figure bonus at work and now want the Blue Lot. What you're telling me, is that I would need to write a check for about 12 large to jump the entire PP line and get a Blue Pass.
And I agree with your conclusion. The Blue Lot is subdued MAINLY because it's unaffordable for a younger crowd compared to 2-3 years ago AND to a much lesser extent, any concerns voiced to the AD over the events of PSU and Michigan last year.
As Mr. Screw pointed out, it has become an adult lot now. The kiddie table is thata way...
Did you tell him he should probably withhold judgement on how great of neighbors we are until there is a full contingent of the original crew and a night game? lol
And yes, the Anthem is a nice touch.
Well, I suspect you'd agree that many signs of this time suck.
And I disagree with comparisons to most other schools, in the sense that there are a wide variety of settings and surroundings for football stadiums and parking/tailgating setups. HPS Stadium is located in a suburban town, with the immediately surrounding area and prime lots arguably being rural. Most RU parking is on grass or surface lots, spread out, and on Busch/Livingston campus with almost no residential/commercial areas or heavily traveled streets nearby. This is conducive to more spread-out tailgating, open-container drinking, etc.
Other schools may have a parking situation more similar to the College Avenue Deck/Lot 30, which are smack-dab in the middle of a busy city with thousands of residences and heavily traveled streets. Here, space is more cramped and rules regarding open containers and public drinking unsurprisingly differ. However, there are a multitude of bars, student dormitories and/or houses nearby to pregame or be social at.
As far as enforcement goes, Rutgers is about as controversy- and lawsuit-happy as a university can get. So in that sense, none of these arbitrary crackdowns surprise me. But the administration sending the Middlesex County Sheriffs in to do the RUPD's dirty work, tightening the screws on younger fans that would otherwise give a mediocre football program the support it desperately needs to maintain, is just sad.
I think most of us would agree with nearly everything you've written--up until the last part where you are creating an argument that underage, or slightly above age drinkers, are the future lifeblood of the program. This suggests that some events that happen when kids are, well KIDS, will shape their thinking for the rest of their lives. This suggests that they'll never grow up, because they were shown the back of the hand when they wanted to get fall down drunk in the Blue Lot on Saturdays.
Winning erases all of that.
I may be harping on students and young alumni in particular, but the following applies to fans of all ages. There are maybe 20,000 people (including, I'd imagine, the vast majority of posters on this board) whom are die-hard fans of this program, and would show up to the stadium to watch the team play regardless of W/L record, coaching staff, tailgates, drinking, etc. Then there are people who attend the game for a combination of other reasons: to hang out with their spouses, friends, and/or kids; to have a really enjoyable tailgate with food/drinks; a great Saturday of pregaming/partying and then watching some football; and last but not least, the excitement of winning football.
Unfortunately, I don't think Rutgers is capable of doing the latter constantly enough to sustain capacity crowds and season ticket demand to the point of a waiting list (if I'm proven wrong in the near future or especially this season, then I'll gladly eat crow). Take away the excitement of winning, push young alumni/students to College Avenue because there is too much harassment/inconvenience involved in Busch tailgating/pregaming, and then subtract some friends, spouses, and kids who don't want to attend the game because it has lost its worth for them. Then what is left? The answer to that question was prominent in the early 2000s.
That's certainly a realistic concern.
I think where RU has an opportunity to expand the ticket base, at least in the short run, is by creating incentives for existing young alum season ticket holders to expand their seats. If you have 2 and a family, maybe you go to 4. The guy/gal who has 2 already has an established vested interest in the program. For any business, it's usually easier to get your existing customers to buy more (and it's cheaper to boot) than it is to find new customers.
And I'm not suggesting that an overly aggressive police presence is a) necessary or b) the right thing to do.
Also, there is going to be a general growing pain process here. As the department gets data on attendance for the B10 games, they SHOULD be keeping an eye toward crafting a dynamic policy.
There is no way I can be convinced that the same police presence is necessary for PSU as Wazzou as Norfolk State.
To march out 225 uniformed cops, regardless of opponent, time of year, etc., is silly.
Not that much. If you've never had season tickets, and never donated a dime, and got a 5-figure bonus at work in January, you would have only have to donate $4400 to earn the 44 priority points needed for a Blue Lot pass.
Last year the Blue lot required 31 points. So a new donor would have to shell out $3100, and someone who has held 4 tickets and donated for 5 years would have had to shell out $1470 per year.
Compare this to 2011, when it only took 14 points to get into the Blue Lot. That is a $1400 donation for a new donor, or $335 per year for someone who held 4 tickets and donated for 5 years.
But no matter how you rig the assumptions, the conclusion is still the same. The Blue lot was affordable for new alumni in 2011, but it is now too expensive for most of them. That pushes the age of the Blue lot older.
I don't think I understand your argument.
I get that underage college kids who want to drink don't want to be harassed in the parking lots. Since the cost to get into the Blue Lot in 2011 will only get you into the Tan Lot today, it is just easier for students to party in dorms, apartments, or frats (especially since many of the dorms or frats are closer or about the same distance from the stadium as the Tan Lot).
But I don't understand how this is impacting the friends and spouses who are well over the legal drinking age.
Are you saying that George's 34-year-old wife, and his 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter no longer want to come to the games because there isn't a crowd of 19-year-old college kids getting drunk at a Rave in the Blue Lot?
This is a post I can wholeheartedly agree with.
For reference, I am still technically a young alumni season ticket holder. My core tailgate group, and undergrad classmates/friends who retained interest in RU football all have season tickets. I've seriously considered picking up an extra season ticket or buying mini-plans in order to more readily bring siblings, friends, coworkers to games and expand interest in RU football (will likely do so starting next season), but up until now it has been difficult to justify with the lack of interest in extras (many of my friends flat-out don't care about football) for noon games and vs. weak or so-so opponents. The upcoming night games vs. big-time opponents are a different story, of course. With a better team and increased hype, more have and will continue to come just for the atmosphere.
No, I was expanding the argument for Ruhudson, noting that George's 34-year-old wife and two kids may not have been brought up from childhood to enjoy R.U. football games, and may lose interest in attending games or place a greater priority on other activities if RU's play declines and stadium crowd/atmosphere becomes subdued.
As far as parking lot harassment by police, multiple posters have remarked about their college- and post-college age kids losing interest in even showing up for family/friend tailgates and then making the short walk to the stadium due to this issue. Students have confirmed that increasing numbers of classmates are staying on College Avenue to pregame in peace and not bothering to make it to the game. I have personally had younger-looking friends who got tired of the harassment, poor play, or a combination of both, and will only come out for big games now.
You add up these individuals here and there, and suddenly it's thousands of people missing from the stadium for a game. It's a cascading problem, where decreasing attendance adversely affects atmosphere and further saps interest/excitement.
We are 2-2 with an underwhelming team and a season that is about to unravel. A noon kickoff didn't help. With three kids in all kinds of activities, we have all but stopped tailgating. I can afford my tickets or the giving amount, not both. We were bumped from 127 a couple years ago and have been bumped from yellow to blue to purple. Most games we just make it for kickoff and we miss at least one a year. I'm thinking of not buying parking pass next year and saving $. They have no resale value.
That's my crew with the national anthem. Gald you guys enjoy it. And I have to say after the first game issues the MCSD are much more subdued, at least with us.
We were at the OSU game last year, and met some Ohio friends for a tailgate. With all due respect, they drink like fish out there.
If you read my post, it's not that they do not drink, it's that they can't drink open containers (cans/bottles) in the lot. I was there too. Trust me, I saw lots of people drinking a lot, but it was all out of solo cups or they were getting ticketed.
I never understood the rule at some places that you had to pour your drink into a solo cup to drink it. I understand a bar pouring a drink into a plastic cup on a patio or a pro-stadium, so that bottles and glasses don't break. But in a tailgating parking lot, what is gained by my pouring a beer from a bottle to a cup, and then drinking it.
The action on High Street and the Short North in Columbus is no closer to the shoe than Easton Avenue is to HPSS.
And both require you to cross a river.
And both require you to cross a river.
But there is literally restaurants and bars across the street from the parking lots too, not just the really good area of High Street. I was amazed that all of this was in an easily walkable distance and in many cases visible from the tailgating lots. I'l use an example: we tailgated in the field house lot last year and just across the street (no more than 200 feet away) the building across W Lane Ave hosts a giants party every game. Or four blocks to the east is Buffalo Wild Wings, among a number of other places that are easily accessible by foot before and after a game. Frankly, Easton Ave. is a different hike across Landing Lane on narrow sidewalks and then through other side streets.
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