Soccer opens the athletic school year this afternoon with Volleyball close behind! We finally have something else to discuss beyond mascots! ;D
Question for the board
How many of you go to live events?
Especially interested in the pre 2000 grads
What is your take on game atmosphere etc..?
Quote from: Valpo03 on August 18, 2022, 10:02:32 AM
Question for the board
How many of you go to live events?
Especially interested in the pre 2000 grads
What is your take on game atmosphere etc..?
I assume that you mean live Valpo events.
I am a 1984 grad.
I live in Wisconsin, so I do not go to many live Valpo events and when I do attend it is for basketball. I would attend more events if I lived closer and attend a lot of sporting events for two other universities.
Game atmosphere for Valpo basketball can be great, but it is driven solely by two things: 1. quality of the team, 2. perceived quality of the opponent. For instance, I was at the Saint Mary's NIT game and the Missouri State bracketbuster game and the atmosphere at those games was fantastic - as good or better than the atmosphere at games that I attend for two major conference teams.
I'm local and will go to basketball and occasional football games and have even popped in on soccer on occasion. My thought is that they are fine for what they are. My kids enjoy them, they can see the court and run around and interact with players and the mascot (when one is in attendance).
They are less likely to get bored than when we have taken them to larger events where they feel stuck in the chair and are farther away from the action and I can let them walk or run around the track and keep an eye on them and still see all of the game which is nice.
They have also been to pro games and March Madness in Indy and I think they view them as different experiences but like them both. and generally for my kids, more games is better than one or two big games no matter what.
I live in the Des Moines area and attend events when Valpo is there.
The Drake - Valpo games are entertaining and they provide a good atmosphere. Good places to eat and drink around campus before the game, and I like the Knapp Center. Good fan base, really good pep band, and they get a decent local Des Moines crowd. iMO the Knapp Center structure would be ideal for a school like Valpo.
for football, Drake plays at a very old stadium whose main event is the Drake Relays and not football. Only Valpo football parents attends these games and some of them can act like real jackasses. Not a lot of interest with Drake football - I see more with the successful Grand View team.
The game day atmosphere for Men's Basketball the last many years has been unquestionably poor. There are many high schools that have done a better job. We have a new game day leader as of this year so let's hope for the best. On a positive note, the Football team is debuting a new tailgate section this year which was greatly needed along with a few other gameday additions. The new Athletic Director surely will make all of our sports a better viewing experience.
Valpo basketball is in a serious funk and needs change to boost the interest.