AD monitors are idiots

[IHateWSU]

I think it is the duty of every university athletic department to nurture the most important people in the stadium first.

That isn't the donors or the season ticket holders. It isn't the groups of families or alumni. It isn't even the coaches, managers or players. It is the student section. I know, I know "The WSF donors pay all the blah blah blah". Well, great. But the students are dropping 20K+ a year on tuition and housing then extra for the sport passes and, let's not forget, are the NEXT WSF donors. It is the athletic department's job to make those (hopefully) 1000-2000 students feel like they absolutely own the place so the next game they bring in 3000 students instead of 2000 and so on. Unless there is some kind of actual interference in the game or things like racial/sexual slurs coming from the student section, those students should be allowed to do virtually anything within reason in those seats. If that means balloons or giant heads. If that means chants or gestures. If that means doing things to distract shooters, DO IT. Not only basketball, but football as well. I'd LOVE to see a true "Zoo" return to both RBA and Hancock.

"Oh, but then the season ticket holders are going to pull their donations"

Well, if they do they do, but if you don't start making games fun for the students again, you are going to lose those donations anyway when all of the blue hairs become corpses in the next 20 years and those 1500 or so students you told to pipe down or leave decide that they would rather not come back to ISU after they graduate because bird games weren't that fun. When the WSF stuff comes, they will throw it away. You think there won't be 6 or 7 multi millionaires that are in that group of students today? You'd be wrong. And you need to start selling them NOW.

:text-+1:

 

[greenlock]

I think it is the duty of every university athletic department to nurture the most important people in the stadium first.

That isn't the donors or the season ticket holders. It isn't the groups of families or alumni. It isn't even the coaches, managers or players. It is the student section. I know, I know "The WSF donors pay all the blah blah blah". Well, great. But the students are dropping 20K+ a year on tuition and housing then extra for the sport passes and, let's not forget, are the NEXT WSF donors. It is the athletic department's job to make those (hopefully) 1000-2000 students feel like they absolutely own the place so the next game they bring in 3000 students instead of 2000 and so on. Unless there is some kind of actual interference in the game or things like racial/sexual slurs coming from the student section, those students should be allowed to do virtually anything within reason in those seats. If that means balloons or giant heads. If that means chants or gestures. If that means doing things to distract shooters, DO IT. Not only basketball, but football as well. I'd LOVE to see a true "Zoo" return to both RBA and Hancock.

"Oh, but then the season ticket holders are going to pull their donations"

Well, if they do they do, but if you don't start making games fun for the students again, you are going to lose those donations anyway when all of the blue hairs become corpses in the next 20 years and those 1500 or so students you told to pipe down or leave decide that they would rather not come back to ISU after they graduate because bird games weren't that fun. When the WSF stuff comes, they will throw it away. You think there won't be 6 or 7 multi millionaires that are in that group of students today? You'd be wrong. And you need to start selling them NOW.

The REAL issue here is not that it happened....it's that it has been happening for so long and no one in the Athletic Department gets it or apparently cares. Unless the President does something to make changes with all of the leadership, then it will never change in the stale Athletic Department. My frustration levels with the Athletic Department is at its peak. I have been letting my voice be heard with my wallet. For the first time in over 20 years I no longer have season basketball tickets and football may be next. But honestly, it won't matter. Because they have a tendency to drive away the most passionate of fans (especially students) and have never really cared about encouraging student participation. Like the students I am tired of being glared at or being told to sit down for cheering and supporting my team. I have always wanted nothing but the best for what I think could be one of the premiere athletic programs in the midwest....but without vision, leadership and an understanding of what it really takes to be a winner the ISU Athletic Department will continue to fail. Sorry folks, the students and their issues with them are just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[dpdoughbird06]

A friend and longtime Redbird fan got kicked out of the courtside seats by monitors last night for squatting. He noticed that it's a bad look to have empty courtside seats for an ESPN game, and took action.

Apparently those seats belong to the Athletic Department, he was told. So either they hadn't bothered to fill them, or the people they'd chosen to fill them didn't show or left early.

In any event, you'd expect that we could fill those seats for a nationally televised game. Instead they kicked him out and slid everyone else down a few seats - thus creating new vacant seats closer to the corner. Problem solved!

Been waiting for this to appear on the board as I watched the entire thing unfold.

First, while your friend may have been told by the monitor that the seat he was sitting in belonged to the Athletic Department, it does not. I know exactly who owns the seat that your friend was sitting in.

Second, they did not slid everyone down. There were two guys on the corner that were being loud and the older couple sitting next to them slid down to move away from them. Later in the game two other people tried to move down into the empty seats and their tickets were checked as well. At that point the older couple got annoyed enough by the two gentlemen on the end and decided to leave.

After your boy was asked to leave the seat, he seemed agitated and he flew up to TT with the rest of your group. You and your boy started to mock ISU on twitter for him getting kicked out of his seat. You yourself acknowledged that he was squatting so why is it ISU's fault? Besides, I thought TT was THE PLACE to be to watch a game? If it is, why did he want to sit court side? In the end, your friend was wrong yet the both of you try to throw blame at ISU for doing their job.

A few quick clarifications, lest this turn into a time suck I don't need today:

- Athletics did exactly what you'd expect; you have to police the prime seats. But Twitter is a place where you can have fun with such things, and when we've all been pregaming at a bar for three hours beforehand because the Valley booked 9 PM Saturday tipoffs in order to get ESPN2 exposure, you'll get some of this. (I'm not complaining; usually I'm on my best behavior with my 6-year-old in tow, but this one started after his bedtime, so he was a no-go.)

- If you look at it objectively, where was I slamming Redbird Athletics, other than for not ensuring that our most visible seats were filled for our one nationally televised game? (I do not consider CBS Sports Net a national broadcast.)

- TT is the place to be; I wouldn't trade that vantage point for anything. I've been a courtside guest of Radio Bloomington's in past years, and there have been vacancies then, too. While it's likely impossible to ensure attendance for every seat at every game, I'd at least expect Athletics to check in on their courtside ticket holders to see if anyone is not planning to attend the game that's on ESPN2. For the sake of branding, it's important that these seats be filled - that's really my only issue. If you knew who holds the seats that were being squatted in, where were they? I've known many cases of season ticket holders donating unused seats back for resale. Could they have been donated back to athletics and resold for a WSF donation or won in a raffled benefiting said? A "butt-less" courtside seat for a nationally televised game is an asset wasted.

- Why would someone sit courtside if they didn't want to get loud? If you've perused other forums here, this is a huge issue with loyal and loud donors - present company included - being "shushed" by those who prefer Redbird Arena to be the Milner Library of the Missouri Valley.

OK, that's about all I've got for now. Please don't take this as an assault on Redbird Athletics; I love my alma mater and delete a good portion of what I consider posting on here in order to be constructive. If you find a way to accommodate the outwardly passionate (aka loud and standing/stomping) fans and ensure that prime seats are filled for national broadcasts, I can't really complain.

Last thoughts:

- In my line of work, I always thank customers who have an issue for bringing it to my attention. Isn't it better to know how your WSF donors, season ticket holders, students, and corporate partners feel about their gameday experience?

- Why not sign your name at the bottom of your post, Redbird? Folks on here appreciate those who don't hide behind handles (yes, I know I use my business, but that probably keeps me even more honest). Engage your most passionate fans. For years the official line has been that the Athletics administration does not bother to read our forums; it's nice to finally see that they do in fact peruse the pulse of their most passionate fans.

 

[Buffett]

The tissue paper race really gets me goin!

 

[Morans14]

A friend and longtime Redbird fan got kicked out of the courtside seats by monitors last night for squatting. He noticed that it's a bad look to have empty courtside seats for an ESPN game, and took action.

Apparently those seats belong to the Athletic Department, he was told. So either they hadn't bothered to fill them, or the people they'd chosen to fill them didn't show or left early.

In any event, you'd expect that we could fill those seats for a nationally televised game. Instead they kicked him out and slid everyone else down a few seats - thus creating new vacant seats closer to the corner. Problem solved!

Been waiting for this to appear on the board as I watched the entire thing unfold.

First, while your friend may have been told by the monitor that the seat he was sitting in belonged to the Athletic Department, it does not. I know exactly who owns the seat that your friend was sitting in.

Second, they did not slid everyone down. There were two guys on the corner that were being loud and the older couple sitting next to them slid down to move away from them. Later in the game two other people tried to move down into the empty seats and their tickets were checked as well. At that point the older couple got annoyed enough by the two gentlemen on the end and decided to leave.

After your boy was asked to leave the seat, he seemed agitated and he flew up to TT with the rest of your group. You and your boy started to mock ISU on twitter for him getting kicked out of his seat. You yourself acknowledged that he was squatting so why is it ISU's fault? Besides, I thought TT was THE PLACE to be to watch a game? If it is, why did he want to sit court side? In the end, your friend was wrong yet the both of you try to throw blame at ISU for doing their job.

A few quick clarifications, lest this turn into a time suck I don't need today:

- Athletics did exactly what you'd expect; you have to police the prime seats. But Twitter is a place where you can have fun with such things, and when we've all been pregaming at a bar for three hours beforehand because the Valley booked 9 PM Saturday tipoffs in order to get ESPN2 exposure, you'll get some of this. (I'm not complaining; usually I'm on my best behavior with my 6-year-old in tow, but this one started after his bedtime, so he was a no-go.)

- If you look at it objectively, where was I slamming Redbird Athletics, other than for not ensuring that our most visible seats were filled for our one nationally televised game? (I do not consider CBS Sports Net a national broadcast.)

- TT is the place to be; I wouldn't trade that vantage point for anything. I've been a courtside guest of Radio Bloomington's in past years, and there have been vacancies then, too. While it's likely impossible to ensure attendance for every seat at every game, I'd at least expect Athletics to check in on their courtside ticket holders to see if anyone is not planning to attend the game that's on ESPN2. For the sake of branding, it's important that these seats be filled - that's really my only issue. If you knew who holds the seats that were being squatted in, where were they? I've known many cases of season ticket holders donating unused seats back for resale. Could they have been donated back to athletics and resold for a WSF donation or won in a raffled benefiting said? A "butt-less" courtside seat for a nationally televised game is an asset wasted.

- Why would someone sit courtside if they didn't want to get loud? If you've perused other forums here, this is a huge issue with loyal and loud donors - present company included - being "shushed" by those who prefer Redbird Arena to be the Milner Library of the Missouri Valley.

OK, that's about all I've got for now. Please don't take this as an assault on Redbird Athletics; I love my alma mater and delete a good portion of what I consider posting on here in order to be constructive. If you find a way to accommodate the outwardly passionate (aka loud and standing/stomping) fans and ensure that prime seats are filled for national broadcasts, I can't really complain.

Last thoughts:

- In my line of work, I always thank customers who have an issue for bringing it to my attention. Isn't it better to know how your WSF donors, season ticket holders, students, and corporate partners feel about their gameday experience?

- Why not sign your name at the bottom of your post, Redbird? Folks on here appreciate those who don't hide behind handles (yes, I know I use my business, but that probably keeps me even more honest). Engage your most passionate fans. For years the official line has been that the Athletics administration does not bother to read our forums; it's nice to finally see that they do in fact peruse the pulse of their most passionate fans.

couldn't have said it better!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ricohill]

I'm probably the wrong person on here to be getting into this because I am on the foe list and seen as negative (which admittedly is my fault, I was too negative on the Hein issue and pushed it too far).

I am the type of ISU fan that is going to support them no matter what happens (team results, administration decisions, etc...) so they can take my support for granted and it doesn't really matter. I don't hold it against someone like Greenlock for no longer getting season tickets either.

This thread has brought a smile to my face because it brings up issues ISU has had for years and don't mind the boat being rocked a little.

First off, unless the students are doing something that the ref makes them stop or is offensive, then leave them alone. This is entertainment and supposed to be fun.

Second, anyone calling out someone for sitting in unused seats in the lower bowl should just stop. I've sat there long enough to realize that a lot of the "big time" WSF donors don't show up half the time. The court side seats are empty most of the time, so who cares if someone is sitting in one? Unless they do something bad, I would rather have it look like someone is in the seat on tv. ISU has bigger issues than checking to see if the 4,000 people in the arena are in the correct location. If you don't like someone sitting in your seats, show up on time or at a minimum go to the game.

I am passionate and love ISU, that will never change. I don't think the current administration are bad people, actually I think they are all great people. They just seem to really rub the fans that support ISU the wrong way and chase $$$. I know money is important, but they can't seem to raise enough of it to get any new projects off the ground, so they could at least be building relationships with future fans like the students.

 

[greenlock]

A friend and longtime Redbird fan got kicked out of the courtside seats by monitors last night for squatting. He noticed that it's a bad look to have empty courtside seats for an ESPN game, and took action.

Apparently those seats belong to the Athletic Department, he was told. So either they hadn't bothered to fill them, or the people they'd chosen to fill them didn't show or left early.

In any event, you'd expect that we could fill those seats for a nationally televised game. Instead they kicked him out and slid everyone else down a few seats - thus creating new vacant seats closer to the corner. Problem solved!

Been waiting for this to appear on the board as I watched the entire thing unfold.

First, while your friend may have been told by the monitor that the seat he was sitting in belonged to the Athletic Department, it does not. I know exactly who owns the seat that your friend was sitting in.

Second, they did not slid everyone down. There were two guys on the corner that were being loud and the older couple sitting next to them slid down to move away from them. Later in the game two other people tried to move down into the empty seats and their tickets were checked as well. At that point the older couple got annoyed enough by the two gentlemen on the end and decided to leave.

After your boy was asked to leave the seat, he seemed agitated and he flew up to TT with the rest of your group. You and your boy started to mock ISU on twitter for him getting kicked out of his seat. You yourself acknowledged that he was squatting so why is it ISU's fault? Besides, I thought TT was THE PLACE to be to watch a game? If it is, why did he want to sit court side? In the end, your friend was wrong yet the both of you try to throw blame at ISU for doing their job.

Interesting post. I think you missed the point. The AD should have been proactive enough and smart enough to ensure that ISU doesn't have courtside seats that are empty. It's embarrassing especially on national tv. Maybe the guy should be hired in for marketing in the athletic department to help ensure we at least look good even if we aren't!! Or do like the grammy's or academy awards where they have professional seat fillers. Yeh, the guy was wrong about going to the seat, but it certainly looks better for ISU with him there.

Watching for this post, knowing who sits in the seats, watching the person who went down to sit there and follow him back up to his seat and monitoring his twitter account is kind of creepy....unless you are a member of the athletic department then I can understand why you would be defensive and embarrassed about having empty courtside seats let alone a mostly empty arena on one of our few nationally televised games.

 

[SgtHulka]

Good stuff here. Just like players, coaches and fans, administrators can always stand to learn something to better their game. If you're willing.

 

[isuquinndog]

About three years ago I reached out to the director of ticket sales about providing a spot where tickets can be exchanged and they said they were working on something. I don't think that exists today so I reached out again. I'll let you know what they say.

 

[Adunk33]

Would it be overkill for someone to request a forum (like a town hall) with decision makers in the Athletic Department? I'm sure many posters would attend. It would be beneficial to let "our voice be heard." Will it get ignored? Who knows. But it is one way to hold them accountable by having a monthly meeting. "Okay, we talked about X last time... what is the progress?" I have seen a lot of people say, "I have reached out to the AD about X or Y, but haven't heard back or was told they are working on it." Changes get made when a united front gets behind a similar issue. Point out what the specific issues are and see if you can get a meeting. Decision makers in the AD should be thrilled at the opportunity to have concerns brought to them to address, because the Athletic Department would not have to go find out what the concerns are.

I'm sure the passionate fans on here combine for enough WSF money to be heard. There is power in numbers. (P.s. Really think Redbird Arena should have a 'Redbird Fan' section where fans can stand as much as they want and no one would tell them to sit. Sell these tickets with the fans who buy them knowing the stipulation for this section. I'll make this item number 1 on the agenda at the First ISU Athletics Town Hall.)

I do not donate enough to ISU to be taken seriously by the AD quite yet. So, if someone was willing to suggest this to ______ whoever, that would be cool. Let me know when the meeting is!

 

[Redbirdwarrior]

I don't see why ISU shouldn't have a 12 minute timeout policy in play for some of those seats.

In that, if you have not made it to your seat anywhere in the lower bowl by the first half 12 min mark, your seat becomes general admission to anyone in the stadium. This, of course, would be trumped if you were to show up at half and have the tickets. You would be allowed your seats back. But, I have never understood why people get defensive about the seats they are not sitting in. I do it at White Sox games every time I go. I buy a ticket in the corner outfield for $15 then scout the seats right about 1st and 3rd for 3 innings then spend the rest of the game typically about 5 rows off the field.

Gets me closer to the game and makes it more enjoyable, makes the stadium look better on TV and gives the game better atmosphere for the players. If the ticket holder shows up, we say "oop, sorry" and move over to the next available seats. There is no loser in this scenario.

 

[ISU FAN 1]

Ok, here we go with a "back in my day" post. We had 24 in a group for Redbird tickets back in '83 and you had to camp out for a day or so. We had a schedule as your spot could not be left unattended, and everyone had to pull a 2 hour stint to be part of our group and there were a ton of other Redbirds in line. It was actually pretty damn cool. Back then the games were an event, the badley games were insane. The crowd at Horton rocked. Never went in sober, never left with my voice intact. Dressed up as Versace one game and a bu asst. tried to get me thrown out as I yelled at bu from the sideline during the pregame warmups. Security led me away and I won the dick Versace look alike contest that game. Great times. Back then we had a home court advantage. Not so much anymore. It's sad that ISU doesn't seem to care about it anymore. Let the students be students. Maybe the athletic dept should watch some bball on the telly. Watch Ariz. St and the curtain of distraction. Watch Duke students as they taunt and harass visiting teams.

Make Redbird basketball fun again!!!

I graduated in '85 and remember well renting tents from campus rec to camp out several days in advance before student season tickets went on sale. If I recall, each group could be as large as 55, and it wasn't hard to find 55 students that wanted in. And there were dozens of tents scattered all over the Horton Fieldhouse "front lawn". I remember freezing my ass off a night or two waiting in line for tickets those 4 years, but it was also a ton of fun partying in front of our basketball Mecca. Yes, many voiceless nights leaving the Horton. The high five was big back then, and our hands would sting with pain exulting every Redbird highlight. And there were a bunch those Big Dance 3-peat years.

 

[TheTruth]

I don't think the current administration are bad people, actually I think they are all great people. They just seem to really rub the fans that support ISU the wrong way and chase $$$. I know money is important, but they can't seem to raise enough of it to get any new projects off the ground

I'm sure they're all fine people but if they can't do their jobs.... why are they here? They are not owed a position, when will the university stand up for itself and do the right thing?

 

[Hamdonger]

A friend and longtime Redbird fan got kicked out of the courtside seats by monitors last night for squatting. He noticed that it's a bad look to have empty courtside seats for an ESPN game, and took action.

Apparently those seats belong to the Athletic Department, he was told. So either they hadn't bothered to fill them, or the people they'd chosen to fill them didn't show or left early.

In any event, you'd expect that we could fill those seats for a nationally televised game. Instead they kicked him out and slid everyone else down a few seats - thus creating new vacant seats closer to the corner. Problem solved!

Been waiting for this to appear on the board as I watched the entire thing unfold.

First, while your friend may have been told by the monitor that the seat he was sitting in belonged to the Athletic Department, it does not. I know exactly who owns the seat that your friend was sitting in.

Second, they did not slid everyone down. There were two guys on the corner that were being loud and the older couple sitting next to them slid down to move away from them. Later in the game two other people tried to move down into the empty seats and their tickets were checked as well. At that point the older couple got annoyed enough by the two gentlemen on the end and decided to leave.

After your boy was asked to leave the seat, he seemed agitated and he flew up to TT with the rest of your group. You and your boy started to mock ISU on twitter for him getting kicked out of his seat. You yourself acknowledged that he was squatting so why is it ISU's fault? Besides, I thought TT was THE PLACE to be to watch a game? If it is, why did he want to sit court side? In the end, your friend was wrong yet the both of you try to throw blame at ISU for doing their job.

A few quick clarifications, lest this turn into a time suck I don't need today:

- Athletics did exactly what you'd expect; you have to police the prime seats. But Twitter is a place where you can have fun with such things, and when we've all been pregaming at a bar for three hours beforehand because the Valley booked 9 PM Saturday tipoffs in order to get ESPN2 exposure, you'll get some of this. (I'm not complaining; usually I'm on my best behavior with my 6-year-old in tow, but this one started after his bedtime, so he was a no-go.)

- If you look at it objectively, where was I slamming Redbird Athletics, other than for not ensuring that our most visible seats were filled for our one nationally televised game? (I do not consider CBS Sports Net a national broadcast.)

- TT is the place to be; I wouldn't trade that vantage point for anything. I've been a courtside guest of Radio Bloomington's in past years, and there have been vacancies then, too. While it's likely impossible to ensure attendance for every seat at every game, I'd at least expect Athletics to check in on their courtside ticket holders to see if anyone is not planning to attend the game that's on ESPN2. For the sake of branding, it's important that these seats be filled - that's really my only issue. If you knew who holds the seats that were being squatted in, where were they? I've known many cases of season ticket holders donating unused seats back for resale. Could they have been donated back to athletics and resold for a WSF donation or won in a raffled benefiting said? A "butt-less" courtside seat for a nationally televised game is an asset wasted.

- Why would someone sit courtside if they didn't want to get loud? If you've perused other forums here, this is a huge issue with loyal and loud donors - present company included - being "shushed" by those who prefer Redbird Arena to be the Milner Library of the Missouri Valley.

OK, that's about all I've got for now. Please don't take this as an assault on Redbird Athletics; I love my alma mater and delete a good portion of what I consider posting on here in order to be constructive. If you find a way to accommodate the outwardly passionate (aka loud and standing/stomping) fans and ensure that prime seats are filled for national broadcasts, I can't really complain.

Last thoughts:

- In my line of work, I always thank customers who have an issue for bringing it to my attention. Isn't it better to know how your WSF donors, season ticket holders, students, and corporate partners feel about their gameday experience?

- Why not sign your name at the bottom of your post, Redbird? Folks on here appreciate those who don't hide behind handles (yes, I know I use my business, but that probably keeps me even more honest). Engage your most passionate fans. For years the official line has been that the Athletics administration does not bother to read our forums; it's nice to finally see that they do in fact peruse the pulse of their most passionate fans.

I was eagerly looking forward to your response. Nice back and forth. Good topic because it shines a light on something that needs some more light put on it.

 

[ISU FAN 1]

I think it is the duty of every university athletic department to nurture the most important people in the stadium first.

That isn't the donors or the season ticket holders. It isn't the groups of families or alumni. It isn't even the coaches, managers or players. It is the student section. I know, I know "The WSF donors pay all the blah blah blah". Well, great. But the students are dropping 20K+ a year on tuition and housing then extra for the sport passes and, let's not forget, are the NEXT WSF donors. It is the athletic department's job to make those (hopefully) 1000-2000 students feel like they absolutely own the place so the next game they bring in 3000 students instead of 2000 and so on. Unless there is some kind of actual interference in the game or things like racial/sexual slurs coming from the student section, those students should be allowed to do virtually anything within reason in those seats. If that means balloons or giant heads. If that means chants or gestures. If that means doing things to distract shooters, DO IT. Not only basketball, but football as well. I'd LOVE to see a true "Zoo" return to both RBA and Hancock.

"Oh, but then the season ticket holders are going to pull their donations"

Well, if they do they do, but if you don't start making games fun for the students again, you are going to lose those donations anyway when all of the blue hairs become corpses in the next 20 years and those 1500 or so students you told to pipe down or leave decide that they would rather not come back to ISU after they graduate because bird games weren't that fun. When the WSF stuff comes, they will throw it away. You think there won't be 6 or 7 multi millionaires that are in that group of students today? You'd be wrong. And you need to start selling them NOW.

I support everything you say, as long as ISU is still fully funded on scholarships. If we don't have 13 donation funded full rides to hand out, that will hurt the product on the floor.

 

[DWRedbird]

I'm probably the wrong person on here to be getting into this because I am on the foe list and seen as negative (which admittedly is my fault, I was too negative on the Hein issue and pushed it too far).

I am the type of ISU fan that is going to support them no matter what happens (team results, administration decisions, etc...) so they can take my support for granted and it doesn't really matter. I don't hold it against someone like Greenlock for no longer getting season tickets either.

This thread has brought a smile to my face because it brings up issues ISU has had for years and don't mind the boat being rocked a little.

First off, unless the students are doing something that the ref makes them stop or is offensive, then leave them alone. This is entertainment and supposed to be fun.

Second, anyone calling out someone for sitting in unused seats in the lower bowl should just stop. I've sat there long enough to realize that a lot of the "big time" WSF donors don't show up half the time. The court side seats are empty most of the time, so who cares if someone is sitting in one? Unless they do something bad, I would rather have it look like someone is in the seat on tv. ISU has bigger issues than checking to see if the 4,000 people in the arena are in the correct location. If you don't like someone sitting in your seats, show up on time or at a minimum go to the game.

I am passionate and love ISU, that will never change. I don't think the current administration are bad people, actually I think they are all great people. They just seem to really rub the fans that support ISU the wrong way and chase $$$. I know money is important, but they can't seem to raise enough of it to get any new projects off the ground, so they could at least be building relationships with future fans like the students.

I agree with most of this. I too am the kind of fan who is going to go to games regardless of how they treat me. For the most part I've had good experiences with the admins/monitors. I've been going long enough and had the same seats behind the visiting bench long enough that I'm friendly with some of the admins and "monitors". But, I also agree that at times the administration seems to focus on the money aspect of the basketball game over the fan experience, and I'm with you rico, I don't fault anyone who stops coming to the games.

Couple of other things I wanted to respond to, but I'm too lazy to do all the quoting:

- While I agree students should pretty much be left alone, there are times we do need to police them a bit. In the instance of the Valpo game, they weren't balloons that were handed out, but pool noodles, and yes they did make quite a bit of noise. Enough that if the other team shot FTs down on our end, the refs would have heard them and T'd us up, especially how these refs were calling things. The students were told on several occasions not to clap them, both by other students (especially the leader with the dry erase board) and monitors. Some students chose to ignore it and keep clapping them. I don't particularly find it distracting or troubling (though this was about 10pm and it was starting to sound like rain so I'll admit my eyes would have gotten heavy listening to it the rest of the game), but I know its a no-no and I don't have any problem with the monitors taking the noodles away from students who ignored the warnings, because I don't want us getting T'd up for it. We give up enough points on the floor, I don't want the crowd doing it too.

- The above being said, I think the admins could do a little more to get the students engaged with props. Don't give them the balls, but like towls/shirts/actual balloons, and other neat little gifts would be cool. And as a whole we need to do a better job at attracting students to games. We don't have nearly enough.

- As to the courtside seats, I'm largely with DP and rico. We need to fill them. I sit almost directly across from one section, and there are always more open seats than filled. I get that sometimes people can't come to games (everyone in my group but me is guilty of it a lot and they don't let me know until last minute so its not common to see my by myself sitting behind the bench), but with how often those seats are open I think it looks bad. I'd love to see the staff check with those ticket holders to make sure they are coming, or make the seats a per game basis, and give the "owners" of the seats first crack at them. That said, I get why they check tickets for those seats. If I'm not mistaken they get free food, and I wouldn't want randoms coming down and sitting in the seats and getting the food (unless that is just for the baseline seats).

- That said, I've never seen them check tickets for anything but those seats and the friends and family seats. People sit in my seats all the time, and I've never had the staff check their tickets. For the most part in the seats around me the fans usually just police themselves. I don't mind this (I usually have someone sitting in my seats before every game, and usually depending on if I'm there alone that game or not, I don't usually mind), but I see the need to police the friends and family seats as well as the courtside.

- While on the topic of seats, I really, really wish they would turn the opposite baseline bleacher section into a student section or an adult part section or something. That section is almost always half full because they are all the corporate seats that no one uses. While I think we should engage with our corporate sponsors and give them free tickets. Make it upperbowl seats, because I'm tired of having no fans on that end.

 

[ricohill]

I don't think the current administration are bad people, actually I think they are all great people. They just seem to really rub the fans that support ISU the wrong way and chase $$$. I know money is important, but they can't seem to raise enough of it to get any new projects off the ground

I'm sure they're all fine people but if they can't do their jobs.... why are they here? They are not owed a position, when will the university stand up for itself and do the right thing?

I said that because the topic calls them idiots. I don’t think anyone in the ISU administration is an idiot. There is a big difference between being an idiot and not doing your job well.

 

[ISU FAN 1]

A friend and longtime Redbird fan got kicked out of the courtside seats by monitors last night for squatting. He noticed that it's a bad look to have empty courtside seats for an ESPN game, and took action.

Apparently those seats belong to the Athletic Department, he was told. So either they hadn't bothered to fill them, or the people they'd chosen to fill them didn't show or left early.

In any event, you'd expect that we could fill those seats for a nationally televised game. Instead they kicked him out and slid everyone else down a few seats - thus creating new vacant seats closer to the corner. Problem solved!

Been waiting for this to appear on the board as I watched the entire thing unfold.

First, while your friend may have been told by the monitor that the seat he was sitting in belonged to the Athletic Department, it does not. I know exactly who owns the seat that your friend was sitting in.

Second, they did not slid everyone down. There were two guys on the corner that were being loud and the older couple sitting next to them slid down to move away from them. Later in the game two other people tried to move down into the empty seats and their tickets were checked as well. At that point the older couple got annoyed enough by the two gentlemen on the end and decided to leave.

After your boy was asked to leave the seat, he seemed agitated and he flew up to TT with the rest of your group. You and your boy started to mock ISU on twitter for him getting kicked out of his seat. You yourself acknowledged that he was squatting so why is it ISU's fault? Besides, I thought TT was THE PLACE to be to watch a game? If it is, why did he want to sit court side? In the end, your friend was wrong yet the both of you try to throw blame at ISU for doing their job.

A few quick clarifications, lest this turn into a time suck I don't need today:

- Athletics did exactly what you'd expect; you have to police the prime seats. But Twitter is a place where you can have fun with such things, and when we've all been pregaming at a bar for three hours beforehand because the Valley booked 9 PM Saturday tipoffs in order to get ESPN2 exposure, you'll get some of this. (I'm not complaining; usually I'm on my best behavior with my 6-year-old in tow, but this one started after his bedtime, so he was a no-go.)

- If you look at it objectively, where was I slamming Redbird Athletics, other than for not ensuring that our most visible seats were filled for our one nationally televised game? (I do not consider CBS Sports Net a national broadcast.)

- TT is the place to be; I wouldn't trade that vantage point for anything. I've been a courtside guest of Radio Bloomington's in past years, and there have been vacancies then, too. While it's likely impossible to ensure attendance for every seat at every game, I'd at least expect Athletics to check in on their courtside ticket holders to see if anyone is not planning to attend the game that's on ESPN2. For the sake of branding, it's important that these seats be filled - that's really my only issue. If you knew who holds the seats that were being squatted in, where were they? I've known many cases of season ticket holders donating unused seats back for resale. Could they have been donated back to athletics and resold for a WSF donation or won in a raffled benefiting said? A "butt-less" courtside seat for a nationally televised game is an asset wasted.

- Why would someone sit courtside if they didn't want to get loud? If you've perused other forums here, this is a huge issue with loyal and loud donors - present company included - being "shushed" by those who prefer Redbird Arena to be the Milner Library of the Missouri Valley.

OK, that's about all I've got for now. Please don't take this as an assault on Redbird Athletics; I love my alma mater and delete a good portion of what I consider posting on here in order to be constructive. If you find a way to accommodate the outwardly passionate (aka loud and standing/stomping) fans and ensure that prime seats are filled for national broadcasts, I can't really complain.

Last thoughts:

- In my line of work, I always thank customers who have an issue for bringing it to my attention. Isn't it better to know how your WSF donors, season ticket holders, students, and corporate partners feel about their gameday experience?

- Why not sign your name at the bottom of your post, Redbird? Folks on here appreciate those who don't hide behind handles (yes, I know I use my business, but that probably keeps me even more honest). Engage your most passionate fans. For years the official line has been that the Athletics administration does not bother to read our forums; it's nice to finally see that they do in fact peruse the pulse of their most passionate fans.

Slam dunk post.

 

[Redbird]

A friend and longtime Redbird fan got kicked out of the courtside seats by monitors last night for squatting. He noticed that it's a bad look to have empty courtside seats for an ESPN game, and took action.

Apparently those seats belong to the Athletic Department, he was told. So either they hadn't bothered to fill them, or the people they'd chosen to fill them didn't show or left early.

In any event, you'd expect that we could fill those seats for a nationally televised game. Instead they kicked him out and slid everyone else down a few seats - thus creating new vacant seats closer to the corner. Problem solved!

Been waiting for this to appear on the board as I watched the entire thing unfold.

First, while your friend may have been told by the monitor that the seat he was sitting in belonged to the Athletic Department, it does not. I know exactly who owns the seat that your friend was sitting in.

Second, they did not slid everyone down. There were two guys on the corner that were being loud and the older couple sitting next to them slid down to move away from them. Later in the game two other people tried to move down into the empty seats and their tickets were checked as well. At that point the older couple got annoyed enough by the two gentlemen on the end and decided to leave.

After your boy was asked to leave the seat, he seemed agitated and he flew up to TT with the rest of your group. You and your boy started to mock ISU on twitter for him getting kicked out of his seat. You yourself acknowledged that he was squatting so why is it ISU's fault? Besides, I thought TT was THE PLACE to be to watch a game? If it is, why did he want to sit court side? In the end, your friend was wrong yet the both of you try to throw blame at ISU for doing their job.

Interesting post. I think you missed the point. The AD should have been proactive enough and smart enough to ensure that ISU doesn't have courtside seats that are empty. It's embarrassing especially on national tv. Maybe the guy should be hired in for marketing in the athletic department to help ensure we at least look good even if we aren't!! Or do like the grammy's or academy awards where they have professional seat fillers. Yeh, the guy was wrong about going to the seat, but it certainly looks better for ISU with him there.

Watching for this post, knowing who sits in the seats, watching the person who went down to sit there and follow him back up to his seat and monitoring his twitter account is kind of creepy....unless you are a member of the athletic department then I can understand why you would be defensive and embarrassed about having empty courtside seats let alone a mostly empty arena on one of our few nationally televised games.

I have said this many times and Quinn has even confirmed it based on my email address that only he can see, I do not work for ISU period. Second, when I saw him leave the courtside, I watched where he went just to see where he was supposed to sit and that is when I saw him go to TT and I know that many of you sit up there. I wasn't being creepy.

Finally, I agree that not having people in those seats is wrong regardless of the game, ESPN2 or not. I also agree that a ticket exchange/resale is a good idea and should be done. I do believe that is something the AD office can/should do.

 

[ISU FAN 1]

I don't see why ISU shouldn't have a 12 minute timeout policy in play for some of those seats.

In that, if you have not made it to your seat anywhere in the lower bowl by the first half 12 min mark, your seat becomes general admission to anyone in the stadium. This, of course, would be trumped if you were to show up at half and have the tickets. You would be allowed your seats back. But, I have never understood why people get defensive about the seats they are not sitting in. I do it at White Sox games every time I go. I buy a ticket in the corner outfield for $15 then scout the seats right about 1st and 3rd for 3 innings then spend the rest of the game typically about 5 rows off the field.

Gets me closer to the game and makes it more enjoyable, makes the stadium look better on TV and gives the game better atmosphere for the players. If the ticket holder shows up, we say "oop, sorry" and move over to the next available seats. There is no loser in this scenario.

ISU thinks they are losing because they want squatters to donate to get access to those prime seats. That's really all those ushers are there for .... to send that me$$age to the squatter$. Kind of investment protection as well. If those that donate have different squatters sitting next to them every game, their incentive to "pay up" for their seats may lessen, thinking these squatters are getting them donation free.

I like the old Horton general admission days. Packed concourse an hour before an Indiana State game, chanting "Birdshit" to pay respect to Larry Bird, followed by a land rush to whatever seat you could beat someone to when the doors opened.