Staff

What does a ticket to a lacrosse game in the Dome cost?

Do they sell beer during games?

Do you have any idea?

Perhaps the reason we don’t have good answers to these questions is because you are like the thousands of other Syracuse undergrads who don’t attend games.  But considering Syracuse is a perennial national title contender and just finished the season ranked 5th in the land, there must be something missing.

We gathered up the writers over at Otto’s Army and asked them to share their thoughts, focusing on the following question:

What are your suggestions for promoting Syracuse lacrosse on campus?

—

Steve Schaefer, Otto’s Army

Unfortunately for Syracuse lacrosse, they play their games in the climate-controlled Carrier Dome during one of the few stretches of the collegiate year in CNY when people want to be anywhere but inside. That, coupled with the sport’s second-tier status makes drawing a sizable following a tall order. I’m not sure there’s a solution, but here’s one thought:

Free Booze.

Now I have no idea if they charge for lacrosse tickets or not – I don’t recall ever going to a game in my four years in Syracuse. But if they do, why not give away two free beers with every ticket. (Ok fine, only to those over 21) It seems to me that dose of bribery is just about the only thing that will entice fans into the Dome for lacrosse.  And with Marshall Street bars an endangered species, you’d think the University would try to capitalize.

So open the taps and splash some Labatt around if you want to put asses in the seats. Either that or slap a retractable roof on the Dome.

—

Dave Cooperman, Otto’s Army

Two years ago the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland decided that patrons could no longer bring their own alcohol into the race.  Naturally attendance plummeted.  This year they hired an advertising agency and crafted the slogan “Get Your Preak On” much to the dismay of those who don’t support full day festivals of booze and morally loose individuals.

I’ll save Syracuse the advertising dollars and suggest that once a season, Syracuse Lacrosse needs to get their Preak on.  Schedule a game for a Saturday for either the last weekend in April of the first two weekends of May – just before the tournament starts.  They have to play the game outdoors near Manley and encourage students to flood the area, tailgate, get their early and stay late.  Make the game the start to the day, but not necessarily the whole day.  Play it at noon or 1:00PM.  Set up a fair-like atmosphere with food stands, and more importantly, beer stands (I’m thinking bottomless mugs for a set price, as opposed to students bringing their own – just like the Preakness recently did).  Provide all the buses you got to shuttle people all over campus safely.

Once the game concludes, have enough activities onsite to keep students busy until the lacrosse team comes back for a quick pre NCAA tournament pep rally and show of support.  Then, in the early evening, with the party still raging, the Student Association puts on an outdoor concert on South Campus.  That’s how you get your Lax on.

—

Tom Sullivan, Otto’s Army

Aren’t we just asking a little too much of the SU community here? Look, the majority of us all enjoy rooting for the lacrosse program and some of us even go so far as watching them on TV and attending any games we can get to. But on the whole, the Syracuse community is probably the most loyal in all of collegiate lacrosse.

This year, the Orange men’s lacrosse team averaged 4,783 fans in its 7 homes game by my calculations. Pretty great numbers when you consider that the slate of opponents SU played in the Dome this year probably couldn’t have been much weaker and any less of a draw (UVA, Princeton, Hopkins and Cornell were all road or neutral site games). By my same unofficial count, the program with the sport’s second most rabid fan base, Virginia, averaged only 3,920 fans per game this past season and they were ranked #1 in the country for most of it.

Every single year, the men’s lacrosse team draws the most fans to the Dome of any Division-1 men’s college lacrosse program. They draw more than most Major League Lacrosse teams on any given night. Lacrosse is an acquired taste for many and as it continues to expand its popularity on a national level, other programs across the country will continue to close the gap on school like Syracuse and UVA. As they do, the staff will just have to work harder to get the best kids in the country on campus. But as that happens, the SU community’s interest in the sport isn’t going anywhere.

—

Tim Schlittner, Otto’s Army

(1)  Promote lacrosse more right off the bat. One of the first things I received when I committed to Syracuse was the form to buy football and basketball season tickets. Why not throw lacrosse on that form? Maybe include a flyer showing all of the championships they have won and testimonials from famous alumni. Some may decline (I most certainly would have) but others may be compelled to purchase the trifecta.

(2)  Move the games outside. I’ve never understood why a spring sport that attracts such a small number of fans is played in the stuffy and massive Carrier Dome. Often times, perception is reality when it comes to how popular a team or sport is. A few thousand fans in the sixty thousand seat Carrier Dome looks like a dud. They should move games down to South Campus where the smaller venue and open air will make for a much better atmosphere and perhaps even attract new fans into the mix.

(3)  Provide free tickets to students any time Syracuse makes the Final Four. Orange undergrads are long gone by the time Memorial Day weekend rolls around but the prospect of meeting up with their college buddies for a championship tournament free of charge could be an intriguing one. Send out campus-wide e-mails and have an Orange Friendzy (Syracuse tent) like the ones that are popular at football and basketball road games around the country. The interest lacrosse attracts this particular weekend could lead to sustained fanship in the future.

—

Euclid 419er, Otto’s Army

I concede to Sully’s point – this may be a solution in search of a problem.  But in the couple games I attended during my collegiate career, I do remember feeling a bit underwhelmed by the gameday atmosphere in the Dome.  Having never been to a lacrosse game before, maybe I was setting the bar too high and expecting football-like conditions (ironically, in recent years, football games have approached lacrosse game-like conditions). To get an a prospective but skeptical fan like me invested, several things come to mind:

• Invest in freshman.  Hook them early and make them fans for life.  Make every freshman watch this video on day one. Do heavy marketing in the dorms.  Make it a part of visitation tours.  Whatever it takes to get those who don’t know any better to think that “everybody’s doing it.
• Do what Dave says.
• Three simple words: Dogs. Catching. Frisbees.  Is there any better halftime entertainment than dogs catching Frisbees?  I have forgone many a mid-game jumbo pretzel to avoid missing a Border Collie doing a 50-yard post route.

—

Guest Reader: Katie Hatch

With 11 National Championships, Syracuse undoubtedly has the best program in all of Division 1, one of which I was proud to be a part of. I remember as a freshman and sophomore struggling to get even a few friends to attend lax games. No one seemed to care how good Mike Powell was, or that we had been to the Final Four 22 straight years in a row. Truthfully, lacrosse at Syracuse has some pretty tough obstacles to overcome—First, it starts during basketball season, when the “who gives a shit”  about anything else level is at its height, and second the best part of the season (playoffs) start after students leave campus. This year there were only two home games between basketball season and graduation – Albany and Providence  not really the most exciting games of the season. Here are my suggestions:

1. Keep Up The Good Work

In the past few seasons SU has done a couple good things to increase student attendance and it has worked—record student attendance (sure we can do better than 3,000, but it’s a start!)

• Free Tickets – Tickets continue to be free with a student ID or at least with season basketball or football tickets
• Student Section – Keep sections 117 and 118 as student sections. When I was a student, there was no section and students had to sit among the general admission crowd (and who likes those townies!?)
• STX SU Student Night – In 2009 STX gave out free lanyards to the first 500 students that attended the Syracuse-Cornell game. It was a great way to highlight the local rivalry, but I think they could up the giveaway prize to something a bit cooler than a lanyard.

2.       Scheduling

Moving to the Big East last season really didn’t help, but moving some of the big games to April (after basketball season ends) would help with some of the excitement. Hopkins, Virginia, Princeton are all played in March when students (and plenty of local fans) only care about basketball.

3.       Tailgating

Lacrosse fans tailgate in Raynor lots right below the Dome. There’s no reason SU can’t cater tailgates for students on the Sadler/Lawrinson quad area (or even better the main quad). They should sell beer too – with SUperCard! Give away some free Frisbees, hold a Cornhole tournament, and I think you’d have yourself quite the little tailgate.

4.       Engage Students After They Leave Campus

By Memorial Day Weekend, most students are back at home and have no idea that their lacrosse team is vying for a national title. But since the Championships are always held in the Northeast (often Baltimore, but previously Foxboro, and Philly), most students are within a couple hours drive. It’s a great weekend to meet up with a few of your friends you haven’t seen in a few weeks, sport some orange, and drink in a parking lot!

5.       Eye Candy

Lacrosse players are pretty hot, but who can tell underneath all those pads and helmets!? Maybe Joel White should join the Goon Squad. Or perhaps someone should leak an unsanctioned “Lacrosse Boys” calendar.

—

Have a question you want answered?  Easy enough.  Be sure to share your opinions and/or ask future “Ask The Army” questions in the comments section below.