How can Alabama regain the spring game record?

[MikeD]

UGA had the benefit of a perfect storm. New coach, new enthusiasm, hungry fan base, new star qb recruit. However, there is no reason Alabama can't capitalize. The leading program in the county - Alabama - may not think it needs to reinvent itself for spring games, but I disagree. Promote. Challenge fans to attend. Have a pre-concert or halftime concert with a high profile act. Make the game exciting and more than just a scimaage to watch. Parade with the players and band..who knows. Just saying that people are emulating Bama and now Bama has - and can - raise it to another level. Spring game is just for fun, anyway. So, focus heavily on just that with a total entertainment factor. By the way, UGA had a pre game mini concert atmosphere with Ludacris yesterday.

Agree. We should lead.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Meh, as long as we're winning SEC and National Championships, I don't care.

 

[LA4Bama]

Haha, love you guys, but does anyone else feel like Allen Iverson...

Are we talking about practice? We talking about practice... We talking about practice...

The spring game was on national television... We talking about practice...

ESPN sent their A-team to stand of the field (actually, their OSU-team). We talking about practice...

I think it's great to have BDS filled, but... We talking about practice.

Coach Saban gave a speech to 70,000 people because he felt like it... We talking about practice.

We don't hold the record for the most people to ever attend a fake game...

#WeTAP #AlabamaProblems

 

[92teamownsall]

I was surprised when I saw the attendance numbers. My wife and I were guessing around 80-90k because most of the middle and lower decks were full before halftime and the upper decks were somewhat populated and if all the people walking around down by the fence were seated it would have really looked full. Just wondering how they count the attendance if there are no ticket sales. Also when my wife and here mom went to get some food it took an hour for them to come back!! When I asked what restaurant they went to I got a cold stare and she said there was ONE person running the consession stand and people were furious all around them waiting so long. They would have gave up on the food if the game was going on but we got there when the gates opened. Also to be nitpicky the bathrooms really could use a remodel. For a stadium as nice as ours and all the money coming in from winning the national titles, the bathrooms are borderline embarrassing. I've been in crappy gas station bathrooms better than the ones there. Thats just my 2 cents we have been to all the A day games since 2009 and enjoy them. There is some room to improve the experience of A day thats for sure.

 

[Crimson1967]

Haha, love you guys, but does anyone else feel like Allen Iverson...

Are we talking about practice? We talking about practice... We talking about practice...

 

[capnfrog]

I was surprised when I saw the attendance numbers. My wife and I were guessing around 80-90k because most of the middle and lower decks were full before halftime and the upper decks were somewhat populated and if all the people walking around down by the fence were seated it would have really looked full. Just wondering how they count the attendance if there are no ticket sales. Also when my wife and here mom went to get some food it took an hour for them to come back!! When I asked what restaurant they went to I got a cold stare and she said there was ONE person running the consession stand and people were furious all around them waiting so long. They would have gave up on the food if the game was going on but we got there when the gates opened. Also to be nitpicky the bathrooms really could use a remodel. For a stadium as nice as ours and all the money coming in from winning the national titles, the bathrooms are borderline embarrassing. I've been in crappy gas station bathrooms better than the ones there. Thats just my 2 cents we have been to all the A day games since 2009 and enjoy them. There is some room to improve the experience of A day thats for sure.

I totally agree, BDS has some funky bathrooms. I thought 70K in attendance was pretty good being that it was televised on ESPN and the media seemed to be scared to mention the 'A' Day game. I asked at least 20 people if they planned to be in attendance and all but 2 said, "in attendance for what"?
We could offer free cokes and hot dogs and have a concert but then the talking heads would claim we set a new attendance record because of the free perks. Main reason I go to 'A' Day is to get a look at the new freshmen recruits and and see who all showed up that Bama is recruiting. I also am fond of the Bama atmosphere and listening to the Million Dollar Band.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Our players deserved a full house, if nothing else, out of appreciation for yet another national title.
But our football fan base has always been a bit spoiled, and right now, it's not hungry.
Georgia's fan base is. Plus they have new optimism with a new coach and great expectations!
We have great expectations, but we had to wash the car.
The only way we'll regain the attendance record is for Coach Saban to go 0-11 for three straight years, and we hire a new coach, who scream's, "We need to set the all time attendance record!!". In other words, until we start losing again, it aint gonna happen. So I hope it never does. National Championships, I care about losing. Recruiting wars, I care about losing. Spring Game attendance records? Nah.
sip

I don't buy that our fanbase isn't "hungry." Heck all of us are wondering what it will take for Alabama to win the NC this year, which would be 2 in a row and 5 out of 8! A fanbase that isn't hungry wouldn't be that concerned over those details.

The record we set in 2007 was completely spontaneous. Every record since then has been something the schools organized. I'm proud of it, and I'm proud we continue to turn out 60-80,000. I don't think we're truly spoiled, at least I know I'm not.

 

[dvldog]

The record we set in 2007 was completely spontaneous. Every record since then has been something the schools organized. I'm proud of it, and I'm proud we continue to turn out 60-80,000. I don't think we're truly spoiled, at least I know I'm not.

Perfect storm. Team was down. New Coach. Coach was coming from the pros. Coach had already won a NC and from within the SEC. He was mysterious. Still in some respects an unknown force of nature. The coaching search had been relatively long and winding. The fan base was both hungry and curious. Was he going to deliver us back to the top of the football world? All in all I'd agree w/the posters saying 70K + was a good turn out for this year. 90K may only be broken when CNS retires and whomever is selected brings forth some of those same feelings and expectations. Of course, I doubt if we will be coming off down years. CNS will only go out on or near the top IMHO.

 

[capnfrog]

I don't buy that our fanbase isn't "hungry." Heck all of us are wondering what it will take for Alabama to win the NC this year, which would be 2 in a row and 5 out of 8! A fanbase that isn't hungry wouldn't be that concerned over those details.

The record we set in 2007 was completely spontaneous. Every record since then has been something the schools organized. I'm proud of it, and I'm proud we continue to turn out 60-80,000. I don't think we're truly spoiled, at least I know I'm not.

I know I'm not spoiled and my wife mostly goes for the atmosphere and for the Million Dollar Band. I think I can safely say that the 75K of more that were in attendance are not spoiled.

 

[KrAzY3]

One thing I would want to emphasize is that Alabama fans have showed wonderful support for the football team, and if not for that fact this wouldn't be a discussion. There's just two things that linger with me a bit. One is that I really feel like some people are missing out on how much fun A-Day can be, for kids especially. The other is that we hit 90K twice after the first big spring game, so it feels like just a bit of a push and we could hit that 100K mark at least once.

Agree. Tons of food and stuff for kids to do would help.

To me, I think the kids aspect is the one to play up. I feel like there is unrealized potential there. It's hard to get a lot of kids to a regular game, it's just too expensive. A-Day though? You can bring in a large group, they get to go into the stadium for what might be the first time, I think it would make a lot of sense to play up this aspect which would serve two purposes. First it would help fill the stadium and secondly it seems to me like a good way to recruit new fans. Get them while they are young.

Bama was first to make spring ball a colossal happening, without the rock and roll band. And the fan base has been faithfully making it a happening these past 10 years. It's like the old adage," imitation being the sincerest form of flattery." I can live with that. Of course if we break the record anytime soon, I can live with that too.

I do want to make it clear I am not trying to criticize. This is a monster Alabama fans created and we should be proud of that, but there's no shame in the fact that other schools are following our example.

One thing that gets overlooked when talking about the new spring game records is that schools and coaches are out and out begging fans to attend. That's what happened for UGA yesterday.

IMO, the 2007 A-Day game will always be set apart from any spring game records that follow because it was a spontaneous act of over 100,000 Bama fans simply being us.

To the first part, I would agree I doubt we see Nick Saban and what not out there begging fans to attend. Remarks about fan attendance haven't always gone over well anyway so he tends to take the thank them after the fact approach (and hopes they get that he thinks it matters). That means if we're going to see another big push it probably has to be fan organized which isn't so easy.

As to the second part, good point and I agree.

Maybe, but people are going to Alabama mainly because its Alabama and Nick Saban. Maybe it could impact one of those on the fence players, but I think most come for the opportunities it opens.

I guess CrimsonPride covered this well, but the first one mattered a fair bit in my mind because it was this thing that just happened and everyone took note (hearing JPW describe it last Saturday was kind of cool). That also gets into recruiting, or advertising of any sort. You need something to sell people on, and I think the A-Day game became a selling point. "Look at how much our fans care". I don't think it can ever have the same impact again, now it is more on the fence type stuff. We as fans are not going to have a major impact in the games or recruiting, but I always look at it like what if we can change just one play? What if we can impact just one recruit? May be that's the difference...

Our players deserved a full house, if nothing else, out of appreciation for yet another national title.
But our football fan base has always been a bit spoiled, and right now, it's not hungry.

To the first part, this is part of it to me. Especially since A-Day is the one chance some guys who work hard for years get to play in front of a large crowd. The second part, I don't think spoiled is quite right. Some fans are (I had one guy behind me who insisted on constantly complaining), but I think the term that's most appropriate would be complacent. I think like the players, we sometimes fight complacency.

Are we talking about practice? We talking about practice... We talking about practice...

Allen Iverson managed to lose a lot or respect with that speech, perhaps because he missed the point. They weren't really just talking about practice, they were talking about his attitude.

The thing with A-Day is it didn't have to matter. But, we made it matter so now it does. As fans we are going to have a more positive impact if 90 or 100K show up than if 60 or 70K show up. That's just how it is now. ESPN is there, people are paying attention, so the better we as fans "perform" the better the program as a whole looks.

 

[B1GTide]

What did recruits have to say about their experience? That would be my only focus. If they had a great time, no worries. If they didn't have great things to say, it is a problem.

 

[TommyMac]

Our 2007 record is the real record, it was all about Alabama football and nothing else. It was about Alabama fans starving to see the rebirth of real Alabama football under our new coach.

It wasn't some hyped up dog and pony show engineered to get fannies in the stands by any means necessary to set a record. Kirby should be ashamed of himself. As real Tide fans, should we really be concerned with some ludicrus (pun intended) record?

 

[Marg]

in regards to 2007, i was there and if my memory serves me, one of the big reasons for the interest (asides from new coach) was that practices were closed and almost no information was being released. nobody knew anything about what was going to be on the field. that got interest and enthusiasm up and made even more people go to the spring game.

 

[B1GTide]

If it helps land a single recruit that was on the fence, Kirby and other event planners should be applauded. That is what Saban says that these games help with - recruiting.

I get that Alabama's record was organic, but if other teams do other things to help the event, thereby helping the program by helping in recruiting, they would be foolish to leave this undone.

 

[TideEngineer08]

If it helps land a single recruit that was on the fence, Kirby and other event planners should be applauded. That is what Saban says that these games help with - recruiting.

I get that Alabama's record was organic, but if other teams do other things to help the event, thereby helping the program by helping in recruiting, they would be foolish to leave this undone.

Yeah, I don't have a problem with other schools doing what they've done. Although I do chuckle because we were roundly made fun of back in 2007.

I just don't have a lack of pride for what was accomplished that day, even if it's moving down the record list now.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I don't know that we should necessarily be concerned about holding that record. Let's face it - we made it a big deal for EVERYONE else. But there are several problems that make me not really worry much about this:

1) 2007 was the perfect storm, the most excited anyone had been since the 1994 SEC title game when we were unbeaten. New coach, stadium expansion going on, new life, and the game wasn't televised.

2) Depending on how fervent a fan you are, we have become victims of our success. Our fanbase - the EXTREMELY loyal ones - now have to make a long distance trip to the opener every year (okay not so bad with FSU in Atlanta next year), the season, another trip to Atlanta, an extra game we didn't have before (the semi-final game), the championship, and even the parade, which is around January 16.

It's really hard to get cranked up about 'missing' football in only three months, particularly when the A-day game isn't exactly a 'game' as you're not going to see but about 8-10 plays at most and no hard tackling highlights etc.

I put this up there with the Fiesta Bowl. Alabama was the first school to win ALL FOUR MAJOR NEW YEAR'S DAY BOWL GAMES (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton) - twice, in fact. The Fiesta Bowl came along YEARS later and then some school wants to brag they won all five of them.....when the truth is that the Fiesta Bowl wasn't even a big deal until the Penn State-Miami national title contest in 1987. The Fiesta Bowl, in fact, was started because the WAC couldn't get a bowl game for their pathetic conference back in the 1960s so they started one of their own. It didn't become a New Year's Day bowl game until 1981 - and that was due more to scheduling quirks with the other games than anything else. (Does anyone consider the Outback Bowl 'prestigious' because it happens to be played on January 1?). But oh somebody else beat us to it.

We've played in ONE Fiesta Bowl and got trounced.....although one could argue we just 'won' it this past January in terms of prestige.

Records are nice to have but the satisfaction of being yet another reason it all changed is enough for me. Kinda like the AP shifting the vote to AFTER the 1965 bowl games........and the BCS going to the playoff.....given the ease of making a bowl game nowadays, a 6-6 year means we can add to the record

 

[TommyMac]

in regards to 2007, i was there and if my memory serves me, one of the big reasons for the interest (asides from new coach) was that practices were closed and almost no information was being released. nobody knew anything about what was going to be on the field. that got interest and enthusiasm up and made even more people go to the spring game.

Closed practices are not unusual at all and haven't been for a very long time. but they had never resulted in a crowd of over 100,000 before.

That had to be a "BAMA THANG".

 

[81usaf92]

I don't know that we should necessarily be concerned about holding that record. Let's face it - we made it a big deal for EVERYONE else. But there are several problems that make me not really worry much about this:

1) 2007 was the perfect storm, the most excited anyone had been since the 1994 SEC title game when we were unbeaten. New coach, stadium expansion going on, new life, and the game wasn't televised.

2) Depending on how fervent a fan you are, we have become victims of our success. Our fanbase - the EXTREMELY loyal ones - now have to make a long distance trip to the opener every year (okay not so bad with FSU in Atlanta next year), the season, another trip to Atlanta, an extra game we didn't have before (the semi-final game), the championship, and even the parade, which is around January 16.

It's really hard to get cranked up about 'missing' football in only three months, particularly when the A-day game isn't exactly a 'game' as you're not going to see but about 8-10 plays at most and no hard tackling highlights etc.

I put this up there with the Fiesta Bowl. Alabama was the first school to win ALL FOUR MAJOR NEW YEAR'S DAY BOWL GAMES (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton) - twice, in fact. The Fiesta Bowl came along YEARS later and then some school wants to brag they won all five of them.....when the truth is that the Fiesta Bowl wasn't even a big deal until the Penn State-Miami national title contest in 1987. The Fiesta Bowl, in fact, was started because the WAC couldn't get a bowl game for their pathetic conference back in the 1960s so they started one of their own. It didn't become a New Year's Day bowl game until 1981 - and that was due more to scheduling quirks with the other games than anything else. (Does anyone consider the Outback Bowl 'prestigious' because it happens to be played on January 1?). But oh somebody else beat us to it.

We've played in ONE Fiesta Bowl and got trounced.....although one could argue we just 'won' it this past January in terms of prestige.

Records are nice to have but the satisfaction of being yet another reason it all changed is enough for me. Kinda like the AP shifting the vote to AFTER the 1965 bowl games........and the BCS going to the playoff.....given the ease of making a bowl game nowadays, a 6-6 year means we can add to the record

Didn't Oklahoma and tosu both win all the BCS bowls before us.

 

[Marg]

Closed practices are not unusual at all and haven't been for a very long time. but they had never resulted in a crowd of over 100,000 before.

That had to be a "BAMA THANG".

oh, i know practices are usually closed. but in addition to the practices being closed, there was almost no info being given to the media about practices. usually, the coaches just talk about certain aspects of the practices and not about the rest. however, saban did not want to share team info the first couple of years here. the first year, he really did not give any information about how any of the players were doing. it was a very tight ship. fans were information starved by the time a-day came and flocked to the stadium to finally get a glimpse of the team and players. i still remember saban's tirade about the footage of julio jones' touchdown reception in practice before his freshman season started. i think it was recorded by the scoreboard camera, but i could be wrong. he was not pleased about the info leaking and let everybody know it.

 

[rgw]

Didn't Oklahoma and tosu both win all the BCS bowls before us.

They did. We didn't win a BCS/CFP/NY6 bowl until the 2009 season. Lost the 2000 Orange Bowl, lost the 2009 Sugar Bowl, won the 2010 BCSCG, 2012 BCSCG, 2013 BCSCG game, lost the 2014 Sugar Bowl, lost the 2015 Sugar Bowl, won the 2015 Cotton Bowl, won the 2016 CFPCG.