" I've been watching this story develop for a few years now, and finally its come to a head. I've sent letters to various people I thought may be able to curb the direction we've started heading, but my suggestions and requests have fallen on deaf ears. The implication that fans can't have fun outside during the game, and also that the school can't garner support to me is beyond asinine. I want to make a few points about the lack of attendance at the SC State games. As all other alum, I love the school, the football team, and my deepest love for the band, but don't put the blame of the lack of attendance on the people who travel from near and far to Orangeburg in either support of the school or just to have a good time. Before I attended State, as a student, and as an alumnus, that's what they were known for(especially during homecoming weekend). Systematically, support of the school has been squandered. Again, I love the teams we have (with or without a MEAC championship), but what else is offered for fans when they do come to see the team play? Look to other MEAC schools. Some with failing football programs, but still get high attendance inside and outside their games. Which of you has stopped to ask, why aren't people coming inside? I use this statement a lot, but, some people are there for more than the "Gospel Explosion" on Sunday. There are some people who still like to party in their older age. Now, just because some of us think we are too morally superior to others doesn't give them the right to police those who actually like to come to Orangeburg to have a good time. I took offense to the juke joint comment, because it's the atmosphere that brings so many people from far and wide. What is the school doing to coax these people inside? To travel 2-4 hours to a boring game, with gas prices double (if not triple) what it was last year, $35 tickets, $100 parking for tailgaters, $300 for RV's, long congested lines at the concession stands - and you coming down on the very people you want to support the school? C'mon Chris Cloths. Don't be no fool brah. I appreciate the soap box stance, but the route you want the school to take is going to make people say "to hell with SCSU homecoming" altogether. Where's the marketing strategy? Even gimmicks if need be. You all really need to get your heads out of your a's and figure out what can be done to get people to want to come inside. This can't be a knee jerk reaction cause you just remembered homecoming is this weekend. This has to be implemented during the summer in preparation for the football season. This year is out the window, so you have time to think of something for next year, starting now. Overpricing those that do decide to come into the game is no longer an option, because I can garauntee you they will not come into the game next year if prices go higher. $35 is pushing it, if you ask me. LOL... I'm thinking back to a year or two ago, when the alumni concert main attraction was Peabo Bryson. Peabo Bryson? C'mon, are you for real? And only because I live in Charlotte will I ever compare SCSU homecoming events to NCA&T, but their football program is whack, but the parties are off the chain. They get attendance. What's our problem? Boring band that won't or can't pump life into the stadium because of restrictions self-imposed or otherwise. An excellent top-notched team that can only do as much as it can do to bring the fans back. And we can't ask more of them, nor should we. Buddy Pough coming out to party with the tailgaters if they come inside is no incentive. Trust! For all the windbags on here that I read week after dreadful week, you can't come up with anymore than telling people to shut their fun down to come inside a boring game? Be serious with yourself, then maybe someone will take you seriously! "

" Aight REGGIEREJ. Since you were my only response I'll accept it and coughup the extra $10. But you should know in no uncertain terms ... that's messing with the beer money man. "

" It is so sad that all we think about is how much it cost to go to the game when you spend more than that on Beer, wine, smokes and everything else. Our Historical Black Schools lack so much support from Us Their people. If this was a USC game would you complain about the price of tickets there? Then Why Here. Lets stop complaining and Start Supporting. "

" I concur with Pitbull. The officials at SCSU are not taking the current economy into consideration. They try to make all the money for the Athletics Dept. in one day. First of all we must learn to cultivate a positive relationship with our fans. We will not do that by charging $35 for a ticket. Why not keep the tickets at $25 and $15 even the day of the game? Once we get the potential fan to experience the excitement, they will come back. This is simple math: if we charge $35 for 15,000 fans we would generate $525k. If we had 23,000 fans paying $25, we would generate 575k. That is $50k more. We could do a lot of things with $50k. One dollar is better than no dollar. I also have a problem with the price we charge RV drivers for one game ($150), and $100 for people to cook/tailgate. Why can't we make arrangement to offer payment for these things on game day. We should know that our people do things on the day of. We will not cultivate a good relationship with these policies and prices.
I understand business is business, but you must first offer something for the money. Our folks are looking for more than a football game and a half time show for the money. I love SCSU and money will never keep me from supporting my dogs. I am just thinking about the casual fan that we don't seem to be able to reach. "

" In response to Bmore#1's comments, it's all about business. It's commonplace to markup tickets on the day of the event. Businesses get another 10-20% revenue on same-day sales. Just consider it being a booster for the school's athletic dept. The support to the school outweighs the extra $10. "

" Gasoline and food is a factor this year, therefore, I think the tickets should be a little more reasonably priced. SCSU fans are looking to enjoy themselves, so please let them do so. Lets get out of that mindset of just the money making and think about our fans sometime. They will greatly appreciate and think about SCSU. Lets be real to them sometime and see weather they will support our great University... "

" That's an easy question. Hmcoming is the only game where as SCSU fans drive up from Charleston, Columbia, Charlotte, Greenville, and Atlanta. It's also the one game that the city of O'burg and O-W students come see us play. I was always at the games when I went to O-W and now. Oliver C. Dawson is not a night club in the hood. Just like we like to hang outside a night club and drink. We want to do the same at SCSU. So they have to off set the money they would get if people would show up to the one recruitment game we have on ESPNU vs Howard, and the other home games. Maybe if fans got to the game earlier and cook and ate and then went inside the stadium and cheered they would think of lowering hmcoming prices. But as long as people try and use SCSU as a Juke Joint, well you got to pay to play. USC asks fans to follow them on the road, we don't even do that. They say let's pack the stadium in O'burg. There was or is a Phase II to increase the size of the stadium and make it either like a horse shoe, or add a higher deck. The plans are drawn. But why build it if people wont walk into the stadium. We do and say dumb stuff like, man Obama don't need my vote, look at all those people in Denver's stadium. Or, you want to go to State's homecoming and take the pig feet we cooked at the house out to the stadium and sit in the parking lot and listen to the band-cause I ain't going in there. Well stay at the crib and eat your pig feet. "

" Because they figure they could get a big payday...They just don't realize these prices are ridiculous...Look for another 15K showing because folks are catching it all over and would rather stay outside and party then pay $35 (adults and kids) to watch a game...Someone needs to take a basic economics class.... "

" I have a question. Why are tickets $35 for homecoming? A lot of folk purchase tickets at the gate on game day. We only had 15,000+ at last years contest and maybe just maybe the ticket price was a factor. Then why come back with higer priced tickets this year w/o any explaination for same. No offense here, but I think it's a fair question worthy of fair response. "