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Ideas?

Cube Jack

MI Hall of Famer
Mar 10, 2006
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El Paso, TX
Serious question...

Does anyone here have any feasible and/or REALISTIC ideas to garner fan interest and community engagement? Usually this question leads to impossible ideas that would cost millions or be a compliance violation.

Here's one... what do you think if a t-shirt trade? By this I mean bringing in an old UTEP shirt you'll never wear again for a new one. I found an old shirt last week that said "welcome back Coach Floyd'... like I'd ever wear that again. This could pronite the newer orange and bring fans in. Everyone mobs each other for the shirt tosses at football and basketball and they're just simple shirts with a sponsor logo. Since people on higher seats don't get them as often this would make it easy.

Anyone else?
 
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Serious question...

Does anyone here have any feasible and/or REALISTIC ideas to garner fan interest and community engagement? Usually this question leads to impossible ideas that would cost millions or be a compliance violation.

Here's one... what do you think if a t-shirt trade? By this I mean bringing in an old UTEP shirt you'll never wear again for a new one. I found an old shirt last week that said "welcome back Coach Floyd'... like I'd ever wear that again. This could pronite the newer orange and bring fans in. Everyone mobs each other for the shirt tosses at football and basketball and they're just simple shirts with a sponsor logo. Since people on higher seats don't get them as often this would make it easy.

Anyone else?
For basketball I would like coach Golding to bring back the orange and blue scrimmage and dunk/3-point contest.

Also we need somebody that can create hype videos for football and basketball.

Also not a UTEP issue, but I wish the NCAA would allow music during basketball games.
 
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I got a call today about seeing if I wanted to donate to the general scholarship fund, and they explained that COVID has dried up some funds and I gave a little cash. I think UTEP Athletics first and foremost needs to start with a grassroots/man on the street type of effort like this. Start calling people and ask fans why they don’t want to go to games or give money and start from there. I think Golding is starting off on the right foot meeting fans and engaging the public doing that sort of thing. Is it going to turn things around quickly? Absolutely not, but UTEP can’t invest in major marketing campaigns either if the public isn’t engaged.
 
Simple

recruit better
Schedule better home games
And win.

I dont care what you do. You can pay people to come but if they are losing, nobody is coming.
 
Serious question...

Does anyone here have any feasible and/or REALISTIC ideas to garner fan interest and community engagement? Usually this question leads to impossible ideas that would cost millions or be a compliance violation.

Here's one... what do you think if a t-shirt trade? By this I mean bringing in an old UTEP shirt you'll never wear again for a new one. I found an old shirt last week that said "welcome back Coach Floyd'... like I'd ever wear that again. This could pronite the newer orange and bring fans in. Everyone mobs each other for the shirt tosses at football and basketball and they're just simple shirts with a sponsor logo. Since people on higher seats don't get them as often this would make it easy.

Anyone else?
They should trade another college’s shirt for a UTEP shirt. Anyone with a UTEP shirt, is likely already a fan. Why would UTEP want to give some old man a new shirt when he trades in some 30 year old shirt he uses for yardwork?

UTEP needs to give free tickets to elementary school kids. Aside from winning, that’s going to be the only way to grow the fanbase.
 
Simple

recruit better
Schedule better home games
And win.

I dont care what you do. You can pay people to come but if they are losing, nobody is coming.
"Schedule better home games"... it's not so easy to bring in UNC or Kentucky. Even Haskins had games against Texas Southern and Cardinal Stritch.

Remember UTEP football got 34,646 for HBU... this was for a team that hadn't won a home game in over 2 calender years and didn't win another game that season. That was for the Spirit Night promotion and discounted tickets.

The question is more regarding things that can be done by other entities on campus. They don't control scheduling or recruiting
 
Agree with the tickets for the kids. You know if it’s free El Paso will show up. They need to get local companies to donate for giveaways. Remember how many were excited for the Jones bobble head.
They have to find a way to get the students involved.
 
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$5 GA tickets. That always seems to be the complain Senter caters to high end donors.
 
It's a tough to call as we come upon initial phases of post covid 19 ( God willing no variants that develop). All you have is history to go by and trends. There are photos of El Pasoans attending en masses El Paso sporting games as Spanish Flu subsided.

I expect a good crowd for UTEP's home opener simply because of covid "alleluia" and a good reason to have a pachanga.

EP Chihuahuas had a decent success. Locomotive as well.

Also, rock concerts are springing up (except your big arena concerts like Def Leppard/Motley Crue which will wait until 2022).

Now, this is where you and I come in: Go get that stubborn cave bear family or friend who will NOT get vaccinated, vaccinated.

My point is, lower the trend by August even more and ticket sales will increase.
 
UTEP needs to give free tickets to elementary school kids. Aside from winning, that’s going to be the only way to grow the fanbase.
If there's one thing I've learned from the Chihuahuas when they have their Baseball in Education days, which is usually filled with elementary school kids, is that the kids are not there to watch a baseball game. They are there to eat!
 
Agree with the tickets for the kids. You know if it’s free El Paso will show up. They need to get local companies to donate for giveaways. Remember how many were excited for the Jones bobble head.
They have to find a way to get the students involved.
Only free for the kids, their parents would have to pay, you could even discount those tickets.
 
If there's one thing I've learned from the Chihuahuas when they have their Baseball in Education days, which is usually filled with elementary school kids, is that the kids are not there to watch a baseball game. They are there to eat!
Exactly. Free kids tickets could “force” their parents into going, where they might not have wanted to go to the game. Kids will want concessions. Maybe the parents and kids will enjoy the experience and return at full price.

You go to 1 or 2 elementary schools for each game, talking football only. Guarantee you would get some takers. UTEP is dumber than Fili if they don’t do something like this.
 
Only free for the kids, their parents would have to pay, you could even discount those tickets.
That’s a fair point. This reminds of the marketing WWF did in the 80s on their way to becoming the dominant force it is today. Vince McMahon said that by catering to kids he knew that he would ultimately sell more tickets and draw more people because he knew that those kids had to come with parents. Appealing to the youth could be the easiest way to filling up the stadium.
 
Exactly. Free kids tickets could “force” their parents into going, where they might not have wanted to go to the game. Kids will want concessions. Maybe the parents and kids will enjoy the experience and return at full price.

You go to 1 or 2 elementary schools for each game, talking football only. Guarantee you would get some takers. UTEP is dumber than Fili if they don’t do something like this.
So then we're not exactly building a fanbase by giving away free tickets to elementary school kids.
 
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