I'm still pretty unhappy over the lack of turnout by the students.

Here is a link to the stands about 10 minutes into the 1st quarter

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/4107/gatorsmizzou.jpg

what do you think?

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every year I was a student at UF. I did this despite being a PhD student and holding anywhere from 2 to 3 jobs at a time.

I was as hardcore of a Gator consumer as could be during my time in Gainesville. I missed only one home game and that was for a very personal and serious reason that was beyond my control. Family obligations come first.

Yet, I refuse to lambast the fans for empty seats. Won't do it.

Because spectators and fans are consumers. It is the obligation of the brand to fill the seats, not the consumers. When I see empty seats, I don't jump to criticize the fans, I criticize the event organizers for failing to properly recognize market demand. Sure, in a perfect world we are all blind followers of UF and consume its products no matter what (in all kinds of weather). But that's a fiction that never existed for any sport organization at any time.

Saturday's game was at noon. Had it been at night, there would have been a better crowd. Had it been at 3:30 pm, there would have been a better crowd. The SEC dictated the time slot to satisfy its network masters. And it is the SEC and ESPN who are to blame (in part) for the lack of a sellout. The problem is now compounded by the fact that next two games are in the middle of the day to satisfy PPV at the expense of fan attendance. Middle of the day games + crappy opponents = lack of interest. Foley is at fault for any empty seats these next two weeks.

Keep in mind that much of our fan base also travels from South Florida to the games. Early games prevent them from traveling the day of the game, it's just too difficult. Again, UF is shooting itself in the foot by inconveniencing a large section of its target market.

Another problem, UF overcharges for its tickets and what is needed for ticket priority. UF also needs a better way to pull tickets from students who do not go to games and distribute them to other students or fans at large. This is on UF.

We don't blame soda drinkers when Coke's sales drops, but we do fans of sport. Until we ALL recognize that sport is a service industry we will continue to see our product struggle at times.

Again, the obligation is not on the students or fans to attend, it is on the service provider to attract with a quality product that meets consumer needs. Noon kickoffs against poor opponents do not do that.