Thursday Games?

[GrifFan]

Re: Thursday Games?

Idk about the rest of the MIAA, but NW averaged 7,884 fans in home games last year. The opening night game against Emporia State drew 8,055 fans.

Missouri Western had five home Thursday night games in the last six years (none in 2013 or 2015, but two in 2012). Last year, the first game attendance vs. Missouri Southern was 3874, 96% of the average (3,995). That was also after a season-opening loss at UNK took some wind out of the sails. The other four games were above the average, most significantly.
2016 - vs. UNK (season opener), 6,017 (117% of average)
2014 - vs. UCM (season opener), 5,105 (123%)
2012 - vs. UCM (season opener), 5,471 (115%), vs. William Jewell (week 2), 4,811 (101%)

Looking at last year's Thursday night season openers:
UCM vs. Pitt State - 10,379 (123% of average)
UCO vs. Lindenwood - 5,931 (119%)
NSU vs. WU - 2307 (115%)
UNK vs. MWSU - 6514 (122%)
MSSU vs. FHSU - 5726 (111%)
NWMSU vs. ESU - 8,055 (102%)

[Kiss My Ass]

Re: Thursday Games?

Thanks GrifFan - so much for those posters that were complaining about poor attendance for Thursday night home openers.

[mosofan1]

Re: Thursday Games?

Also, keep in mind that all but one game in the first two weeks are Thursday night games this season (the lone exception: Lindenwood at Missouri Southern in Week 2). Could that be a disadvantage for Lindenwood when they host Central Oklahoma or MoSo when they travel to Northwest on Sept. 15 (Week 3)?

Now there's a good excuse for one of our many losses this upcoming season. If we only had two more days to prepare, we might have a chance against Northwest. LOL!!!!!!!!

[ruwallydog]

Re: Thursday Games?

Thats awesome! Thanks GrifFan :good:

[Randy]

Re: Thursday Games?

The next question is the reason for the good attendance? Thursday (less distractions) or early season and the attendance would be higher whatever day the game is played?

[GorillaBred]

Re: Thursday Games?

The next question is the reason for the good attendance? Thursday (less distractions) or early season and the attendance would be higher whatever day the game is played?

Ding ding ding!

Pitt State hadn't had their early season swoon and NW hadn't revealed that they were the least enjoyable to watch NW team in a while.

[mosofan1]

Re: Thursday Games?

Ding ding ding!

Pitt State hadn't had their early season swoon and NW hadn't revealed that they were the least enjoyable to watch NW team in a while.

And MSSU had hopes of a 3 win season instead of an 0-fer.

[Donkeydamus]

Re: Thursday Games?

I'm not sure if Labor Day weekend is always a factor in scheduling the home opener for Thursday night. I always felt like it had more to do with the beginning of school. The school has all these new freshmen on campus and they schedule the first home game for a Thursday night to help get all these new students involved in the whole college scene. The school has a captive student audience on a Thursday night. UCM usually has a street festival that afternoon with lots of fun things for the students to do and then a lot of them naturally go to the game. Other than maybe Family Weekend or Home Coming, it's probably the most attended game by the students. I went to the UCM at Pitt State game in 2016 for the Pitt home opener on a Thursday night and it looked like they had a similar festival type deal going on for the students. Again, I think it has more to do with student involvement than anything else.

The next question is the reason for the good attendance? Thursday (less distractions) or early season and the attendance would be higher whatever day the game is played?

Randy, I think the attached earlier post by KMA makes a good point about the start of school and having a captive student audience on a Thursday night. I would say the students turn out more for that game than any other game. My own observation of the crowd on Thursday night home openers supports that theory.

[Erbert]

[GrifFan]

Re: Thursday Games?

The next question is the reason for the good attendance? Thursday (less distractions) or early season and the attendance would be higher whatever day the game is played?

Yeah, there could be a lot of factors. Central Missouri last year obviously had a name opponent that typically travels well to boost attendance in week 1. Weather is typically less of an issue in late August than in October and November.

It seems kind of odd that a marquee matchup like ESU and NW in week one only drew a little more than average. Maybe they'd have had a larger crowd on Saturday, or maybe Northwest has just done a good job of maximizing attendance regardless of opponent and day - in their five home games last year attendance never never dipped below 7,000 and never exceeded 8,600.

[Kiss My Ass]

Re: Thursday Games?


Your assumption is correct. Each school plays their first two games on Thursday night (one home and one away) so that every school has a Thursday night home opener. The students are wired up with the start of school (especially all those wide eyed freshmen) and you throw in a street fair, etc. and bingo the students turn out big time for the Thursday night home opener. Some of the posters are over thinking this Thursday night home opener....hey, it's not rocket science.... it's just marketing the product at the beginning of the school year when you have a captive student audience for the home opener on a Thursday night.

[Brandon Misener]

Re: Thursday Games?

Yeah, there could be a lot of factors. Central Missouri last year obviously had a name opponent that typically travels well to boost attendance in week 1. Weather is typically less of an issue in late August than in October and November.

It seems kind of odd that a marquee matchup like ESU and NW in week one only drew a little more than average. Maybe they'd have had a larger crowd on Saturday, or maybe Northwest has just done a good job of maximizing attendance regardless of opponent and day - in their five home games last year attendance never never dipped below 7,000 and never exceeded 8,600.

Tired of playing ESU?

[IowaBearcat]

Re: Thursday Games?

Yeah, there could be a lot of factors. Central Missouri last year obviously had a name opponent that typically travels well to boost attendance in week 1. Weather is typically less of an issue in late August than in October and November.

It seems kind of odd that a marquee matchup like ESU and NW in week one only drew a little more than average. Maybe they'd have had a larger crowd on Saturday, or maybe Northwest has just done a good job of maximizing attendance regardless of opponent and day - in their five home games last year attendance never never dipped below 7,000 and never exceeded 8,600.

It's not a marquee matchup when one team has won 145 in a row in the series.

Thursday game is fine the week before Labor Day, as others have said. After that, it's just dumb.

[GrifFan]

Re: Thursday Games?

It's not a marquee matchup when one team has won 145 in a row in the series.

Thursday game is fine the week before Labor Day, as others have said. After that, it's just dumb.

"No. 1 vs. No. 4? *Yawn*"

Congratulations! Your Smug Bearcat credentials have been renewed for another season!

[Shanghai Mule]

Re: Thursday Games?

Slow time for football news, so just a quick shout out to our baseball teams playing in the regional starting Thursday in Magnolia, Arkansas. Half of the 8 team field comes from the MIAA. All games can be watched for free on the MIAA network.

Team-Seed
UCM - 2
UCO - 3
PITT - 4
EMP - 8

Good luck guys.