Well, they need to make their marketing researchy. I think if you have interns with a simple enough task-collect information from other students about why they're not interested in the UCD sports teams and add their own insights-they should be able to handle it with no problems.

If they rely on old fogies too much they're just going to wind up with more expensive and emptier facilities, due to the fogies moving away or dying. They need to develop generations of future old fogies.

One key reason they need more student engagement is that UCD will want them on board when there's a vote to increase student fees to fund initiatives. The F.A.C.E. initiative (which helped to fund the current) football stadium) passed back in the good old days, maybe not today.

And there should be no problem finding interview sources for research. I recall almost never hearing anyone talk about UCD sports in my classes or seeing any dormmates at games (maybe baseball a couple of times, but never basketball). If that was representative of how it is today (to minimize projecting my experiences), the internship would be pretty easy.

I used myself (fogies matter too for customer service matters) as a case study for why someone might not want to go to an event, and of course I chose baseball, which I stopped attending over a year ago, despite the baseball-themed username. I did this as an example of the types of information an intern could learn

I came up with these reasons, in no particular order

1. Team is not very good, based primarily on wins and losses. Good means you win more than you lose. If you care about the games you come to see them win.

2. Depending on who's working, the announcer is typically either very bored-sounding or energetic but not paying attention to details, like when players are subbed out.

3. The seating is uncomfortable during day games and the lack of handrails.

4. The home fans are either completely disengaged or they're very selectively engaged, so it's like a road game. It sucks all the energy out of the place. I bet even field hockey has better fans.

5. A forever rotating staff that's good at being polite but not good at recognizing repeat visitors or engaging them (due in no small part to the rotating staff). A "welcome back" or "haven't seen you in awhile" wouldn't kill them.

6. Fans who have no concept of personal space, despite there being plenty of available space for everyone.

In my extensive experience this is how I would list the percentages of spectators at each game from greatest to least.

1. Family of UCD players

2. Visiting fans (possibly #1 depending on the visiting team)
Those two account for at least 2/3 of the crowd combined

3. Student-athletes from other sports who come in groups and yak to each other all game about anything but the game. They cheer sometimes, but it comes in the form of heckling or just trying to be cute.

4. Baseball "pros"-guys who spend the game name-dropping all the significant players they've ever coached and all the regionally-relevant baseball people they know.

5. Students who come there to study/tan because it's quiet.

6. Actual fans watching the game who have no official connection or interest beyond enjoying the game. Between 1 and 5 people per game.

Upon making this list it's no wonder the students don't show up to bring energy. If not for the foul balls it would be an ok place to take a nap. I made it to give somes examples mainly of what negative feedback student interns could get from their peers.

Yes, I have two CD cases. One large one holds the bulk of my DVD collection, but there's enough room for my CD's, so they go in there too. It allowed me to get rid a bunch of individual cases because I won't ever be able to sell them. The 6-CD Aggie Pack case is for keeping a few out I will listen to frequently or take on a car trip.

Why have CD's and DVD's ? They allow me to play content as many times as I want without having to deal with internet connections or paying for streaming services. My collection is pretty modest-I won't be on A&E's Hoarders. I'm trying to unplug from the internet more anyway.

Ok, it must have just seemed like it was on campus because the rest of the SJSU stuff right by it (offices, baseball practice field, soccer field, parking garage, golf course). The first time I did an SJ Giants game I stayed a couple of blocks from SJSU and walked to Excite (1.7 mi roughly so 25 min seems right). Didn't cross the freeway, but that's only 1 way to get there. 8 blocks is not an insurmountable distance. Anyone who really wanted to go would not be sweating that. Plus I'm sure SJSU offers some shuttles. Sac State has student shuttles too-I've seen them up near Arden Fair. They kind of looked like prison buses from the outside.

Walkability is not always a good measuring stick anyway. Dobbins and the ARC are fairly easy walks from Segundo and Tercero, and students still don't show up for games in the numbers you'd expect, though they'll pass right by them on the way to class.

I would agree with the off-campus stadium being a nuisance when San Diego State was playing in Carson, but the new Snapdragon Stadium (on the site of the former Jack Murphy Stadium) is an easy trolley (light rail) trip from campus or anywhere along the trolley line.

Things being off-campus is not as big of a concern when you live off-campus anyway. If you don't live on campus and you have to come to campus to see an event that can be just as much of an inconvenience.

That's a very sarcastic AI tool.

Well, the Broad Fieldhouse will still get use-it's just for athletic training. They would just have to put everyone on a bus the same as for a Causeway Classic.. Any improvements to Hornet Stadium (restrooms) on the side could be used for all those track competitions they have.

I like the Cal Expo idea, making use of an existing facility instead of building a brand-new stadium for a program that might be on the chopping block in a few years if it doesn't deliver big. Obviously it's not a permanent solution, but they can use it as a home while they regroup + re-evaluate their plans. In the unlikely event the program flops and gets cancelled they'll be glad they can just walk away from a building they don't own

Sac State is not a big campus and doesn't have very much student housing, although it does have those two student apt. complexes near campus. I don't know that student attendance will be noticeably affected by moving the games to Cal Expo. The ones who currently don't because they're apathetic about sports still won't go. The ones who live on or near campus and want to go can take public transit relatively easily if they don't want to drive. When they moved bball games from Memorial Auditorium to campus the students didn't flock to the games because they're a bunch of commuters anyway. Who has time for a game when they have work or a long drive ahead of them ?

Not to nitpick but I've been to SJSU while it was in session, seen what a typical day looked like, and walked right by SJSU's stadium on the way to the baseball game at Excite. I would not call that off-campus, and if it is, just barely., There are other school practice facilities, school offices and school parking garage. within a couple of blocks. SJSU has that same commuter vibe as Sac State. Perhaps SJSU played further away decades ago and that's what you're referencing ?

There's a slightly misguided idea that if you build it (on campus) students will come. Not necessarily. Don't forget you have lots of students who see college merely as a means to an end, not as a gigantic immersive adventure where they want to get involved with everything.. You're not getting them to go just by waving a shiny object.

Yes, the men's tennis match counted.

In 2024 UCD men's WP played both ARC and WVC (25-6 and 17-8), and it appears both games counted.

I looked at the schedules for WVC, ARC, and GWC, and the two Northern CA schools appear to have some trouble putting together schedules against JC opponents only. ARC only had 5 conference games.

Last season ARC played 5 NCAA teams-UCD, UCM, CAL, SJSU, and FPU (defeating FPU and UCM).
There was a game against UOP that was cancelled.

West Valley played UCD, UCM, CAL, SJSU, and Fordham.

Golden West played Cal Baptist, BIOLA, FPU (and beat them), Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer, and Ottawa U of AZ (Not sure if OUAZ is NAIA still or if they followed Menlo and Jessup to NCAA Div. II).

So it seems water polo games against JC's are not so uncommon, probably just because of a lack of local competition.

You mean other than scrimmages ? Softball at least has been known to play JC's in the fall practice season.

I don't know if baseball does this as well. Football makes it widely known when its practices are, but baseball has been very secretive for a long time, and you might hear nothing about the team until just before the season starts in any given year. I don't know what purpose that really serves. It's almost like the baseball team/the school is intentionally trying to discourage interest in the program from outsiders. And yet they'll gladly sell us tickets. Whatever, I stopped going to the games due to lack of interest anyway.

For actual games that counted, men's tennis played and defeated American River College 7-0 this past
season.

In the case of water polo, games against JC's might not be discouraged due to a scarcity of available nearby opponents, especially for the JC's.

Ok, cue the "Well I never !" posters who will like the previous post and make statements about how they have trouble enjoying the site because of disruptive people (clearly referring to me) and blah, blah, blah.

Portland, I'm disappointed. I thought you of all people understood that the way to get me to stop posting for awhile is not to respond or talk to someone else about me as if you were discussing someone else. Isn't that what people do here does-whisper "don't encourage him" in private messages ? I was done here but you whipped out the sanctimonious rebuke.

Ok, I've said what I came to say. Please returm to your normal programming schedule.

I clicked on the event ticket link to see whether the $20 includes food, or just the talk. I mean, the posting doesn't explicitly state it and lots of people would pay $20 just to talk to the coach and tell him who they think should start

NOTE: Includes one (1) meal (salad, entrée, side, and non-alcoholic beverage) per registration

Sudwerks will probably limit their menu for the event , otherwise this would be a steal (maybe it still is). A regular entree and a drink there will easily cost you over $20.

I noticed on the roster there are some bald coaches (by choice or not). Maybe they could start a ""lunch with a bald coach" series if this does well.

Thank you. Unhinged is what I'm striving for, so this is helpful feedback.

You've never seen people protesting at stores ? Wait, have you even been to California ?

Thank you for the suggestion.

No one. Is pissing in Cheerios something you have experience with ? That's too bad, what with perfectly good cereal being wasted.

The message board posse is right on time. You do realize that by responding you're inviting more of the posts you don't like, right ?

Interesting. So you think iI were to smoke weed I would find the content more interesting ?

Who wants to pile on next to show some kind of pathetic message board solidarity that my conduct is universally not accepted ? If I'm truly being offensive let the admins ban me. Go ahead and report me yourself now if you like.

The thing about having a message board open to everyone is you're going to have people with different opinions, and some of them are going to call out popular opinions and ways of doing things, even say that they are stupid.

I personally think it's stupid how much people obsess about predicting every single aspect of a football game. Isn't the idea to go and have fun, whatever the outcome is ? I don't care who the quarterback for game 1 will be. I have faith that as a head coach Plough will put the most capable team on the field. He's paid to do just that. Win or lose, seeing what will happen is the exciting part. You all manage to suck all the excitement out of it trying to figure out whatever path will lead to a home playoff game so you can sit in your exclusive season seats one more time. I find calling that out fun and interesting in the hope that someone else will speak up. When no one does it's no big deal. And yes, you are a weird cult.

So go ahead and tell me, oh message board ambassador, now how you welcome other opinions when you clearly don't.

And no one forced you to reply. Funny how that works.

I bet you folks have to know a month in advance what you're having for dinner. Football fans are a very weird cult.

The various media sources have been playing you for a fool. Number 75 is going to start at quarterback because he will be more difficult to sack, and not being sacked is the most important thing. Pinnick and Harper are going to take up farming instead because football is boring. They read all of the Aggie Sports Talk football posts and fell asleep.

Oh, and one more thing. UC Davis athletics, which reads every one of our posts, has decided that easing the wait time for food is a top priority. Therefore, the concession stands will be closed. The thinking is that if they eliminate fans' need to stand around they will fart less, and this will reduce harmful emissions.

Isn't there food or something else to do at this event that can help soak up some of that $40 ?

I can't shake the feeling that the photos in the Facebook post may be AI-generated. Somebody may have asked it to come up with pictures that depict a very busy event and people enjoying themselves with tiny sample glasses of beer. It came up with:

Three women who graduated UC Davis 10 years before the photo was "taken", and their friend Katie, who went somewhere else. They bought some new UCD gear online two weeks ago, and are wearing it for the 1st time. It's obviously time for Katie to get a haircut, but today all she cares about is drinking with her friends, Jen, Jenn, and Caitie. Caitie is the woman on the left.

Two people who are having a responsible amount of fun, not like Katie, who doesn't notice that her locks are creating a Chewbaca effect around her chin.

A very busy bartender who takes the time to interact with his "patrons" and get to know them as people. Maybe that's why his line is so long.

At least this photo collection is more realistic than the ones they used to market basketball, with the stands full and students with wigs and painted chests spelling "Aggies". Those photos were likely put together by promising pizza + $20 to students to fill a few rows of the student sectionon a non-gameday.

Please allow me to give the CSUS rebuttal.

Ahem... "Something about cow turds and
Duck Favis !"

If the game were held at Hughes Stadium, Sacramento City College would get a big cut of the revenue, so UCD may not see a financial advantage to "hosting" there. Hughes also lacks any kind of premium seating, which will piss off season ticketholders who pay extra to not sit with the riffraff. It also lacks adequate concession stands for that kind of a crowd. You could have food trucks, but it would be a tricky affair to park them inside and keep customer lines away from the playing field.

If I believe some of the regulars here I'm trolling too.
I'd just as soon see the Causeway Classic end. Some traditions are no longer relevant, and this one just brings out a lot of nastiness and "Well, I never !" types.

Thanks for the ChatGPT research on the UCD season by the way. It was funny, but someone really didn't get it.