I like the Thursday night before Labor Day idea. Options:
— Use temporary lights
— Play at Bethlehem’s high school stadium
— Play at Laughayette (just kidding)
Two other thoughts, including THE HUGE, undiscussed one (No. 2 2 — below):
1) The 12:30 time is great for alums who live in the multiple-state area (2 to 4-hour drive). Folks can drive up in the a.m., tailgate and get home before too late without having to stay over.
2) There’s a much bigger issue we rarely discuss, but one that affects all universities
Is there any research on it?
Issue: Why does attendance stink at universities like Lehigh (and many FBS schools, too)?
My guess is ours has gone down (at least as a proportion of the student body) since the days when freshman had to wear their dinkies to the game. Later, when I was there. it was a 5-minute walk to the stadium (we tailgated in our houses and dorms, if we didn’t wake up at noon).
My guess is co-education has affected attendance — and so has moving the stadium to the valley. We have more international students, many of whom would rather study than engage in university social activities.
I apologize for the generalizations.
What does the research show? And how can we use that research to boost attendance and engagement in university athletic programs?
Without this research, the discussion on lights and stadium improvements are fun diversions, but lacks the data to determine whether changes would be effective.