BOTC Focus Group Solves Great Problems

With this miserable football season winding down, we haven't spent much time looking at this week's opponent, the equally miserable Iowa State Cyclones.  And if you were looking for more Iowa State coverage, this week's Focus Group probably isn't the place to turn for more.  However, we will delve into greatly important topics like what our uniforms look like, why our basketball attendance is so bad, and which non-revenue sports we follow most closely.

1.  Excluding football and men's basketball, what is your favorite K-State sport to watch/follow?
 
2.  Let's talk uniforms.  We wore all purple in football and lavendar-on-purple in basketball last week.  Because uniforms are clearly a very important topic with K-State fans, judging by the amount of discussion they generated at GPC.  What do you like in K-State uniforms, and what is one thing you'd like to see?
 
3.  Judgment Night in Norman draws nigh.  Who you got, OU or Tech?
 
4.  Oh yeah, we play Iowa State this weekend in the battle to avoid the Big 12 North basement.  Thoughts?
 
5.  Attendance at basketball games has been poor and Frank Martin isn't very happy about it.  What can/should be done?

ksubailey:

1.  Mmmm... probably women's basketball.  Growing up as someone who played girls basketball in the state of Kansas - we'd run into these future K-State superstars at MAYB tournaments, and different things like that.  I guess we all thought it was neat to think that we played defense against Laurie Koehn, Kendra Wecker, and other people like that.  I guess that made me pay a little more attention than I would to other "second tier" K-State sports.  Baseball and Volleyball are fun games to attend.  Especially baseball on 25 cent hot dog night.
 
2.  I like that we are still using the most awesome version of the color purple ever created.  Seriously, there is only one correct purple.  I don't like the non-shiny football pants (I guess that could be called matte).  I think the shiny ones made everyone look more defined and ferocious.  I don't hate the purple pants, but they don't exactly take me back to the K-State glory days they way the shiny silver pants do.
 
I appreciate a throw back, but there is a time and place.  I don't think the Florida A&M game was it.  Other than that, I have no complaints about the basketball uniforms.  Save the lavender for a full-out throw back game, where the cheerleaders wear long polyester uniforms, and Frank wears a leisure suit.

3.  Tech all the way.  I'm pretty sure they are the better team, and I am looking forward to someone other than OU or Texas claim the division title in the south.
 
4.  Cyclones heading straight for Manhattan?!?  K-State... sorry, but head down to the basement.
 
5.  I did not drive myself up to Manhattan for the exhibition game, but I was there on Friday and Sunday last weekend.  Friday's crowd wasn't awful, considering the game.  The students showed up for the most part, and were able to fill their section until they got over to the curve.  Sunday was a different story.  The students must have all been taking naps or something because their section wasn't full at all.  I understand that a lot of season ticket holders come from out of town, and I don't blame people for not driving up for these early games, but the students have got to get out there.  They are the most important fans in Bramlage anyway.  I'm not a fan of Sunday games myself, but hopefully Frank will keep on everyone the way Huggs did when people weren't getting out.  Once we get into the Big 12, I think we'll have Bramlage packed and loud the way it was meant to be.
 
I will not be in attendance tonight, as I am getting ready to leave on business.  However, because I hate having low attendance, I found suitable replacements - mom and dad.  Unfortunately they are both Emporia State grads, but don't worry - they will be wearing purple.

EMAW:

1. I like to follow the baseball team and see how Brad Hill is improving the program. I'm a huge baseball fan anyways, and I'm anxious to see if the Bat Cats can prove to be a consistent force in the Big 12. I also enjoy watching women's basketball since they are on television more often than most sports (besides men's basketball and football, of course).
 
2. The most important thing in a K-State uniform is having the name "K-State" emblazoned across the chest. I hate seeing "Kansas" and then "State" underneath it. That's just me. As for colors, I was pumped they brought back lavendar, but I'm curious to see what they'd look like with the matching shorts. The lavendar on purple made it look like we were in practice unis, though from the waist up, they looked awesome. Oh, and the only time a football team should wear the same color tops and pants is if the colors are black or white.
 
3. I'll take Tech. I think they are on a roll and no amount of visors can hold them down.
 
4. I hope those who have tickets to the game on Saturday take advantage of them and go to the game. Our seniors deserve a proper send-off, no matter what the record may be. This group has been through some rough couple of years, and while their play on the field was less than stellar, they've still represented K-State and I wish them all the luck. Plus, ISU should allow us to send off the seniors with a win.
 
5. I could probably go off on a complete dissertation of the cause and effect of attendance at K-State sporting events, but I'll keep this brief. The problem with basketball attendance is two parts. First, some fans (and students) are engrained with the thought that if the team is playing a no-name from a different conference, there is no need to go. They think they will not see a good game and it will not be worthwhile. With the talent we have on this team now, it's worth watching no matter what team we are playing.
 
Second, there are many season ticket holders who live in KC or Wichita (or other points in-between) that cause them to miss several weeknight or non-conference weekend games. I understand and can relate to not wanting to drive 4 hours round-trip and spend the extra money on gas and then get back late just to see us blow out Emporia State. Therefore, there needs to be better education for the fans who live outside of Manhattan to see that there are communities to get rid of tickets they cannot use. And I'll never understand the argument that some people don't want to just give away a ticket to be used by a fellow K-State fan. If you don't give it away for free, it will just sit in the sock drawer anyways and you're still out the money for that ticket. Idiotic....
 
Oh, and a little bit better marketing would go a long way to get more of the local fans out to the Bram. The Kiss Cam and other between action "fillers" just won't hold a crowd. If the K-State marketing group would like some pointers, or maybe some help with conducting a focus group, I'll gladly volunteer my services. Find out what the targeted demographic is, find out what draws them to games, and market the hell out of that aspect of your product. Marketing 101.

TB: Uh oh, you mentioned "Kiss Cam."  Expect Panjandrum's mighty wrath to rain down upon you when he gets around to replying.

1.  Volleyball has always been my favorite.  I grew up watching and following volleyball because my dad officiated high school games in Nebraska.  When I got to K-State in 2002, we were at the height of our volleyball power, winning the Big 12 in 2003.  On top of all that, you get to watch games in Ahearn Fieldhouse, which is a treat in itself.  And of course, there are a lot of really good-looking girls in tight shorts.  Yeah, I'm a dirty young man.
 
2.  I love the lavendar jerseys.  Love them.  As soon as they come out and I get back to Manhattan, I'm buying one.  Not sure whose number I will get, but I'm getting one.  I think they look kind of bad with the purple shorts, but pictures make that look worse because our purple looks blue on camera.  Also, the fact that shorts are exponentially longer and baggier now than they were back in the early 1980s makes the shorts more noticeable, accentuating the contrast.  Either way, I don't think you're going to see the lavendar-on-purple very often, probably just once or maybe twice a year.
 
As for the all-purple look in the football game, I'm kind of indifferent now.  At first, I thought it looked pretty good, but then I remembered how much I like the look of the purple jerseys and silver pants.  It's not bad as an occasional change of pace, but I prefer the purple-and-silver look at home.
 
3.  I'd like to see Tech win, but I'm not sure if they're up to it in Norman.  Bob Stoops is still one helluva good coach, and giving him two weeks to prepare would be a death sentence for most teams.  Should be a good game, but I'm taking OU.  Give me chaos!
 
4.  Cheer for the kids, they've been through a lot the last four or five years.  It's not their fault we've hired a poor coaching staff, and they've put in a lot of time and hard work to represent K-State.  Other than that, ugh.  This game is going to set back organized football at least 20 years.
 
5.  For sure we need to do more to advertise the channels to get rid of tickets.  I'll get some links up later when I have more time, but I'm pretty sure the athletic department has programs where you can donate your tickets to soldiers at Fort Riley and other worthy causes in the community.  But a little foresight would go a long way toward getting some tickets used.  If you have friends that don't have tickets, ask them if they want them.  Drop them off to someone at work.  Put up a FanPost on BOTC advertising that you have tickets available and want someone to use them.  I don't blame people, especially those in KC, Wichita, and Topeka (not to mention western Kansas) for not being able to make it to home games.  I just wish some of them would do more to get their tickets used.

And of course, as soon as I send my answers off, I get this about donating tickets.  The formatting sucks, so I couldn't read it very well, but there are several avenues by which students can donate tickets they won't use.  Didn't see anything about other season-ticket holders donating, but I'm sure they wouldn't turn you down.

mystman995:

1. Other than the big 2, I don't really follow the other sports now that I've graduated. When I was a student I went to the occasional volleyball or baseball game and randomly checked in with the women's basketball team. College football and basketball are two of the most exciting sports in the country, but the rest of the college scene generally doesn't compare to the professional versions. Plus I never had time to really go see anything else.
 
2. Finally the all-purple uniforms! I've always wanted the Cat's to sport the purple uni's. Oh wait – that's what you guys meant by all-purple uniforms? Son of a bitch those are plain and ugly. That is totally not what I had in mind.
 
If you are going to go all one color (which I still want to see), you have to do it right. See Texas Tech in their all-blacks. It works. I like it. We'll need purple helmets too. And like Bailey said, no matte colors are acceptable on a football jersey. Purple, white and gray simply do not go well with each other. Choose purple and one other.
 
Try again athletic department, try again.
 
3. OU at home. I don't think this being Stoops' third loss at home. I'll be secretly rooting for the Raiders though…
 
4. Iowa State is awful. We're pretty bad. I think a pretty bad team should be able to handle an awful team at home right?
 
5. Well first off you don't want to piss of Frank. Ever.
 
Secondly, it's the first two games of the season against teams that should be automatic winners like Southeastern Technical College of Northern St. Louis in Missouri at Chesterfield. If I have plans that day, I'm not going to break them. It's not a good game to watch. Let me know if attendance is slipping at games that actually matter. With all due respect Frank, of course.

Panjandrum:

1. Man, that's tough.  Honestly, this is going to sound awful, but I don't really follow any of the other sports all that much.  Kansas State, due to its decreased budget, doesn't have the full range of sports like a Texas or Texas A&M.  We just kind of stick to the basics.  If there were a men's tennis team, I probably would have followed that as it was my sport of choice back in the day, but aside from baseball, there's really nothing that I would sit down and watch with any level of great enthusiasm.  I have watched a few baseball games intently when they were on TV, so I'd probably say that if you put a gun to my head.

2. Well, as far as the basketball uniforms go, I like them.  I think they're some of the better looking ones that Nike has put out in their 'System of Dress' lineup.  In that style, the combination of purple, white, and black really looks good.  I think I like the white homes better than any of the others; they just look slick.  The lavender shirts are a cool throwback to the past, so if they wear those a few games a year, that's cool.  It keeps the old dudes with big wallets happy, and it acknowledges that there is a basketball tradition at Kansas State that pre-dates Bob Huggins and Frank Martin.

From a football standpoint, I think we need to pursue this "purple pants thing"; it could look good if they tweak it a little bit.  You know, if they were to put some stripes on the pants or something.  For road games, you go with white jerseys and silver pants.  That's it.  No compromise.  It has, does, and always will look awesome, so they should leave it that way. 

Also, once in a while, black jerseys could look good for home games.  Kind of like TCU has (har har har).

3.  Tech.  OU has been weak against the pass all year, and I just have this feeling like it's the Pirate's time to bring the Big XII title (or more) to Lubbock.

4. I think KSU wins this game because if there is one team that's more God awful in the Big 12 right now, it's Iowa State.  I'd also like to think that our guys will come out with some pride on Senior Day.

5. Well, there needs to be some sort of ticket exhange set up that's easier for students, alumni, and other fans to access.  I know my cousin is a student there, and he doesn't have tickets, but if someone were to offer them to him, he'd probably accept.  I bet there are a lot of students out there who can't afford tickets, so I'm sure if there were an easy avenue for tickets, they would jump on them if it were easy.  If you were to create a 'ticket bank' for students, military, local groups (i.e. big brothers/big sisters, boys and girls clubs, church groups, etc.), etc., and they were able to get tickets for free or at a discounted rate, we could probably see an increase in attendence.  It's going to be hard for people, like me, who live in KC to make a Wednesday night basketball game (especially when I'm out of the state for business during the week), so those people could put their tickets in the 'bank' as well.  If the ticket department could set up a system where folks could reserve these tickets for friends and let them log onto the exchange and electronically print them, it could just make it so easy and convenient for people to give tickets to friends, family, and co-workers if they wanted to go.  It would also decrease the hassle associated with meeting someone to pick up tickets, stand at a will call, etc.

In the age of information technology, I'd like to think we have folks that are smart enough to set something like this up.  Students are already printing off tickets electronically, so this is just another derivation of that.  I don't see why it wouldn't/couldn't work.

Also, TB is right.  F--- the "Kiss Cam" that's the most f---ing retarded thing the AD has ever come up with.  Ever.  And I'm even including the Powertards that walked around the track during football games on stilts.

Who thought that this would be a good idea?  There you are, in the middle of a tight game, and momentum has just swung your way after a steal and a fast break alley oop.  The crowd is rocking.  The band wants to Wabash.  All of a sudden, an elderly man from Clay Center gives his wife a gentle peck that's displayed on the video board while the PA system blares "Kiss me" by Sixpence None the Richer...WTF!!!!!!!!!

That person shouldn't be reprimanded.  They shouldn't be fired.  They should be shot so they don't breed and water down the gene pool.

I hate that crap.  My blood pressure rises, and I get visibly angry because of how immensely stupid and worthless the Kiss Cam is.

I'm getting agitated just thinking about it.

TB: I wish you wouldn't hold your feelings back so much, PJ.  It's not healthy to keep all that anger bottled up.

How about this for an example of how to do purple football britches?

TCU - BYU 2008 Football (via canBrill)

mystman995: Well it's better than what we put on the field, but I don't really like the split colors for top and bottom. The shiny pants were actually a bit much I think. Maybe the purple needs to be a little darker?

EMAW: In my days as a journalism student at K-State, I had the pleasure of sitting in the control room for the group that produces the video board. The cameramen, director, tech director, sound guy, and everyone else involved HATED the Kiss Cam as much as we do. The only reason it is done is because no one wants to take the time to do anything else. "It's easy, there's no time spent on something new, let's just do it to save ourselves some work," is the thought process behind keeping the Kiss Cam. And frankly, that's bulls**t. Just thought I'd share....I'll let Panjandrum continue his coronary.

mystman995: I hate the Kiss Cam as much as I hate the pre-determined Doughnut (or insert other stupid product here) race around an animated track on the Jumbo-tron. That shit drives me nuts - and everybody loves it. Let's play this game:
 
What name am I going to call you?
A. Dumbass
B. Awesome!
C. Asshat
 
While everyone is hoping that I'm going to call you awesome, it's already been predetermined that you are an asshat.

Panjandrum: EMAW, I want the name of the person responsible for that abomination.  I have a guess, and if it's confirmed, I may stroke out when I find
out for sure.

Honestly, I think I'm getting red faced right now just thinking about it.

The Kiss Cam is as bad as someone walking up to the Powercat during a timeout and laying a fat, steaming turd on it, while everyone is forced to watch...all while soft rock plays in the background.

That's what I'm saying; it's as bad as someone walking over to midcourt and taking a shit, while we're all forced to listen to a goddamn Brian Adams song.