This renovation was beyond stupid. It doesn't make sense to remove seats with prime views while leaving seats in the end zones, and it looks terrible on television broadcasts not having any fans along the sideline.
I remember when San Jose State had a top-tier football program and sent lots of players to the NFL. Other than Fresno State and San Diego State, it seems like the Cal State system just doesn't care about football anymore.
SUDS is drawing terribly. Their new stadium is mostly 50% or more empty on game days. Fresno State is the only CSU that draws in football. Stanford and UCLA have terrible attendance. In fact, SJS is sometimes outdrawing Stanford which never would've happened even ten years ago. Cal draws ok and USC still does well. But the real problem is twofold: 1). Demography 2). Pro Sports Demography changes in CA major metro areas is creating a population of foreign-born (mostly Asian) who have ZERO interest in American style college football. Those who do like football end up following the fucking NFL teams while ignoring the colleges in their own cities. 2). Pro Sports. Too many pro sports franchises in the bay area and Socal. We'd all be better off if half of them would pull an Oakland Raiders/Oakland A's kind of thing and leave and go somewhere else.
@@markcarbonaro6524 I've lived in California since 1978 and with the exception of USC when it was winning, college football has never drawn well here. Immigrants have very little to do with it. I grew up in Ohio, and the difference between the Midwest and West Coast when it comes to interest in college football is immense. College football is an obsession in much of the Midwest.
Stanford used to draw very well, over 50k average up through the 80’s and into the 1990’s. Cal and UCLA drew in the 40’s and 50’s and in the 70’s SUDS drew in the 40’s (Coaches Coryell and Gilbert had great teams in those days).
You're assuming that what you're seeing now is the finished product. It's not. The plan was always to rebuild seating on the east side of the stadium. A second phase will erect seating in front of the Athletic Center. It will most likely be much nicer, chairback seating as well. The funding to build the replacement seating will likely come from the estimated $14-15 million payout that the school will receive as part of the exist fees that the schools departing the MWC in 2026 will have to pay to the MWC.
The ill-advised destruction of the east side seating and the placement of the building are the fault of four people: Former university President Mary Papazian Former VP of Finance Charles Faas Former disgraced AD Marie Tuite Former HC Brent Brennan These four concocted this building with ZERO input from fans, media or community. By the time any of us saw the site plans it was too late to change anything. My biggest gripe is that the building is too close to the sideline and at best if seating is ever restored to that location SJS will be limited to maybe 15-20 rows of seats. The old grandstand had 43 rows of seating. This is a major league fuck up and all of the people responsible can no longer be held accountable. You’re story on the proposed 1973 expansion is incorrect. The proposal was 37,000 seats and $5.3 million dollars. Not building that stadium is why Coach Darryl Rogers left SJS after three successful seasons. Two modest expansions of the stadium followed in 1980 and 1985.
Overall just terrible. But...I can't believe they couldn't figure out a way to at least get a good 10 or 15 rows on that sideline? To not have ANY seating on that side at the 50 yard line is ridiculous.
The SJS fans are extremely pissed that this project was done on the down low without any sort of public input or vetting. The former AD (who got the athletic program in trouble by covering up a sex abuse scandal), the former president and the VP for finance (who's still in that job) are the ones who created this situation. I find it hard to believe that they had no idea the level of ridicule and criticism they were creating for the school and the athletic program. Correct your capacity number. It's 21,500, not 18,000.
They should have moved to the San Joses Earthquakes stadium and added 12000 -170000 seats to that stadium. I would be one of the best in the Conference.
The school would have lost revenue to lease the stadium from the Earthquakes, as well as having additional expensea to shuttle students, equipment, and other gameday services to the stadium. Given football team's attendance the Earthquakes stadium dea would not have been an economically viable solution.
Why be a tenant when you've always been a landlord? That's why Don Kassing (a very good interim prez at SJS) turned down Lew Wolfe's "offer" to build a new Spartan Stadium for both football and the Quakes. The Quakes would've controlled the venue and its scheduling. Imagine a scenario where SJS has a football game scheduled for a Saturday night and the Quakes make the MLS playoffs and decide they want the stadium that weekend for a home game? The football team would be fucked. Kassing realized that right from the get-go and told Wolfe "no dice".
Just went to google maps, one of the end zones backs to a major road. The other end zone, there is space to build this fieldhouse but they would need to take down the endzone seating. For a sorry program that draws 8,000 on a good day, losing that endzone seating isn’t a big deal
This renovation was beyond stupid. It doesn't make sense to remove seats with prime views while leaving seats in the end zones, and it looks terrible on television broadcasts not having any fans along the sideline.
I have no problem with a building behind the end zone. I don't like reducing seat usually. Memphis is going to lose about 10K seats
If you’re going to take out seating, you don’t take out premium seating. You take out end zone seating.
I remember when San Jose State had a top-tier football program and sent lots of players to the NFL. Other than Fresno State and San Diego State, it seems like the Cal State system just doesn't care about football anymore.
SUDS is drawing terribly. Their new stadium is mostly 50% or more empty on game days. Fresno State is the only CSU that draws in football. Stanford and UCLA have terrible attendance. In fact, SJS is sometimes outdrawing Stanford which never would've happened even ten years ago. Cal draws ok and USC still does well. But the real problem is twofold: 1). Demography 2). Pro Sports Demography changes in CA major metro areas is creating a population of foreign-born (mostly Asian) who have ZERO interest in American style college football. Those who do like football end up following the fucking NFL teams while ignoring the colleges in their own cities. 2). Pro Sports. Too many pro sports franchises in the bay area and Socal. We'd all be better off if half of them would pull an Oakland Raiders/Oakland A's kind of thing and leave and go somewhere else.
@@markcarbonaro6524 I've lived in California since 1978 and with the exception of USC when it was winning, college football has never drawn well here. Immigrants have very little to do with it. I grew up in Ohio, and the difference between the Midwest and West Coast when it comes to interest in college football is immense. College football is an obsession in much of the Midwest.
Stanford used to draw very well, over 50k average up through the 80’s and into the 1990’s. Cal and UCLA drew in the 40’s and 50’s and in the 70’s SUDS drew in the 40’s (Coaches Coryell and Gilbert had great teams in those days).
You're assuming that what you're seeing now is the finished product. It's not. The plan was always to rebuild seating on the east side of the stadium. A second phase will erect seating in front of the Athletic Center. It will most likely be much nicer, chairback seating as well. The funding to build the replacement seating will likely come from the estimated $14-15 million payout that the school will receive as part of the exist fees that the schools departing the MWC in 2026 will have to pay to the MWC.
Thanks for the info, when it’s complete I’ll do an update video
The ill-advised destruction of the east side seating and the placement of the building are the fault of four people:
Former university President Mary Papazian
Former VP of Finance Charles Faas
Former disgraced AD Marie Tuite
Former HC Brent Brennan
These four concocted this building with ZERO input from fans, media or community.
By the time any of us saw the site plans it was too late to change anything. My biggest gripe is that the building is too close to the sideline and at best if seating is ever restored to that location SJS will be limited to maybe 15-20 rows of seats. The old grandstand had 43 rows of seating. This is a major league fuck up and all of the people responsible can no longer be held accountable.
You’re story on the proposed 1973 expansion is incorrect. The proposal was 37,000 seats and $5.3 million dollars. Not building that stadium is why Coach Darryl Rogers left SJS after three successful seasons. Two modest expansions of the stadium followed in 1980 and 1985.
Overall just terrible. But...I can't believe they couldn't figure out a way to at least get a good 10 or 15 rows on that sideline? To not have ANY seating on that side at the 50 yard line is ridiculous.
The SJS fans are extremely pissed that this project was done on the down low without any sort of public input or vetting. The former AD (who got the athletic program in trouble by covering up a sex abuse scandal), the former president and the VP for finance (who's still in that job) are the ones who created this situation. I find it hard to believe that they had no idea the level of ridicule and criticism they were creating for the school and the athletic program. Correct your capacity number. It's 21,500, not 18,000.
Sjs typically has 5k at a game. Texas hs school teams get 40k in the stands.
SEE!!! THIS IS CALIFORNIA POLITICS!!!!! MAKING NO SENSE!!!!
They should have moved to the San Joses Earthquakes stadium and added 12000 -170000 seats to that stadium. I would be one of the best in the Conference.
The school would have lost revenue to lease the stadium from the Earthquakes, as well as having additional expensea to shuttle students, equipment, and other gameday services to the stadium. Given football team's attendance the Earthquakes stadium dea would not have been an economically viable solution.
Why be a tenant when you've always been a landlord? That's why Don Kassing (a very good interim prez at SJS) turned down Lew Wolfe's "offer" to build a new Spartan Stadium for both football and the Quakes. The Quakes would've controlled the venue and its scheduling. Imagine a scenario where SJS has a football game scheduled for a Saturday night and the Quakes make the MLS playoffs and decide they want the stadium that weekend for a home game? The football team would be fucked. Kassing realized that right from the get-go and told Wolfe "no dice".
Just went to google maps, one of the end zones backs to a major road. The other end zone, there is space to build this fieldhouse but they would need to take down the endzone seating. For a sorry program that draws 8,000 on a good day, losing that endzone seating isn’t a big deal