Here's the Math:
The PA music is 100 percent of the reason I do not attend games anymore. I do not like losing, I do not like Coach Collins, I dislike that we now have fake grass instead of real grass, and I dislike games at MBS. However, none of those things would keep me from going to the games. I am a lifelong GT fan and graduated EE 1988. I have been through a lot of losing seasons but still attended games. I had season tickets from 2008 - 2020 and attended every home game until the middle of last season. I attended every fan day and spring game during that time. I absolutely hate the nonstop PA music and that is why I stopped attending games. I cannot concentrate on the game with the music playing and it kills the game day atmosphere. I come to watch the game and hear the band. The PA music kills the natural flow of cheering, booing, and yelling. I do not like the type of music that is played but I would also hate it if music I like were played. We can listen to our music any time we want but can only hear the Tech band at sporting events. I always told everyone that I loved going to the games so much more than watching them on tv. That has all changed because it is a miserable experience being at the game having loud music assault your senses for four hours.
So tell us, really, how do you feel about the "money down" - especially when we are down 4 TD's
Look at those teams records over the past 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
Simple solution:
So much love for this post.
I used to do that as an old guy . . . of 10. On my transistor radio. Circa 1970. Ear speaker in one ear; one ear free to hear the chants, the cheers, the band music, and the ambience.
Attendance took its first BIG hit, when DRad was AD, and he out-of-the-blue instituted the ticket fees. Obviously, that was something that had to be done, but he didn't handle it very well, and a lot of apparently cheap-skate Tech fans didn't like it and gave up their tickets. My section of seats in the upper east, where I had sat since 1967, had as much as 50% less occupancy the following season. Prior to that my section and the one next to it were virtually packed. It has gone down steadily ever since.
I heard a couple of years ago from a former band member who still stays connected to the band that they had been instructed NOT to play except at certain times (after scores, 3rd quarter Budweiser song, and a few other times). They used to play pretty much at will during the games, and that always resulted in fan and especially student interaction. I guess somebody somewhere thought blaring pop music was more conducive to excitement than the natural excitement of the band and cheerleaders.
I was in the band, and we basically had free reign to play whenever. All throughout the opponent possessions, some timeouts, some quarter breaks. Now it does look like the band is being given like half of 3rd downs, and a few timeouts. The band did play a lot on 1st and 2nd downs, so maybe they the feedback and are trying to find a compromise.