The Dome can no longer just rely on capacity. From big to small, here are some ideas to make the atmosphere better for Orange Nation.
Within the Syracuse Orange universe, the state of the JMA Wireless Dome continues to be a significant talking point among the community. It has practically defined the 2020s for Syracuse Athletics.
Changes to seating capacity for football and basketball. New blue seats replacing the old silver bleachers and other major changes, mainly due to the ongoing JMA Wireless Dome Transformation Project. From the perspective of fans, potentially growing concern over ticket prices and a possible brewing issue with attendance (for both men’s and women’s basketball). There’s been plenty to discuss and I’m sure there will be a lot more in the months to come.
That being said, there is one topic that really hasn’t come up amid all the noise and news, even on our site: the game day experience for fans in the Dome.
The basketball Dome atmosphere is in need of some major changes and modernization efforts. Relying simply on capacity and the theoretical number of fans no longer works. That’s arguably in the past… and for good.
Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
So, what can be done to help make it worth the cost for fans to attend more games, but also make the entire experience just astronomically better?
Consider this article a brain dump, tossing out a handful of ideas from big to small based on plenty of factors.
Among all the possibilities out there, here are a few of the major ones I would suggest:
Orange-branded drink and/or food: this one is easily the “how after all the years has this not been done yet?” idea. The Orange is a signature color and brand for a reason. Why not use every once of its potential?
Several basketball venues I’ve been to have a team-themed food and/or drink. Considering the many orange-branded things out there, this is easily something that wouldn’t be too costly and probably be an iconic, population purchase for fans.
On the drink front, who wouldn’t buy something like an “Otto’s Screwdriver” or “Otto’s OJ”? How about an ice cream, a smoothie or anything along those lines that’s orange? If we need something more Dome-themed, maybe the “Dome Cone” or “Dome Snow Cone.” You get the point: take advantage of the brand and bring that in as a product where you would say “I would only get this by going to the Dome.”
Light up gadgets: this would require plenty of technicality and investment, but wouldn’t this be cool?
Bare with me here for a second: every fan gets some sort of light up device (can be white, orange or whatever, but preferably those two colors). It’s control by the Dome based on certain (legal moments) in the game, like right before tip-off when Syracuse’s lineup is introduced or maybe when the other team calls a timeout? The Dome lights dim down or go dark and these lights just starts flashing and going crazy. It would naturally be this “checkpoint” to get the fans going.
Nighttime game should have a nighttime feel: similar to the point above, but broadly speaking, there’s a difference between a 12 p.m tip-off compared to one, say, at 7 p.m. Those nighttime games tend to be conference opponents and carry a different context compared to an afternoon matchup.
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Live basketball on the scoreboard: a small idea, but it does help to get fans to the game earlier especially for the basketball junkies who watch basketball. Considering the investment made in that giant new scoreboard, wouldn’t it make sense to make the most of it?
Pre-tip-off ideas: can something be done to essentially bring more entertainment before the game? A giveaway or T-shirt toss for the fans who show up an hour early? A free pizza slice or anything in that ballpark for the students who are already in their seats way before tip-off, especially for those highly-anticipated games like Duke or North Carolina.
More towels: they shouldn’t be expensive, they can be made unique for certain games and fans love them. It makes the whole view on TV look way better with the towels. And please (with extra love), no more green towels.
More Dome decor: strictly for basketball season, Syracuse needs to embrace its history and tradition in the sport. Have you seen how well put together the Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center is with old newspaper clippings/headlines, artifacts of memorable Syracuse basketball moments and live video from iconic games? That’s just an appetizer in terms of the potential the Dome could have if it is fully decked out with that sort of stuff as you walk into the Dome to find your seat and bring more “aura.”
Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images
Themed nights to honor specific teams: this is one I’m surprised hasn’t been done more, considering I’ve been to a few venues where this is super common. Can we take advantage of that aforementioned rich history and bring back some of these iconic teams? Wouldn’t it be cool to have some more anniversaries for the 2015-16 team, who has their 10-year coming up next season? That’s just one example, but that’s an easy thing to schedule out years from now and it’s always a touching moment for the players and fans.
Intro video: really needs some work. There’s 40-plus years of mostly quality basketball from the Jim Boeheim era teams that can be used. Considering how much “remembering who came before us” comes up a lot, fans don’t see it all that well before the game.
Mid-game entertainment: not the biggest of “needs to be fixed” items on this list, but is there something that can be done to keep fans engaged outside “where’s the Otto underneath the three drone-looking things” and “can a random fan make a shot while laying down on a mattress?” My personal fun idea: put two fans (preferably students) in inflatable bubbles and have them run head on. Who wouldn’t laugh at that?
Next year ticket discount: a long-shot idea I don’t see coming to fruition, but here me out.
Is there a way to reward 100% attendance on a season? If a student shows up for every single game in a year, can they get like $100 or half off their season tickets the following year? How about a giveaway where five students get all of next year’s tickets for free. Or (call me crazy), every student who shows up for every game gets entered into a raffle. At that final home game, the student whose name gets drawn has free tuition for next semester/year. Wouldn’t that be insane?!
Ditto for the fans, too! I’m sure there’s plenty of fans out there who would show up for every game for a chance to have to not pay a single dime next year.
Again, this last one would be a stretch, but it is at least an idea.
Final thoughts: from minor to bold, there’s a lot that can be done to enhance the experience of basketball games for fans. Some require more resources and investment than others. There’s also the flip side of the coin for things like attendance and fan experience: part of that may just be the quality of the program isn’t what it “used to be” a decade ago. That I totally understand, and that may be an unavoidable element in this whole discussion.
With that in mind, the game day experience feels like it’s stuck in the early 2000s. The Dome’s potential clearly hasn’t fully been tapped into.
Something definitely needs to be changed. What would you suggest?