2023-2024 off-season

[bone]

The tailgating does nothing for you but it does for a lot of people as its typically packed there and drawing fans to the field is going to draw them into the game. As you've said there needs to be more then the game to attract people and I feel like they've done a decent job of enhancing that with all that goes on around the game. They are trying to tap into the NFL type of experience not the NHL experience. As far as in game, they have the pep band wandering the corridors before the game and they are actually fairly decent, they have added menu items such as popeyes (I really like this option), they added an attractive female to the in game announcing crew and you can now send in your music requests and they'll play them as long as they are PG.

On that topic, music is a tough one as something I consider a pump up song is different then what my dad likes, which is different then what my 19 year old likes, which is also different then what my 12 year old likes. From the comments I've read, people seemed to be happy with the mix this last year but there is no way to please everyone as some will say its to loud and some will say its not loud enough.... I know my opinion has changed over the years for sure.

I know you are going to say they aren't doing enough but I'm genuinely curious what you think they should do? IMO the biggest ones were the ones I mentioned earlier (replays and announcer)

Personally I don't put this as a benefit, as I don't like the sound of her voice very much and since Ryder isn't all that great either, the in game crew isn't very good.

Granted we always bitched about Scheetz so perhaps its moreso our issue than theirs, but in retrospect, I may have liked Sheetz a bit more as at least he did some stuff related to the game.

Music is certainly tough, but I'd agree it at least didn't seem like a problem this year which is an improvement from past years where either they had DJ Mellow boring the **** out of everyone or playing songs that the lyrics would make my teenager blush. To me this is where the Oilers have knocked it out of the park with Brass Tactics as they can play all the same songs they'd put over the PA, but delivered as a horn section, it doesn't matter which genre you like best as it is all brought into a common ground and so fans of whichever genre can get a kick out of whichever cover song they notice that they love or just vibe to the songs they maybe wouldn't like as much delivered in their original format. It even has the benefit of washing away bad lyrics since it's all instrumental which opens up even more options for songs.

Replays, god that is such a pet peeve. Every single play (unless there's potentially something the refs missed on an Elks player) should be up on screen immediately to help the coaching staff. That's part of home field advantage. Though it does seem they got at least some more replays in this year.

[Esks4ever]

wouldn't hold my breathe on that one

shut your trap!!! I will keep on dreaming my dream!!!

[Esks4ever]

The tailgating does nothing for you but it does for a lot of people as its typically packed there and drawing fans to the field is going to draw them into the game. As you've said there needs to be more then the game to attract people and I feel like they've done a decent job of enhancing that with all that goes on around the game. They are trying to tap into the NFL type of experience not the NHL experience. As far as in game, they have the pep band wandering the corridors before the game and they are actually fairly decent, they have added menu items such as popeyes (I really like this option), they added an attractive female to the in game announcing crew and you can now send in your music requests and they'll play them as long as they are PG.

On that topic, music is a tough one as something I consider a pump up song is different then what my dad likes, which is different then what my 19 year old likes, which is also different then what my 12 year old likes. From the comments I've read, people seemed to be happy with the mix this last year but there is no way to please everyone as some will say its to loud and some will say its not loud enough.... I know my opinion has changed over the years for sure.

I know you are going to say they aren't doing enough but I'm genuinely curious what you think they should do? IMO the biggest ones were the ones I mentioned earlier (replays and announcer)

its amazing to see how much the tailgate area has grown in a short time...

[Hugoagogo]

shut your trap!!! I will keep on dreaming my dream!!!

[Looner]

shut your trap!!! I will keep on dreaming my dream!!!

I'm with ya pal

[Looner]

Personally I don't put this as a benefit, as I don't like the sound of her voice very much and since Ryder isn't all that great either, the in game crew isn't very good.

Granted we always bitched about Scheetz so perhaps its moreso our issue than theirs, but in retrospect, I may have liked Sheetz a bit more as at least he did some stuff related to the game.

Music is certainly tough, but I'd agree it at least didn't seem like a problem this year which is an improvement from past years where either they had DJ Mellow boring the **** out of everyone or playing songs that the lyrics would make my teenager blush. To me this is where the Oilers have knocked it out of the park with Brass Tactics as they can play all the same songs they'd put over the PA, but delivered as a horn section, it doesn't matter which genre you like best as it is all brought into a common ground and so fans of whichever genre can get a kick out of whichever cover song they notice that they love or just vibe to the songs they maybe wouldn't like as much delivered in their original format. It even has the benefit of washing away bad lyrics since it's all instrumental which opens up even more options for songs.

Replays, god that is such a pet peeve. Every single play (unless there's potentially something the refs missed on an Elks player) should be up on screen immediately to help the coaching staff. That's part of home field advantage. Though it does seem they got at least some more replays in this year.

good post, I don't necessarily see the attractive female as a draw either but in a day and age where sex sells, I'm sure some do..... or maybe I'm wrong on that.

[Sectionq]

The tailgating does nothing for you but it does for a lot of people as its typically packed there and drawing fans to the field is going to draw them into the game. As you've said there needs to be more then the game to attract people and I feel like they've done a decent job of enhancing that with all that goes on around the game. They are trying to tap into the NFL type of experience not the NHL experience. As far as in game, they have the pep band wandering the corridors before the game and they are actually fairly decent, they have added menu items such as popeyes (I really like this option), they added an attractive female to the in game announcing crew and you can now send in your music requests and they'll play them as long as they are PG.

On that topic, music is a tough one as something I consider a pump up song is different then what my dad likes, which is different then what my 19 year old likes, which is also different then what my 12 year old likes. From the comments I've read, people seemed to be happy with the mix this last year but there is no way to please everyone as some will say its to loud and some will say its not loud enough.... I know my opinion has changed over the years for sure.

I know you are going to say they aren't doing enough but I'm genuinely curious what you think they should do? IMO the biggest ones were the ones I mentioned earlier (replays and announcer)

I disagree with you on pump up songs. It's not that hard to appeal to all generations. Get a good lively song with a good beat and it shouldn't matter what your age. Plus no offense intended to the people in here, but the team should be appealing to the 40 and under crowd. Those are the people that need to come more often than the 50+ crowd that makes a good chunk of the fans that still go. A good example of a good pump up song that appeals to anyone no matter the age. Virginia Tech plays Enter Sandman for the team to come in. Enter Sandman was released in 1991, so 32 yrs ago, that's anywhere from 10-14 yrs before any of those college kids were born. Plus there would be all kinds of boosters in the crown who are way older than that song but they all get up and start jumping and freaking out. It's not an impossible feet to get a pump up song that appeals to people.

I have referenced a few things in my various comments but here is a list of what I would do:

- Have a certain song that you play every single time when the players come out.
- Have a certain song that you play to fire everyone up right before the kick off. See Virginia Tech. That song is played at the same time every game. It signals to the fans "its go time, get fired up".
- Get a Dj who knows sports to play music. This isn't a night club. The popular Taylor Swift song or whatever is popular that week or month may not be the right song to play after a TD or when the defense comes on the field. The point of the music should be to keep the energy up, not to hear what's popular or what the Dj likes to listen too in his free time.
- Get your own pep band and have them walking around the concourse before games. They should be walking around during half time. During the games, have them on the track walking around playing. The Oilers have their guys and they are great and all over the place. Maybe because of the size of the stadium, you need 2 bands, one for each side. These need to be lively adults who know what they are doing and who are there to hype people up, not highschool kids in a marching band afraid to look up. They also can't be jammed into an empty section in 1 far corner where 2/3 of the stadium can't see or hear them.
- If they haven't done it, bring back some kind of a firetruck. You could incorporate the pep band and the firetruck together. Go buy a couple of used flat bed trucks, dress them up. Put some green and gold flashing lights on them Have the pep band on them to play and able to slowly drive back and forth along the track playing. When they score, have the truck drive back and forth firing out footballs. I get you can't drive around the track fully as easy so have 2, one for each side.
- I understand you need ad dollars so commercials have to be shown. Well they need to make it so the big screen isn't all about showing ads. Set up some screens around the stadium to show ads and you can run them on a continual basis rather than have "it's commercial time everyone, let's watch 3 mins of straight ads". Leave the big one to show the game, show replays, close ups, games for fans, funny clips, football bloopers, great plays past and present.
- Instead of the annoying game announcer coming on the speaker to tell us to cheer, have movie clips come up on the big screen. You should have a production team that can cut clips together.
- Have set TD songs.

Make it an event.

[Hugoagogo]

So much for sources

[Looner]

I disagree with you on pump up songs. It's not that hard to appeal to all generations. Get a good lively song with a good beat and it shouldn't matter what your age. Plus no offense intended to the people in here, but the team should be appealing to the 40 and under crowd. Those are the people that need to come more often than the 50+ crowd that makes a good chunk of the fans that still go. A good example of a good pump up song that appeals to anyone no matter the age. Virginia Tech plays Enter Sandman for the team to come in. Enter Sandman was released in 1991, so 32 yrs ago, that's anywhere from 10-14 yrs before any of those college kids were born. Plus there would be all kinds of boosters in the crown who are way older than that song but they all get up and start jumping and freaking out. It's not an impossible feet to get a pump up song that appeals to people.

I have referenced a few things in my various comments but here is a list of what I would do:

- Have a certain song that you play every single time when the players come out.
- Have a certain song that you play to fire everyone up right before the kick off. See Virginia Tech. That song is played at the same time every game. It signals to the fans "its go time, get fired up".
- Get a Dj who knows sports to play music. This isn't a night club. The popular Taylor Swift song or whatever is popular that week or month may not be the right song to play after a TD or when the defense comes on the field. The point of the music should be to keep the energy up, not to hear what's popular or what the Dj likes to listen too in his free time.
- Get your own pep band and have them walking around the concourse before games. They should be walking around during half time. During the games, have them on the track walking around playing. The Oilers have their guys and they are great and all over the place. Maybe because of the size of the stadium, you need 2 bands, one for each side. These need to be lively adults who know what they are doing and who are there to hype people up, not highschool kids in a marching band afraid to look up. They also can't be jammed into an empty section in 1 far corner where 2/3 of the stadium can't see or hear them.
- If they haven't done it, bring back some kind of a firetruck. You could incorporate the pep band and the firetruck together. Go buy a couple of used flat bed trucks, dress them up. Put some green and gold flashing lights on them Have the pep band on them to play and able to slowly drive back and forth along the track playing. When they score, have the truck drive back and forth firing out footballs. I get you can't drive around the track fully as easy so have 2, one for each side.
- I understand you need ad dollars so commercials have to be shown. Well they need to make it so the big screen isn't all about showing ads. Set up some screens around the stadium to show ads and you can run them on a continual basis rather than have "it's commercial time everyone, let's watch 3 mins of straight ads". Leave the big one to show the game, show replays, close ups, games for fans, funny clips, football bloopers, great plays past and present.
- Instead of the annoying game announcer coming on the speaker to tell us to cheer, have movie clips come up on the big screen. You should have a production team that can cut clips together.
- Have set TD songs.

Make it an event.

They do have a song they come out to, along with a wicked video they do each year, I can't recall what it was this year but last year it was "The business" by Tiesto, which is definitely not the 40-50's crowd music but it did get the blood pumping.

They do have a pep band that isn't high school kids and they do wander the concourse and go through the concession area prior to the games as well as the tail gate section prior to the games.

They do have a mini version of the fire truck and I may be wrong with this but the reason they don't have something bigger is the turning radius in the end zones now that they are squared off as opposed to what they used to be.

I agree 100% with you on the ad thing, as well as the announcer thing. Last year they were even trying to get us to cheer loud when the offence was out there

Another thing I think they could do in order to up the game day experience is to embrace the "evil empire" moniker and surround the experience around being the villain. I would even bring back Nanook this year but have him come back in some sort of cool way and have him as the villain to punter and the Elk guy.

[Hugoagogo]

They do have a song they come out to, along with a wicked video they do each year, I can't recall what it was this year but last year it was "The business" by Tiesto, which is definitely not the 40-50's crowd music but it did get the blood pumping.

The digital media crew did a great job with all the video production this year.

[Hugoagogo]

...and Happy Halloween!

[Esks4ever]

they added an attractive female to the in game announcing crew and you can now send in your music requests and they'll play them as long as they are PG.

)

You referring to the Indigenous women who was in Sports Illustrated ? Ashley Callingbull ?

I talked with her off mic and her voice is fine - but the minute she's on the mic... my god its horrible.


But I believe she was hired more for the "wokeness" if you get what I mean.....

[Looner]

You referring to the Indigenous women who was in Sports Illustrated ? Ashley Callingbull ?

I talked with her off mic and her voice is fine - but the minute she's on the mic... my god its horrible.


But I believe she was hired more for the "wokeness" if you get what I mean.....

Make sense to me

[bone]

You referring to the Indigenous women who was in Sports Illustrated ? Ashley Callingbull ?

I talked with her off mic and her voice is fine - but the minute she's on the mic... my god its horrible.


But I believe she was hired more for the "wokeness" if you get what I mean.....

Glad it wasn't just me and my wife that thought this. If she sounds different off mic, hopefully in time she can improve.

[Hugoagogo]

Dave Campbell
@Dave_CHED
#Elks DB Kai Gray has been named the West Division's nominee for the #CFL Most Outstanding Rookie award.