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  1. #101
    Quote Originally Posted by Acymetric View Post
    Er, the "pressbox" tends to refer to the entire building, at least colloquially, even though certainly there is more going on inside. It doesn't just refer to the specific room you are in as a member of the press.

    The new building is definitely larger than the old one.
    Thank you. I might've thought this was self explanatory. And not only is the new building larger, it looks grotesquely out of place and oversized...it appears to be taller than the entire stadium underneath it. It clearly ate up a lot of the budget, as did the exterior...and NONE of that enhances Duke football to the eyes on TV....who see empty seats.

  2. #102
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Acymetric View Post
    Er, the "pressbox" tends to refer to the entire building, at least colloquially, even though certainly there is more going on inside. It doesn't just refer to the specific room you are in as a member of the press.

    The new building is definitely larger than the old one.



    Should we start a conversation about professional fan bases in the lacrosse thread?
    ER, the "pressbox" has a name. It's the Blue Devil Tower and it was designed to generate revenue via luxury boxes. And yes, it is big. But it is not a pressbox.

    And naming rights are still available. Check or all major credit cards.

  3. #103
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    Sep 2007
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    Undisclosed
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    ER, the "pressbox" has a name. It's the Blue Devil Tower and it was designed to generate revenue via luxury boxes. And yes, it is big. But it is not a pressbox.

    And naming rights are still available. Check or all major credit cards.
    Bitcoin? Asking for a client looking to, um, shelter some funds.

  4. #104
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    ER, the "pressbox" has a name. It's the Blue Devil Tower and it was designed to generate revenue via luxury boxes. And yes, it is big. But it is not a pressbox.

    And naming rights are still available. Check or all major credit cards.
    Sure, but people (not just at Duke) refer to [building containing pressbox] as "the pressbox" all the time. This includes David Cutcliffe, various writers at goduke.com, and writers for other media outlets. It is incredibly common. I assume since you want to make such a big deal about this you'll be sure to correct Cut on it as well next time you see him? Or...maybe just let it go. It is named "Blue Devil Tower" but people within and outside the program refer to it as "the pressbox" regularly, as is the case all over the country. Weird hill to die on.

  5. #105
    Quote Originally Posted by Acymetric View Post
    Sure, but people (not just at Duke) refer to [building containing pressbox] as "the pressbox" all the time. This includes David Cutcliffe, various writers at goduke.com, and writers for other media outlets. It is incredibly common. I assume since you want to make such a big deal about this you'll be sure to correct Cut on it as well next time you see him? Or...maybe just let it go. It is named "Blue Devil Tower" but people within and outside the program refer to it as "the pressbox" regularly, as is the case all over the country. Weird hill to die on.
    Yep, these buildings are ubiquitously called press boxes at almost every stadium, even as almost all of them house other functions (asst coaches boxes, college Presidents, sometimes luxury boxes, etc). Perhaps as they have morphed, the term press box is more euphemism than a technically and completely accurate term, but it's what people call them.

    All of which is immaterial to the bigger point, which is that the size of that monstrosity looks out of place on top of that rather small football stadium, and obviously sucked up a lot of the budget that could have been used otherwise. A lot was done to make the stadium "pretty" - and it is - but almost nothing was done to retain more noise, create more atmosphere, etc. You know, downsize it, right size it, "Cameronize" it to whatever extent possible. The home atmosphere is a hurdle Duke FB has to overcome with every recruit.
    Last edited by HereBeforeCoachK; 06-26-2019 at 03:14 AM.

  6. #106
    Quote Originally Posted by HereBeforeCoachK View Post
    Yep, these buildings are ubiquitously called press boxes at almost every stadium, even as almost all of them house other functions (asst coaches boxes, college Presidents, sometimes luxury boxes, etc). Perhaps as they have morphed, the term press box is more euphemism than a technically and completely accurate term, but it's what people call them.

    All of which is immaterial to the bigger point, which is that the size of that monstrosity looks out of place on top of that rather small football stadium, and obviously sucked up a lot of the budget that could have been used otherwise. A lot was done to make the stadium "pretty" - and it is - but almost nothing was done to retain more noise, create more atmosphere, etc. You know, downsize it, right size it, "Cameronize" it to whatever extent possible. The home atmosphere is a hurdle Duke FB has to overcome with every recruit.
    Glad to see I’m not the only old codger that can’t sleep anymore 😞. An east coast guy with a detailed post about Wally Wade during the middle of the night?

  7. #107
    I've enjoyed this conversation, mostly because I remember those years when we lost all / most games and the stands were truly empty - more than today. I think there are 3 reasons why we have a ceiling on numbers attending games: (1) I went to a PT session in Mebane a few months ago, and the therapist asked where I went to college. After telling her Duke, she said "I've lived in Mebane for my entire life, and I've never met anybody that actually graduated from Duke." (2) I was at the UNC-Duke game in Chapel Hill a few years ago when Duke got creamed, and I was sitting in the student center staying out of the rain before the game. I was getting heckled over my Duke hat. I started asking the hecklers if they graduated from UNC - not one person had. In NC to a large extent fandom is handed down through the generations. Most ardent UNC fans I know never set foot on the UNC campus. I don't think selling beer is going to overcome this cultural heritage. (3) Why spend money when you don't identify with the university in any way - to spend money you need some connection and Duke just does not have this for most people in NC. For example, my wife's southern NC family from Mebane thinks everything about Duke is "snobby" - they don't identify with the concept of an elite university. P.S. I really like the new stadium, the new look, and the new pressbox.

  8. #108
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by HereBeforeCoachK View Post
    Yep, these buildings are ubiquitously called press boxes at almost every stadium, even as almost all of them house other functions (asst coaches boxes, college Presidents, sometimes luxury boxes, etc). Perhaps as they have morphed, the term press box is more euphemism than a technically and completely accurate term, but it's what people call them.

    All of which is immaterial to the bigger point, which is that the size of that monstrosity looks out of place on top of that rather small football stadium, and obviously sucked up a lot of the budget that could have been used otherwise. A lot was done to make the stadium "pretty" - and it is - but almost nothing was done to retain more noise, create more atmosphere, etc. You know, downsize it, right size it, "Cameronize" it to whatever extent possible. The home atmosphere is a hurdle Duke FB has to overcome with every recruit.
    Oh my. The construction of luxury boxes surely pay for themselves, and the large reception and seating area is one-thousand times better than that cramped canvas-covered president box on the east side of the stadium. And considering that it is made available to large donors, certainly there is a return.
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  9. #109
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Acymetric View Post
    Sure, but people (not just at Duke) refer to [building containing pressbox] as "the pressbox" all the time. This includes David Cutcliffe, various writers at goduke.com, and writers for other media outlets. It is incredibly common. I assume since you want to make such a big deal about this you'll be sure to correct Cut on it as well next time you see him? Or...maybe just let it go. It is named "Blue Devil Tower" but people within and outside the program refer to it as "the pressbox" regularly, as is the case all over the country. Weird hill to die on.
    I've never heard anyone, Cut included, call this the "Pressbox."

    Referring to something by its proper name is generally a good thing. You're welcome to disagree.

  10. #110
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Greensboro, NC
    I thought the Blue Devil Tower was the elevator shaft that gets people down to field level.

    I just took possession of my first pair of hearing aids, so maybe I'll pay more attention now.
    Man, if your Mom made you wear that color when you were a baby, and you're still wearing it, it's time to grow up!

  11. #111
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    To actually try to connect recruiting and attendance, is there a benefit to prioritizing local recruits? The idea is that local recruits--let's define local as easy driving distance--will generate local media attention and entice fans to come and watch the hometown hero play on a bigger stage.

    Duke has certainly promoted that narrative. And it is nice to see a player's parents, siblings, friends in the stands.

    But is it more than that? I don't know if anyone has any firm evidence either way. How many people came from Alamance County just to see Johnathan Lloyd play? Probably not enough to move the needle very far.

    Duke has long tried to grab the non-affiliated football fans, especially those who just moved to the Triangle. And lots of people have just moved to the Triangle. But the local population is probably double what it was when Spurrier was at Duke. But the crowds are the same.

    I do know that it hurts recruiting. Bring a recruit in for a game that draws 16,000 and you darn well need to have something else to sell. And Duke does. But even the players will candidly--and off the record--admit that low attendance is the biggest negative of their Duke experience.

    It also hurts that the TV cameras in the "pressbox" show the visitors side of Wade. So, even if there's a decent crowd, the people in the stands do not appear on camera and the empty seats do.

    Looks bad.

    The solution of course is to not have empty seats. But attendance is declining across sports, pro, college and high school.

    There obviously is no sure-fire solution and Duke actually thinking about this a lot. I agree that making the experience more fan-friendly is a no-brainer. But sitting at home in your climate-controlled living room, with a remote control and a half-dozen games on your big screen is a tough combo to beat.

  12. #112
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    ^ Jim, I've never bought into the oft stated narrative that local kids drive any level of attendance boost. Sounds like you're skeptical as well...I take a slightly better out of state kid to a slightly lesser in state kid any day...

  13. #113
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    To actually try to connect recruiting and attendance, is there a benefit to prioritizing local recruits? The idea is that local recruits--let's define local as easy driving distance--will generate local media attention and entice fans to come and watch the hometown hero play on a bigger stage.

    Duke has certainly promoted that narrative. And it is nice to see a player's parents, siblings, friends in the stands.

    But is it more than that? I don't know if anyone has any firm evidence either way. How many people came from Alamance County just to see Johnathan Lloyd play? Probably not enough to move the needle very far.

    Duke has long tried to grab the non-affiliated football fans, especially those who just moved to the Triangle. And lots of people have just moved to the Triangle. But the local population is probably double what it was when Spurrier was at Duke. But the crowds are the same.

    I do know that it hurts recruiting. Bring a recruit in for a game that draws 16,000 and you darn well need to have something else to sell. And Duke does. But even the players will candidly--and off the record--admit that low attendance is the biggest negative of their Duke experience.

    It also hurts that the TV cameras in the "pressbox" show the visitors side of Wade. So, even if there's a decent crowd, the people in the stands do not appear on camera and the empty seats do.

    Looks bad.

    The solution of course is to not have empty seats. But attendance is declining across sports, pro, college and high school.

    There obviously is no sure-fire solution and Duke actually thinking about this a lot. I agree that making the experience more fan-friendly is a no-brainer. But sitting at home in your climate-controlled living room, with a remote control and a half-dozen games on your big screen is a tough combo to beat.
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    ^ Jim, I've never bought into the oft stated narrative that local kids drive any level of attendance boost. Sounds like you're skeptical as well...I take a slightly better out of state kid to a slightly lesser in state kid any day...
    It seems to me that bringing in local kids is more laying longer-term groundwork, and not so much about producing immediate attendance results. I would guess that bringing in local kids regularly will improve attendance some noticeable amount (not like a 50% bump in attendance, but not .1% either), but that you won't see that kind of improvement for at least 10, probably 20 years or more. This is especially true if the local kids remain local after college. Having the families in attendance helps bring some people who understand proper football stadium atmosphere into the crowd, which theoretically could spread to the other fans although it doesn't seem to have so far.

  14. #114
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Meeting with Marie Laveau
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    I've never heard anyone, Cut included, call this the "Pressbox."

    Referring to something by its proper name is generally a good thing. You're welcome to disagree.
    Thank you, Jim, for saying this better than I could. I've never heard anyone going into the Blue Devil Tower say they were going to the press box unless they were were wearing press credentials.

    I wasn't enthusiastic about the renovations when the process started, but now I'm so pleased with the results. The architectural details added generally improve on the original structure. The primary shortcomings of the renovation are the lack of comfort in the plastic seats and the lack of shade on the visitors' side and elsewhere.

    The conversation about how to improve attendance is ongoing and seems to flourish during the off season. I would encourage all who are concerned about the disappointing attendance to buy a season ticket and attend in person. If the quality of food concerns you, make your opinion known to those in the athletic department who are responsible for the contracts for concessions.

    Meanwhile I'm going back to following the recruiting after DeVon Edwards gets married today.

  15. #115
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    ^ for those looking for any increased comfort they can find, I can report that the slightly wider seats on the much less sunny West side are noticeably more comfortable than those on the east side...if you have somewhat long legs (especially compared with dimensions of people when WW was built) the extra few inches help out the knee room by enabling wigglage.

    Also happy to see that of the four games I plan to attend, two are in October (GT, Pitt) and two in November (ND, Syracuse) which is great for sun purposes...the only September game is vs A&T at 6pm, also helpful.

  16. #116
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    Oh my. The construction of luxury boxes surely pay for themselves, and the large reception and seating area is one-thousand times better than that cramped canvas-covered president box on the east side of the stadium. And considering that it is made available to large donors, certainly there is a return.
    That is totally true...I understand the economic necessity - I can understand that fully, appreciate it, and still wish more of the money had gone to downsizing, etc...because that is what would help the atmosphere. These two concepts are NOT mutually exclusive....the factual necessity, and what I wish had happened.

  17. #117
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Watching carolina Go To HELL!
    Quote Originally Posted by Devil in the Blue Dress View Post
    If the quality of food concerns you, make your opinion known to those in the athletic department who are responsible for the contracts for concessions.

    Meanwhile I'm going back to following the recruiting after DeVon Edwards gets married today.
    Congrats to DeVon!

    I haven't eaten inside Wally Wade since we started our tent in Blue Devil Alley 10 years ago. DitDB, you're certainly welcome join us since you don't have your own tent anymore. Others are welcome to join us too. Membership is $75 per member unit (one person or a family) and food is $15 per person (young kids eat free), bring your own libations. We have award winning BBQ chefs providing the best food at any tailgate anywhere! PM me if you're interested in joining the True Blue 'Cue Crew this year.


    Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!

    Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
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  18. #118
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Raleigh
    Quote Originally Posted by OZZIE4DUKE View Post
    Congrats to DeVon!

    I haven't eaten inside Wally Wade since we started our tent in Blue Devil Alley 10 years ago. DitDB, you're certainly welcome join us since you don't have your own tent anymore. Others are welcome to join us too. Membership is $75 per member unit (one person or a family) and food is $15 per person (young kids eat free), bring your own libations. We have award winning BBQ chefs providing the best food at any tailgate anywhere! PM me if you're interested in joining the True Blue 'Cue Crew this year.


    I enthusiastically endorse this invitation and would extend it to others reading here, too.
    [redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.

  19. #119
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Meeting with Marie Laveau
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    Oh my. The construction of luxury boxes surely pay for themselves, and the large reception and seating area is one-thousand times better than that cramped canvas-covered president box on the east side of the stadium. And considering that it is made available to large donors, certainly there is a return.
    If I may add to the conversation about the size and cost of the Blue Devil Tower, it's the venue were members of a variety of teams are fed their regular meals. It's a venue available for renting out for a variety of functions including wedding receptions and other private functions. It's used for a variety of gatherings ranging from some during the football season in the fall to class reunions in the spring. Its size is an asset which makes the spaces suitable for a variety of uses beyond game day.

  20. #120
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