Fans, Kirby wants you to Always. Be. Closing.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart joined 680 the Fan’s Buck and Kincade on Tuesday to discuss spring practice. Almost immediately, Smart took advantage of the platform to make a call-to-action to fans.
“They need to come out and see G-Day,” Smart said. “It is a big part of our recruiting piece. Everybody loves good recruiting. I think our fanbase is excited about getting good prospects in here. Bringing in a new group of Georgia football players in.”
In 2016, Smart’s first year at the helm, Georgia fans packed Sanford Stadium for “93k day.” Last year, 66,133 were in attendance for G-Day. The Dawgs signed the No. 3 and No. 1 recruiting class the past two cycles.
“We certainly cannot do that without their help,” Smart said. “We need their help. We need a huge G-Day. Because so many new coaches, I have said over and over, they are all passionate and they are all crying to their fanbases about coming out, going to Gainesville and Knoxville and going to all these places. We need them in Athens, Ga. to turn out just like it was the very beginning because that is what carries over to these kids.”
Not only is it costing me more to attend games, but now I’ve got to work at them? Shee-it.
I just hope I don’t get blamed if Kirby loses a five-star to ‘Bama.
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Interesting … he wants Joe Fan and Bob Alum to come out for G-Day, but they won’t do a public appearance in Atlanta for Joe and Bob unless you’re a Magill Society member. I love what Kirby is doing between the lines with the team … fan or alumni-friendly is something he is not.
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Well, you are pretty negative nowadays…. 😉
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Hope it doesn’t affect my performance bonus… 😉
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Maybe not, but they will probably move your season tickets to 37F.
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Life was easier for us when we could still blame Bobo.
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What a d**k move by Kirby encouraging folks to come to a free game to support their supposed team! Those free scrimmages, that’s how they get ya. Bastards.
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We say we want UGA to win yet we aren’t willing to do the one (‘free’) thing our head coach feels can actually help that? I’m confused.
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Can’t I simply go to a game because I want to?
Kind of thought entertainment was the point here, as opposed to being enlisted into a cause. YMMV.
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You’ve got a point but that sort of “call to duty” works. I know I went in year 1 because he asked and if I wasn’t scheduled to be out of town next Saturday, I’d go this year. Likewise, I think crowd size does matter to those recruits. I can’t say I appreciate to coercion but I can’t argue with the results of it. Given that we’re scheduled right behind the Death Star’s spring game, it would be a good look to have more asses in seats than in t-town.
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No doubt the call to duty would be easier to swallow if the school made the attempt to meet the fan base halfway by making the game day experience better.
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Theoretically, if they made the experience appealing enough, no one would have to ask, right?
The truth is that other than seeing a few flashes of what a new recruit like a Justin Fields can do, a spring game is a terrible, meaningless experience. It’s a difficult sell which makes filling up the place all the more impressive for any kids that have been to a competitors spring game.
I hope we have 95k willing to see it live. I’d be there if I could.
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It’s another chance to go up to Athens with friends to tailgate with (hopefully) nice weather and see what the team looks like. How bad can that be?
If it’s a difficult sell, well, whose fault is that?
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What is you say? YMMV? I think the further you’re away the less appealing attending a spring game is.
Also the concept of an intersquad scrimmage is just not very compelling. When I lived in Myers and walked over in the early 1990’s the place was practically empty Athens, nice weather and a tailgate with friends notwithstanding.
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You think going to G-Day is free? Yeah, there may not be a price of admission to the game itself, but there’s a hell of a lot of opportunity cost that goes into taking a spring Saturday to attend a glorified scrimmage. Being told you’re an extra for recruiting doesn’t do a lot to move the needle for me.
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Damn, I miss the days of scheduling G Day during Masters weekend and only 20,000 showing up. Pure genius I say…..
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What’s better? Being dismissed because you aren’t “in the arena” or being embraced as part of the team and a contributor to its success?
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That’s easy — being appreciated as a valued supporter of the program and consumer of the entertainment service the program is offering.
Oh… that’s not what you were asking, was it?
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There’s no appreciation in this. We’re (the fans) nothing more than props w/ a wallet, expected to do as told & pay whatever amount the UGAA wants as evidenced by the fan who called them out on their pricing lie.
I’m curious to hear how the seating plan works out. Something tells me the “plan” was designed to the benefit of the UGAA, not the fans.
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Both of those things can be true simultaneously.
Fans are important in terms of enthusiasm and attendance. Their opinions on football? Not so much.
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I love it! It’s just like when we have a party and one of Mrs. Cowdog’s lady friends asks what they can bring or do to help. Stock answer? “Show up and look pretty.”
Put your red on, show up and look pretty y’all.
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My first G Day was at Clarke Central when they were getting Sanford ready for the Olympics, I think. We’ve come a LONG way since then.
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I was there too. Big props if you can’t remember who the star attraction was that year.
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Anyone? Anyone?
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Spring 1996? Jim Donnan is the only person I can come up with. Everyone else was recovering from season-ending injuries the prior year.
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Odell Collins. He was something like 6’4″ 245 lbs and had like 3500 yards rushing in one season at some JUCO in CA as I recall. The kid was from Jefferson, GA.
Anyway those stats and the kids size turned him into a glimmer of hope in those dark days. Of course, he did practically nothing in the scrimmage and beyond.
Not as big a bust as Sterling Boyd though so there’s that.
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Those are two names I haven’t thought of in a LOOOONNNNNG time. I remember Boyd being hailed as a guy who couldn’t be caught in the open field … at UGA, the problem was he never got into the open field. With Collins, didn’t he injure his hamstring or groin doing laundry or something like that one time while he was in Athens?
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Many good reasons to go to this game, but this is also Kirby covering Greg’s ass for scheduling Austin Peay.
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Less We forget, Show up early cause seating is not gonna be where ever. Going through the gates they are gonna give you a stub for section and seat.
Probably easier to sell out G Day than Austin Pea
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Are we really bitching about the head coach of our favorite football team wanting as many fans as possible at the spring game?
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Why is he on this hard sell stuff? With the 2017 results, number one rated recruiting class, and a tradition of GDay being a fun day in Athens with no Masters conflict. a capacity crowd is a lock. Well, there is that weather thingy that could cut the legs out from under the plans. If there is not a bad forecast for Saturday’s weather, they will turn folks away (especially with the West end zone closed down.) Now if they play games with the seating and have roped off areas for elites who show up just prior to kickoff, they may have trouble with future scrimmages. This is a gimmee for a packed house, relax Kirby. Come on Joanne, get that pretty spring day for us on the 21st!
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