I saw on Hokiesports.com last week that one of the changes starting this year at the games is that programs (the magazines) are free, as opposed to the $5 they used to cost. That sounds pretty awesome to me, since I've gotten one at every game I've ever attended. But I haven't seen any reports of what they're like now. Did anybody pick one up last week? What does it look like? Is the quality any different now that they're free? And how does the German Club feel about the change?? They used to be the guys selling them, although I don't know if they got any of the proceeds.
My apologies if this has been brought up somewhere else on the forums. I did a cursory search and didn't come up with anything.
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From what I heard, they are no longer the large game programs that they used to be. Given they are now free, I'm sure quality went down, but they are supposedly more like playbills.
They were smaller, and not on the high gloss paper that they used to be on, but I don't think the information was really lacking. The German Club members are still the ones handing them out, though you can get them other places now, too.
Due to their lack of cost to fans, you see a whole lot more of them in the stands. You also see more of them in the stands on the ground as you leave, which I think is a shame.
Hopefully they are made from paper that is unable to be made into a successful paper airplane.
Yes, that's too bad, but on the flip side, more people are getting programs so more information about our team is being shared with the attendees. So we should be getting a larger number of more knowledgeable fans as a result.
And without being on high gloss paper, they're surely both less expensive to produce and more likely be be easily recyclable, even though they're less of a souvenir.
Wins all around, I think.
Am I the only one that hopes they put the words to Tech Triumph in the program? While I think the fan clapping is fine and dandy, hearing 66,000 people singing the words to our fight song would be awesome. Makes me think of some of the European soccer matches where you hear the stadium in unison.
I never really liked the words to fight songs (any of them really), it just seems kinda lame to me.
At the end of the day most school's fight songs are kinda lame, since most are about 100 years old. But they are OUR lame lyrics!
Man I wish we could chant things like they do in European soccer games.
Alas, if 'Stick it In' is out of bounds, the things some of their chants include would cause our games to be suspended.
Well I sure as hell hope that our stadium chants "BYE FELICIA!" to Kaaya when Miami rolls into Blacksburg. I'll be incredibly disappointed if it doesn't happen.
Tech Triumph is just too fast paced to really get the whole stadium echoing it out.
With that said, looking back, 2007 would have been a great time to get a tradition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' going in Lane before games/Sandman. In fact, we should do it anyway. Imagine 67k people belting YNWA with the VT-Ribbon logo on the scoreboard before a game. Would give you chills everytime.
As a Gooner, I'm opposed to this particular choice of songs.
They were fine, definitely smaller as others mentioned. Very similar to what I've gotten at a Durham Bulls game or other type event... I think the Nats hand out programs that are similar in size. Content was not lacking, though.
The only thing I wondered was if there were any sort of supply issues? I have always gotten a program, but I also always arrive at the stadium relatively early compared to the rush that tries to get in around kickoff. Does anyone know if everyone that wanted one got one on Saturday?
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preach
I was unable to find one when I got in. I was 30 minutes or so prior to kickoff.
I eventually grabbed one someone had dropped and had gum stuck to it.
Cool. I'll be sure to grab one when I attend the ECU game.
Also the programs have a really really bad odor... That might be why there were a lot on the ground just because people couldn't stand to hold them for long. They are definitely smaller and the quality has gone down since they are free now.
OH MAN, I thought I was imagining things, but I smelled it too. It honestly smelled like asparagus pee, which was quite unsettling.
Asparagus pee might actually be an upgrade to what they smelled like... I know I wasn't the only one around me noticing it. A saw a mom tell her son to smell it and I think he gagged.
Alright, curiosity got the best of me here and maybe I'm the only one thinking it but...WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SMELLING A PAPER PROGRAM?!?!?
Trust me I didn't voluntarily smell the program. That's how bad they smell... once you open it the odor just attacks your nose. It's pretty unavoidable to miss.
Fair enough. The only real acceptable response was that it was really hot and you used it as a fan, thus waving stank towards your face. Otherwise, if you are smelling paper frequently, you might want to see a specialist.
Haha! Well it sure was hot enough to use it as a fan. Ironically I decided to take a break from my usual paper smelling habits that day!
They are what you would expect from a "free" program...not that great. Also, I noticed that many of the players numbers are missing or haven't been updated...seems like a work-in-progress.
I noticed this too, it was like the team roster was more out of date than the depth chart was ... which would make sense, I guess, since depth chart info would be updated more frequently.... but either way they should be able to hold out until the last possible moment to print it up w/ the correct info in there?
The depth chart included the top two at every position as was listed on Monday of game week. The roster included full depth. What exactly was missing or out of date? These couldn't exactly be printed on Friday night before the Saturday game. Based on previous years' editions, these were as updated as any in past seasons. Not to mention, they were FREE. So, what was missing that was available in previous seasons? A visit to Hokiesports.com on Monday of Game Week didn't reveal all the roster numbers, either. Just for reference' sake.
Thanks for the info guys! It sounds like they're about what I thought they would be, given that they're free. Although the bad smell is an interesting feature...
It would be cool if they started doing something like what the Flying Squirrels here in Richmond do with their programs (and I'm sure others do it as well), where there are some copies with autographed pages inside. At different points during the game, the announcer will tell you to check a certain page for a signature, and if it's there you get some kind of prize.
Oh, and I'd love to see a picture of what these things look like now, if anybody's got one.
The new free programs were sized smaller than the old expensive ones. They were about 5X7" instead of the 8.5X11" old ones. I expected them to be thin and forgettable, but they were not. They were full color glossy. i don't understand how someone could say they were 'less glossy' as these were virtually identical to the old ones, only smaller. Also, they had the full info in them, and were 68 pages long. I've got one here now. Interviews with Sands, Whit, Frank, Willie Byrn, full info on Tech Traditions, full roster info, Lunch pail Ladies, history of Lane, ad infinitum. I entered the stadium at 35 minutes before kickoff, and every person entering was given one. I also walked past reserve cartons of programs just past where the staff was handing them out. Bottom line, the new FREE programs were GREAT and as good as anything I've paid for in the last three decades.I think that was a FANTASTIC thank You to the fan base, and it was as good as anything we've had to buy under previous AD regimes.