As the G-Men set out for each football game, there is one goal on their minds: winning. After tough battles against SWAC opponents, the G-Men take pride in knowing that they’ve given the fans something to cheer about. This season, the fans can cheer for something else.The GSU Bookstore is part of a company test conducted by Barn & Nobles at every bookstore at a football school. The test is that every Monday after a football game, if the team wins, there’s an in-store discount.
“Whenever the team wins, whatever they win by is the discount off in the store,” said Rosalyn Lewis, manager of the Bookstore.
Lewis also noted that the discount is always a minimum of 10 percent, but never more than 25 percent.
“It’s an opportunity for students and faculty to get a discount during the course of the football season to get some paraphernalia,” Lewis said. “It gives us a chance to push school spirit.”
School spirit has seemed dismal at best lately. After two home games, the average attendance is 8,852, down from 18,651 through two games last season.
Several factors could have come into play during the games. Scorching heat and a rainstorm could have deterred fans enthusiasm for going to the game.
Last season’s numbers were also bolstered by a strong traveling fan base of Jackson State and Alabama State, something Grambling seemingly lacked. Some of the G-Men have taken notice of the lack of fan support.
When some were asked about fan support, some said, “No comment.”
“The fan support is very low,” said Chris Byrd, a junior wide receiver. “We need for the fans to come out.”
The fans are needed for this weekend’s JSU game.
“When the G-Men go into hostile territory, we want them to know that their fans are supporting them,” said Lewis, whose store is sponsoring Gold Out for the game. “It’s crucial we show up to Jackson in our colors. We know they’ll be in their blue and white.”
The Bookstore is also sponsoring Black Out for the upcoming homecoming game against Texas Southern. TSU defeated the G-Men last year in a 33-28 upset at their homecoming. This year, Lewis knows their fans are coming to GSU to cheer on their fans.
“We don’t want (those fans) to feel like when they come here, they’ll take over,” Lewis said.
This can be prevented, Lewis said, if students and faculty take advantage of the discounts that will occur throughout the season. If the G-Men are victorious over JSU, at least a 10 percent discount will be in effect on Monday.
“When the G-Men are out on the field, we want them to know that we are with them,” said Lewis.