Jump to content

Why Is College Basketball Attendance Down In Oklahoma?


Old Titan

Why Is College Basketball Attendance Down In Oklahoma?  

15 members have voted

  1. 1. Why do you think college basketball attendance is down in Oklahoma?

    • It's become too expensive and/or inconvenient
      4
    • The Oklahoma City Thunder has drained fan loyalty and ticket dollars
      0
    • The quality of play has dipped to an unacceptable level
      6
    • Folks prefer staying home these days and watching the game (or something else) on their hi-def TV
      8
    • Other (specify in thread)
      0

This poll is closed to new votes

  • Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.
  • Poll closed on 11/20/2017 at 06:00 PM

Recommended Posts

It is a combination of factors that include the items listed above. People seem to be more sedentary and have a host of reasons/choices on their TV to compete against the ‘hassle’ of attending a live event. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ORUTerry said:

It is a combination of factors that include the items listed above. People seem to be more sedentary and have a host of reasons/choices on their TV to compete against the ‘hassle’ of attending a live event. 

Bingo.

Except in Oklahoma City...

Or Wichita....

Or Omaha....

Thos places pack 'em in for (respectively) the Thunder, Shockers, and Blue Jays, and a LOT of them are older fans.

Now, why is that?

A sense of community?

The thrill of victory?

Beer?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Old Titan said:

Bingo.

Except in Oklahoma City...

Or Wichita....

Or Omaha....

Thos places pack 'em in for (respectively) the Thunder, Shockers, and Blue Jays, and a LOT of them are older fans.

Now, why is that?

Because they are older fans.... not as distracted by television and video competition. The fan bases are also loyal with little competition. Not sure that really answers the question though. In some cases, even successful teams (OU) have trouble drawing fans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As TheEagleman has grown older I attend less and less live events because of....expense....traffic....just easier and cheaper  to watch on my HDTV and eat my own food and drink my own beer for $1 a bottle instead of $8....I only go to a game to take my grandsons.....:|

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TU and ORU probably run 4th and 5th in the market

  • OU
  • OSU
  • Arkansas
  • TU
  • ORU

I addition to that, TU and ORU fight for what remaining "casual basketball" fans there may be. I think Wojick's decision to marginalize the Mayor's Cup game hurt both schools and basketball in the city. A Mayor's Cup that actually meant something played in January - February out from the shadow of football could help the winning school a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The style of play could be a reason. It seems like college basketball has gotten mired up in a slower pace with bad shooting. At least in Oklahoma. 

I think affordability is something all college programs need to think about as well. TU charges $15 for their cheapest tickets. ORU charges $10. Of course ORU and TU both offer some sort of family pack, group rates, etc... ORU prices aren't terrible, considering the easy access, good seats, etc... (TU's prices seem outrageous) But with the Thunder and various other events going on, people have less time and money to spend on watching a Monday evening basketball game. Therefore, college basketball in Oklahoma cannot demand the same premium that it may have in the past.

I also think that college basketball needs to go to using quarters and eliminate some media time outs. It probably wouldn't affect attendance, but it might help. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good points all.

As for pace of play, I agree that so many timeouts are tedious. 

But, here's a dirty little secret you might not realize:  college athletic directors LOVE media timeouts. 

More timeouts mean more promotions on the floor and endorsements on the PA, which means more dollars from sponsors.

Take away those media timeouts, and you negatively impact the revenue stream, which they are loathe to do...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The $ factor wasn't in play on Monday night, as TU offered (and advertised) $5 upper bowl tickets.  There weren't many takers...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, TrueBlue82 said:

The $ factor wasn't in play on Monday night, as TU offered (and advertised) $5 upper bowl tickets.  There weren't many takers...

Rats, I didn't know about that or I probably would have went. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, TrueBlue82 said:

The $ factor wasn't in play on Monday night, as TU offered (and advertised) $5 upper bowl tickets.  There weren't many takers...

I did - in fact, it's the only reason I went (can't stand TU fans and their constant whining).

Got a mid-court seat on the aisle about three rows up from the railing; shared the entire section with about 100 people. 

Sad!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would agree with all of the above points. Maybe it's not too much money but just too much basketball for some folks? Committing to multiple Thunder games during the week (live or televised) may not leave room for your local college team, especially when its still football season. But with the outrageous prices people pay for decent Thunder seats against bad teams, I can't imagine that they are really scared off by even a $20 ticket price to a college game. Also, this conversation pre-dates the Thunder's arrival in Oklahoma.

Some other thoughts I've had on the topic:

1) Every state D1 team sucks right now. Relatively speaking.

2) College and pro football seasons are longer then ever and have consumed every waking moment of sports media. Local and national outlets don't even try (or don't have time) to promote the beginning of basketball season anymore. Even ESPN dropped their 24-hour Hoops Marathon. They still had the Veterans Day games, but I didn't see any commercials. And their big games on Tuesday (featuring a 1 vs 2 matchup) barely got blurbs.

3) Over-saturation. I remember the good ol days of the late 90s, staying up to get Mid-Con championship updates of ORU vs Valpo on ESPN because we didn't get ESPN2(!). Now I can get virtually any ORU game on my phone without getting out of bed.

4) College basketball's popularity trickles down to places like Oklahoma. One-and-done's, scandals and pace of play hurt the sport. I couldn't name 10 college players outside of Oklahoma and I'm a hoops fan. And football is now the fast-paced sport! See: Bedlam 2017.

5) Does college basketball itself even care? Even the bigger schools treat basketball like it's hassle now. That's why they keep wanting to push it to the 2nd semester. I still maintain that they try to fix the problems contending with football in November than the headache it would be going against the NBA in May/June. At least you still own March.

6) Mid-major success. I sometimes wonder if the success of George Mason, VCU, Butler and Wichita State makes it tough for casual fans in low-major cities where "making the tournament" is still the top goal. I can see people saying "why haven't you made a Final 4 yet?".

7) The Thunder is still a novelty. Give it time. Less than 10 years in and they still have the league's MVP and most exciting player. They drafted 3 league MVPs (counting Harden this season) in 3 straight drafts. Biggest sports gift to a city/state ever.

8- Oklahoma is not a great basketball state. People will show up if there is an event and their teams are good. Or when Kansas is in town. I think most places are like that. I don't know how to explain a place like Creighton. TU and ORU combined have not matched that in seasons when both teams are good.

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most people I know just don't care about basketball until the Calendar turns to January.   This time of year there is plenty going on and early season play is usually a poor product.  Teams look so much better later in the season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was down in San Antonio this past weekend and I decided to go to the game Monday night. I have to say that I was definitely disappointed in the crowd. I always thought that Indiana State had bad crowds, but that crowd was smaller than most crowds we get at our games. 

And a serious question, where were all the ORU fans? I'm not sure there were 200 ORU fans at the game. I mean I know it was technically a "road" game, but TU can't be farther than 10 miles from ORU right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, mvfcfan said:

I was down in San Antonio this past weekend and I decided to go to the game Monday night. I have to say that I was definitely disappointed in the crowd. I always thought that Indiana State had bad crowds, but that crowd was smaller than most crowds we get at our games. 

And a serious question, where were all the ORU fans? I'm not sure there were 200 ORU fans at the game. I mean I know it was technically a "road" game, but TU can't be farther than 10 miles from ORU right?

I had the same thought.  My hunch is the ORU crowd has been beaten down by uninspired play the last few years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...