Scott Cherry blog

[ORU_Ed]

+1 OT

Eagleman,  did you not see the  after my statement about Alpo...I mean Valpo?  TONGUE in Cheek

valpo was a good rival and I wouldn't mind playing them again but Bryce's shot and Scott's Baylor team are the only thing keeping that at the forefront of conversations...that at the puke yellow and puke brown and "Bring out the Barrel"

[theeagleman5]

on that, yes...we agree, Mr. Ed...those brown and gold uniforms were ugly and the Alpo fans total dopes...gosh, i miss those B%&*#@DS...

[LarryL]

The attendance against CU wasn't what we wanted but the atmosphere was good. 

No, there aren't enough students coming to games, but come on, "what the heck can you do"?

Speaking of "Alpo", we can't just let a "dead dog lie" - got to keep this thread going and set a record!  I have a couple of questions: 

1. It's been a while since I've been to a home game - are there student sections behind both goals?  When I was a student, we were just at one.  It's more intimidating to visitors to face student fans at both.

2.  What if a corporate sponsor was found who would provide pizzas and drinks for the 2 men's wings and 2 women's wings who had the highest percentage of their floors at a particular game?  Anybody think that would help draw students out? (Serve them in the Mezzanine after the game.)  Just a thought.

[tmh8286]

Students, the ones that show, are seated behind the west goal only.  Pizza and soft drink sponsors have donated to the Mabee Maniacs in the past, but I think that ManiacVP was either unable to find sponsors last season, or had a very hard time finding them.  Actually, I think the Golden Eagle Club may provide pizzas - he was unable to find a soft drink sponsor.  Maybe he could fill us in better on that situation.

Remarkably, with only a few more posts, this thread will break into the top ten threads of all time.  What a nondescript beginning for such a long thread!  I just went through the four pages of posts, and the amazing thing is that it has stayed, for the most part, on topic the whole time.

[ORU Big Brother]

How ridiculous is it that students have be fed in order to attend games? What a joke!

[ORU Eli]

Actually, in my opinion, 90% of the time or more pizza doesn't really provide any incentive for students to go to games that wouldn't have gone already. I find that pizza is only an incentive for people who were already planning on attending(such as the maniacs) to get there a little earlier than they normally would.

I really wish I made the money to take off a couple months and study student attitudes and behaviors towards the basketball games. Being in marketing/advertising, I find it interesting to begin with, plus since I always made it such a priority to be there it's always been weird to me how so many seem so oblivious.

I have a close kid-sister type friend that was a freshman last year. She was all hyped up about maniacs to begin with, but she missed maniac initiation and decided not to join and by middle of the season I'd email her and say "going to the game tonight?" and she'd often say "what game?" or "Nah...gotta study/not in the mood/probably not."

Pizza or no pizza, her and most of her friends only ended up going to the "big" games or on saturday nights when she had nothing else to do. I never have been able to understand it.

[wakeflip1]

One reason students are not showing up to the games is because they don't even know there is a game. 60% (guestimate) of the people I come across on the elevator in the EMR were clueless ORU bb was playing that night. I'd be heading down the elevator, and stop at a couple of floors with some guys filling the elevator up heading for the ground floor. I'd spark up conv. "so you guys heading to the game?" More than half the time, the reply was "really, there's a game?" I'd tell them they should come and almost always they had no plans and came to the game.

They just didn't know.

Why?

Well, first off, the athletic department has done a great job advertising and marketing for the games. You can walk down the GC halls or the dorm halls and see the bb schedule and other offers inticing fans to come.

I believe the key to growing the ORU fan support is in the classroom. I have had professors who have encouraged students to attend ORU basketball games during the beginning of class, yet those professors are the minority. I'f some how administration encouraged professors to make an annoucement of games at the beginning of class could (in my opinion) double the student fan base.

There are just too many students who don't know when the games take place. Class anouncements would either inform or remind the students about the game. Thus, catapolting the student fan base.

Is it possible?

Or is there some school policy against it?

[tmh8286]

Those are all good points, wakeflip, but I'd have to say that the students don't know about the games because they are a low priority to them.  They have access to the same schedules that the rest of us do - the little pocket schedules, the poster schedules, they even give out schedules on magnets that you can stick to something metal (like a frig!). 

I keep track of when games are and who we're playing because they're important to me.  Nobody has to tell me when ORU is playing - There is no activity, no TV show, no computer-related activity that I'd rather do when there is an ORU game in town - or even when they're not.  I'll make sure that I'm near a radio or computer (for the live stream) any time ORU is playing out of town.  The point is, the games are a priority to me.

While all you say is true, I think we also have to create a situation where the games become a priority to the students, too. 

[ORU Eli]

Those are all good points, wakeflip, but I'd have to say that the students don't know about the games because they are a low priority to them.  They have access to the same schedules that the rest of us do - the little pocket schedules, the poster schedules, they even give out schedules on magnets that you can stick to something metal (like a frig!). 

I keep track of when games are and who we're playing because they're important to me.  Nobody has to tell me when ORU is playing - There is no activity, no TV show, no computer-related activity that I'd rather do when there is an ORU game in town - or even when they're not.  I'll make sure that I'm near a radio or computer (for the live stream) any time ORU is playing out of town.  The point is, the games are a priority to me.

While all you say is true, I think we also have to create a situation where the games become a priority to the students, too. 

+1...That's exactly my point. The point that they don't know is just proof that they don't care and/or don't make it a very high priority. And that's what worries me about ORU students...as well as completely confuses me. All my friends at other schools were out experimenting with alcohol, sex, drugs, and other misc activities during the week...the majority of ORU kids are not and especially during the school week there is very little activity involving ORU students at the bars (don't ask me how I know, I just know). So if they're not out drinking and partying, and I don't think they study much more than any other average school, then what in the world are students doing on game nights that are that much more interesting that going to a game and watching some good mid major basketball?!? Blows my mind.

[bballmangc]

There needs to be a school wide push to publicize when the games are (for all sports not just bball).  It should be led by the student association and announced in chapel and at hall meetings. 

[SOLO_Gold]

In adding to the ideas let me say this.

Often times what attracts people to sports events are faces.

It's why the NBA has been at the center of rumors leading people to believe they are  trying to set up playoff series' with big names.

GARNETT vs. BRYANT - CELTICS vs. LAKERS.

We don't have the luxury of using a name like OSU or OU, instead we're trying to garner excitement with schools like WIU and IUPUI....they just don't have the same effect.

We need to take someone like Jarvis and build an advertising campaign around him. The goal is to build an identity. We also need Coach Sutton to have more interaction with the student body - we need him to be the face of ORU basketball.

That's my opinion 

[Cletus]

There needs to be a school wide push to publicize when the games are (for all sports not just bball).  It should be led by the student association and announced in chapel and at hall meetings. 

When I was a student from 1979 to 1983 I remember that OR was the biggest fan of ORU basketball.

He would announce in chapel that the library would be shut down during the game and he wanted us to attend.  I was going to the game anyway but I thought wow, the library is closed for the game!  I don't know if they do those things anymore.  I remember that used to make make some students angry.

I noticed there were two public events OR always attended--chapel and ORU basketball games.

ORU is unique in that it is an overtly Christian college that has winning sports programs.  ORU can compete with teams in Division 1. 

I don't know if most students who want the education ORU offers desire to attend sporting events.

I'm hoping through discussions like this one on the sports board and going to the NCAA tournament every year we can build a tradition unique in Christian college sports.

I hope the new president has the same desire for excellence in sports as the founder of ORU did.

[ORUalum]

I don't know if most students who want the education ORU offers desire to attend sporting events.

Bingo!!!

[tmh8286]

Bingo!!!

They used to . . .

[SOLO_Gold]

This is exactly my point! Oral was the FACE - there's needs to be a fresh new face that people want to admire and follow

[theeagleman5]

I don't get these young students today....when i was at ORU...i never missed a game yet still had plenty of time to drink and party....it's just a matter of priorities, my friends.....

[LarryL]

Quote:

We don't have the luxury of using a name like OSU or OU, instead we're trying to garner excitement with schools like WIU and IUPUI....they just don't have the same effect.

We need to take someone like Jarvis and build an advertising campaign around him. The goal is to build an identity. We also need Coach Sutton to have more interaction with the student body - we need him to be the face of ORU basketball.

These are some of the wiser points that were made on this topic.

Probably what it all boils down to is school spirit.  But school spirit is not created in a vacume.  It is a function of many things - winning tradition, pride in the school, fun, excitement, leaders on every level that help foster it.

Just having knowledge of game times will not get people there.  I know when the Bloodmobile is scheduled to be at a certain place, but I usually don't go.  I remember when I stayed in Shakarian (a dorm in the old days), a game was THE social event for a brother and sister wing to go to together.  You knew you were going to have FUN.  A lot of kids didn't know much about basketball, but it was the fact of being together and enjoying ourselves.

I think the coaches talking to the students is a great idea (I don't know if this has or hasn't taken place).  I think the players getting out in the community and serving in some way can foster tremendous goodwill, and in turn create greater excitement even among students. (good way to get on the news also).

Anyway, my point about providing some pizzas was just one idea to create something fun, an incentive for wings to go together as a group.

Just one possible idea for the RA or social chairman to rally a wing to all be at a game.

[LarryL]

I'm going to go ahead and make a prediction - mark it down.  School spirit is on the rise, attendance at games will increase, there will be a better attitude all-around this year.  That is because things are coming to order from the top down. Spiritual order has that effect on any organization. In the same way, the malaise that I sense had crept onto the campus (reflected partly by lack of game attendance, lack of enthusiasm, etc.) will disappear, and be replaced by enthusiasm.  Be encouraged Mike!