What Happened to the UCONN Fanbase?
The Hartford Courant ran a piece yesterday about the decline in attendance of football games at Rentschler Field since 2010. The article talked about the team’s record and conference realignment as the main issues to that decline. Both are, without a doubt, part of the equation, but there is much more to it than that. If any progress is going to be made, the school itself, is going to need to do some digging and take action. Why?
If the leaders of UConn are to be believed, the next run of conference realignment is going to happen sooner, rather than later. Evidence: At the football kickoff dinner at The Rent this summer, athletic director Warde Manuel was adamant about the importance of fan support this season. He spelled out for those in the audience, that attendance in football will be the top priority for leaders of conferences that will be looking to expand.
A sports program, with declining attendance and a perceived decreasing amount of interest (UConn), is not going to push this school over the top, especially when competitors like Cincinnati, who are expanding Nippert Stadium, or Central Florida, who has replaced UConn as the successful up and coming program in college football, are on the rise.
Football is not the only problem here and everyone should recognize it. Yes, UCONN fans flocked to New York City this past April to turn Madison Square Garden into Storrs, South, during the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, but two games do not make up for an entire season of apathy throughout the home schedule in Hartford, something that was first noticeable during the 2012-13 season.
On January 14, 2013, No. 1 Louisville came to Hartford in a year the men’s program was disqualified from postseason play. Only 14,287 fans showed up for a game against the eventual national champions. Syracuse came into Hartford a few weeks later, the last scheduled home meeting between the long-time rivals, a sad day in UConn sports history. Just 13,518 came to watch. As a reminder, the XL Center seats 16,294 for basketball.
Fans quickly blamed the fact that the team could not compete for a championship that year. In the end, the NCAA won. That fan apathy has continued and it has continued in a big way. Below are the attendance numbers for the men’s basketball program at XL last season, a year the program won their fourth national title, since 1999:
Yale – 8,848; Loyola (MD) – 9,497; Maine – 9,681; Stanford – 11,140; Temple – 4,741 (snowstorm during game & 84 was an ice rink); USF – 10,553; Memphis – 16,294 (sellout); Cincinnati – 16,294 (sellout)
That comes to 67% capacity for the entire season, or in other words, pathetic.
You hear the excuses and they have all gotten old; the terrible atmosphere, the building is old and it’s too far from campus, among many, many others. The same is unfortunately starting to take place with the football program after three straight losing seasons. Despite a 1-1 start and a current streak that sees the Huskies as winners of four of their last five, including wins against Temple, Rutgers and Memphis, who have all been impressive to start the 2014 season, the excuses have been rolling in, particularly, win first and then we’ll come.
The Huskies host nationally recognized Boise State on Saturday at noon on ABC, a school that has been to twelve consecutive bowl games and was the winningest college football program during the first decade of the 2000’s. Head coach Bob Diaco touched on fan attendance, particularly Saturday’s, during this afternoon’s weekly meeting with the media.
“I don’t want to come across as berating in any way to the people that weren’t there, the fact of the matter is we are so honored and pleased to have all the Husky fans that were in the stadium cheering hard, however many there were, ten-thousand, twenty-thousand, or thirty-thousand, whatever, thank you for coming, we’re honored to have you there and we were pleased to share in that experience with you. To the people that didn’t come, I understand, I got it, but please come. It’s not a money deal, it’s surely not for us [referring to ticket sales for the school], it’s about an engagement, it’s about a state engagement, it’s about a university pride, it’s about an awesome thing to do on an afternoon, cheer on your state school in a great contest. We hope that more will come, engaged.”
“What came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the fans come and then the team won, or did the team win and then the fans came? I don’t know,” Diaco continued. “We’re just going to work to control what we can control, and I understand, I got it. We need to have a great product out there and we’re going to. So please come and this weekend in particular, for me to try to chase the opponent in terms of getting people to come, I don’t see that. To say this is the particular opponent, so you should come, I don’t buy into that. To me, it’s an awesome event to watch, it’s great pride and the players are pouring their hearts out for the people of the state and the university. Hopefully the student body will come, reciprocate that same pride and love and the people of the state will to and the opponent won’t necessarily matter, whether it’s a top ten opponent or a bottom ten opponent. The people will come, crowd in and get excited and the team will play as hard as they can for four quarters and the people will cheer as hard as they can for four quarters, that’s when you really have an awesome thing going.”
Fans are frustrated and they use the following three reasons as excuses. Three straight losing seasons, left behind in conference realignment and a schedule that has gone from the Big East to one that no one recognizes, despite the fact that this is one of the best home slates, since Rentschler Field opened. The school understands, to an extent. UConn is in a tough spot realignment wise, but the last thing they need at this point, is apathy from the the fans. The fans are what drives interest, ratings and a positive, fun and energetic atmosphere. That, in turn, creates wins. At the same time, UConn cannot make fans care, it’s impossible, much like a relationship gone south, where one person cares and the other does not. So, what can they do?
1. Market Research/Focus Groups – As with any business that is looking to sell a product, proper research needs to be done. What would make a non-consumer choose going to a UConn football game in the future instead of attending another event (i.e. NFL game out of state)? What would get a non-alum to a game? What would it take to get alumni to buy season tickets? What would it take to get more Fairfield County residents to games? These are just some questions that will better help UConn understand the market and I’m sure they are currently doing this, otherwise, well that’s a story for another day. The fact of the matter remains, you need to understand the market in order to sell. Attendance numbers say the school is failing in this department.
2. Scrap the Discounted Tickets, Donate Instead – This is a strategy that is really going to hurt season ticket sales in the future. Those that spend money on seat donations, parking passes and $40 tickets should be fed up with the fact that two days before a game, tickets become available at discounted rates, for as low as $20 per. Donating tickets is a much better way to go. Send to military personnel, high schools (as long as it’s not a violation), youth groups, anything to get the stadium to capacity without irking the season ticket holders. Getting kids in the state when they are young, will leave a lasting impression and create repeat customers.
3. Ban Alcohol Sales Inside Stadium & Prevent Visibly Intoxicated People from Entering – I’ll take heat for this one, but it’s a valid point. The enforcing of tailgating ending 30 minutes prior to kickoff is a good start. It not only gets people inside the stadium earlier, but limits the time fans are in the parking lots, binge drinking. However, it isn’t enough. The drinking at these games has gotten out of hand. Over the last several years, tailgating at games has increased drastically, but the attendance numbers have gone down. People go to Rentschler Field for the party, but they never go inside the stadium for the game. The ones that do, surely ruin it for others. Spilling beer, yelling incoherently and just acting immature will turn off certain demographics, especially a fringe fan taking in their first game, from coming back. Those with kids? Forget it.
This is a crucial time for the fans, the school and the athletic programs they support. Anytime an athletic director releases a statement to the Hartford Courant, like the one below, pleading with the fans to get to the game, times are urgent.
“I want to thank all of our great UConn football fans that have attended games at Rentschler Field for the first two games of the 2014 season and in the recent past. You are the back bone of our support base and are critical to our coaching staff and student-athletes. For those of you that no longer come to games, or have never been to a game at Rentschler Field, my message is simple – please come and buy tickets. It is critically important that when national television audiences tune into games at Rentschler Field, that they see a loud and exciting atmosphere.
“While none of us are satisfied with the on-field results of the last few seasons, we have hired a bright and exciting head coach in Bob Diaco, who in turn has brought in an outstanding coaching staff. Most importantly, our football student-athletes are working hard each day to get better. I am extremely confident that the future of UConn football is full of promise and soon, we will be returning to a tradition of winning.”
The Huskies have a chance to make a statement Saturday and quite frankly, so do the fans.
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