Attendance at the Regionals

[DefenseBB]

The numbers are in:
Region..................Sw16......Elite8.....Total
1. Bridgeport-..8,502.......10,119...18,621
2. Greensboro-8,811.........6,579....15,390
3. Spokane-......7,142.........7,739.....14,881
4. Wichita-........8,540.........4,695......13,235

Ok, reviewing the first two weekends:
Bridgeport would have been 3rd behind Iowa (28,764) and Louisville (18,821) and just ahead of SC (18,295). Greensboro would have been 8th just ahead of UConn (15,240).
Spokane is 10th just after UConn.
Wichita is 11th.

Now next year, they want to move to the 2 regionals as we know in Seattle and Greensboro. Ok, fine but at some point they have to realize that the West coast simply does not support the sport the way the East Coast does.

Also curious is how they structure the tickets. will a buyer have to buy all the session in Seattle/Greensboro or can they just get their session of interest? Making a buyer get all the sessions forces attendance up for the revenue but the actual attendance for each of the games will dip.

Honestly, the Northwest is not a great idea- sorry my PAC12 brethren. Put it in Vegas to make it more interesting like the PAC12 did for their tournament which has seen a bigger jump in attendance by doing so. I would be more inclined to go to Vegas (more flight options, more to do) than Seattle or Spokane. Just my humble opinion.

 

[TeamFirst!]

That Iowa game against Creighton was over 16,000 people in the stands. An incredible audience for women's basketball.

 

[DefenseBB]

That Iowa game against Creighton was over 16,000 people in the stands. An incredible audience for women's basketball.

14,382 is what was listed....

 

[triaddukefan]

@DefenseBB as much as I would like to have the regionals next year in Greensboro, they will be held in Greenville, SC in 2023

 

[BBallF]

The numbers are in:
Region..................Sw16......Elite8.....Total
1. Bridgeport-..8,502.......10,119...18,621
2. Greensboro-8,811.........6,579....15,390
3. Spokane-......7,142.........7,739.....14,881
4. Wichita-........8,540.........4,695......13,235

Ok, reviewing the first two weekends:
Bridgeport would have been 3rd behind Iowa (28,764) and Louisville (18,821) and just ahead of SC (18,295). Greensboro would have been 8th just ahead of UConn (15,240).
Spokane is 10th just after UConn.
Wichita is 11th.

Now next year, they want to move to the 2 regionals as we know in Seattle and Greensboro. Ok, fine but at some point they have to realize that the West coast simply does not support the sport the way the East Coast does.

Also curious is how they structure the tickets. will a buyer have to buy all the session in Seattle/Greensboro or can they just get their session of interest? Making a buyer get all the sessions forces attendance up for the revenue but the actual attendance for each of the games will dip.

Honestly, the Northwest is not a great idea- sorry my PAC12 brethren. Put it in Vegas to make it more interesting like the PAC12 did for their tournament which has seen a bigger jump in attendance by doing so. I would be more inclined to go to Vegas (more flight options, more to do) than Seattle or Spokane. Just my humble opinion.

Vegas is a great idea. I know there will be some purists who will disapprove of the idea, but it will move the women's game immeasurably forward in one tournament. Vegas is warm in early April ( low of 60 and high of 76 today), tons of things to do, great food, shows, and the continuous women's basketball will showcase the sport to a national live audience as well.

 

[eebmg]

Not clear what the numbers represent. How does Elite 8 attendance (I assume average) decrease so much in Wichita Region?

 

[triaddukefan]

Not clear what the numbers represent. How does Elite 8 attendance (I assume average) decrease so much in Wichita Region?

South Dakota lost

 

[UConnCat]

Not clear what the numbers represent. How does Elite 8 attendance (I assume average) decrease so much in Wichita Region?

South Dakota fans left town.

 

[BBallF]

Not clear what the numbers represent. How does Elite 8 attendance (I assume average) decrease so much in Wichita Region?

Maybe because neither Michigan nor Louisville are near there? Also, Kansas as a men's basketball state for sure. For women, not so much these days.

 

[eebmg]

Vegas is a great idea. I know there will be some purists who will disapprove of the idea, but it will move the women's game immeasurably forward in one tournament. Vegas is warm in early April ( low of 60 and high of 76 today), tons of things to do, great food, shows, and the continuous women's basketball will showcase the sport to a national live audience as well.

As long as Nicki Vargas does not run the show.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I am for Vegas.
Spokane although nice is not the easiest airport to get to, on a direct flight.
Seattle, with the new arena is a much better option, plus you do not need a car and can take the train from the airport to downtown and walk to the arena.

 

[DefenseBB]

@DefenseBB as much as I would like to have the regionals next year in Greensboro, they will be held in Greenville, SC in 2023

Alas, they won't let me edit my thread and give you the credit you so richly deserve...

 

[Buckaroobanzai]

The numbers are in:
Region..................Sw16......Elite8.....Total
1. Bridgeport-..8,502.......10,119...18,621
2. Greensboro-8,811.........6,579....15,390
3. Spokane-......7,142.........7,739.....14,881
4. Wichita-........8,540.........4,695......13,235

Ok, reviewing the first two weekends:
Bridgeport would have been 3rd behind Iowa (28,764) and Louisville (18,821) and just ahead of SC (18,295). Greensboro would have been 8th just ahead of UConn (15,240).
Spokane is 10th just after UConn.
Wichita is 11th.

Now next year, they want to move to the 2 regionals as we know in Seattle and Greensboro. Ok, fine but at some point they have to realize that the West coast simply does not support the sport the way the East Coast does.

Also curious is how they structure the tickets. will a buyer have to buy all the session in Seattle/Greensboro or can they just get their session of interest? Making a buyer get all the sessions forces attendance up for the revenue but the actual attendance for each of the games will dip.

Honestly, the Northwest is not a great idea- sorry my PAC12 brethren. Put it in Vegas to make it more interesting like the PAC12 did for their tournament which has seen a bigger jump in attendance by doing so. I would be more inclined to go to Vegas (more flight options, more to do) than Seattle or Spokane. Just my humble opinion.

Keep in mind that the Regionals from next year on will be 8 team regionals. In 2023, the Regionals will be in Greenville, SC (welcome to the South Carolina home court advantage) and Seattle, WA. In 2024, they will be in Albany, NY (welcome back Uconn home court advantage) and Portland, OR. A moment of silence: Albany will be the last Regional held in the northeast. In 2025, the Regionals will be in Birmingham, AL and Spokane, WA. And in 2026, the Regionals will be in Fort Worth, TX and Sacramento, CA. 2026 is particularly interesting because, except for scattered first and second round games at various campuses, the entire women's tournament will occur west of the Mississippi. So much for the influence of the eastern oriented P5 conferences.

 

[eyeroll]

I get that we need to account for West Coast in all of this, but the NW just seems dumb, outside of obviously whatever $$ they threw in. How in the world does this help the game when the US population looks like this (link). It's hard to get even regional support when there is nowhere within driving distance outside of just driving down the west coast, which as someone noted, has not show the same level of support. In NY, for example, you could have people driving in all the way from Chicago down to the Carolinas. I don't even care about the home court advantage perception, just put in a place where people can get to easily and there's some sort of a solid base already. At this point, I'd take Iowa over anywhere in the NW! #endrant

2020 Population Distribution in the United States and Puerto Rico

This Population Distribution in the United States and Puerto Rico visualization is from 2020.

www.census.gov

 

[DefenseBB]

I get that we need to account for West Coast in all of this, but the NW just seems dumb, outside of obviously whatever $$ they threw in. How in the world does this help the game when the US population looks like this (link). It's hard to get even regional support when there is nowhere within driving distance outside of just driving down the west coast, which as someone noted, has not show the same level of support. In NY, for example, you could have people driving in all the way from Chicago down to the Carolinas. I don't even care about the home court advantage perception, just put in a place where people can get to easily and there's some sort of a solid base already. At this point, I'd take Iowa over anywhere in the NW! #endrant

2020 Population Distribution in the United States and Puerto Rico

This Population Distribution in the United States and Puerto Rico visualization is from 2020.

www.census.gov

...but do we?

 

[eyeroll]

...but do we?

I had to at least say it

 

[bballnut90]

The numbers are in:
Region..................Sw16......Elite8.....Total
1. Bridgeport-..8,502.......10,119...18,621
2. Greensboro-8,811.........6,579....15,390
3. Spokane-......7,142.........7,739.....14,881
4. Wichita-........8,540.........4,695......13,235

Ok, reviewing the first two weekends:
Bridgeport would have been 3rd behind Iowa (28,764) and Louisville (18,821) and just ahead of SC (18,295). Greensboro would have been 8th just ahead of UConn (15,240).
Spokane is 10th just after UConn.
Wichita is 11th.

Now next year, they want to move to the 2 regionals as we know in Seattle and Greensboro. Ok, fine but at some point they have to realize that the West coast simply does not support the sport the way the East Coast does.

Also curious is how they structure the tickets. will a buyer have to buy all the session in Seattle/Greensboro or can they just get their session of interest? Making a buyer get all the sessions forces attendance up for the revenue but the actual attendance for each of the games will dip.

Honestly, the Northwest is not a great idea- sorry my PAC12 brethren. Put it in Vegas to make it more interesting like the PAC12 did for their tournament which has seen a bigger jump in attendance by doing so. I would be more inclined to go to Vegas (more flight options, more to do) than Seattle or Spokane. Just my humble opinion.

Regionals were decided in October 2020 when Oregon and Oregon State looked like strong programs on the rise and had growing fan bases. In 2020 Oregon averaged almost 11,000 fans per game. In 2019 when Portland hosted a regional they had over 11,000 fans show up and create a great atmosphere. With both programs declining it doesn't look like the best decision but it made sense at the time.

 

[bballnut90]

I get that we need to account for West Coast in all of this, but the NW just seems dumb, outside of obviously whatever $$ they threw in. How in the world does this help the game when the US population looks like this (link). It's hard to get even regional support when there is nowhere within driving distance outside of just driving down the west coast, which as someone noted, has not show the same level of support. In NY, for example, you could have people driving in all the way from Chicago down to the Carolinas. I don't even care about the home court advantage perception, just put in a place where people can get to easily and there's some sort of a solid base already. At this point, I'd take Iowa over anywhere in the NW! #endrant

2020 Population Distribution in the United States and Puerto Rico

This Population Distribution in the United States and Puerto Rico visualization is from 2020.

www.census.gov

It's not about population concentration, it's about where fans will show up. If you threw a regional in LA or San Diego you'd get minimal fan turnout despite both cities being densely populated and easy to fly into. I believe the most attended games this tournament were in Iowa City which is a town of 75,000 surrounded by cornfields with no major transportation hub within hours.

 

[BBallF]

I am for Vegas.
Spokane although nice is not the easiest airport to get to, on a direct flight.
Seattle, with the new arena is a much better option, plus you do not need a car and can take the train from the airport to downtown and walk to the arena.

In Vegas there can be a corresponding girls youth basketball festival with exhibitions, exhibitors, clinics, and the like. It would be a great destination to take your daughter or granddaughter. The game is exploding in popularity. Games like last night don't hurt the cause either.

 

[BBallF]

Keep in mind that the Regionals from next year on will be 8 team regionals. In 2023, the Regionals will be in Greenville, SC (welcome to the South Carolina home court advantage) and Seattle, WA. In 2024, they will be in Albany, NY (welcome back Uconn home court advantage) and Portland, OR. A moment of silence: Albany will be the last Regional held in the northeast. In 2025, the Regionals will be in Birmingham, AL and Spokane, WA. And in 2026, the Regionals will be in Fort Worth, TX and Sacramento, CA. 2026 is particularly interesting because, except for scattered first and second round games at various campuses, the entire women's tournament will occur west of the Mississippi. So much for the influence of the eastern oriented P5 conferences.

Idiocy on several levels.

 

[Bonpland]

How does it benefit the game to not have Regional's in areas where fan bases can access the product? I don't share the dislike for the NW that has been voiced here by some fellow Boneyard members but I don't see how not having a tournament certain years in the south, east and mid-west benefits the game.

And (I'm probably in the minority here) I dread the idea of the Regional's being held in Las Vegas. Does everything now pertaining to sports have to be associated with gambling? The answer appears to be yes but I don't have to like it.

 

[UcMiami]

So next year SC will have a home court regional.
And they have decided that for the next four super regionals each year will have a west coast city and a _______, where the blank is SE, NE, deep S, and TX.
West coast: Seattle, Portland, Spokane, Sacramento
Other: Greenville, Albany, Birmingham, Ft.Worth.

Considering that more than 50% of the NCAA tournament teams are East of the Mississippi - this year 11 out 16 regional teams, and 3 of the others from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, and another from TX - seems like a heck of a west coast bias/northern west coast to be specific!

I don't mind 25% of regional sites being west coast - makes sense. 50% being west coast is stupid, but then that is the NCAA's nick name.

 

[eebmg]

TV Viewing

 

[sun]

It's not about population concentration, it's about where fans will show up. If you threw a regional in LA or San Diego you'd get minimal fan turnout despite both cities being densely populated and easy to fly into. I believe the most attended games this tournament were in Iowa City which is a town of 75,000 surrounded by cornfields with no major transportation hub within hours.

If they're centralizing the tournament locations away from population centers, then it's more about the new TV contract that will take effect after 2025 than it is about fan attendance.
The fans that really want to attend will continue to travel far and wide.
But the masses that watch on TV will help generate the new TV profits.

Until NCAA sells women's tournament as solo TV deal, changes mostly seen as window dressing

While the NCAA brought March Madness branding to the 2022 women's basketball tournament, the perception is that financial changes remain.

awfulannouncing.com

 

[ClifSpliffy]

aha! so ol Bport kicked all the others butts in attendance. i expected that. but howcum nobuddy came to tell me this? i bet cuz youse thought it would make me insufferable.
that can wait until the team wins. also expected.