Big East Attendance Blues

[zls44]

This is taken from the PC Scout Board, so take it with a grain of salt...but it appears the newcomers are distinctly more excited than the C7.

Be careful what you wish for!

Team ..... Last Year ..... This Year ... Percentage

Creighton ... 17,155 ........ 17,684 ....... +3.1%
Butler ........ 7,899 .......... 7,965 ........ +.84%
Xavier ....... 9,781 .......... 9,825 ......... +.45%
-------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
Marquette .. 15,033 ........ 14,949 ....... -.56%
Providence... 7,772 ......... 7,531 ......... -3.1%
St. John's ... 7,330 .......... 6,996 ........ -4.6%
Villanova ..... 8,022 ......... 7,134 ......... -11.1%
Seton Hall ... 7,035 ......... 6,237 ......... -11.3%
DePaul ....... 7,681 .......... 6,109 ......... -20.5%
Georgetown . 10,911 ....... 8,664 ......... -20.6%
-------------------------------------------------- ----------------------

 

[ConnHuskBask]

What stands out to me is that Georgetown attendance number - wow that is lower than expected.

I'll step aside now and let upstater tell us how great the AAC can be and I'll give Nelson a chance to tell us how great the Big East is and how those numbers are aberrations.

Enjoy the next 7 pages everyone!

 

[CAHUSKY]

New members with better opponents are excited. Old BE teams playing lesser opponents are bummed. No sh it.

 

[BUHusky]

As a person who lived in the DC metro area until somewhat recently, Georgetown's slumping numbers shouldn't really shock anyone. Even during the old Big East's boom the last few years the Verizon Center was rarely close to being even close to full. Outside of Syracuse and sometimes Villanova, you could pretty much buy tickets to any old Big East matchup the day of game.

Outside of the Redskins (most of the time), DC sports fans are extremely apathetic as is, so I don't see the new Big East matchups really exciting anyone in the area.

 

[zls44]

Outside of the Redskins (most of the time), DC sports fans are extremely apathetic as is, so I don't see the new Big East matchups really exciting anyone in the area.

I agree...the next question is how long do most of these teams continue to pay high rents to rent out nba arenas they can't half fill.

 

[upstater]

Go to the Hoya boards. They've been down on the conference from day 1.

 

[Peacefrog]

Two of the three newcomer's attendance is up by less than 1%, probably not statistically significant. For the entire conference you have one team with an increase and everyone else flat or down. The one increase is Creighton and what will happen to them when McDermott graduates and they come back to earth? The flagship programs, Villanova and Georgetown, have amongst the biggest drops. Not great signs.

 

[UConnDan97]

Two of the three newcomer's attendance is up by less than 1%, probably not statistically significant. For the entire conference you have one team with an increase and everyone else flat or down. The one increase is Creighton and what will happen to them when McDermott graduates and they come back to earth? The flagship programs, Villanova and Georgetown, have amongst the biggest drops. Not great signs.

That's a great point about Nova. I'm more surprised about them than anyone else in terms of attendance. If you can't excite a crowd in the Philly market after being in the top10 for most of the year, on top of a conference called the "Big East", in a year where the Sixers suck and the other Philly college teams are struggling....then what hope is there to ever turn that attendance number around???

(I'm picturing Pitino saying this: "Kerry Kittles ain't walkin' through that door, folks. Jason Lawson ain't walkin' through that door, and Randy Foye ain't walkin' through that door...")

 

[ConnHuskBask]

@UConnDan97 More like the UConn Huskies, Syracuse Orange and Pitt Panthers ain't walking through those doors.

The Seton Hall Pirates and Xavier Musketeers are!

 

[upstater]

Why is FS1 showing women's basketball instead of the Creighton-Butler game?

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

its on CBSSN

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Butler/Creighton game was really good.

As I mentioned on the hoops board, we are in a house of delicate crystal using a catapult when we criticize someone else's attendance blues from conference affiliation. We get that Louisville, UConn and Syracuse were all big draws for those schools, and that is why the Big East would listen if UConn called.

 

[MattMang23]

You mean the general sporting public in DC doesn't care about seeing an historically insignificant team from that close-by metropolis of Omaha?

You don't say...

 

[DCUconnfan]

Georgetown is resorting to University of Maryland tactics - I can't go a day without seeing a ticket deal for games pop up from LivingSocial in my inbox. I used to go check out the good BE games, not so much anymore.

 

[Uconnjohn]

That's a great point about Nova. I'm more surprised about them than anyone else in terms of attendance. If you can't excite a crowd in the Philly market after being in the top10 for most of the year, on top of a conference called the "Big East", in a year where the Sixers suck and the other Philly college teams are struggling....then what hope is there to ever turn that attendance number around???

(I'm picturing Pitino saying this: "Kerry Kittles ain't walkin' through that door, folks. Jason Lawson ain't walkin' through that door, and Randy Foye ain't walkin' through that door...")

Villanova has only played one game at the nba arena so far. They have three of them coming up (Marquette, gtown, St. John's) Their attendance will be better this year than last year.

Marquette and gtown have been disappointing this yr compared to what they have been lately. I credit their dip more to that than anything else.

Big east games are drawing better ratings on fox sports than PAC 12 or big 12 games. It is going to be a slow build for them, but long term they look very good. My son goes to Providence so I follow the conference, and I wish we had the type of coverage that fox sports is giving the big east. I know it will never happen, so I am not one of those who cries about us going back to the big east, but I think they are very well positioned for the future. They really came out of this in good shape.

 

[Uconnjohn]

The Butler/Creighton game was really good.

As I mentioned on the hoops board, we are in a house of delicate crystal using a catapult when we criticize someone else's attendance blues from conference affiliation. We get that Louisville, UConn and Syracuse were all big draws for those schools, and that is why the Big East would listen if UConn called.

It is not happening, my friend. I too would prefer the big east. We are the only state flagship school in the conference, the rest are secondary state funded schools with more commuter oriented institutional missions. The big east schools are all private and we would be the only state school, but I would rather be aligned with them as I think they have better academic reputations, better basketball brand recognition, and we have more traditional rivalries with these teams (and frankly I never see us gaining too many great rivalries with American Conference teams, and I would rather not be Memphis or cincy or temple's rival as I think that drags down our school's name). Plus, that television package is fantastic. Fox is still building, but they are giving the big east so much love, and you know at some point Fox's investment will pay off. I would rather be the top dog on fox than the main attraction on espn news.

But it is not happening. We are where we are until the ACC saves us.

 

[UConnDan97]

Villanova has only played one game at the nba arena so far. They have three of them coming up (Marquette, gtown, St. John's) Their attendance will be better this year than last year.

Marquette and gtown have been disappointing this yr compared to what they have been lately. I credit their dip more to that than anything else.

Big east games are drawing better ratings on fox sports than PAC 12 or big 12 games. It is going to be a slow build for them, but long term they look very good. My son goes to Providence so I follow the conference, and I wish we had the type of coverage that fox sports is giving the big east. I know it will never happen, so I am not one of those who cries about us going back to the big east, but I think they are very well positioned for the future. They really came out of this in good shape.

Let me give you some statistics that I'm borrowing from Metsfan (assuming they are accurate):

Butler-Marquette 106,000 viewers
Seton Hall-Villanova 89,000 viewers
DePaul-Creighton 79,000 viewers
Xavier-Villanova 77,000 viewers
Georgetown-DePaul 59,000 viewers
Providence-Xavier 56,000 viewers
St. John's-Providence 54,000 viewers
All of these Big East games combined totaled 520,000, or 61,000 less than UCONN women vs Louisville

So the idea that Fox Sports is giving the Big East something that we don't have is currently a fallacy. Now, I'm already on record as saying that BOTH leagues are worse off by not having each other / playing each other. Nova, GTown, and St. John's would really benefit from playing UConn, Cincy, and Memphis, just as much as the reverse is true. But I don't understand the constant pining away for the new Big East. We are in a conference that will produce 4-5 bids every year to the tourney, and we are also in a conference that will support our football program, which is CRUCIAL for UConn's athletics to remain on top of many sports (whether some on the board like it or not). We CANNOT be in the new Big East and remain on top....period.

 

[Uconnjohn]

I am not pining away for the new big east. But I do think they have a real good thing going on. I enjoy their college hoops show with Austin Croshere and I think they have an exciting future.

We are going to be able to continue to make the tournament. And that is a good thing. We will have games against some good rpi teams like Memphis and cincy and generally there will be a team or two that steps up and has their nice season per decade (like smu this yr, usf with Anthony Collins a few years ago, temple will make the dance at least 3 or 4 times per decade).

(1). We are not joining the big east, it is not happening
(2). We will continue to make the ncaa tournament out of the American conference. That is ultimately what I care about. I like winning games, we will continue to do so.
(3). The American conference will continue to be comprised of teams that simply don't care about basketball, we are the minority of the conference (along with cincy and Memphis, and to a lesser degree, temple)
(4). The a big East has a really cool thing going for themselves.

I guess that sums up my opinion on the issue.

 

[UConnDan97]

(1). We are not joining the big east, it is not happening. Correct.

(2). We will continue to make the ncaa tournament out of the American conference. That is ultimately what I care about. I like winning games, we will continue to do so. Correct.

(3). The American conference will continue to be comprised of teams that simply don't care about basketball, we are the minority of the conference (along with cincy and Memphis, and to a lesser degree, temple) Incorrect. Temple, as you mentioned, but there is plenty of data to support that SMU and Houston are in it for the basketball "long-haul" (including recruiting rankings). USF will begin to grow in this conference as well, as they have some good young bigs with coach Stan Heath. So even if the bottom of our conference will suck, we will still have 4-5 every year get into the dance.

(4). The a big East has a really cool thing going for themselves. Maybe. They had a cooler thing going, IMHO, if they stuck with the football schools. Then they would have better ratings, games against our top teams, local rivalries (ex., Prov/UConn, St. John's/UConn, Nova/Temple), and Tulsa / ECU would probably not be joining if they stayed. (both schools joined after the C7 announced their departure).

I guess that sums up my opinion on the issue.

At the end of the day, it's all opinion (myself included)...

 

[Uconnjohn]

So the idea that Fox Sports is giving the Big East something that we don't have is currently a fallacy.d.

If you are watching the college hoops pregame show on fox national for the Xavier v Marquette game, you would disagree with the above. This is a serious national commitment that I wish we had. It is a long term plan for the building of that brand.

But like I said above, in my opinion it is a pointless debate as we aren't joining the big east. They aren't the best fit for us, and they don't want the headache of a school committed to football. And we will continue to make the ncaa tournament, so all will be fine. But this idea that the big east is somehow a bad conference is the fallacy. They have an exciting future.

 

[upstater]

I am not pining away for the new big east. But I do think they have a real good thing going on. I enjoy their college hoops show with Austin Croshere and I think they have an exciting future.

We are going to be able to continue to make the tournament. And that is a good thing. We will have games against some good rpi teams like Memphis and cincy and generally there will be a team or two that steps up and has their nice season per decade (like smu this yr, usf with Anthony Collins a few years ago, temple will make the dance at least 3 or 4 times per decade).

(1). We are not joining the big east, it is not happening
(2). We will continue to make the ncaa tournament out of the American conference. That is ultimately what I care about. I like winning games, we will continue to do so.
(3). The American conference will continue to be comprised of teams that simply don't care about basketball, we are the minority of the conference (along with cincy and Memphis, and to a lesser degree, temple)
(4). The a big East has a really cool thing going for themselves.

I guess that sums up my opinion on the issue.

Teams that don't care about bball? Is that why they put tens of millions into new arenas and pay coaches $2.5m? What a way to show you don't care!!

 

[upstater]

If you are watching the college hoops pregame show on fox national for the Xavier v Marquette game, you would disagree with the above. This is a serious national commitment that I wish we had. It is a long term plan for the building of that brand.

But like I said above, in my opinion it is a pointless debate as we aren't joining the big east. They aren't the best fit for us, and they don't want the headache of a school committed to football. And we will continue to make the ncaa tournament, so all will be fine. But this idea that the big east is somehow a bad conference is the fallacy. They have an exciting future.

5x as many fans nationally watched a women's bball game last week as watched Villanova-Georgetown in primetime on FS1. Get lost.

 

[UConnDan97]

But this idea that the big east is somehow a bad conference is the fallacy. They have an exciting future.

Who said they are a bad conference???

Nobody on this board is dumb enough (I hope) of saying the new Big East is a bad conference. This thread was started as a commentary on the declining attendance of the new Big East in general. I think that it's clear that many of the institutions are suffering "postpartum-old-Big East depression", even if they'll be fine in the future. It's also clear that the American will be fine as well, and the idea that FOX gives the new Big East something that we will not have with ESPN is just not true. The data is already showing that...

 

[nadav]

Villanova has only played one game at the nba arena so far. They have three of them coming up (Marquette, gtown, St. John's) Their attendance will be better this year than last year.

Marquette and gtown have been disappointing this yr compared to what they have been lately. I credit their dip more to that than anything else.

Big east games are drawing better ratings on fox sports than PAC 12 or big 12 games. It is going to be a slow build for them, but long term they look very good. My son goes to Providence so I follow the conference, and I wish we had the type of coverage that fox sports is giving the big east. I know it will never happen, so I am not one of those who cries about us going back to the big east, but I think they are very well positioned for the future. They really came out of this in good shape.

You're expecting Marquette, St John's and Gtown to draw better than last year with Syracuse, Louisville, and Gtown??? I really hope you are a just a Nova fan pretending to be a Uconn fan, John. The ratings on Fox are shocking and did you really mention Austin Croshere? Sounds like the dude has marbles in his mouth.

Really cool thing, come on dude. I cannot imagine the Big East and its typical 50k viewers are doing better than the PAC 12 or Big 12, how could that be? I watched that Seton Hall vs St John's game this week and they announced a crowd of 5,500 and there were about 200 in attendance -- no Stop. So the attendance might actually be worse than what is being reported. If schools "cared" about college hoops like Hall or DePaul, there wouldn't be college basketball anymore.

Either way, no ESPN means that nobody outside of the Northeast knows anything about the league anymore. That's too bad. But it has zero to do with Uconn anymore, who just beat a top 25 team on actual national TV in front of 16k plus.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Can we get over the NBE .
They are where they want to be by their own free will.
(Could we say the same).
They have a conference of small privates with a couple of schools with national appeal.Good for them. They choose the dollars over the exposure.
My problem with them is two fold.
1. The hypocrisy of critiquing football schools trapped in the conference after Cuse left while pursuing their own perceived best interest.
2. Playing directly into the hands of ESPN by timing their withdrawal to maximize the inability of our commissioner to negotiate a contract.
They gave the impression that the conference was DOA.
In our case we can't go home again so pining for something that doesn't exist seems to be a waste of time.
Why would we schedule any of them and why should we care whether they succeed or fail.
Trust me outside of PC none of them ever want to see us again.