Declining attendance - Uconn is not alone

[pap49cba]

Wall Street Journal article

 

[DobbsRover2]

As noted previously, UConn women's total attendance for all games (home-away-neutral) this year is actually up from last year, and they haven't even hit a lot of the meaty XLS and tournament playoff games that often pump up the volume. The men are down, though the the home\away is actually well up, simply because the neutral games don't have that extreme NCAA spike from last year. And they're having a trying year. With college conference members disappearing into the quicksand around the country, it's no wonder some fans might be disgruntled.

But before we go screaming headlines with the tired old doomsday talk about UConn attendance, maybe we should wait to see how the numbers play out at the end of the season with different venues in mind. Despite the attempts of certain birds to keep harping on this gloomy theme, the UConn attendance for all games over the last 6 years has been pretty consistent (8091 for average for all games in 2006-07 vs 8135 for this year so far), and sometimes pushing out thread headlines without providing any facts gives a distorted picture.

 

[pap49cba]

As noted previously, UConn women's total attendance for all games (home-away-neutral) this year is actually up from last year, and they haven't even hit a lot of the meaty XLS and tournament playoff games that often pump up the volume. The men are down, though the the home\away is actually well up, simply because the neutral games don't have that extreme NCAA spike from last year. And they're having a trying year. With college conference members disappearing into the quicksand around the country, it's no wonder some fans might be disgruntled.

But before we go screaming headlines with the tired old doomsday talk about UConn attendance, maybe we should wait to see how the numbers play out at the end of the season with different venues in mind. Despite the attempts of certain birds to keep harping on this gloomy theme, the UConn attendance for all games over the last 6 years has been pretty consistent (8091 for average for all games in 2006-07 vs 8135 for this year so far), and sometimes pushing out thread headlines without providing any facts gives a distorted picture.

Not sure if these comments are directed at me. I have no dog in this fight one way or the other. I simply thought the linked article was interesting in the context of numerous BY threads about this issue.

 

[Waquoit]

It's not fair to compare to the top of anything. I went to the USF game, a very good but not name team, and the place had a huge crowd most paying $22. That great no matter how you slice it.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Not sure if these comments are directed at me. I have no dog in this fight one way or the other. I simply thought the linked article was interesting in the context of numerous BY threads about this issue.

Just the title. There is no disputing that some schools are suffering attendance drops, and if you say that UConn has had a drop from the halcyon (and very different) days of 1995 it could not be really denied, but there have been a number of fact-challenged threads on the BY over the years decrying the recent "big decline" in UConn attendance and what that supposedly says about the character of Husky fans. The thread title picks up on that.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Here's a few facts for you to challenge. They were taken from the NCAA Women's Basketball Attendance page.

Average attendance at UConn home games has declined 27% since the 2004 season. 13,435 to 9,788
Average attendance at UConn home games has declined 11% since the 2008 season. 10,968 to 9,788

The drop in attendance has been addressed by Auriemma, the AD and the media. It has been discussed here and there have been many differing opinions regarding the cause of the decline. To my knowledge there has been only one BY member that doesn't accept the fact that attendance has fallen off significantly.

I'm not sure where you get your "sky is falling" stuff. It's just numbers.

 

[HuskyNan]

The drop in attendance has been addressed by Auriemma, the AD and the media. It has been discussed here and there have been many differing opinions regarding the cause of the decline. To my knowledge there has been only one BY member that doesn't accept the fact that attendance has fallen off significantly.

Geno has softened his stance since yelling at the fans last year. Upon being asked about attendance a few days ago, he said (in this article):

Auriemma wouldn’t say he was happy about [playing the 2013 subregionals at Gampel], but he isn’t about to complain about playing on the UConn campus. After all, the Huskies haven’t lost a home game in five years and haven’t lost at home in NCAA play since 1993.

But he is sympathetic to the plight of UConn fans who are asked to support the events.

“Our fans get whacked year after year after year,” Auriemma said Monday night after No. 2 UConn defeated Oklahoma 73-55 at the Lloyd Noble Center. “It’s regular season men’s tickets, women’s tickets, football tickets, the Big East Tournament, first- and second-round games, regionals ... It’s just a lot. It’s a lot that we ask them to do every year, every year, every year.”

 

[DobbsRover2]

Here's a few facts for you to challenge. They were taken from the NCAA Women's Basketball Attendance page.

Average attendance at UConn home games has declined 27% since the 2004 season. 13,435 to 9,788
Average attendance at UConn home games has declined 11% since the 2008 season. 10,968 to 9,788

The drop in attendance has been addressed by Auriemma, the AD and the media. It has been discussed here and there have been many differing opinions regarding the cause of the decline. To my knowledge there has been only one BY member that doesn't accept the fact that attendance has fallen off significantly.

I'm not sure where you get your "sky is falling" stuff. It's just numbers.

You are kidding me, right? You pull out a UConn venue figure that includes 11 games at XLS for 2009 vs 6 so far for 2012 and you really would have us believe that's an equal comparison? I do hope you are not the accountant at any firm I have money in. And with it all, so far the Huskies this year have 600 more fans at their 26 games (home-away-neutral), and they haven't reached the pack'em-in end of season games yet. But you're right, I'm the only one who will admit to that (plus I think the games are pretty exciting).

Every year there is a BY Chicken Little fan who keeps trumping the same skewed attendance facts and chirping peevishly about how UConn fans are not the dedicated lot they once were or how WCBB popularity is wilting away (and yes we know it's because WCBB is "boring"). Right, back in 1995 when the program success was new, tickets a lot cheaper, and viewing options were more limited, the Huskies piled ten fans in every seat. And in 2004, the last year of star entertainer DT's reign at Storrs, the attendance was higher. Clone her and we'll see 13K again.

But as stated above, during the last 7 years, despite the attempts of little birdies to a find a piece of fallen sky every time they see a skewed number they can gleefully trot out, the attendance for UConn at home and across all game settings has remained relatively stable. The number of games at Gampel vs XLS and maybe certain snow or schedule issues can muddy the picture, but when I see that the attendance for the 26 games UConn has played this year is averaging higher than it did 3 years or five years ago, I'm certainly am not going to have a cow, or a chicken. And Geno has generally been very appreciative of the fan support, though there was a game when he did see some issues, but the athletic department was also very much in question. Nope, I think a lot of us can see a glass 3/4 full than one 1/4 empty.

 

[vtcwbuff]

You are kidding me, right? You pull out a UConn venue figure that includes 11 games at XLS for 2009 vs 6 so far for 2012 and you really would have us believe that's an equal comparison? I do hope you are not the accountant at any firm I have money in. And with it all, so far the Huskies this year have 600 more fans at their 26 games (home-away-neutral), and they haven't reached the pack'em-in end of season games yet. But you're right, I'm the only one who will admit to that (plus I think the games are pretty exciting).

Every year there is a BY Chicken Little fan who keeps trumping the same skewed attendance facts and chirping peevishly about how UConn fans are not the dedicated lot they once were or how WCBB popularity is wilting away (and yes we know it's because WCBB is "boring"). Right, back in 1995 when the program success was new, tickets a lot cheaper, and viewing options were more limited, the Huskies piled ten fans in every seat. And in 2004, the last year of star entertainer DT's reign at Storrs, the attendance was higher. Clone her and we'll see 13K again.

But as stated above, during the last 7 years, despite the attempts of little birdies to a find a piece of fallen sky every time they see a skewed number they can gleefully trot out, the attendance for UConn at home and across all game settings has remained relatively stable. The number of games at Gampel vs XLS and maybe certain snow or schedule issues can muddy the picture, but when I see that the attendance for the 26 games UConn has played this year is averaging higher than it did 3 years or five years ago, I'm certainly am not going to have a cow, or a chicken. And Geno has generally been very appreciative of the fan support, though there was a game when he did see some issues, but the athletic department was also very much in question. Nope, I think a lot of us can see a glass 3/4 full than one 1/4 empty.

I didn't pull anyrhing out of anywhere. I simply went to the NCAA records and wrote down the numbers. It has nothing to do with where the games are played, it has to do with the number of total attendance at all home venues divided by the number of home games. That's really simple.

It's not a matter of how the glass is perceived, it's a matter of fact. However, if you choose to believe that attendance has not declined then good for you. I will suggest though that you can't take the total attendance for all games and use that as the barometer to make an argument that attendance is stable. The discussion has always been that UConn home attendance has declined.

If you dispute the NCAA numbers take it up with them.

BTW - The only sky falling that I know of is the ceiling in Gampel. I also don't know what chicken little has to do with attendance but that's your drum and you go ahead and keep on beating it.

 

[Henry]

I've tried to get tickets during the season from Stubhub. Would you pay $60 to see Notre Dame from the nosebleeds? Not me. I'd rather watch at home.

 

[Icebear]

I've tried to get tickets during the season from Stubhub. Would you pay $60 to see Notre Dame from the nosebleeds? Not me. I'd rather watch at home.

Nme, Henry.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I didn't pull anyrhing out of anywhere. I simply went to the NCAA records and wrote down the numbers. It has nothing to do with where the games are played, it has to do with the number of total attendance at all home venues divided by the number of home games. That's really simple.

It's not a matter of how the glass is perceived, it's a matter of fact. However, if you choose to believe that attendance has not declined then good for you. I will suggest though that you can't take the total attendance for all games and use that as the barometer to make an argument that attendance is stable. The discussion has always been that UConn home attendance has declined.

If you dispute the NCAA numbers take it up with them.

BTW - The only sky falling that I know of is the ceiling in Gampel. I also don't know what chicken little has to do with attendance but that's your drum and you go ahead and keep on beating it.

Eeyup, sure do agree with your logic. The 10 Gampel games this year have averaged 7,470 fannies while the 6 XL games put 3.57K more bods in the seats at 11, 038. So back in the years when they would schedule 11 to 12 of those nosebleed games at XLS and the attendance at the games was up in the double-digit Ks, that had no affect on the attendance. I'll buy that, and please let me know if you have any other bridges I can buy up. The NCAA also recorded that UConn's average attendance as of Nov. 13 was 6548, and you're right I can't dispute that fact. That was the end of the story and I'm sure it made your year for you even if there were a few more games to play. And I can just easily say that attendance this year is way up not only because the average for all 26 games is up over last year but because the game with USF had 1,182 more fans watching it this year than in in 2008. That's just one game and throws out any other context, but if that's all that counts, hey, point proven.

Obviously, you play the numbers differently than I do, and we come up with different end results. In the end though, I think we can agree that the most important point is that we can both point to results from optimally 39 games this year and that the final one is tagged with a W.

 

[jsloanjr]

The new UCONN AD's biggest job is to address attendance issues in all sports.......UCONN has done weel at the gate when you have a decent team........They will come and pay good money to see Cream puffs.....