Poor attendance last night in the PAC 12.....We have a Problem?

[jsloanjr]

Last night there were 3 games in the PAC 12, Stanford and UCLA at Stanford, ASU and UTAH, and USC at CAL All 3 games games in total did not get 7000 fans to see them play

Stanford holds 8000+..........4400
CAL holds 13000+...............1700
UTAH holds..9000.................1000

IMHO, ESPN, the conferences, the school Presidents all need a kick in the ass to make the game more exciting to get fans to come out on a Friday night.........WHY Friday nights?...Who knows.........

Who has these answers........I feel sorry for kids at these schools in the PAC 12, Big 12, B10, ACC, SEC and the new AAC that unless UCONN and the Circus is coming to town, Nobody shows up..........

Kids like AjA Wilson want to go to a school where people see you play and people around the country want to tune in........I sent a letter to Geno that I want to help drive fans to the games around the country......I will let you know if and when he responds.

 

[UcMiami]

I think part of the problem may be conference expansion and realignment as some rivalries have been diluted. And it is not just the Uconn circus, there are a number of other pretty solid travel teams too. And I would agree, Friday night is probably a night that a lot of women's team fans do not want to be on the road and a lot of students and others might prefer a different entertainment choice. And a little harsh to call out these particular games as there are a ton of D1 schools that would find even Utah number a banner night!

 

[Icebear]

Plus Friday night it is traditionally local high school games. That eliminates players and families from possibly attending.

 

[DobbsRover2]

That's actually pretty good attendance stats for the three host teams, though Cal is down a bit this year with the Bears' prospects being far behind last year's rosy times. Stanford averaged less than 4300 at home last year even with kicking in numbers for some high profile games like UConn's visit 7300+, and this year the Card is averaging under 4000 with UTenn visit the high at 6000+. So 4400 on a Friday night is quite good. Utah also had a good attendance night for them last night.

Friday nights could have their problems for attendance, though so do many other midweek nights. The PAC teams travel in pairs and they like to make a concentrated trips to the WA, OR, AZ, northern CA, southern CA, UT\CO regions to keep the travel demands down for the student athletes, thus using a Friday\Sunday arrangement. There are good and bad things about this type of scheduling, but the traveling pairs arrangement is something that likely becomes commonplace as conferences sprawl out from say UConn to Houston and UCF\USF, SMU\Houston, etc. start moving around together

 

[DobbsRover2]

A little lost in the shuffle last night was the nation's top scoring team Oregon at 96 ppg picking its first PAC win on its 7th try, somewhat surprisingly coming by 16 points against a decent WSU team that had won its first 5 PAC games before losing to Utah last weekend. Only 1146 attended the game, which is higher than this year's average but way down from the 1500+ the Beavers Ducks averaged last year at home with a 4-27 team.

If any team and its attendance in the PAC is a puzzler, Oregon's the one. They have an exciting high-flying offense, win 9 of their first 11 games, and a popular coach, but the attendance is way down? Probably the reason is that the team has very little defense and most fans clearly prefer to watch 43-39 battles between two stingy crash-the-boards-and-throw-up-another-miss type teams.

 

[Nice45]

Pac12 Networks is televising all (or almost all) WBB games this year. Women are getting the Friday nite slot.

 

[ASweet3781]

Why should people go to the games?

The conferences and networks have made it clear, college basketball is not a priority. The sport has been completely marginalized in favor of college football. The fact that UConn is sitting in the AAC with 11 basketball National Title banners hanging from it's roof is proof that in their eyes college basketball is not a big deal. So why should the fans care?

Men's basketball attendance is down around the country too. When ESPN is showing college football on ESPN Classic 24/7 I'm not really surprised. Football as a whole has dwarfed every other sport and made it seem marginal.

 

[Icebear]

I do believe the proliferation of TV contracts and conference networks plus large screen TVs is having an impact on attendance at games. I know of numerous times myself and friends no longer travel the hour to PSU in less than ideal weather for games. Numerous schools can now make the claim that all or almost their games are available on TV via satellite channels.

 

[cardfan]

Last night there were 3 games in the PAC 12, Stanford and UCLA at Stanford, ASU and UTAH, and USC at CAL All 3 games games in total did not get 7000 fans to see them play

Stanford holds 8000+.....4400
CAL holds 13000+.....1700
UTAH holds..9000.......1000

IMHO, ESPN, the conferences, the school Presidents all need a kick in the ass to make the game more exciting to get fans to come out on a Friday night....WHY Friday nights?...Who knows....

Who has these answers...I feel sorry for kids at these schools in the PAC 12, Big 12, B10, ACC, SEC and the new AAC that unless UCONN and the Circus is coming to town, Nobody shows up.....

Kids like AjA Wilson want to go to a school where people see you play and people around the country want to tune in...I sent a letter to Geno that I want to help drive fans to the games around the country.I will let you know if and when he responds.

Maples holds 7,329. Pac 12 TV schedule and new schedule going to Friday and Sunday has negatively affected attendance by at least 20%. Pac 10 was Thursday/Sat for 20 years, but the change to Friday and Sunday really sucks. I've been a fan since 1985 and have only been to 3 games this year. It's just too hard for a number of reasons. I have Direct TV, therefore, I do not get Pac 12 TV. And 8pm game on a Friday? Then 6pm on a Monday?? The Pac 12 didn't take in account the audience for women's bball, nor that it takes a hour to get to Palo Alto for many fans in the Bay area. Their goal was get to more TV viewers, but it hurt attendance, which UConn can relate.

 

[UConnCat]

As B1G commissioner Jim Delany reportedly said when talking about conference expansion and conference networks, "it's no longer butts on seats, but eyeballs on screens."

 

[Icebear]

As B1G commissioner Jim Delany reportedly said when talking about conference expansion and conference networks, "it's no longer butts on seats, but eyeballs on screens."

I believe. Jim has it right.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I'll have to say, the whole SNY experience around is really easy to sink into for three hours. For those outside of CT especially, these are really flush times for enjoying the Huskies.

 

[jsloanjr]

Are we trying to add new fans or push them away? UCONN does not allow radio streaming of its games anymore. I loved it when we were away on vacation in Mexico or Maui and I could always listen to the game. Now, no more.......The PAC 12 teams get screwed on the Fri/Sun games..........High school on Friday's and the NFL and NBA on Sunday;s
School President's need to get all their coaches, Admin, and TV exec's into a room and hash it out and QUICKLY...........

 

[ochoopsfan]

If any team and its attendance in the PAC is a puzzler, Oregon's the one. They have an exciting high-flying offense, win 9 of their first 11 games, and a popular coach, but the attendance is way down? Probably the reason is that the team has very little defense and most fans clearly prefer to watch 43-39 battles between two stingy crash-the-boards-and-throw-up-another-miss type teams.

From what I understand Oregon has lost many season ticket holders and supporters since Westhead got his big contract. He is in his last year and if he is renewed there will be nobody but parents, the girl scout troops that attend, the local senior homes near the campus and people who like Green and Gold, and psychodellic basketball floors. His system has been a failure at Oregon, once a very proud supporter of WBB.

Read on
http://registerguard.com/rg/sports/30984827-81/westhead-system-oregon-ducks-coach.html.csp

 

[cardfan]

From what I understand Oregon has lost many season ticket holders and supporters since Westhead got his big contract. He is in his last year and if he is renewed there will be nobody but parents, the girl scout troops that attend, the local senior homes near the campus and people who like Green and Gold, and psychodellic basketball floors. His system has been a failure at Oregon, once a very proud supporter of WBB.

Read on
http://registerguard.com/rg/sports/30984827-81/westhead-system-oregon-ducks-coach.html.csp

It really is sad how Oregon's attendance dropped off. They led Pac 10 attendance at Mac Court when Jody Runge was the coach. A lot of fans were not too happy when they fired her and then hired Westhead.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I suppose Westphal Westhead might be blamed for a bunch of things, but Oregon was not going to rehire Runge in 2009 after all the animosity from before and it was Bev Campbell who was fired and opened the way for Westphal Westhead. His all-out offensive system certainly was a disaster with a decimated team last year, though the FG% seems to be only a little better than last year during the blitzkrieg this season. Still hard to believe a team can lead the country in scoring is shooting less than 40%, but they do pile up the rebounds and FTAs.

I didn't realize that Westphal Westhead himself was so unpopular there as from what I read the system seemed exciting when he started out and the team scored 100+ a few times and made the NIT. Guess things have soured a lot since.

 

[Forty_four]

PAC 10 has played Friday/ Sunday for decades. The way there conference is structured
before expansion, reduces travel and loss of class time. Example: two Oregon teams travel to Arizona, play ASU and Arizona and flip flop for the Sunday game and travel back home for Monday classes. Big 10 has done this for years also.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I suppose Westphal might be blamed for a bunch of things, but Oregon was not going to rehire Runge in 2009 after all the animosity from before and it was Bev Campbell who was fired and opened the way for Westphal. His all-out offensive system certainly was a disaster with a decimated team last year, though the FG% seems to be only a little better than last year during the blitzkrieg this season. Still hard to believe a team can lead the country in scoring is shooting less than 40%, but they do pile up the rebounds and FTAs.

I didn't realize that Westphal himself was so unpopular there as from what I read the system seemed exciting when he started out and the team scored 100+ a few times and made the NIT. Guess things have soured a lot since.

I dont know this for a fact but my good friend, formerly from the Eugene area, has spoken to a lot of folks up there. Apparently Westhead, has something in his contract that he doesnt have to be on campus or in the Eugene area during the off season. Thus no ties to the school when in the off season. I have seen him at AAU games recruiting, so he does that stuff during the off season but the girls might not see him for 5 months from April through September. I think the losing seasons plus the lack of ties dont help his image.

 

[Kibitzer]

What is so complicated about this? Women's basketball, which I and others like me enjoy, is simply not as popular as other sports, like wrestling and NASCAR events. And though I feel that fans of those sports (and several others) are missing something worth watching, a dramatic change in American sports preferences it not about to happen.

And I am okay with it.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I dont know this for a fact but my good friend, formerly from the Eugene area, has spoken to a lot of folks up there. Apparently Westhead, has something in his contract that he doesnt have to be on campus or in the Eugene area during the off season. Thus no ties to the school when in the off season. I have seen him at AAU games recruiting, so he does that stuff during the off season but the girls might not see him for 5 months from April through September. I think the losing seasons plus the lack of ties dont help his image.

Yikes, with a high-intensity offense like that you would think it would need to a year-round conditioning system to make it work if Westhead's not around. Hope at least there are assistants around to keep everything running. Injuries can happen any which way, but one big way would be if players who are not ready are expected to go full-bore from the start and put up the 100 points that Westhead's system promotes. At least this year they've gotten 15 players on the floor and have 9 with significant minutes, so that should keep the Beavers' Ducks' ratings well ahead of the local wrestling and NASCAR events.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

What is so complicated about this? Women's basketball, which I and others like me enjoy, is simply not as popular as other sports, like wrestling and NASCAR events. And though I feel that fans of those sports (and several others) are missing something worth watching, a dramatic change in American sports preferences it not about to happen.

And I am okay with it.

Very much so.

I have a bit of an issue with the OP's point. Utah is dreadful, their glory days are - for now - in the past. Attendance at Stanford is quite decent on a national perspective - and this was a "late" game for TV reasons. I don't think - over all - that Cal has drawn great over the years. Went to an RU game there years ago and was not crowded.

Icebear is spot-on highlighting TV (and ultimately the net) as both an attendance and market factor. While one can complain about the Friday / Sunday schedule of the PAC, I think it can be overstated - more significantly, do you attend the women's game, watch the men on TV, or (alternatively) watch the women on TV. Certainly the locations of the PAC schools preclude attending many road games for fans of most teams.

 

[DaddyChoc]

debating if I want to attend the noon game against USF or watch it on the tube

 

[triaddukefan]

Yikes, with a high-intensity offense like that you would think it would need to a year-round conditioning system to make it work if Westhead's not around. Hope at least there are assistants around to keep everything running. Injuries can happen any which way, but one big way would be if players who are not ready are expected to go full-bore from the start and put up the 100 points that Westhead's system promotes. At least this year they've gotten 15 players on the floor and have 9 with significant minutes, so that should keep the Beavers ratings well ahead of the local wrestling and NASCAR events.

 

[JellyBean]

Attendance has been a problem for women's basketball for decades. There are no easy solutions. The really popular teams will have a solid showing. The teams that are struggling will not have a good showing. So attendance issues have been around for decades. Fans of the ladies game (like us) just have to show up and support the teams in our area.

 

[DobbsRover2]

View attachment 4850

Oh who can ever keep those two straight? They should just merge as the Beaver-ducks. Oh wait, that would be a platypus, but it would be a unique nickname either way as no school has ever decided to go with beaver-duck or platypus mascots for some reason.