UConn's MBB, Football Teams See Historically Low Attendance Figures As Programs Try To Rebuild

[SirHypeAlot]

Critizing recent grads is out of line. The window to be a college student is terribly short. Past couple years the team has been pitiful. If it’s a week night and I have the choice of driving 25 minutes to downtown Hartford to watch UConn lose to Tulsa or stumble over to Ted’s and try and get my D wet you’ll find me at Ted’s. When you’re 35 you can go watch UConn struggle with mid majors because Ted’s with 20 somethings smokeshows isn’t an option. Better product and the bro will have to re-evaluate his options. If the team is rocking the game is a fun thing to go to. When they suck there are better things to do. Sorry

 

[UofCT]

Critizing recent grads is out of line. The window to be a college student is terribly short. Past couple years the team has been pitiful. If it’s a week night and I have the choice of driving 25 minutes to downtown Hartford to watch UConn lose to Tulsa or stumble over to Ted’s and try and get my D wet you’ll find me at Ted’s. When you’re 35 you can go watch UConn struggle with mid majors because Ted’s with 20 somethings smokeshows isn’t an option. Better product and the bro will have to re-evaluate his options. If the team is rocking the game is a fun thing to go to. When they suck there are better things to do. Sorry

When did you become such a fairweather fan?

 

[CL82]

Critizing recent grads is out of line. The window to be a college student is terribly short. Past couple years the team has been pitiful. If it’s a week night and I have the choice of driving 25 minutes to downtown Hartford to watch UConn lose to Tulsa or stumble over to Ted’s and try and get my D wet you’ll find me at Ted’s. When you’re 35 you can go watch UConn struggle with mid majors because Ted’s with 20 somethings smokeshows isn’t an option. Better product and the bro will have to re-evaluate his options. If the team is rocking the game is a fun thing to go to. When they suck there are better things to do. Sorry

You don't seem sorry.

 

[WrenchFan69]

U̶o̶f̶C̶T̶2̶0̶0̶9̶

 

[Guapo]

Love the excuses for students not showing up to games. Keep them coming! @Guapo @goskis2018 @whaler11

Love the lame excuses of fans needing games in Hartford instead of on campus like

**every other school in the entire country**

 

[Guapo]

When did you become such a fairweather fan?

Why is this the hill you're dying on?

If the teams wins, people will come.

It's not that hard to understand.

 

[UofCT]

Why is this the hill you're dying on?

If the teams wins, people will come.

It's not that hard to understand.

Maybe the team will win if people come. It's depressing playing in front of a 1/4 filled student section. You're such a fairweather fan it makes me sick.

 

[gampelcrazies]

As someone who is 20 years old, I am embarrassed by the recent classes at UConn. Students my age don’t care enough about going to games. Even if they were good I think there would be a problem.

 

[whaler11]

I don’t go to Gampel it’s a pain in the rear.

I don’t think it’s fairweather - I wouldn’t go to Gampel if they were 31-3.

 

[Robertelamin]

Love the lame excuses of fans needing games in Hartford instead of on campus like

**every other school in the entire country**

All games should be in Hartford

 

[Guapo]

All games should be in Hartford

Hey man, I was just trying to get under the guy's skin.

But that's definitely a bad take haha

 

[UofCT]

I don’t go to Gampel it’s a pain in the rear.

I don’t think it’s fairweather - I wouldn’t go to Gampel if they were 31-3.

The students can walk there, tickets are cheap for them, it honestly can’t be any easier for students to go to games.

 

[CL82]

Love the lame excuses of fans needing games in Hartford instead of on campus like

**every other school in the entire country**

I don’t go to Gampel it’s a pain in the rear.

I don’t think it’s fairweather - I wouldn’t go to Gampel if they were 31-3.

All games should be in Hartford

So I actually think this is a part of the problem. About a third of CT residents live in Fairfield County. Games in Hartford (or East Hartford as the case may be) makes them more accessible to that part of the state. The cost of that is they are less accessible to students. Students are the future. We should be chugging out (whatever are grads are call it 5k) a year. Off campus games, especially for football, makes that less likely to happen.

I'm not saying that all games should be at Gampel while the XL still stands. I have great memories from there. But it is a thorny issue that most schools don't have to deal with.

 

[champs99and04]

Also if you think 2018 was bad buckle up. I went to UConn from New Jersey as a sports fan who wasn't really in to college athletics who got hooked on UConn bball because of the tourney run in 2014 after I had put down my deposit and events like first night 2014, the Texas game, tourney run 2015 and Georgetown game. The rising sophomores and juniors have had nothing but losing, even the women's team by their ridiculous standard. Those kids don't know any chants or game day traditions, I wouldn't expect huge student crowds just because of a coaching change. As for the UConn has better students now so they don't care as much about sports from my experience that's not the case. Guys are still guys but the games SUCK! Win and it'll be back to normal

The trend I'm referring to started a while ago. During the mid-00's or so there seemed to be a shift. I don't really have anything tangible to support that hunch, but I've heard it bounced around from time to time on here and it makes some sense. I don't think the 2011 class is much different than the 2018 class, but I don't know if I'd say the same about the '99 or '06 class. Part of it is probably just the world changing.

Winning is obviously critical to growing a fan base, but it's not as important to maintaining it as one would think. That has more to do with building everything college life is supposed to be about - the relationships, the comradery, the traditions - into the product you're selling rather than around it. I am not quite sure our recent administrators have thrived in that area and I fear the decision to low ball KO signals a continuation of that trend.

 

[Robertelamin]

The trend I'm referring to started a while ago. During the mid-00's or so there seemed to be a shift. I don't really have anything tangible to support that hunch, but I've heard it bounced around from time to time on here and it makes some sense. I don't think the 2011 class is much different than the 2018 class, but I don't know if I'd say the same about the '99 or '06 class. Part of it is probably just the world changing.

Winning is obviously critical to growing a fan base, but it's not as important to maintaining it as one would think. That has more to do with building everything college life is supposed to be about - the relationships, the comradery, the traditions - into the product you're selling rather than around it. I am not quite sure our recent administrators have thrived in that area and I fear the decision to low ball KO signals a continuation of that trend.

You think the students care about the contract situation? He was largely responsible for making the students experience terrible.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

My dad was a small donor and season ticket holder before Gampel was built. After the dream season, they told him he couldn't buy season tickets at Gampel anymore because he didn't give enough money. Instead of rewarding loyalty they went straight for the money.

My dad was pretty similar and watched his seats climb further away from the Civic Center court each year, after he shifted from travel to Storrs. Way out of character, one year he asked his brother who was then way high in the Foundation for some help and got back a solid, "It's about the money, and only that given to the Athletic Department. My donations elsewhere mean nothing."

 

[Guapo]

So I actually think this is a part of the problem. About a third of CT residents live in Fairfield County. Games in Hartford (or East Hartford as the case may be) makes them more accessible to that part of the state. The cost of that is they are less accessible to students. Students are the future. We should be chugging out (whatever are grads are call it 5k) a year. Off campus games, especially for football, makes that less likely to happen.

I'm not saying that all games should be at Gampel while the XL still stands. I have great memories from there. But it is a thorny issue that most schools don't have to deal with.

While I agree with you on principle, I'm really not interested in a Gampel vs. XL fight.

These are the fights fan bases have when winning isn't happening.

Let's just get back to winning.

 

[UofCT]

Let's just get back to winning.

And if they lose you will stop showing up, we got it.

 

[goskis2018]

And if they lose you will stop showing up, we got it.

I'm sorry but you can still be a die hard fan and not go to games when the experience is miserable. I was embarrassed of home games this year. Would it have made you feel better if the student section was filled with kids with paper bags on their head in Cleveland brown style? By your logic does it make me a bad fan that I turned off the games this season where we got blown out by 30 (Auburn and Arkansas) at halftime?

 

[billybud]

You know guys, it is not just UConn.

Programs everywhere have experienced a downturn in the numbers of students attending live sports events.


"But the overall drop that should concern everyone last year -- and this one isn't calculated in the NCAA figures -- is the falling student attendance. It happened at Texas, and I assume that will change when Tom Herman's team plays closer to its recruiting rank, but the Longhorns are not alone here. Stories about difficulty in getting students to attend games at previous levels can be found at many large schools, state and private, across the land."

"These trends have administrators worried about filling seats, selling tickets and generating future donations from the current crop of students who are the boosters of tomorrow."

The millennials are scaring the crap out of college ADs....and study after study has been commissioned to determine what will bring them to live sports events.

 

[fatlucy]

All games should be in Hartford

They should have rebuilt the entire campus in downtown Hartford starting in 1995 when the initial $2b spend started.

 

[HuskyBoi]

with hurley here and all the hype i cannot see how we won't bring back the attendance, also the fact that i don't even think we have a non conference road game helps !!

 

[CL82]

While I agree with you on principle, I'm really not interested in a Gampel vs. XL fight.

These are the fights fan bases have when winning isn't happening.

Let's just get back to winning.

I understand. I will miss your insightful commentary on this issue.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I'm sorry but my four years of basketball were the worst in the programs history in thirty years. I went to every home game my freshman and sophomore year and most my junior year. My senior year was unbearable, I went to the big games (Nova, wsu, and Cincinnati) and you looked around the stands and at best gampel was half full (students or anybody else). The games weren't fun and it was frankly embarrassing getting blown out at home or going toe to toe with South Florida or whoever it was that game. I'm not even going to go into the football side of things. I know alot of dudes from my class who followed UConn basketball closely but like me couldn't stand going to the games this past year. Watching a team that can't score and can't stop anyone was a chore but that doesn't mean we wouldn't hate watch it in my apartment. It's easy to go to games when you are going to final fours and winning conference tournaments.

I went to UConn 84-87 which I'm pretty certain were without qualifiers the absolute worst 4 years in program history. The first 3 were hate watching Dom Perno increasingly incompetent development & lack of control, but then thoroughly enjoyed Calhoun's 9-19 first season b/c we saw the culture change and potential. Living thru but getting past the dark period allows one to more thoroughly enjoy good times, keeping a broad perspective.

Lifelong fans can be forged thru this adversity, so I'd emphasize and encourage recent grads to reenergize and drive/grow momentum.

 

[Guapo]

I understand. I will miss your insightful commentary on this issue.

Besides, the XL Center might not exist in a few years anyway