Re: Modern attendance is a gut shot
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 6:05 pm
The only BSC team to make this list? That’s impressive!
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The only BSC team to make this list? That’s impressive!
I was actually speaking more generally than specifically — our team was amazing in getting to the NCAA tournament (and showing well; way to go Peyton) and going 19-1 in the conference in ‘19-‘20. And the ‘Cat fans have rewarded them. But I watch all their games and the attendance at most venues outside of Montana, even for bigger name out-of-conference teams, is often abysmal and sometimes even worse than that.MSU01 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 2:26 pmActually the WBB program has seen the kind of dramatic increase in attendance numbers that we'd love to see from the men's program. In 2014-15 they averaged 1,065 fans. Three years later in 2017-18 they averaged 2,397 fans and maintained an average of over 2,000 for 2018-19 and 2019-20. That probably gives a good roadmap for the best way for the men's team to get their attendance numbers up - finally win a conference title and play in the NCAA Tournament like the women did in 2017!Bobcat4Ever wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 12:00 pmIt’s an interesting irony for WBB. The players are better than ever, the teams as a whole are better, but fewer want to watch. Well, like Yogi said “If they aren’t going to come to the ballpark, how are you going to stop them?”.
Two of my cousin’s kids go to Grand Canyon. They are excellent students, but they went there to play high-level traveling all over club soccer. Not sure about their “eddication”, but they always seem to be having fun. When we played the Antelope(s) a few years ago it seems that they had excellent attendance. But really, what else would there be to do in Phoenix?BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 10:47 pmAnybody want to choreograph a Grand Canyon thing? They really get it going...
I don't think your Alabama-Auburn comparison is very fair to be honest.aucat wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:18 amI was at the game last Sunday and frankly I was shocked at the low attendance as well as the "deadness" of the crowd. Granted, school was not back in session, and I'm sure lots of Bobcat fans were still making their way back from Frisco. But these are really lame excuses. ESPECIALLY since it was the Cat vs. Griz game. Here's an example of what I mean:
Alabama played for a national championship in football on Monday in Indianapolis. The very next evening was their rival game-- THEIR version of "Cat-Griz" playing Auburn in basketball. It was on ESPN and the place was absolutely packed, going crazy. So do you think all of their football fans made it back to campus that quick? I just don't get the lackadaisical attitude last Sunday. The Cats played an inspiring, exciting game. The great football season we had should ADD to the basketball enthusiasm, not reduce it! If you didn't see the Alabama-Auburn basketball game on ESPN here is a highlight video from the Auburn perspective. Why does this rivalry carry so much more excitement than Cat-Griz? I would say that Alabama is a "football school" as is Auburn. Yet this rivalry in basketball was on full display Tuesday.
Just wondering.
I had heard once that students received credit for attending games but was unable to verify that. The attached article does provide some insight into a student and cross department organization that choreograph this support! Got to give them credit…I like it…calling themselves the Havocs!!!BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 10:47 pmAnybody want to choreograph a Grand Canyon thing? They really get it going...
Your points still stand though. But the only thing that will fix attendance is winning, and winning a lot. It's just how sports work.aucat wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 2:16 pmDear Ilovethecats,
Your point is well taken and I thank you for the huge effort you made in getting to Frisco. I heard more than one "horror" story about the difficulties involved.
But back to may point, I can recall only a few years ago when we were getting shellacked by the Griz, yet the arena was right at a sellout. Now that we can really compete with them, and in fact actually beat them, we only had the place half full.
Thanks again though to all the Cats fans who went to Frisco! At least we had a watch party where we consumed a decent amount of bison meat. But not the same as being there for sure.
Thanks for pulling up the attendance for the last 4 years. I don't think there's LESS excitement about Bobcat basketball or basketball in general than two years ago. In fact I think there's more excitement. The factors you and the rest of us have mentioned are legitimate. If Sunday's game is 3 weeks later, there might be twice as many in attendance.kmax wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 2:27 pmLook I have season tix to bball and I agree that attendance in general kind of sucks though has gotten a bit better than recent past. I too long for the late 90s when as students we packed the section for every conference game and there were full crowds most games and wait lists for Cat/Griz tickets. I'm with you.
However, to in any way take anything away from Sunday's attendance in this regards is foolish. Students out of session, that's over 1k empty seats right there probably. Blame the BSC. Game moved to a Sunday night, makes it just a little tougher for out of town folks to commit and get back home with work the next day. Covid issues, the women's game was cancelled due to it and I know for sure of some that couldn't go due to covid. And then the real biggie and the one that everyone has mentioned but several here seem to be trying to dismiss. A huge number of your most avid fans, literally thousands of them, were 20 hours away or traveling back from there. Our group had 4 tickets that we gave away. Those folks that used ours would have still gone so that was four more that would have normally been there and I'm assuming that could be said of a large number of fans that went to Texas.
Bemoan bball attendance in general at MSU all you want, I'm with you. However to in any way use this past Cat/Griz as a prime data point in that is completely tone deaf the reality of the situation of that particular moment in time. Cat/Griz isn't an attendance problem, obviously the other factors were.
Cat/Griz BBall attendance in Bozemen (capacity listed as 6,772):
2022: 3,763
2020: 6,570
2019: 6,013
2018: 6,772
Exactly, the excitement is growing. Watching from afar as the team last year made a bit of a run helped. I don't think you even have to put the "might" in your last statement. I think it definitely would have. Another note, had the weekend gone off as planned for Cat/Griz bball the Friday night before would have been the HoF banquet and inductions. Cat/Griz bball is a whole event weekend, people show out for it.kennethnoisewater wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 4:49 pmThanks for pulling up the attendance for the last 4 years. I don't think there's LESS excitement about Bobcat basketball or basketball in general than two years ago. In fact I think there's more excitement. The factors you and the rest of us have mentioned are legitimate. If Sunday's game is 3 weeks later, there might be twice as many in attendance.kmax wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 2:27 pmLook I have season tix to bball and I agree that attendance in general kind of sucks though has gotten a bit better than recent past. I too long for the late 90s when as students we packed the section for every conference game and there were full crowds most games and wait lists for Cat/Griz tickets. I'm with you.
However, to in any way take anything away from Sunday's attendance in this regards is foolish. Students out of session, that's over 1k empty seats right there probably. Blame the BSC. Game moved to a Sunday night, makes it just a little tougher for out of town folks to commit and get back home with work the next day. Covid issues, the women's game was cancelled due to it and I know for sure of some that couldn't go due to covid. And then the real biggie and the one that everyone has mentioned but several here seem to be trying to dismiss. A huge number of your most avid fans, literally thousands of them, were 20 hours away or traveling back from there. Our group had 4 tickets that we gave away. Those folks that used ours would have still gone so that was four more that would have normally been there and I'm assuming that could be said of a large number of fans that went to Texas.
Bemoan bball attendance in general at MSU all you want, I'm with you. However to in any way use this past Cat/Griz as a prime data point in that is completely tone deaf the reality of the situation of that particular moment in time. Cat/Griz isn't an attendance problem, obviously the other factors were.
Cat/Griz BBall attendance in Bozemen (capacity listed as 6,772):
2022: 3,763
2020: 6,570
2019: 6,013
2018: 6,772
Yep. There’s no need to pull the “if you were a real fan” card and that feels like what some of this thread is. It’s hard to be fully invested in the beginning of regular season basketball while the football playoffs are going on. And I say that as a former basketball player/coach who never stepped on a football field I’m overall way more invested in basketball as a sportCelticCat wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 5:57 pmI'm sorry but you can't overlook the fact that so many fans were out of town. If you made it back in time, you probably just dropped a grand or more on the trip to Texas so money may have been a factor especially if you had to drive from Billings or something.
Plus the overarching heartache I think many fans had, you maybe didn't want to travel and potentially experience more heartbreak. I know I was still super down Sunday and just wasn't feeling at all excited for Cat Griz, however I would've still gone if I could. But I'm sure some people just stayed home and watched on TV because of this.
According to the facilities plan, the building they want to do is substantially larger than the Fieldhouse and contains much more than just a football field for the team to practice on. A new basketball-specific arena would be great but I don't think that's anywhere near the top priority right now - more likely they'll renovate the Fieldhouse down the road to make it more like what you describe.Cats15 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 18, 2022 2:50 pmThere is obviously talk on building an indoor practice field for the football team that comes with a pretty hefty price tag but why isn't there a thought of using the fieldhouse as the indoor practice field (besides the corners of the end zone it could fit a full size field) and building a new arena for the basketball teams? Let's be honest, the fieldhouse does not make for a great venue for b-ball. Its just too big and open. I would love to see a smaller, more intimate arena where the seats are closer to the court and some suites added for additional income...A new arena would definitely help with attendance if you ask me!