Attendance Numbers

[MUfan12]

The Student Section thread piqued my interest in the whole alum/fan vs. student attendance thing. So I decided to check out how MU is drawing.

Through 17 games, MU is averaging 15,589 per game. That will be good enough to crack the top 10 again nationally. In BE games, the average is 16,825. Non-conference was 14,490.

I know those don't always translate to butts in seats, but the rest of the building is showing up this year, especially in conference play. Hoping the students finish strong on Wednesday, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Buzz's Tin]

Interesting stats. Always nice to see us in the top 10 for attendance.

Btw. Side note here, did anyone see that Providence fan with the black fanatic shirt in the student section? Thought that was weird seeing a PC fan in the student section...

[TallTitan34]

Yeah, he got the "You Suck" chant directed towards him.

[Coleman]

I never really understood why "attendance" is calculated as tickets sold. Shouldn't that be a separate statistic? Can't they keep track of both? They scan every ticket when we enter...should be pretty easy to determine actual attendance.

Don't get me wrong, its great that we sell so many tickets. But I'd like to know actual attendance as well, beside the estimates within a couple thousand that get thrown around.

[Tugg Speedman]

Because all they care about is tickets sold.

[Shanunu]

Isn't actual attendance usually announced? I don't mean at the BC but on ESPN or something?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Isn't actual attendance usually announced? I don't mean at the BC but on ESPN or something?

No, only tickets sold \ issued is announced

[Shanunu]

Now I'm less impressed with our attendance numbers. That means they count all the student tickets sold, for every game. Is it the same way everywhere, or do other schools/stadiums count only actual attendance?

[77ncaachamps]

Adding to this topic, I expect Georgetown to be with Marquette since they're the ONLY Division I schools that play ALL of their Home games in NBA arenas.

[dw3dw3dw3]

Love him or hate him, TC did spend a lot of time on getting butts in the seats and it showed. I don't think Buzz should have to worry about that stuff, but its just the nature of students and fringe fan base. There hasn't been a game this year where its been tough to get a ticket outside of Wisconsin. 

[Marquette84]

Adding to this topic, I expect Georgetown to be with Marquette since they're the ONLY Division I schools that play ALL of their Home games in NBA arenas.

Memphis plays all their home games in the FedEx Forum.

[Steve Buscemi]

Interesting stats. Always nice to see us in the top 10 for attendance.

Btw. Side note here, did anyone see that Providence fan with the black fanatic shirt in the student section? Thought that was weird seeing a PC fan in the student section...

Yeah I talked to that kid... He said his favorite teams are PC and NIU... What a loser

[Tugg Speedman]

Memphis plays all their home games in the FedEx Forum.

ESPN had it as a trivia question yesterday ... "what two NCAA teams play all their home games in a NBA arena?"  The answer they gave was MU and GU.

If ESPN says it, it must be right!!!

Seriously, the key word was "all"  which excludes Nova, SJU, etc.  Is it possible that Memphis doesn't play ALL their games at the FedEx forum?

[Niv Berkowitz]

It's standard issue for college hoops and all pro sports to count attendance as tickets sold. I think there are minor differences between the NBA/NHL, but basically, it's tickets sold.

Nobody cares who shows, just who bought tickets. So yes, every game has the same few thousand seats plugged in for the students. While I love MU being in the top 10 for attendance, it'd be great if they had a 12-15,000 hot-box of their own that could really get rockin. BC does good on packed crowds and is still more electric of a place than it is for any Bucks game, but your Providence or Seton Hall games wouldn't have that blah feel to them if the place was a little smaller and a little-less NBA. Oh well.

[Steve Buscemi]

it'd be great if they had a 12-15,000 hot-box of their own that could really get rockin. BC does good on packed crowds and is still more electric of a place than it is for any Bucks game, but your Providence or Seton Hall games wouldn't have that blah feel to them if the place was a little smaller and a little-less NBA. Oh well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Dayton_Arena

Never a dull atmosphere and still gets the flyers into the top 25 in attendance.

[Marquette84]

ESPN had it as a trivia question yesterday ... "what two NCAA teams play all their home games in a NBA arena?"  The answer they gave was MU and GU.

If ESPN says it, it must be right!!!

Seriously, the key word was "all"  which excludes Nova, SJU, etc.  Is it possible that Memphis doesn't play ALL their games at the FedEx forum?

I checked.  All home games were listed at the FedEx Forum:
http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/mem-m-baskbl-sched.html

As an aside, the Pyramid is going to be turned into a Bass Pro Shop:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jun/30/bass-pro-shops-sign-lease-memphis-pyramid/

[Mr. Nielsen]

In every sporting event pro or college, it's tickets sold.

[Litehouse]

I checked.  All home games were listed at the FedEx Forum:
http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/mem-m-baskbl-sched.html

Maybe that game in Tupelo was considered a home game for Memphis?  Memphis wore home unis and LSU wore their away unis.  If that's what ESPN was using, it seems like a minor technicality.

[The Man in Gold]

Adding to this topic, I expect Georgetown to be with Marquette since they're the ONLY Division I schools that play ALL of their Home games in NBA arenas.

Not sure about this year, but Georgetown usually played one NC game at their old, historic on campus arena.  Though ODU beat them in consecutive years there, so maybe they changed it for this season.

[martyconlonontherun]

I never really understood why "attendance" is calculated as tickets sold. Shouldn't that be a separate statistic? Can't they keep track of both? They scan every ticket when we enter...should be pretty easy to determine actual attendance.

Don't get me wrong, its great that we sell so many tickets. But I'd like to know actual attendance as well, beside the estimates within a couple thousand that get thrown around.

I am a very small minority, but when I was younger I never scanned my ticket. I had always entered side door with a friend that got me in that way. I purchased a ticket and was there, but wouldn't have counted. Plus its just not cool to see a sellout with an attendance lower than the sell-out number.

[Tugg Speedman]

It is argued that the only thing that matters is if people pay for a ticket.  It is the ultimate sign that your a fan.  After that, whether you show up is secondary.  This is why tickets sold is the measure.

Baseball used to report fans in the seats, but these numbers can be misleading with "Straight A Night" and all the other freebies to people that would never pay for a ticket (so they are not fans) but will take a free seat when offered.

So if MU sold 8,000 tickets and threw the doors open to Milwaukee's homeless and MSOE students to attend for free, does that mean they have better fans than the team that sells 16,800 tickets but only has 12,000 show up?

[Litehouse]

It is argued that the only thing that matters is if people pay for a ticket.  It is the ultimate sign that your a fan.  After that, whether you show up is secondary.  This is why tickets sold is the measure.

Baseball used to report fans in the seats, but these numbers can be misleading with "Straight A Night" and all the other freebies to people that would never pay for a ticket (so they are not fans) but will take a free seat when offered.

So if MU sold 8,000 tickets and threw the doors open to Milwaukee's homeless and MSOE students to attend for free, does that mean they have better fans than the team that sells 16,800 tickets but only has 12,000 show up?

The freebies count too. It's tickets "issued", not just sold.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

How else can we get THE LARGEST CROWD FOR A COLLEGE GAME IN WISCONSIN HISTORY!!!???

[Skatastrophy]

How else can we get THE LARGEST CROWD FOR A COLLEGE GAME IN WISCONSIN HISTORY!!!???

We did that 5x a year when Crean was around.  I never could figure out where they put the extra peeps...

[Mr. Nielsen]

MU doesn't do freebie anymore.