Embarrassing crowd

[🏀]

There is a good direct comparision we can make, that holds most of the variable constant. We played Rutgers at home two years ago in a mid-week game while students were in session.  

Between 2010 and last night, there was a decline of nearly 2,000 fans, or 11.8%

2010 (last time Rutgers was in town):
RU Record:  9-10, 0-8 in conference
MU Record:  Unranked, 12-8 overall, 3-5 in conference (first home game after road losses to DePaul, SU)
Game date:  Tuesday, January 26
Attendance:  16,793

2012:
Record:  12-16, 4-11 in conference
MU Record:  Ranked #10, 22-5, 12-3 in conference (10-1 record in last 10 games)
Game Date:  Wednesday February 22
Attendance:  14,807


Its not our coach is (Buzz for both games)
Its not the opponent (Rutgers for both games)
Its not due to a weekday game (mid-week for both games)
It's not due to the quality of the opponent (Rutgers sucked both games)
It's not due to student break (classes in session both games)
It's not due to the weather (no storms yesterday--maybe in 2010, but that would reduce att. for 2010)
It's not due to disappointment in MU's season to date (we're much better than 2010)
Its not the economy (Unemployment has improved since 2010)

I guess that leaves the argument that Tuesday games draw better than Wednesday.

Either that, or Rutgers coach (and former MU assistant) Fred Hill is a much bigger draw than current Rutgers coach (and former MU assistant Mike Rice)

I don't know what the answer is to the decline in attendance--but I don't think it can't easily be dismissed with any of the usual explanations.

Wow. Real good analysis here.

[Warrior3211]

I live 20 miles from the RAC where Rutgers play their games. They would die for half that attendance at a game.

+1

I love to see the BC filled, but if the lower bowl is at least filled there shouldn't be many complaints. The BC is a HUGE arena to fill for college basketball and some of you may have seen where the great Duke was having trouble filling their student section this year (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/01/duke-is-struggling-to-fill-student-section-with-students/1#.T0Z7GlHSw7s). It's even smaller than MU's.

There is nothing to complain about. Rutgers sucks and when you're a student it's not easy to make it to those Wednesday night games.

[Bocephys]

There is a good direct comparision we can make, that holds most of the variable constant. We played Rutgers at home two years ago in a mid-week game while students were in session.  

Between 2010 and last night, there was a decline of nearly 2,000 fans, or 11.8%

2010 (last time Rutgers was in town):
RU Record:  9-10, 0-8 in conference
MU Record:  Unranked, 12-8 overall, 3-5 in conference (first home game after road losses to DePaul, SU)
Game date:  Tuesday, January 26
Attendance:  16,793

2012:
Record:  12-16, 4-11 in conference
MU Record:  Ranked #10, 22-5, 12-3 in conference (10-1 record in last 10 games)
Game Date:  Wednesday February 22
Attendance:  14,807


Its not our coach is (Buzz for both games)
Its not the opponent (Rutgers for both games)
Its not due to a weekday game (mid-week for both games)
It's not due to the quality of the opponent (Rutgers sucked both games)
It's not due to student break (classes in session both games)
It's not due to the weather (no storms yesterday--maybe in 2010, but that would reduce att. for 2010)
It's not due to disappointment in MU's season to date (we're much better than 2010)
Its not the economy (Unemployment has improved since 2010)

I guess that leaves the argument that Tuesday games draw better than Wednesday.

Either that, or Rutgers coach (and former MU assistant) Fred Hill is a much bigger draw than current Rutgers coach (and former MU assistant Mike Rice)

I don't know what the answer is to the decline in attendance--but I don't think it can't easily be dismissed with any of the usual explanations.

Ash Wednesday?  Did Gesu have a 7PM Mass for the after work crowd?

[jmayer1]

No crap.

And, that wasn't my point.

What was your point then?

[tower912]

Now for some real heresy....how about moving some of the weeknight or weak OOC games to the old arena across the street.   For sentimental reasons (the 60 or so games I saw there), I could see the appeal.    It would drive the season ticket holders nuts, though. 

[Warrior3211]

While I would not go as far as saying the crowd was embarassing last night, the student section was smaller than I expected.  MU is a top ten team and there were only two home games left.  Rutgers is a not-so-sexy opponent, but I was still surprised at the relatively small number of students. 

MU has to stop saying it is the best student section in the country before tip off and then shining spot lights on thousands of empty seats.  It actually makes me laugh.

I am not blaming just the students.  The MU marketing department does not seem as aggressive as in past years.  When was the last time there was a bobblehead giveaway?  I am not suggesting bobbleheads are the answer, but only that it is an indication of how the marketing efforts have declined. 

I am excited for a great crowd against Georgetown to send Jae and DJO out in style.

This has nothing to do with marketing. I live 1,500 miles away from Milwaukee and I still knew that there was a theme, created by the marketing department, for last night's game. Follow them on twitter if you're not satisfied with their efforts, then at least you'll see how much they do. MU has hands down one of the best marketing staffs in the country. I posted on another thread about going to last Saturday's UConn game and their game presentation was pathetic. Also, their student section was not better than MU's and they are the defending national champs.

[warriorchick]

Now for some real heresy....how about moving some of the weeknight or weak OOC games to the old arena across the street.   For sentimental reasons (the 60 or so games I saw there), I could see the appeal.    It would drive the season ticket holders nuts, though. 

Now why would they do that?  They have sold thousands more tickets than the old arena's capacity for every game for at least a decade.

If you want nostalgia, one can go to an away game against UWM.

[Mr. Nielsen]

I don't know where the numbers come from, but there is NO WAY there were ~15K in attendance tonight. 

It's paid attendance, that is where the numbers come from.

[Pakuni]

Now for some real heresy....how about moving some of the weeknight or weak OOC games to the old arena across the street.   For sentimental reasons (the 60 or so games I saw there), I could see the appeal.    It would drive the season ticket holders nuts, though. 

The old arena across the street holds a capacity of 10,783 for basketball.
Last night's "embarrassing" attendance was 14,807.

Need I say more?

p.s. If MU averaged an "emabrasing" 14,807 per game last year, it would have ranked merely 15th in the nation. Oh, the humanity.

[Brewtown Andy]

after seeing anonymous eagles pic on the blog tonight of the student section i felt ill.

FWIW, that pic was taken before MU came out on to the court right before introductions. By tipoff, the lower bowl sections were nearly all filled in.

Also, I'm seeing people claim that 2K of the 3600 student seats are downstairs? Given the triangular shape of the sections in the lower bowl, I find that hard to believe.

[brewcity77]

I don't know what the answer is to the decline in attendance--but I don't think it can't easily be dismissed with any of the usual explanations.

If I were to guess, I would say the importance of the game. Right now, we are a lock for the tourney and I'm sure many saw last night's game as a formality. In 2010, that wasn't the case. We were 11-8 (2-5) coming into the Rutgers game but had shown flashes of possibly being a tournament team if things started to break right for us. Of our 8 losses, 7 of them were by a combined 16 points, and 4 of those had come against teams ranked in the top-8 in the country. I remember that's when Andy Glockner of SI first jumped on the Marquette bandwagon, boldly (and accurately) predicting we would go from 2-5 to 11-7 in the Big East.

Bottom line, that Rutgers game was important, and started a stretch where Marquette won 9 of 10 games. Just think back to that 2010 team...Hayward, Butler, Acker, Cooby, DJO...that was the time when we were all thinking of how close they were to being good and just waiting for them to start finishing the close games.

I understand that on paper it seems to be the same, but the importance of those two games couldn't be more disparate when you take time to remember just what that Rutgers game meant at the time.

[Chili]

+1

I love to see the BC filled, but if the lower bowl is at least filled there shouldn't be many complaints. The BC is a HUGE arena to fill for college basketball and some of you may have seen where the great Duke was having trouble filling their student section this year (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/01/duke-is-struggling-to-fill-student-section-with-students/1#.T0Z7GlHSw7s). It's even smaller than MU's.

There is nothing to complain about. Rutgers sucks and when you're a student it's not easy to make it to those Wednesday night games.

Really? It's not easy? You have to be unnatural carnal knowledgeing kidding me....this might be the most absurd thing posted on this board ever. You are a college student not a heart surgeon for Christ's sake. What a bunch of twats!

[LloydMooresLegs]

+1,000   

[🏀]

Really? It's not easy? You have to be fracking kidding me....this might be the most absurd thing posted on this board ever. You are a college student not a heart surgeon for Christ's sake. What a bunch of twats!

DOES THIS LOOK EASY TO YOU?

[Brewtown Andy]

Really? It's not easy? You have to be fracking kidding me....this might be the most absurd thing posted on this board ever. You are a college student not a heart surgeon for Christ's sake. What a bunch of twats!

Apparently someone forgot about the students playing in the game, managing the team on the bench, playing in the band, on the cheerleading/dance teams, or interning with the athletic department who are giving up WAY more than the 3 hours needed to walk to the BC, watch the game, and walk home.

[GGGG]

MU has hands down one of the best marketing staffs in the country.

Completely laughable.

[GGGG]

Really? It's not easy? You have to be fracking kidding me....this might be the most absurd thing posted on this board ever. You are a college student not a heart surgeon for Christ's sake. What a bunch of twats!

Not to single you out here, but by "easy" I'm assuming he means academic-wise.  Which means its the same old argument - where is your priorities?  And just because you made basketball a priority (as I did in when I was in school) doesn't mean that current MU students should either.   

I also don't think raking the guy over the coals is a good way to get him to change his mind.

[Niv Berkowitz]

"Completely Laughable" = +1.

One of the best? Please. It's ok. But nothing that great. They had a nice deal for a ticket I saw for last night's game ($20 for a ticket, shirt and towel or something like that?).

Then again, this harkens back to the marketing-related discussion last week.  

[🏀]

MU has hands down used to have one of the best marketing staffs in the country

Fixed.

[warriorchick]

Really? It's not easy? You have to be fracking kidding me....this might be the most absurd thing posted on this board ever. You are a college student not a heart surgeon for Christ's sake. What a bunch of twats!

Nice name you called my kid.  She would have gone to the game, but she was busy working.  She drives the LIMO that makes sure that the students who got to go to the game get home safely, even if they are wasted.

[4everwarriors]

Fixed.

Crean was that department too.

[4everwarriors]

Nice name you called my kid.  She would have gone to the game, but she was busy working.  She drives the LIMO that makes sure that the students who got to go to the game get home safely, even if they are wasted.

So, she drives only senior students, aina?

[warriorchick]

So, she drives only senior students, aina?

Pregaming takes care of the others.

[Golden Avalanche]

Not to single you out here, but by "easy" I'm assuming he means academic-wise.  Which means its the same old argument - where is your priorities?  And just because you made basketball a priority (as I did in when I was in school) doesn't mean that current MU students should either.   

I also don't think raking the guy over the coals is a good way to get him to change his mind.

I certainly buy the priority argument.

Anyone who has visited over the last decade has noticed the student at MU is a little more serious then what we got up to during our time. Still, we're not talking New Haven or Palo Alto.

Most importantly, it's a two hour window. It wouldn't be that hard -- even during a testing week -- to schedule the studying to where a basketball game can be your break. In fact, my guess is it would be beneficial for the mind.

[Tugg Speedman]

How many student should go to the game?  What is the number that says they are supporting the program?

MU has 8,012 undergrads and 3.587 post grads, total 11,600.

Duke has 6,526 undergrads and 8,220 post grads for a total of 14,746.  They get 650 to a game and sell the rest of the student tickets to the general public.  No one questions their support.  We are on page four of this pointless thread.

I think the answer is whatever the size of the stadium we play in.  So long as it "looks good."  So if we played in Miller Park and all 11,600 student showed up and 20,000 general public, we would whine that their are still 20,000 empty seats and it means we do not support our team.

Conversely, if we played Rutgers in the AL and 1,000 students showed up, and the other 2,000 seats were sold-out, we would then be the best supported program in the country.

This seems to be what we are arguing.