UK Attendance Down

[hallcity]

Kentucky's attendance is down 15% or 3,500 per game this year compared to the start of last season.

A quote from a fan:

Been to 3 or 4 games so far this year. Student upper deck is basically empty - sit wherever you want. This is the majority of the decrease. Idk if they will pick it up when we get in conference or what...

[hallcity]

Take a look at the UK.jpg student section just before player introductions on Senior Night at UK yesterday. This came from the UK message board.

[JasonEvans]

Check out this chart... wow!

[kAzE]

Check out this chart... wow!

Looks like the stock market in 2018.

[PackMan97]

Spoiled fans are spoiled?

I imagine that the one and done recruiting and lack of continuity from one season to the next is causing folks to care less about the team each year. Kentucky has ONE upperclassman this year, a Redshirt Jr who transferred from Transyvannia. His carreer stats? 10 games played, 11 minutes, 1 field goal attempted (and missed), 1 assist, 1 turnover.

If I had to guess, there are a lot of folks going to Cameron because of Allen, or to the Dean's Myth Center to see Pinson and Berry.

[kAzE]

Spoiled fans are spoiled?

I imagine that the one and done recruiting and lack of continuity from one season to the next is causing folks to care less about the team each year. Kentucky has ONE upperclassman this year, a Redshirt Jr who transferred from Transyvannia. His carreer stats? 10 games played, 11 minutes, 1 field goal attempted (and missed), 1 assist, 1 turnover.

If I had to guess, there are a lot of folks going to Cameron because of Allen, or to the Dean's Myth Center to see Pinson and Berry.

We're about 2 or 3 more years of 1 and done recruiting classes from having a similar roster make up. But at least it's much harder to have empty seats in Cameron than Rupp Arena.

[MCFinARL]

We're about 2 or 3 more years of 1 and done recruiting classes from having a similar roster make up. But at least it's much harder to have empty seats in Cameron than Rupp Arena.

Yes--and based on the Rupp student section photo earlier in the thread, it may help that the people in the student section in Cameron can actually see the court as well.

[rsvman]

Yes--and based on the Rupp student section photo earlier in the thread, it may help that the people in the student section in Cameron can actually see the court as well.

Yep, and despite the sharp decline shown on the graph, the attendance is just shy of 22K, which is still a pretty big crowd for a college basketball game during the regular season.

[uh_no]

Spoiled fans are spoiled?

I imagine that the one and done recruiting and lack of continuity from one season to the next is causing folks to care less about the team each year. Kentucky has ONE upperclassman this year, a Redshirt Jr who transferred from Transyvannia. His carreer stats? 10 games played, 11 minutes, 1 field goal attempted (and missed), 1 assist, 1 turnover.

If I had to guess, there are a lot of folks going to Cameron because of Allen, or to the Dean's Myth Center to see Pinson and Berry.

I'd imagine it largely just tracks the decrease in attendance overall. College football and schools that don't land 1-and-dones see decreasing attendance too.

[Dev11]

Yes--and based on the Rupp student section photo earlier in the thread, it may help that the people in the student section in Cameron can actually see the court as well.

You're either above average height, have never stood in Section 17, or were the most dedicated fan to always have a spot in the first couple rows.

Signed,
Still hoping for 5'6"

[uh_no]

You're either above average height, have never stood in Section 17, or were the most dedicated fan to always have a spot in the first couple rows.

Signed,
Still hoping for 5'6"

hey now, you found a way to get a decent seat for a time

[Dev11]

hey now, you found a way to get a decent seat for a time

Clearly you never wore the old Blue Devil head. Seeing out of that thing was worse than being in the third row. Trust me, I have the scars to prove it.

[uh_no]

Clearly you never wore the old Blue Devil head. Seeing out of that thing was worse than being in the third row. Trust me, I have the scars to prove it.

I said the seat was decent...not that one could see anything!

[PeteZaHut]

What makes me sad is that if Duke didn't sell GA tickets to the public, our student section would look pretty thin for most games

[devildeac]

Clearly you never wore the old Blue Devil head. Seeing out of that thing was worse than being in the third row. Trust me, I have the scars to prove it.

Wait, is that you? I thought we had one of the groomsmen in the costume.

http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/downl...hp?id=1151&t=1

[Truth&Justise]

Spoiled fans are spoiled?

I imagine that the one and done recruiting and lack of continuity from one season to the next is causing folks to care less about the team each year. Kentucky has ONE upperclassman this year, a Redshirt Jr who transferred from Transyvannia. His carreer stats? 10 games played, 11 minutes, 1 field goal attempted (and missed), 1 assist, 1 turnover.

That's a heck of an assumption. I know the author of the article made that suggestion, but lots of things can cause a decrease in attendance. Is there any reason to think it's this, and not something else (e.g. changes in cost of attendance, ticketing policy, availability of other entertainment options, student health, population numbers, overall popularity of the sport, etc.)?

If I had to guess, there are a lot of folks going to Cameron because of Allen, or to the Dean's Myth Center to see Pinson and Berry.

As to your second point, I can only offer my own anecdotal evidence, but I went to games in Cameron to see the team play. I can't ever recall deciding to go because I wanted to see one individual player, be he a freshman or a senior. I just wanted to be in Cameron to cheer on the team, so I went to every game I could.


I don't doubt it's possible for a fan to feel less of a connection amid high-roster turnover, but I don't see any indication yet that it's pushing the overall attendance trend at UK.

[cato]

It may be a happy accident, but the best thing that happened for Duke MBB (aside from K) was keeping Cameron small and the students in the bleachers.

Student attendance wanes? There are plenty of people who will take those seats

[MCFinARL]

You're either above average height, have never stood in Section 17, or were the most dedicated fan to always have a spot in the first couple rows.

Signed,
Still hoping for 5'6"

You got me--I am a former Duke parent, not a Duke student, and I made assumptions about sight lines based on the proximity of court and seats. So I have never stood in Section 17. You know what they say-- "assume makes an a** of u and me." (not sure about whether that word passes the filter.)

[MCFinARL]

That's a heck of an assumption. I know the author of the article made that suggestion, but lots of things can cause a decrease in attendance. Is there any reason to think it's this, and not something else (e.g. changes in cost of attendance, ticketing policy, availability of other entertainment options, student health, population numbers, overall popularity of the sport, etc.)?



As to your second point, I can only offer my own anecdotal evidence, but I went to games in Cameron to see the team play. I can't ever recall deciding to go because I wanted to see one individual player, be he a freshman or a senior. I just wanted to be in Cameron to cheer on the team, so I went to every game I could.


I don't doubt it's possible for a fan to feel less of a connection amid high-roster turnover, but I don't see any indication yet that it's pushing the overall attendance trend at UK.

Yes, and I suspect the part of attendance high-roster turnover is least likely to affect is student attendance--which probably depends more on whether going to games something cool that your friends are doing rather than on your devotion to particular players. It's the rest of us who want the continuity and story lines of multi-year players.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

It may be a happy accident, but the best thing that happened for Duke MBB (aside from K) was keeping Cameron small and the students in the bleachers.

Student attendance wanes? There are plenty of people who will take those seats

Yep, because for all the bandwagon Dukies nationwide, the local population just isn't that big. If Duke had built some kind of bigger arena, or tried to expand Cameron, I think the results to the program over all might've been devastating. The atmosphere and energy is created by supply and demand, a crowded atmosphere, and a low ceiling (the ceiling is the roof or something...according to one of Dean's Myth players...)

AS A SIDE NOTE on attendance: While I love the look of the Wade Stadium renovation, I wish they had gone a different route. There are football stadia that have tremendous atmospheres with only 20-25 thousand people. Syracuse's dome is kind of that way, but there are outdoor stadia that also work while small. Maybe with the footprint of Wade that was impossible...but the U of Miami, also a private school facing empty football seats, did a better job with their reno in my opinion, at least with respects of atmosphere and noise.

Now back to basketball...