For those who were there (if there are any), what was your estimated attendance? Looked like a really pathetic crowd for the highest ranked & 1st place team in the conference coming to town. Quiet crowd also.
Attendance tonight?
- Thread starter ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAWK
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It was not great as I was there. Maybe 60-65% of capacity if I had to guess. We saw a fantastic game and made as much noise as we could.
I do feel bad for Fran as he tries his butt off for this program and to not to get better fan supporter at times. He plays an entertaining style of ball and this team is really fun to watch. Hopefully more of our fans will come out again. Imagine what this group could do with a packed house!
I do feel bad for Fran as he tries his butt off for this program and to not to get better fan supporter at times. He plays an entertaining style of ball and this team is really fun to watch. Hopefully more of our fans will come out again. Imagine what this group could do with a packed house!
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Probably about 9,000? Not a bad crowd...definitely was loud in the last 10 minutes...
Why is the attendance so low, these guys play hard and there is some exciting ball to be seen..
The B1G doesn't do us (or any teams in Central time zone) favors with the 8 PM starts on a weekday.
Announced crowd = 10K+. There were lot of empty seats, but crowd was loud as we made up the 9 pt. deficit, & traded buckets till we got the lead. Crowd was on refs for lot of no calls on PU. Also crowd was "very anxious" as we were trying in get ball inbounds with 13 sec left.
There isn't a lot of local enthusiasm for Iowa basketball right now, despite three straight NCAA tourney bids and this young exciting team.
A lot of it is Carver, I think. It's a great venue to see a basketball game (besides the obstructed view in the highest rows because of the banners), but it doesn't have the lure of some other legendary arenas in CBB.
Couldn't have said it better myself. The IC/CR area should be more than enough to sellout Carver with this fun team to watch. As well as our recent success. Oh and about 7 Iowa hs bball players on the roster also! Come on Eastern Iowa!
as I said above, something isn't clicking with Iowa basketball right now in the CR/IC area, and I think it has to do with Carver. I'd wager that those within the program, who really ought to know what the problems are given its their day job, would blame our attendance issues on the arena too.
Its certainly not the style of basketball or the team we're fielding this year.
I've posted about it before, but being in Omaha, I'm able to attend a ton of Creighton games. Those games are basically seen as "the place to be" in Omaha - to the point where the Bluejays pretty consistently have top 15 crowds, even during the week. The atmosphere is family friendly, and it feels more like a basketball game centered around a social event rather than a social event centered around a basketball game.
Regardless of peoples' motives for being there, the place gets loud and is a solid home court advantage. I went to an Iowa game last year (and it was over winter break, so the students were away), but the building just had a totally different feel to it. Even when it got kind of loud, I never felt a whole lot of energy. It would be nice to see Iowa take some notes from Creighton/CenturyLink Center and try to be more appealing to non-basketball fans/families
Regardless of peoples' motives for being there, the place gets loud and is a solid home court advantage. I went to an Iowa game last year (and it was over winter break, so the students were away), but the building just had a totally different feel to it. Even when it got kind of loud, I never felt a whole lot of energy. It would be nice to see Iowa take some notes from Creighton/CenturyLink Center and try to be more appealing to non-basketball fans/families
Johnson County pop. Aprox. 140,000
Linn County pop. Approx. 220,000
Story County pop. Aprox. 100,000
Polk County pop. Aprox. 455,000
As noted 6pm and 8pm game times have changed the landscape as well as the demographics.
Iowa use to draw big ticket bases from Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo. But 7pm tips made it easy to do so. Also ticket base changed from empty nesters to more family's and then you compete with school nights and activities.
Then you throw in 65" HD TVs and many just stay at home.
Has nothing to do with Carver.
Linn County pop. Approx. 220,000
Story County pop. Aprox. 100,000
Polk County pop. Aprox. 455,000
As noted 6pm and 8pm game times have changed the landscape as well as the demographics.
Iowa use to draw big ticket bases from Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo. But 7pm tips made it easy to do so. Also ticket base changed from empty nesters to more family's and then you compete with school nights and activities.
Then you throw in 65" HD TVs and many just stay at home.
Has nothing to do with Carver.
Id agree with this. I'd go to more games but if I went to last nights game I'd get home at maybe 11-11:30 and get to bed around 11:30-12 and be up at 5:30 and go to work for 10 hours. I'm not young enough anymore to be wanting to do so all the time.
They had a dog act at halftime. Maybe they should have promoted that in advance.
Whoever said the tip times hurt I think is also right. I'd drive over from Des Moines for a 7 pm tip, but the 6 and 8 times are tough during the week.
Your totally wrong on that. Best thing we did was add the needed practice facilities and offices for both basketball teams and wrestling at Carver. As it was said earlier, it is hard when its winter break and 8pm game on weekday to get a lot of people to travel a distance. The athletic dept. has been making adjustments to venue by taking up different areas for bad, video etc. Carver is perfect for Iowa athletics.
8pm start on a Thursday night. Several people around the metro area can go, but people in western Iowa or Chicago area they are not getting home until 12-1am. That's tough to do for people with small children and who work the next morning.
Also if I am the University I look at our last 5 games that tipped at 8pm. Attendance has been BRUTAL, why not start offering 5 dollar or 10 dollar tix for the late start. That might get more "metro" people in there. Also might get more people in the seats. I don't know just an option.
My family used to have season tickets before the BTN came on. That first year i think iowa had something like 5-6 games that started at 8pm. For my family in western Iowa, it was not possible for them to go. Then with little kids for us it was also difficult. So we gave them up a while back. I think the U of Iowa has to do a better job of running promotions. Do a Groupon or a buy 1 get 1 free type of thing. Offer 5 or 10 dollar tickets to the games. Get butts in the seats.
In order for Carver to be LOUD, you need about 14,000 people there. When you only have 8-9k, it sounds like a ghost town, because the fans are so far away from the floor and they are spread out.
I'm sorry you had to give up the kids.
Put me on the pile of folks who point to the 8PM start. Even being 45 minutes away, by the time you get to the car and drive home, you're looking at 11:30. That 5:30 alarm clock hurts a little more.
- Sep 13, 2002
- 99,406
- 208,833
- 113
The "local"'part is key.
I only have to drive fronm the Quad Cities and sometimes struggle to get there. Next Thursday, for example, I work until 5:30 and tipoff is 6 pm. Not sure if I can go. 8 pm ga,es end at 10-10:30. I don't know how fans from Des Moines, Dubuque, and points even farther manage it on a work night.
You'd think the folks from Iowa City and Cedar Rapids would make up the difference, but I suspect many of the open seats are already spoken for by season ticket holders from more far-flung locales who just don't go and don't re-sell or give away their tickets.
At any rate, despite the size, the crowds this season have been much, much more lively and I love that.
- Sep 13, 2002
- 99,406
- 208,833
- 113
Agree.
Iowa needs to do like Nebraska and build sometching closer to downtown. And I'd set the capacity at about 12,500.
I think you guys nailed it: 8:00 tip time reduces the number who drive from a distance, student attendance, we are essentially a .500 team, playing against an opponent who piss pounded us last time. I for one do not blame Carver for the attendance issues, the arena is certainly not sexy, but bears no impact on my attendance.
If this team keeps competing like they are, with the exciting brand of bb we are playing and we win a bit more, attendance will rise.
If this team keeps competing like they are, with the exciting brand of bb we are playing and we win a bit more, attendance will rise.
So you want to lower the capacity? And if Iowa has an outstanding team, you'd be crying that the new arena doesn't have enough seating.
Closer to downtown??? Where are you going to build something closer than 1 mile from downtown? Location is not the problem.
Omaha has 4 times the pop CR/IC has, so Creighton should have 4 times the attendance Iowa gets, but they don't
Your all wrong ... There is no good reason that people are not coming ..
There is no reason to lower the price of the ticket, no reason to change game times , there is no reason whatsoever to use as an excuse for Iowa fans not to show up period...
The problem is the people themselves, for one reason or another the folks in Iowa do not care it doesn't matter what you offer up. It's sad and it's stupid at the same time.
I always hear that Iowa fans are the greatest, he'll I am a big Iowa fan too and if I lived even remotely close I would be at every game . I
p.s Carver is not loud it is not a good basketball facility it is awful.. It should be dismantled
There is no reason to lower the price of the ticket, no reason to change game times , there is no reason whatsoever to use as an excuse for Iowa fans not to show up period...
The problem is the people themselves, for one reason or another the folks in Iowa do not care it doesn't matter what you offer up. It's sad and it's stupid at the same time.
I always hear that Iowa fans are the greatest, he'll I am a big Iowa fan too and if I lived even remotely close I would be at every game . I
p.s Carver is not loud it is not a good basketball facility it is awful.. It should be dismantled
The money spent to add to CHA could have been spent on a new facility with offices, practice rooms, etc. CHA has an obvious and significant defect by forcing everyone to climb to the top row to exit. It's a bad arena. U of I deserves better.
8pm hurts me as well as discussed above. Drive from Des Moines metro is brutal on a 8pm start time during week. I am going to the MD game as it is at 6 next week but still taking a half day from work to allow ample time to get to IC and for pregame festivities 
.
.Another thing that hasn't been mention much is the slow start. Plus, we lost to Omaha, this win will re-energize the base. It has me hopeful we can put together a nice winning streak. Look at the schedule, it is possible. Please come out and show your support for the upcoming Maryland game!
CHA is not perfect far from it. But to blame it for attendance issues is weak. Very few arenas/stadiums make people say hey I'm going to the game because it's such a great arena. I can't think of a BB arena that has that pull.
The 8 PM starts is the main reason for this. Couple that with BTN started around Alford and then we had the Licklighter travesty.
The 8 PM starts is the main reason for this. Couple that with BTN started around Alford and then we had the Licklighter travesty.
I believe attendance is declining in both CF and CB nationally.
It's pretty expensive to go to games, it can be logistically difficult (parking, game times, weather) and if the game you choose to go to ends up being a stinker, you've wasted several hours.
Or, you can watch at home on your 65" 4k TV, or go to a sports bar and watch with friends with a seemingly unlimited selection of beer and food. No traffic, no weather issues, and you get to pick the people that are sitting around you.
Building a new arena is not the answer.
It's pretty expensive to go to games, it can be logistically difficult (parking, game times, weather) and if the game you choose to go to ends up being a stinker, you've wasted several hours.
Or, you can watch at home on your 65" 4k TV, or go to a sports bar and watch with friends with a seemingly unlimited selection of beer and food. No traffic, no weather issues, and you get to pick the people that are sitting around you.
Building a new arena is not the answer.
Andoboy, "you're" actually the one who is wrong. Early and late tip times during the week are a huge reason for lower attendance.
I live an hour away and would love to take my wife and kids (5, 12) to a few weekday conference games a year but 6 or 8 starts just doesn't allow for it. 6 is too early for work and my 12 year old's sports practices and 8 means we're not getting home to bed until midnight.
Majority of Iowa fans live at least an hour away so these time starts are tough, especially for families. The old 7 o'clock start times made things much easier.
Also, you can't compare Iowa home games' attendance to creighton games. Omaha is a way bigger metropolitan area and the fact that they do serve alcohol at the games is a huge factor. I'm sure they get many young single 20 somethings who are casual fans to show up to the games just as "the place to be."
So while the smaller attendance is unfortunate, it is understandable. I'd suggest the university sell half price tickets at the stadium on the days of the games and also provide a service for season ticket holders to resell their tickets. They used to do this but now they just pawn this off to stubhub and fans, especially older ones, just don't feel comfortable using sites like that.
Basically, if the university wants more butts in the seats, they will have to work harder at it. Especially with the odd start times.
Stubhub already does this and partners with the University. I just got 5 tickets for next weeks MD game for $108 AFTER fees.
It's not really just an Iowa thing, people don't go to college basketball games like they used to. Everyone didn't have a 65" flat screen and netflix in the 90's. Less incentive than ever to leave the house. Attendance is down pretty much nationwide from previous decades.
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