Can’t say enough bad things about the Eastern Iowa fans! Specifically the IC/CR area.
So refreshing to hear Crispin call them out all night. Long overdue imo.
So refreshing to hear Crispin call them out all night. Long overdue imo.
Crazy to think that Hilton & Carver are located in the same state!
- Thread starter ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAWK
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embarrassing.
Carver is like a tomb.....
knowledgeable fans know a crap product when they see it.
There was nothing refreshing about Crispin's commentary....
this is what happens when you value dollars over fans/results.
Last night was a complete, total, utter embarrassment for all aspects of Iowa men's basketball.
I watched the last ten minutes of ISU come from ahead defeat at the hands of the mighty 13-11 KState Cats. I thought it was a road game for a while, the crowd was so quiet. But nope, it was Hilton. Maybe their fans have lost interest as well.
I think it goes back to when Carver was originally built. Donors were rewarded with seats for donations and it appears many still have them despite being well into their 60’s plus. This group just doesn’t always show up and when they do are not real loud.
Carver was rocking in the ‘80 and 90’s but those people who have money to get the place built have aged.
A new state of the art arena will do nothing.
after over a decade you know what you have with Fran. He has hit his ceiling, second round of ncaa tournament with a team that including two borderline NBA players.
Fran should send half his pay to Lick because the fear of another Lick is the biggest reason he still has a job.
Fran is a Missouri Valley quality coach that fell ass backwards into a lifetime of millions.
after over a decade you know what you have with Fran. He has hit his ceiling, second round of ncaa tournament with a team that including two borderline NBA players.
Fran should send half his pay to Lick because the fear of another Lick is the biggest reason he still has a job.
Fran is a Missouri Valley quality coach that fell ass backwards into a lifetime of millions.
Maybe it has something to do with players insulting fans on twitter? And then the coach never addressing it? It doesn’t matter if specific individuals deserve it, it’s just not the conversation that is worth having when there’s already enough reasons why young fans have trouble getting to carver
I get this feeling that people nowadays almost feel embarrassed to stand out and try to generate excitement from the crowd (at basketball games, mind you....)
I see this, in particular, at the high school level.
I remember going to and playing in games where the gyms were packed and fans young and old would get into it and do different cheers and just make for a loud and fun environment.
Now it seems like everyone treats going to a basketball game like a parent going to watch their 2nd grader in a youth rec league, and doing anything but clapping and lightly cheering when their child scores would be seen as too excessive for the setting..............................
It's like we've become so self-aware as a society that we're embarrassed to show any actual excitement (but again, just at basketball games........this doesn't seem to apply the same way for football..............but that could also be because there's more drinking involved.
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I might agree with this somewhat, but I don't see it happening at other arenas around the country. Certainly not in the B1G.I get this feeling that people nowadays almost feel embarrassed to stand out and try to generate excitement from the crowd (at basketball games, mind you....)
I see this, in particular, at the high school level.
I remember going to and playing in games where the gyms were packed and fans young and old would get into it and do different cheers and just make for a loud and fun environment.
Now it seems like everyone treats going to a basketball game like a parent going to watch their 2nd grader in a youth rec league, and doing anything but clapping and lightly cheering when their child scores would be seen as too excessive for the setting..............................
It's like we've become so self-aware as a society that we're embarrassed to show any actual excitement (but again, just at basketball games........this doesn't seem to apply the same way for football..............but that could also be because there's more drinking involved.
It's getting tougher and tougher to sell Iowa b-ball
You factor in a mediocre product, students not willing to get themselves to games for whatever reason, and I think for sure inflation putting pressure on fans wallets, it's a perfect storm for what is happening.
I think fans are basically saying they've seen this story before and know how it ends and the enthusiasm just is not there. The same old story schtick has definitely put a dent in my joy of Hawk basketball. It's slowly eroding to the point I'm at now. Just a meh attitude......
To be fair, it didn’t help in the area of fan enthusiasm that Iowa is coming off its best regular season since at least ‘06 when Iowa had its only undefeated season at home…but fans couldn’t attend.
Couple that with the loss of four key guys off that team and there was zero momentum going into the season.
Lots of other factors at play too but I think it’s a fascinating what if to consider what might have been had fans come to games last season.
Couple that with the loss of four key guys off that team and there was zero momentum going into the season.
Lots of other factors at play too but I think it’s a fascinating what if to consider what might have been had fans come to games last season.
Every game is on TV. Lots easier to turn off the tv when the inevitable occurs than to drive home 200 miles wondering why I drove 400 round trip miles to see the same old crap. Iowa basketball needs to do something to rev up the fans. Choking in the BIG tournament and winning a game every few years in the NCAA tourney is not getting it done.
It's hard being an Iowa fan emotionally, I certainly understand that. However, as I've thought about it more it really isn't about the wins and losses. We have guys that choose to represent our school/ the biggest program in the state. They choose to represent us and our fan base has become more fickle by the year.
I get it, everyone feels like this is watching Groundhogs Day and we do see a lot of movies on repeat. The guys are trying. It is crazy difficult to be a student athlete (if you care about grades). The truth is that Iowa has a program, in almost every sport, that it's doing pretty well.
I get it, everyone feels like this is watching Groundhogs Day and we do see a lot of movies on repeat. The guys are trying. It is crazy difficult to be a student athlete (if you care about grades). The truth is that Iowa has a program, in almost every sport, that it's doing pretty well.
The entire Iowa basketball experience is boring.
I used to make it a point to get to one game a year from Texas. Not worth it anymore.
We need fresh blood in the AD with fresh ideas.
Things have gone stale. That is why there are no students at the games.
I used to make it a point to get to one game a year from Texas. Not worth it anymore.
We need fresh blood in the AD with fresh ideas.
Things have gone stale. That is why there are no students at the games.
Illinois did I a really good job of renovating Assembly Hall, or whatever it’s called these days. I wish we would take some cues.
Should probably mention that this is a problem at many schools, and last I heard, in ‘19 we were still top 25 in attendance. No idea about this year.
Lots of factors at play. Lackluster noncon schedule, only 3 home conference games on weekends- which hurts attendance efforts on weeknights for people coming from central Iowa like me, poor marketing efforts by the athletic dept, certain amount of Fran fatigue, etc.
Lots of factors at play. Lackluster noncon schedule, only 3 home conference games on weekends- which hurts attendance efforts on weeknights for people coming from central Iowa like me, poor marketing efforts by the athletic dept, certain amount of Fran fatigue, etc.
I was just going to tell you the same thing!
Let me guess, you live in Eastern Iowa & you weren’t there for the game that night to contribute?
I would go , but I am afraid I would get a seat next to some of the a-holes on here
We could turn it into Crisler Area with some renovation work...
They have the same wide aisles that HCA has but that walkway 20 rows up makes it much more fan friendly. The break in the seating would allow students to stand up below the walkway, while those with tickets above the walkway would not be obstructed. Concession and bathrooms could be built off the walkway and under the upper seats. $$$ I'm sure but Iowa is not going to move or build a new arena downtown. Ever...
The number of grumpy old men posting on this site is hilarious!
No, this has been a problem since the 80s. In my time at Iowa, I knew a guy on the team (won't say who) and he said Carver was the easiest place for opposing players in the Big Ten. He said all other teams said so.
If students had better seats it might help, but the physical limitations of the building will be difficult to completely overcome.
The problem is NOT the arena. It's the fans. Carver during a big wrestling meet is the most electric atmosphere I've ever experienced at a sporting event. Also has, by far, the best sight lines of any arena I've ever been in. I'll never understand why the basketball "fans" are always b****ing about the arena.We could turn it into Crisler Area with some renovation work...
They have the same wide aisles that HCA has but that walkway 20 rows up makes it much more fan friendly. The break in the seating would allow students to stand up below the walkway, while those with tickets above the walkway would not be obstructed. Concession and bathrooms could be built off the walkway and under the upper seats. $$$ I'm sure but Iowa is not going to move or build a new arena downtown. Ever...
Bullshit. It's the younger people and students not supporting the program. The students at Iowa (by and large) do not care about the basketball program. I have two kids that recently graduated from Iowa. One worked in the sports marketing program. Both said the level of interest from the student body was pathetic. Lots of things have changed. I-phones and video games have taken over. I used to listen to every Hawkeye game on the radio as a child, keeping score in my hawkeye scorebook. Pester Derby, it's a gas. ding-ding was a big sponsor. (just showed my age. Hard to even find a young kid interested anymore.
Partly I agree. But I also think the marketing dept at Iowa hasn’t done much to sell the program either. They seem to believe the program will sell itself.
Budget cut that from the original design. Would have made a significant difference.We could turn it into Crisler Area with some renovation work...
They have the same wide aisles that HCA has but that walkway 20 rows up makes it much more fan friendly. The break in the seating would allow students to stand up below the walkway, while those with tickets above the walkway would not be obstructed. Concession and bathrooms could be built off the walkway and under the upper seats. $$$ I'm sure but Iowa is not going to move or build a new arena downtown. Ever...
People staying in their seats after the 4:00 TV timeout in a close game would help as well.
It takes a long time, and a great deal of effort for the blue-hairs to climb all those steps.
No. Things need to change and money is the only thing that will effect change.
I'm not spending another dime to support the current ideal. It only encourages it.
Honestly, while I hate watching so many people start climbing the stairs with so much time left in the game - and to be fair, at least some will then watch from the concourse; this does expose maybe the biggest design flaw of Carver….there’s only a long way up to the concourse to exit the arena. They would have been better off creating the gates a la Kinnick where those exits are roughly halfway between the top and bottom of the stands.
imo, they also screwed up when they chose a major renovation of Carver a few years back instead of starting brand-new and learning from Carvers flaws.
