State Farm Center in Champaign was rockin’ last night.
What has happened to our fanbase?
- Thread starter Hawkfan_08
- Start date
Many fans are at high school games watching their kids play on the weeknights.
If basketball was played on a Saturday where you could grill outside and drink booze for hours before tipoff it would be packed.
Football stadium would have thousands of empty seats if alcohol and tailgating was banned.
Society today is 100% alcohol based. Which is why legalizing drugs scares the hell out of me.
Football stadium would have thousands of empty seats if alcohol and tailgating was banned.
Society today is 100% alcohol based. Which is why legalizing drugs scares the hell out of me.
This has been talked about for years now. The Iowa Basketball fan base has shrunk in the last 30 years big time. There are a few reasons.
1) Every game used to be on free TV at basically the same times each week.
2) Carver isnt a great venue. Its a nice building. I have seen Metallica, G&R, and U2 there, graduated there, and been to many games there. Its just not a great home court venue. Especially when you compare to the old Field House.
1) Every game used to be on free TV at basically the same times each week.
2) Carver isnt a great venue. Its a nice building. I have seen Metallica, G&R, and U2 there, graduated there, and been to many games there. Its just not a great home court venue. Especially when you compare to the old Field House.
Packed during Dr. Tom, maybe, but everybody was complaining back then about how dead it was in there. Only difference was the seats were being kept warm. Carver atmosphere has been an issue for over 30 years
In my opinion, If you want to closely watch a game, TV, with it's instant replays and multiple angles, is the best option,... If you want to enjoy the excitement of a particular game, being there is the only way to go,.. In today's world we just have more watchers than excitement seekers.
To be clear, the attendance decline started in the late 90's. Iowa Basketball at the end of the Davis era is VERY similar to where Iowa Football is right now; Near the end of a long term coach's tenure. Fan apathy high and growing. Davis lost in the first round of the NIT in 1998. Bowlsby refused to buy out the final year, and Dr. Tom rallied in 99 and made the Sweet 16 and thus his departure left a sour taste. Then Alford and that whole mess. Then Lickliter and the disaster that was. Then Fran, who has done better, but isnt in Sweet 16's or Final 4's.
It’s pretty simple. Not enough people in the Iowa City metro care about Iowa sports. That’s why football doesn’t have an issue as more enthusiastic fans live all over the state. Talk all you want about Ames but they support Iowa State athletics a lot better than Iowa City supports the Hawks.
it's not complicated. The product isn't in demand.
No one is obligated to attend games.
No one is obligated to attend games.
This is what I wanted to emphasize as I haven't seen it listed as a point much. It's a long grind of emotion & to see it all come to a screeching halt with a NPOY, or a Big Ten Championship team, is very deflating.
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If it was a 6 pm tip off, this thread would not exist
So many excuses. Our fan base just isn’t passionate. Illinois has had extremely disappointing ends to the last two seasons as well. They had a great environment last night against 3-3 Syracuse.
Then make it fun, another point touched on it as being a sterile environment. There are ways to get it back.
There’s honestly only a few great atmospheres in college basketball anymore, especially during the preseason. Most good preseason matchups are in high school gyms in Hawaii or the Bahamas. Michigan UVA was good because they’re a top 5 team. GA Tech though they are an ACC team stinks. And they’ve been bad to mediocre for awhile. We’ll draw fine on Saturdays against good opponents and possibly a few weeknight games as well when conference comes around against Sparty, Purdue, etc. is what it is.
I can live with that comment. New arena isn’t happening and is a waste of money I think we can all agree. Let’s get 1k students on the floor. We can still leave the seats the donors were promised alone. Strategically get busses to students that live off campus. Have a stop on S Johnson st for example. Little things like that to get the students involved is the key in my opinion.
True. I honestly don’t blame anyone not wanting to go watch a cupcake 250 + net opponent (actually 300+ is more accurate) we all have lives. The GT crowd was disappointing.
I also remember 2019-2020 year was bumping. Then covid canceled March Madness.
Last year, there was ONE Saturday 1pm home game and maybe another on Friday and two on Sunday.
This doesn't work. My friends and I travel 2-4 hours for as many weekend games as we can.
Guess what? We got busy for the one Saturday we had the opportunity to go to, not to mention the spectacular opponent that day was Penn State.
There's too many reasons why it doesn't work for people. When there are that many, it's hard to call out people for just making excuses.
There definitely was a load of apathy generated for a few years during his time here. Other factors involved I'm sure, but that period didn't do much to get the younger crowd enthused about the Iowa BB program.
I absolutely love Iowa BBall. As a disabled senior citizen, the parking lot distance and the stairs make attending Carver very unattractive. The loudest roar that I heard on my TV last night was after a Ga Tech airball. 😮 The crowd is not loud.
I went to the game last night. The crowd was awful. I sat near numerous people that didn't clap or cheer a single time. They literally just sit there for the entire game. It's really bad.
You hit the key here in disappointing year end results. Quick exits in the ncaa after high hopes. I was at Iowa when lute coached, you felt as if Iowa could win the big ten or make a final four run every year. That feeling is gone.
Wanna bet, people would complain the tip is too early.
If it was an 8PM start in Ames against an ACC opponent place would be rocking.
Regarding Lick, ISU (because they are in state) survived a coach getting hammered with coeds, coaching turmoil for 10 years, until they hired Fred, and survived a 2 win season a couple of years ago.
Students at ISU also support the basketball team very well.
Iowa fans for whatever reason just do not embrace basketball and have not done so for years. Even the game day posts on message boards in terms of count are not big numbers
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This, the old crowd that didn't want to stand cheer are not coming back and the younger crowd that bitched, pissed and moaned about it are not stepping up let alone 8:00 start.
That has become a huge problem for me as well. I've been a fan since the 80s, but my signature says it all. It's basically been a build up of NCAA disappointment that spans 34+ years in my case.
The 1980s saw a Final Four, an Elite 8, and a couple of Sweet 16s. No wonder fans were excited about Iowa hoops. The younger generation missed out on that, and doesn't have that draw. Maybe 20 wins and a first or second round NCAA loss isn't enough to pull in new fans, or bring back those who left during the Alford and Lick years.
Guess that doesn't explain why a school like Nebraska seems to get some enthusiastic basketball crowds, though. They've never won squat in basketball.
This may be more complex than just wins and losses. It seems each person has a different answer as to why they don't go.
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Good reason to build a new arena that is smaller and seats only 8,000 to make it look full as suggested by some on here?
Smaller basketball specific venue would put the seats closer to the floor, create a louder environment and provide better all around experience.
Why not just take out some seats at Carver? Put in some real boxes. Make the seating part more intimate.
You need seats closer to the court,.. Carver's athletic floor is too big and if you make it smaller you will compromise the wrestling environment.
How are your IowaWolves doing? with 2 former HWkeye stars I might add.
As I don't live in Iowa anymore, I go to maybe one game a year over the holidays. But I go to a few college games where I live, and compared to my local college game environment, the environment at Carver is lame as hell. The same in-game schtick/commercials they've been doing for 20+ years. Delta Dental Smile Cam?? Iowa Marketing targets families, and that's mostly who they get. Not the most raucous bunch. And families don't show when there's other 'family stuff' going on...or when funds are tight.
Students aren't coming because the environment is not student/young person-friendly. The students who do come are lame....the 'airball' chant is as clever as they get. The band could not be more lame. Honestly, the students and band currently make the Carver environment WORSE. Not good.
A more student friendly environment (big part of that is moving them to better seats) and more 'fun' students will come. Then everyone is entertained. Older people enjoy watching the antics of a student section/band having a good time. Gives everyone something to watch during the Bethune/NCAT/Omaha games.
Students aren't coming because the environment is not student/young person-friendly. The students who do come are lame....the 'airball' chant is as clever as they get. The band could not be more lame. Honestly, the students and band currently make the Carver environment WORSE. Not good.
A more student friendly environment (big part of that is moving them to better seats) and more 'fun' students will come. Then everyone is entertained. Older people enjoy watching the antics of a student section/band having a good time. Gives everyone something to watch during the Bethune/NCAT/Omaha games.
I know it is popular to trash CHA, but that is not the problem. Every seat in CHA is a good seat. You are fairly close to the action no matter where you sit. There are many things that could be done to make it better but this administration does not properly support men's basketball and as much as I hate to admit it, that is the truth. This year they have made it even worse with the construction going on that eliminates about half the close in parking spots. They simply do not care. Not sure how much longer I will continue to go to games, and I love hawkeye basketball.
Well ISU fans will tell you they are a "basketball school".
Their students support them better than Iowa but when they are losing and out of it I've seen their student section be pretty bare too. But one thing that works for them is Big 12 during conference play always has their games on Saturday. None on Sunday and that matters. Big 10 with BTN always has 2-3 on Sunday. But with football being king fans want to watch playoff football and until after 1st week of Feb. after the Super Bowl lot of fans would rather watch from home where they can view both football and the Iowa game.
I have trouble buying some of the excuses I'm seeing on here. Games are on TV, tip time too early or too late, Carver location sucks, etc.
Okay, I get that some of these things are a factor for some people, but guess what? Games were televised 20-30+ years ago. Carver is in the same location as it always has been. There were 6 or 8pm tip times for games on ESPN back then as well. Iowa winter weather has always sucked. It didn't stop people from getting to the games. Now, it apparently does?
I have to believe it's a lack of interest/passion more than anything else. If people wanted to be there, they'd show up regardless of tip time, etc. Just my 2 cents.
Okay, I get that some of these things are a factor for some people, but guess what? Games were televised 20-30+ years ago. Carver is in the same location as it always has been. There were 6 or 8pm tip times for games on ESPN back then as well. Iowa winter weather has always sucked. It didn't stop people from getting to the games. Now, it apparently does?
I have to believe it's a lack of interest/passion more than anything else. If people wanted to be there, they'd show up regardless of tip time, etc. Just my 2 cents.
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Let the students in for cheap ($5). Aren't we getting 100 million/per year with the new TV contracts?
I know how to fix it. Give tickets away for free.
Iowans have an irrational hate of any kind of professional basketball. Bad comparison.
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