Playing on Tuesday night when most high schools play basketball is going to have some impact on attendance.
What has happened to our fanbase?
- Thread starter Hawkfan_08
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I tried buying season tickets but the only seats available were rows 25 and higher, or directly behind the hoop like row 15ish.
So all the lower seats are already paid for. Those seats have been in the same family for decades and they sit empty every Monday -Thursday game. University can see which tickets are scanned and which aren't. They need to do something about the season ticket holders who goto 4 games a year. It's pathetic the average fan can't even get access to decent seats that goes unused
So all the lower seats are already paid for. Those seats have been in the same family for decades and they sit empty every Monday -Thursday game. University can see which tickets are scanned and which aren't. They need to do something about the season ticket holders who goto 4 games a year. It's pathetic the average fan can't even get access to decent seats that goes unused
Most of those folks still have a land line and have no idea how to use the In net. They fell asleep in their chairs after their 4 pm dinner watching MSNBC.
Let the students in for free until their sections are full, no reason at all to nickel and dime them for a few bucks a game. If that doesn't work, then start to incentivize student attendance. Reseat the student section behind the benches, there's no reason to continue to bend the knee to elderly folks who don't even attend the games anymore. Transporting students to the game is also a bit of an issue, but the Cambus does run for the vast majority of the games, I take a Cambus to every game I attend and it couldn't be easier, quicker or more convenient. I had to navigate those same issues when I was student and it's honestly not that difficult. They could dedicate one Cambus to run a circular route from the arena to each dormitory and back, that would help I would think.
The product is good, we just have a largely apathetic fanbase IMO. 8 PM tipoff times is not helpful either.
The product is good, we just have a largely apathetic fanbase IMO. 8 PM tipoff times is not helpful either.
Most newer arenas are built where you can get dinner and drinks and walk to the game. That's what younger professionals want, and especially for 8pm games it's important.
People aren't going to drive to get dinner and then drive to a CHA parking lot. In the short term they need to find a way to increase and improve the CAMBUS shuttle to and from downtown, and in the long term find a way to make a little Hawkeye village area around the arena, similar to what ISU is doing, but on a smaller scale. The arena itself is mostly fine. But you have to build a game-night experience for people.
People aren't going to drive to get dinner and then drive to a CHA parking lot. In the short term they need to find a way to increase and improve the CAMBUS shuttle to and from downtown, and in the long term find a way to make a little Hawkeye village area around the arena, similar to what ISU is doing, but on a smaller scale. The arena itself is mostly fine. But you have to build a game-night experience for people.
It’s not the 80’s anymore. Iowa has done a woeful job in attracting the students. I’ll get to 5 or 6 games this year, that’s plenty for me. I’ll watch the rest on TV.
Ask movie theaters how many people attend now vs the good old days. You have to give people a reason to give of their time and money. Just saying “we’re the Hawkeyes” isn’t enough. Iowa’s marketing and promotion has sucked for years and it’s clear they don’t really care all that much.
Ask movie theaters how many people attend now vs the good old days. You have to give people a reason to give of their time and money. Just saying “we’re the Hawkeyes” isn’t enough. Iowa’s marketing and promotion has sucked for years and it’s clear they don’t really care all that much.
My son and nephew attended the Iowa/Minnesota game with me towards the tail end of the Lickliter era. It may have been one of the opening Big Ten games. We had nearly the entire section behind the basket to ourselves. Oh I forgot, the band was there.
Agree.
Ga tech is predicted at or near the bottom of acc; hardly a marquee matchup.
Great point that this time of year most of the interesting matchups with good games happen in the preconference tourneys on neutral courts.
Iowa crowd is still not great, but it will be better for at least some of the bigger conference matchups.
Many probably still wouldn't go. It's just easier watching at home on the big screen, by the fireplace if you have one. Many including me are all about easy it seems anymore
Students getting in for cheap or even free has been floated for a while. Makes sense given the pittance that would cost relative to the media rights dollars the U is now getting.
CHA isn't close to the dorms and Cambus sucks these days, they are understaffed. Free student tickets would be good, but you have to make it easy for them to go, and it's just not right now.
Sure, I'll just give a little more money to the U through my last kid attending there for one more year who, by the way, has zero interest in any sports
A little OT but could be part of the deal.
I remember as a kid the Iowa games were at consistent times and broadcast on the local networks. It was much easier to schedule going to Carver.
When the tv networks like the B10 and espn outbid the locals for the broadcasting rights they bought the right to dictate game time scheduling and that consistency changed.
For the last couple decades I have attended plenty of Gopher hockey games with my rube gopher friends. They had season tics so why not right?
It was a big deal to go out about 530 for a couple cools and a bite then get to Mariucci for some 7pm hockey.
When the B10 started the hockey conference everything changed because the game times got off schedule to accommodate the tv slots instead of the fans.
Start times are now all over the place and I know for a fact that due to irregular scheduling is why a number of fans don’t make it live and season ticket holders didn’t renew and now attend maybe 1/4 the games.
I get it hockey isn’t basketball, especially to Iowa, fans but going to Mariucci to watch gopher hockey used to be Iowa wrestling on steroids.
Living out of state, I absolutely dig being able to watch almost every Iowa game on tv. But for attending games live, especially on weeknights, irregular scheduling will result in irregular attendance.
I remember as a kid the Iowa games were at consistent times and broadcast on the local networks. It was much easier to schedule going to Carver.
When the tv networks like the B10 and espn outbid the locals for the broadcasting rights they bought the right to dictate game time scheduling and that consistency changed.
For the last couple decades I have attended plenty of Gopher hockey games with my rube gopher friends. They had season tics so why not right?
It was a big deal to go out about 530 for a couple cools and a bite then get to Mariucci for some 7pm hockey.
When the B10 started the hockey conference everything changed because the game times got off schedule to accommodate the tv slots instead of the fans.
Start times are now all over the place and I know for a fact that due to irregular scheduling is why a number of fans don’t make it live and season ticket holders didn’t renew and now attend maybe 1/4 the games.
I get it hockey isn’t basketball, especially to Iowa, fans but going to Mariucci to watch gopher hockey used to be Iowa wrestling on steroids.
Living out of state, I absolutely dig being able to watch almost every Iowa game on tv. But for attending games live, especially on weeknights, irregular scheduling will result in irregular attendance.
This must be a good thread because it caused TwitterTard to bump not one, but TWO of his previous threads about fans and seating.
I could just as easily do both, which is what I did last night.
Went to the game, saw a lot of things that I would have missed on the broadcast. Then went home, watched it on TV with replay and multiple angles that I didn’t have being there while fast forwarding through the TV timeouts and halftime. Maybe I stumbled upon a cheat code here?
I think part of it is general student apathy, which has been going on for years. The bigger part is the BTN. As a previous poster mentioned, the games used to always be on a Tuesday or Thursday every week at 7:00. Then a Saturday game. Much easier for folks like me, from Des Moines, to make them. It doesn't seem like 8:00 should be that much of a stretch, but the new normal has set in.
It got older snd parking in the winter gives them brutal cold slippery walks. Give the seniors every dental lot space and all those across the street and behind carver.
Not a season ticket holder but since I’m an I Club member I had some priority to buy single game tickets. Even so, few good seats were available. Last night’s game featured a bunch of empty seats in locations where I couldn’t purchase. My suggestion is, double the price of season tickets, then give a refund for each game you actually show up.
I was ther3 with the wife and it appeared less than half full.
I paid $7.50 and had a 6 minute walk to my car parking for free.
Yes, I was. I also have 2 young kids, a wife, a job that I had to be there early, and had coaching responsibilities until 5:15. I'm tried tonight but happy to be there last night.
I think point #1 is a hugely underated point. I watched nearly every Iowa game on Raycom growing up and that was a huge part of me getting obsessed with Iowa basketball. Now, my kids hardly see games on TV because we don't subscribe to all the crap you need to watch the games. Rather, they might catch a few clips on YouTube.
I will not buy that 6k were there.
I mention this a lot, and I know I am in the minority, but I don't view this as what they do for me, it is what I can do for the team. Show up, cheer for the guys, make it as much as a home court advantage as we can. It's litetally all we can do to have an impact in the game.
Yes.
That sucks. I bought crappy tickets and just moved to mid court.
It's really weird to me that people can't make it. They have no problem making it for the women's team or wresting. There is still 200k people in just the IC/CR metro.
Fran?
I think a lot of people are honest or naive and just sit in their seats up at the top and you can't even see them on TV. It looks horrible on TV but in person it just looks like a gap of empty seats across the middle. I don't understand why they can't put the tickets closer together to get rid of the gap. It would really help
The idiot AD need to reseat CHA to surround the floor with students. Give them the best seats in the house, it’s their team and they need to own it if they are given these seats. Move the seniors higher up do they don’t have to walk further down the steps. Put suits up high where you have food and alcohol that is top shelf and craft beers with good food options.
Second, create an environment around the top of the concourse with great options for food and beverages, possibly food trucks outside the arena before the game and concert with heated, tented area.
Third, put a new arena downtown near the food and beverage district or build a new, smaller bball arena west of Finkbine with its own food and beverage district to create a reason for people to attend games while getting food and drink at the same time. Be a business man and create opportunities for people to want to attend games. Entertain them and give them a great experience. Barta needs to go to Green Bay to see how they’ve incorporated all of this around the football stadium. It’s not hard but he is an idiot.
Second, create an environment around the top of the concourse with great options for food and beverages, possibly food trucks outside the arena before the game and concert with heated, tented area.
Third, put a new arena downtown near the food and beverage district or build a new, smaller bball arena west of Finkbine with its own food and beverage district to create a reason for people to attend games while getting food and drink at the same time. Be a business man and create opportunities for people to want to attend games. Entertain them and give them a great experience. Barta needs to go to Green Bay to see how they’ve incorporated all of this around the football stadium. It’s not hard but he is an idiot.
We’re entering a recession. Credit card balances are extremely high, consumer savings is very low, and there have been massive layoffs in many industries. I have zero data on CBB attendance so far but I would predict it will be down nationwide.
Assumed I’d find a thread like this…absolutely brutal turnout for a P5 team that at least had a pulse with students on campus. UI Staff received an email for “discount” tickets costing $17/piece. Was able to go on vividseats and got 4 seats together, 14 rows closer for ~$41 total including fees. Terrible attempt at a promotion if the aim is to get cheaks in the seats. Honestly make a handful of games free for students/employees and recoup the loss in ticket sales with beer/concession sales. Regarding the student section…yikes. It’s been a tough draw of late for numerous reasons already explained in this thread, but that was an anemic turnout. Props to those that showed up, but they’ve gotta get creative and have more cambuses or depart directly from the downtown area for select games. Anyway, not much new, just my experience.
Don’t disagree with your points, but they can’t put the students near the bottom unless they build a new arena closer to downtown or find a way to get a lot more students to attend. Only saving grace with having the students currently in the one corner is that it’s slightly less noticeable than if half of the lower seats around the court were empty.
Nailed it! Inability of Iowa basketball to make a run in the NCAA tournament in the 21st century has resulted in less engagement by anyone age 30 and under, which includes UI students.
When I was a student at UI in early 1980s, Iowa basketball was an event that was important to most students. To my son (21 year old senior at UI), he will only attend a basketball game if it is big name opponent on a convenient day & time.
Well if anyone on here has seats close to the floor on here, PM me. My wife and I are taking our 4 grandkids to SEMO game on December 17. There are plenty of tickets available and they are cheap. I would rather just get to the game and sit in my assigned seats and pay more than wait and move to empty seats closer to floor after game has started.
225 mile drive one way for me. One of few games all grandkids can go to.
225 mile drive one way for me. One of few games all grandkids can go to.
Like Tuesdays game, Id bet most people don’t realize how ape shit Pastner was going for much of the first half. At one point during a dead ball, he was down near the low block talking to the official. Another time, he was on the Iowa side of the half court line. We saw him slam the clipboard and an assistant coach had to corral him another time. Fran (believe it or not) went after an official too, can’t remember when. An assistant snatched him up quickly because the lead was about 8-10 points. But Fran was most definitely the calmer of the two most of the night.
I still don’t know what happened with Dillard. When GT made their run to cut it to four right after half, Dillard runs towards the locker room. He stops and removes his white sweat shirt/jacket then heads to the locker room. He came out a minute later wearing a black shirt which he finished the game wearing. Weird.
I really can’t say too much as I’m part of the problem. On a good year, I’ll get to 5-10 games max and they’re mostly the non con cupcake’s. This year is not looking too promising for me, but if I’m off with no conflicts, I’ll be there. (Weather permitting).
On the flip slide, spending on experiences is up vs durable and non durables.
As this thread shows there is no one reason for the decline in fan interest over the years.
If I had to pick THE biggest one it would likely be the Alford/Pierce saga but there are others as indicated above.
If I had to pick THE biggest one it would likely be the Alford/Pierce saga but there are others as indicated above.
Hawk games are easily accessible anywhere on TV. Do you have 3 channels and rabbit ears?
Old man rant here... I have gone to some football and basketball games recently and took my son with me. People just drop F bombs and use other colorful language the whole time. Now, I'm no saint and my son obviously hears stuff at home but when did it become ok to just say whatever you want in front of small kids? It's probably just a sign of the times and the overall degradation of society, but it feels like things have gotten much worse. I don't appreciate it and makes me question taking my kids to the games anymore. I like having a good time but the alcohol consumption is probably over the top too. I am really getting old.
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