CoachTalk
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As mentioned. They would do it in phases and we would still play in LNC. outside/inside... etc. inside postseason/offseason.
Anyone hear Joe C on KREF talking about LNC renovation?
- Thread starter Sooner23
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As mentioned. They would do it in phases and we would still play in LNC. outside/inside... etc. inside postseason/offseason.
Sooner_In_MI
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OU should definitely look into hiring the firm that renovated the Crisler Center for Michigan about 5 years ago. I think I've posted something similar here before, but it's not necessary to build an entirely new arena if you're willing to make wholesale changes to the existing structure.
I think OU should strongly consider doing the following things to improve the LNC:
1) Change the entire seating layout. The current seating layout is designed for concerts, not basketball. In the two years I was at OU for, I think I remember 2, maybe 3 concerts taking place at the LNC. There's no point in maintaining the current seating layout, with so much empty space surrounding the court. OU's main objective should be to get the fans as close to the court as possible.
2) Change the layout of the student section. I don't think getting the students to show up is as much of a problem as you guys think it is. I'll admit that this makes me a hypocrite since I know I did nothing but complain about student attendance on here in my posting heyday, but hindsight and maturity have shown me that the two years I was involved in student leadership were the two worst years for OU basketball in a long, long time. It was natural for students to not want to show up, because only masochists like myself would want to come and cheer on horrible basketball teams. I haven't gotten down to Norman for a basketball game in the last two season, but from my vantage point on TV, it seems like the students have started to show back up in decent numbers again (amazing what good teams and dirt cheap ticket prices will do), they just aren't getting loud. But who can blame them when there's a massive wall separating the front five rows of the student section from everyone else? If OU renovates the LNC, a priority should be getting about 500 students along the length of the floor, facing the TV cameras. This will provide for a much better looking environment for TV viewers. Beyond that, put another 500 students behind a basket. Michigan and Oregon are good examples if you want to see what my student section idea would look like.
3) Remove the requirements for people to buy season tickets in order to get better Red River Shootout tickets. This is a no-brainer. Whatever extra money the athletic department is getting out of this can't be worth the empty seats that are omnipresent at every home game. I've watched OU host three or four Top 15 teams on TV the last two years, and was amazed at the amount of empty seats for each one. You can't force people into caring about basketball. If OU really needs that extra money, raise the donation limits for RRS tickets slightly and be done with it. I suspect that RRS ticket demand is very inelastic, and as such I feel that OU could easily get away with raising the donation limits.
4) Take out the freaking orange-red seats. I mean, come on. I don't even know what else to say here. They look bad enough as is, even before you consider that orange is the main color of OU's two main rivals.
5) Lower the seating capacity to approximately 10,000. OU's goal should be to get the LNC, in an average season, to sell out for the Kansas, oSu, and Texas games. Despite having a successful basketball program, OU is not a basketball school, and never will be. And that's okay. The goal shouldn't be to sell out every game. The goal should be to sell out the three big home games every year, and maybe more in a really good year.
6) Change up marketing efforts. The lowlight of every OU game I attended was clearly the horrible, horrible halftime shows that OU's marketing department loved to put on. Based on my chats with Matt and Sam, it seems that these halftime shows are still taking place. I often described OU's marketing efforts as trying unsuccessfully to compete with the juggernaut that is the Thunder right now. I'm pretty sure that each of the halftime guests that appear cost the marketing department about $5,000-$10,000. There has to be a better way to use that money, right? I really don't think OU should even be trying to compete with the Thunder right now. The Thunder are being sold on entertainment, and they'll always win in that regard as long as KD and Westbrook are there, because the quality of play for top-tier NBA teams is way, way higher than anything college basketball can offer. Where college basketball can outshine the NBA is in providing a rowdy homecourt atmosphere. I'm not studying sports marketing so I'm not gonna pretend that I can go in-depth here, but what I will say is that I think OU should at least consider looking into some things that would encourage a home-court atmosphere similar to that of a European soccer club. Maybe set aside a few sections of the LNC for a dedicated support group. Members could pay a fee each year, and in return they'd get discounted season tickets, the opportunity to purchase tickets for a 2-3 organized road trips per year, official support group swag, and other stuff. I have no clue if this would work, but I know that current marketing efforts aren't working very well, so why not try a somewhat radical solution?
Anyways, thanks for reading. Good luck to OU in the tournament this year and I'm hopeful that I might be able to move back close enough to attend some conference games next season.
I think OU should strongly consider doing the following things to improve the LNC:
1) Change the entire seating layout. The current seating layout is designed for concerts, not basketball. In the two years I was at OU for, I think I remember 2, maybe 3 concerts taking place at the LNC. There's no point in maintaining the current seating layout, with so much empty space surrounding the court. OU's main objective should be to get the fans as close to the court as possible.
2) Change the layout of the student section. I don't think getting the students to show up is as much of a problem as you guys think it is. I'll admit that this makes me a hypocrite since I know I did nothing but complain about student attendance on here in my posting heyday, but hindsight and maturity have shown me that the two years I was involved in student leadership were the two worst years for OU basketball in a long, long time. It was natural for students to not want to show up, because only masochists like myself would want to come and cheer on horrible basketball teams. I haven't gotten down to Norman for a basketball game in the last two season, but from my vantage point on TV, it seems like the students have started to show back up in decent numbers again (amazing what good teams and dirt cheap ticket prices will do), they just aren't getting loud. But who can blame them when there's a massive wall separating the front five rows of the student section from everyone else? If OU renovates the LNC, a priority should be getting about 500 students along the length of the floor, facing the TV cameras. This will provide for a much better looking environment for TV viewers. Beyond that, put another 500 students behind a basket. Michigan and Oregon are good examples if you want to see what my student section idea would look like.
3) Remove the requirements for people to buy season tickets in order to get better Red River Shootout tickets. This is a no-brainer. Whatever extra money the athletic department is getting out of this can't be worth the empty seats that are omnipresent at every home game. I've watched OU host three or four Top 15 teams on TV the last two years, and was amazed at the amount of empty seats for each one. You can't force people into caring about basketball. If OU really needs that extra money, raise the donation limits for RRS tickets slightly and be done with it. I suspect that RRS ticket demand is very inelastic, and as such I feel that OU could easily get away with raising the donation limits.
4) Take out the freaking orange-red seats. I mean, come on. I don't even know what else to say here. They look bad enough as is, even before you consider that orange is the main color of OU's two main rivals.
5) Lower the seating capacity to approximately 10,000. OU's goal should be to get the LNC, in an average season, to sell out for the Kansas, oSu, and Texas games. Despite having a successful basketball program, OU is not a basketball school, and never will be. And that's okay. The goal shouldn't be to sell out every game. The goal should be to sell out the three big home games every year, and maybe more in a really good year.
6) Change up marketing efforts. The lowlight of every OU game I attended was clearly the horrible, horrible halftime shows that OU's marketing department loved to put on. Based on my chats with Matt and Sam, it seems that these halftime shows are still taking place. I often described OU's marketing efforts as trying unsuccessfully to compete with the juggernaut that is the Thunder right now. I'm pretty sure that each of the halftime guests that appear cost the marketing department about $5,000-$10,000. There has to be a better way to use that money, right? I really don't think OU should even be trying to compete with the Thunder right now. The Thunder are being sold on entertainment, and they'll always win in that regard as long as KD and Westbrook are there, because the quality of play for top-tier NBA teams is way, way higher than anything college basketball can offer. Where college basketball can outshine the NBA is in providing a rowdy homecourt atmosphere. I'm not studying sports marketing so I'm not gonna pretend that I can go in-depth here, but what I will say is that I think OU should at least consider looking into some things that would encourage a home-court atmosphere similar to that of a European soccer club. Maybe set aside a few sections of the LNC for a dedicated support group. Members could pay a fee each year, and in return they'd get discounted season tickets, the opportunity to purchase tickets for a 2-3 organized road trips per year, official support group swag, and other stuff. I have no clue if this would work, but I know that current marketing efforts aren't working very well, so why not try a somewhat radical solution?
Anyways, thanks for reading. Good luck to OU in the tournament this year and I'm hopeful that I might be able to move back close enough to attend some conference games next season.
SoonerTraveler
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The myth continues. This so-called "requirement" does not exist, and never has.
Also, anyone can donate to basketball ONLY and get great seats at the LNC. I did so for many years. And it was not that expensive to do so (e.g., $250 donation per seat).
BoulderSooner
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this .. buying basketball tickets .. (1 or 50) gets you 1 donor point .. the same as buying tennis/softball/baseball/or soccer tickets .. or the same as giving 33 bucks a year .. (3x points in current giving year 3 per 100)
BoulderSooner
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5) Lower the seating capacity to approximately 10,000. OU's goal should be to get the LNC, in an average season, to sell out for the Kansas, oSu, and Texas games. Despite having a successful basketball program, OU is not a basketball school, and never will be. And that's okay. The goal shouldn't be to sell out every game. The goal should be to sell out the three big home games every year, and maybe more in a really good year.
if the "goal" is to sell out 3 games a year .. why would we lower the capacity .. we have almost 10k season ticket holders ...
capacity will go down for 2 reasons ..
1. reconfiguring the seats into a rectangle ..
2. adding suites/club seating at the top of the bottom level or bottom of the top level ..
if the "goal" is to sell out 3 games a year .. why would we lower the capacity .. we have almost 10k season ticket holders ...
capacity will go down for 2 reasons ..
1. reconfiguring the seats into a rectangle ..
2. adding suites/club seating at the top of the bottom level or bottom of the top level ..
Question: How many students do we need in the student section to make it one that looks good on TV and has an impact on the game? 500?1000?2000? I'm seriously asking.
Would this work to increase attendance by our students?
Let them in free with their student ID. Limit it to the first (you pick the number) students. Place them on the side line where you see other good student sections.
Lastly, scan the student ID's as they enter and track their attendance at sporting events. Students that reach a specific level of attendance are rewarded. With what? Hell I don't know but someone smarter than me can come up with that.
What do you think?
Would this work to increase attendance by our students?
Let them in free with their student ID. Limit it to the first (you pick the number) students. Place them on the side line where you see other good student sections.
Lastly, scan the student ID's as they enter and track their attendance at sporting events. Students that reach a specific level of attendance are rewarded. With what? Hell I don't know but someone smarter than me can come up with that.
What do you think?
I have no idea if this is a myth or not, but why are there prime seats open all the time, even when the house is packed. My last year of college was Blake's sophomore season and the elite 8 run. Virtually every game my friends and I would sneak down from the student section into any of the countless courtside seats about 5 rows up that were not filled. There are clearly people who have great seats, who you would assume would be big donors, who just don't show up.
MsProudSooner
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Because corporations buy several season tickets and then don't make the effort to make sure they are all used - especially if the corporation isn't based out of the Norman/OKC area.
I really hope they give the students the first 10 rows (or more if the demand is there) on the East, North and South ends of the arena when it's re-configured. Let the bigwigs have seats on the west side or in any suites they might build.
slappy in OP
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Agreed. Let the students have several of the first rows. (10 or so) around most of the court. The donors who could care less can sit in their luxury seats off the court. I think it would be a win/win for everyone and make the LNC a much better environment
SoonerTraveler
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Give them an "A" in Chemistry.
