AP Recap Specifically Bashes The LNC Crowd

For what's worth, the fans that were in attendance were really loud and stood for the last few minutes of the game. Something I haven't witnessed this season.
 
TheGimper said:
For what's worth, the fans that were in attendance were really loud and stood for the last few minutes of the game. Something I haven't witnessed this season.
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I agree. The fans who support the team by going to the games have been great.
 
its not just students. I'm guessing there is a greater % of students that go than non students that go and I'm guessing the student section is more full than non student section
 
SoonerBounce13 said:
its not just students. I'm guessing there is a greater % of students that go than non students that go and I'm guessing the student section is more full than non student section
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The student section has been really weird this year. They stand up and get really loud at times but most of the game they sit down and are quiet. Half the problem is the stupid wall separating the first 5 rows from the rest of the section. I really wish the LNC wasn't built under the water table so they could still do renovations and get rid of it.
 
6:00 games on week nights just aren't feasible for anyone who has a job. I left from OKC right after i got off at 5 and it took 1:30+ to get to Norman. I basically missed all but 5 minutes of the first half. Anytime OU schedules a game on a weeknight at this time there's just not going to be many people there.

The students however is another story. They're probably not going to attend no matter what. the core group they have is about all we can hope for.
 
Don't forget that the Chespeak center was sold out as well. WWE started at 7:00 last night, I am sure we may have lost some people to that event.
 
I left work in edmond at 4:45 and walked into LNC about a minute after tip off. Took me almost 30 minutes to drive from the dallas junction to crossroads area. Don't know why it slows to a standstill there, but it always does. Couldn't get anyone to go with me either because I knew it would take over an hour to get there and most people won't leave work early. Just the nature of the beast for a 6 pm game.
 
quick release said:
The students however is another story. They're probably not going to attend no matter what. the core group they have is about all we can hope for.
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I refuse to accept this. Talk like that is half the problem...give us an offseason and we will get the section filled up for all home games against AQ schools next season.
 
Sooner_In_MI said:
The student section has been really weird this year. They stand up and get really loud at times but most of the game they sit down and are quiet. Half the problem is the stupid wall separating the first 5 rows from the rest of the section. I really wish the LNC wasn't built under the water table so they could still do renovations and get rid of it.
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i don't see how the water table has to do with taking those walls down
 
Main thing the water table issue means is that you can't dig down any deeper than the LNC already is.
 
SoonerBounce13 said:
i don't see how the water table has to do with taking those walls down
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Alright, well maybe if enough of us complain, they'd do it. I really don't think it would cost that much to take out a wall, but maybe I'm naive. Everyone can at least agree that it's a problem, no?
 
Sooner_In_MI said:
Alright, well maybe if enough of us complain, they'd do it. I really don't think it would cost that much to take out a wall, but maybe I'm naive. Everyone can at least agree that it's a problem, no?
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Why is it a problem? The "wall" doesn't keep students from coming to the games. And once they are there, it doesn't keep them from being loud. We had PLENTY of great student sections under Kelvin, especially for big games. The difference? Not a wall, but a winning team.
 
MsProudSooner said:
Whether you think it's an excuse or not, if people work in OKC and can't get off early, 6PM games are nearly impossible. It's always been that way.
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I go back to my contention that OU must build a substantial fan base in Norman and Moore. If you live in Norman and Moore, you can make a 6:00 tip, especially if you live in Norman. The fact of the matter is that as a fan base we don't care enough.

How many season ticket holders don't control their own calendar and hours? I would argue very few. I can leave work at anytime I want as can most professionals after the first few to several years of work. I can do this because I work late when I need to. Now it is entirely possible that I may want to leave early but did a poor job of planning my day or week and have to miss something but that is my fault not the fault of my job.

Tickets owned by a company are generally thought to be a sales tool. You take clients or potential clients to a game. A 6:00 start is actually better for this because then your sales person is only working until 8:00 or 9:00 (including drive time).

I blame the fans and the University for not doing a better job. You want that stadium full for big games, tie Texas football tickets to attendence against top 25 teams. If you miss one, penalize the dual season ticket holder. Don't take their Texas ticket away but move them down in the pecking order. Give the best seats to the people that really care about OU sports. If you don't like this idea come up with another idea. One thing is certain, the lack of ideas and a below average team is killing attendence.
 
SIM,

I hope you are right. When i was there a few years we fought similar battles you are fighting and the teams were better then. It was tough getting people there even when Blake was there. Most OU students just dont care about bball, especially the ones from Texas. I appreciate all the effort you guys put forth in trying to get students there. Unfortunately you can lead a horse to water but you cant always make him drink.
 
yes winning helps, but when OU was winning a bunch of games under Sampson they had problems filling the building regularly, having Blake Griffin on the team did not help fill the building each home game. I still think one of the best games i attended was the LSU NIT game, it was during spring break but you had 7,000 fans show up that wanted to be there and were rowdie. No season ticket empty seats that night because those seats were filled with people who wanted to be there that night, wish something like this was more the norm for basketball games.
 
The attendance also went downhill, at least on an average basis, starting with Wayman Tisdale's last year at OU ('84-85). The "big games" were played in front of rowdy, no-seats-available crowds. But the others were played in front of lousy crowds more often than not. The night Wayman broke the league record for scoring, it was barely half-full.

I never have heard a definitive answer about it, but I heard that the "donor program" went into effect for the first time that season, and folks who'd bought season tickets and kept them from the first year or two of the LNC lost their seats to folks who bought them for reasons other than liking basketball.
 
We might not have "filled it" under Tubbs or Kelvin, but it was full enough against the good teams, and fuller than it is now against the lesser teams.

Renovating the arena, or building a new one, is only a temporary fix. Sure, it'll bring people out to see the "new building", but once the new wears off, attendance will fall again. I personally don't think it will ever change. We've been a darn good program for decades, and still didn't have the kind of support we should have. It is what it is.
 
Attendance was an issue with Kelvin, not as big an issue, but he didn't have to compete for attention and with the Thunder either. I think that consistently playing Top-25 basketball is a good starting point and that is likely about to start next year.
 
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