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TULSA WORLD
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...tid=92&articleid=20110303_216_B1_CUTLIN376814
Area college basketball teams face attendance woes
by: BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Thursday, March 03, 2011
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Oklahoma's population has increased 8.7 percent since 2000. Apparently, the newcomers are not college basketball fans. From an attendance standpoint, the 2010-11 season qualifies as dismal for the state's four Division I men's basketball schools.
If any one picture reflected the state of our state, it would be this one: During a Feb. 16 telecast, with a couple of minutes remaining in a tight and interesting Nebraska-Oklahoma game, the network showed a panoramic shot of the 12,000-seat Lloyd Noble Center. For a Sooner program that only two years ago nearly surged to the Final Four, the number of empty seats was stunning.
Declining attendance is not just an OU problem, or specifically an Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts University or University of Tulsa problem. It's a college basketball problem.
During the 2009-10 season, TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham reports, 21 of the 31 Division I conferences had attendance declines from the season before. "Attendance is an issue, and we've been concerned about it for a while," Cunningham said. "Television is a big factor. A guy can attend one game or stay at home and watch 10 games on television."
At the University of Arkansas, the decline is staggering. During the Razorbacks' 1993-94 national championship season, the Bud Walton Arena attendance average was more than 20,000. In 2008-09, it was 16,043. This season, it's 11,855.
While OU consistently pulls 84,000 for football games, while OSU's football program sets school records for ticket sales and attendance, and while the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder routinely draws crowds of 18,000, the state's college basketball programs are hurting.
During TU's first six seasons in the 8,355-seat Reynolds Center, the attendance average was never less than 7,384. There were 37 sellouts. In seven seasons since, TU hasn't had an average of better than 5,942. And during that period, there were only four sellouts.
Last season, the Sooners' attendance average (based on tickets sold) was 10,650. This season, it is 8,465. That's a drop of 21 percent.
ORU's website indicates that its 2006-07 attendance average was 6,484. This season's average - 3,369.
Based on tickets sold, OSU had an attendance average of 13,008 in 2006-07, 11,585 in 2009-10 - and 10,787 this season. In most cases, however, the actual attendance figure is substantially less than the tickets-sold figure. Even for the Feb. 5 Bedlam contest, there was a surprising number of empty seats.
For Saturday's Bedlam rematch in Norman, there again probably will be a surprising number of empty seats.
And consider this: If OU or OSU announces that 10,000 tickets are sold for a particular game, and only 6,000 fans are in the arena, that means 4,000 tickets were unused. That's an ugly display of indifference.
Obviously, the economy is a glaring factor in the attendance decline. In Oklahoma, many families probably were forced to choose between the purchase of football tickets or basketball tickets. OU and OSU football have thrived. Basketball hasn't.
"It's a strange situation right now," ORU athletic director Mike Carter said. "I think the economy not only affects the spending decisions of people right now, but it also affects their mood and energy. There are so many alternatives for entertainment dollars. You've got a lot of fight going on for limited dollars."
The condition of Oklahoma teams also has to be a reason for dwindling attendance. The Cowboys and Sooners are a combined 10-19 in the Big 12. OU is No. 134 nationally in the CollegeRPI.com standings. For the fourth time in six seasons, OSU will finish with a losing record in conference play.
After making 13 appearances during a span of 22 seasons, TU hasn't been an NCAA Tournament participant since 2003.
In every season since 1982, at least one Oklahoma school has been in the NCAA Tournament field. That streak definitely is in jeopardy.
ORU's crumbling attendance isn't as easy to explain. The Mabee Center is a great gym. Tickets are inexpensive. Parking is tremendously convenient. The Golden Eagles have recorded at least 12 Summit League wins in each of the last seven seasons. ORU is only three years removed from having made a third consecutive NCAA appearance.
But last week, as ORU closed its regular season with an eight-game winning streak, only 3,495 fans showed up for an important clash with IUPUI, and only 3,731 were there for a meeting with Western Illinois.
"You can attend an OSU-Baylor game, or a TU-Marshall game, or an ORU-IUPUI game - or you can stay home and watch several games on television," Carter said. "People have gotten to where the travel - even if it's just in town - is viewed as an inconvenience."
Carter says the mission statement is obvious: "You've got to sell more tickets, by hook or crook. You've got to generate more ticket revenue."
If or when the economy becomes healthy, will it result in an attendance spike at OU, OSU, ORU and TU? Or is each school's situation unique, depending on the quality of teams, the approval rating of coaches and the prices of tickets? If ticket revenue continues to decrease, will schools be faced with tough decisions regarding coaches' salaries or the possible slashing of budgets? A few years ago, no one could have imagined such an attendance downturn. Five years from now, will there have been a revival? Or will an increasingly bleak situation continue to worsen?
The OSU shift
Comparing Oklahoma State's men's basketball and football season-ticket sales:
Men's basketball
2006-2007: 12,320
2007-2008: 10,699
2008-2009: 9,500
2009-2010: 10,461
2010-2011: 9,358
Comparing the 2006-07 total to the 2010-11 total, there was a drop of 24 percent.
Football
2006: 32,903
2007: 33,400
2008: 39,976
2009: 45,952
2010: 43,375
Comparing the 2009 total to the 2006 total, there was an increase of 28 percent.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Oklahoma State: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
In seven of the first eight seasons after the Gallagher-Iba Arena expansion, OSU had an attendance average of at least 12,425.
2006-07: 13,008
2007-08: 12,504
2008-09: 10,031
2009-10: 11,585
2010-11: 10,787
Oklahoma: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000)
Of the 20 largest men's basketball crowds in Lloyd Noble Center history, 18 were for games involving Kelvin Sampson-coached Sooner teams (1994-2006).
2006-07: 10,306
2007-08: 10,317
2008-09: 11,490
2009-10: 10,650
2010-11: 8,465
University of Tulsa: Reynolds Center (8,355)
In 1999-2000 (TU's first full season in the Reynolds Center), the average was 8,184 with 11 sellouts.
2006-07: 5,425
2007-08: 5,751
2008-09: 5,102
2009-10: 5,491
2010-11: 5,617
Oral Roberts: Mabee Center (10,575)
Since consecutive seasons (2005-06 and 2006-07) of an attendance average of better than 6,000, ORU has dropped to its 2010-11 level of less than 3,400.
2006-07: 6,484
2007-08: 5,830
2008-09: 5,625
2009-10: 4,662
2010-11: 3,369
*All averages are based not on actual attendance figures, but on the numbers of tickets sold.
TULSA WORLD
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...tid=92&articleid=20110303_216_B1_CUTLIN376814
:OUbball-logo:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...tid=92&articleid=20110303_216_B1_CUTLIN376814
Area college basketball teams face attendance woes
by: BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Thursday, March 03, 2011
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Oklahoma's population has increased 8.7 percent since 2000. Apparently, the newcomers are not college basketball fans. From an attendance standpoint, the 2010-11 season qualifies as dismal for the state's four Division I men's basketball schools.
If any one picture reflected the state of our state, it would be this one: During a Feb. 16 telecast, with a couple of minutes remaining in a tight and interesting Nebraska-Oklahoma game, the network showed a panoramic shot of the 12,000-seat Lloyd Noble Center. For a Sooner program that only two years ago nearly surged to the Final Four, the number of empty seats was stunning.
Declining attendance is not just an OU problem, or specifically an Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts University or University of Tulsa problem. It's a college basketball problem.
During the 2009-10 season, TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham reports, 21 of the 31 Division I conferences had attendance declines from the season before. "Attendance is an issue, and we've been concerned about it for a while," Cunningham said. "Television is a big factor. A guy can attend one game or stay at home and watch 10 games on television."
At the University of Arkansas, the decline is staggering. During the Razorbacks' 1993-94 national championship season, the Bud Walton Arena attendance average was more than 20,000. In 2008-09, it was 16,043. This season, it's 11,855.
While OU consistently pulls 84,000 for football games, while OSU's football program sets school records for ticket sales and attendance, and while the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder routinely draws crowds of 18,000, the state's college basketball programs are hurting.
During TU's first six seasons in the 8,355-seat Reynolds Center, the attendance average was never less than 7,384. There were 37 sellouts. In seven seasons since, TU hasn't had an average of better than 5,942. And during that period, there were only four sellouts.
Last season, the Sooners' attendance average (based on tickets sold) was 10,650. This season, it is 8,465. That's a drop of 21 percent.
ORU's website indicates that its 2006-07 attendance average was 6,484. This season's average - 3,369.
Based on tickets sold, OSU had an attendance average of 13,008 in 2006-07, 11,585 in 2009-10 - and 10,787 this season. In most cases, however, the actual attendance figure is substantially less than the tickets-sold figure. Even for the Feb. 5 Bedlam contest, there was a surprising number of empty seats.
For Saturday's Bedlam rematch in Norman, there again probably will be a surprising number of empty seats.
And consider this: If OU or OSU announces that 10,000 tickets are sold for a particular game, and only 6,000 fans are in the arena, that means 4,000 tickets were unused. That's an ugly display of indifference.
Obviously, the economy is a glaring factor in the attendance decline. In Oklahoma, many families probably were forced to choose between the purchase of football tickets or basketball tickets. OU and OSU football have thrived. Basketball hasn't.
"It's a strange situation right now," ORU athletic director Mike Carter said. "I think the economy not only affects the spending decisions of people right now, but it also affects their mood and energy. There are so many alternatives for entertainment dollars. You've got a lot of fight going on for limited dollars."
The condition of Oklahoma teams also has to be a reason for dwindling attendance. The Cowboys and Sooners are a combined 10-19 in the Big 12. OU is No. 134 nationally in the CollegeRPI.com standings. For the fourth time in six seasons, OSU will finish with a losing record in conference play.
After making 13 appearances during a span of 22 seasons, TU hasn't been an NCAA Tournament participant since 2003.
In every season since 1982, at least one Oklahoma school has been in the NCAA Tournament field. That streak definitely is in jeopardy.
ORU's crumbling attendance isn't as easy to explain. The Mabee Center is a great gym. Tickets are inexpensive. Parking is tremendously convenient. The Golden Eagles have recorded at least 12 Summit League wins in each of the last seven seasons. ORU is only three years removed from having made a third consecutive NCAA appearance.
But last week, as ORU closed its regular season with an eight-game winning streak, only 3,495 fans showed up for an important clash with IUPUI, and only 3,731 were there for a meeting with Western Illinois.
"You can attend an OSU-Baylor game, or a TU-Marshall game, or an ORU-IUPUI game - or you can stay home and watch several games on television," Carter said. "People have gotten to where the travel - even if it's just in town - is viewed as an inconvenience."
Carter says the mission statement is obvious: "You've got to sell more tickets, by hook or crook. You've got to generate more ticket revenue."
If or when the economy becomes healthy, will it result in an attendance spike at OU, OSU, ORU and TU? Or is each school's situation unique, depending on the quality of teams, the approval rating of coaches and the prices of tickets? If ticket revenue continues to decrease, will schools be faced with tough decisions regarding coaches' salaries or the possible slashing of budgets? A few years ago, no one could have imagined such an attendance downturn. Five years from now, will there have been a revival? Or will an increasingly bleak situation continue to worsen?
The OSU shift
Comparing Oklahoma State's men's basketball and football season-ticket sales:
Men's basketball
2006-2007: 12,320
2007-2008: 10,699
2008-2009: 9,500
2009-2010: 10,461
2010-2011: 9,358
Comparing the 2006-07 total to the 2010-11 total, there was a drop of 24 percent.
Football
2006: 32,903
2007: 33,400
2008: 39,976
2009: 45,952
2010: 43,375
Comparing the 2009 total to the 2006 total, there was an increase of 28 percent.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Oklahoma State: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
In seven of the first eight seasons after the Gallagher-Iba Arena expansion, OSU had an attendance average of at least 12,425.
2006-07: 13,008
2007-08: 12,504
2008-09: 10,031
2009-10: 11,585
2010-11: 10,787
Oklahoma: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000)
Of the 20 largest men's basketball crowds in Lloyd Noble Center history, 18 were for games involving Kelvin Sampson-coached Sooner teams (1994-2006).
2006-07: 10,306
2007-08: 10,317
2008-09: 11,490
2009-10: 10,650
2010-11: 8,465
University of Tulsa: Reynolds Center (8,355)
In 1999-2000 (TU's first full season in the Reynolds Center), the average was 8,184 with 11 sellouts.
2006-07: 5,425
2007-08: 5,751
2008-09: 5,102
2009-10: 5,491
2010-11: 5,617
Oral Roberts: Mabee Center (10,575)
Since consecutive seasons (2005-06 and 2006-07) of an attendance average of better than 6,000, ORU has dropped to its 2010-11 level of less than 3,400.
2006-07: 6,484
2007-08: 5,830
2008-09: 5,625
2009-10: 4,662
2010-11: 3,369
*All averages are based not on actual attendance figures, but on the numbers of tickets sold.
TULSA WORLD
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...tid=92&articleid=20110303_216_B1_CUTLIN376814
:OUbball-logo:
