Comments on disappointing attendance

[oudna]

https://twitter.com/ouhoops/status/1228364541135814656?s=21

The school estimates, however, that out of the 8,235 tickets sold, only 4,240 were in attendance for the game.

"Disappointed is probably the word that best describes it," said Kenny Mossman, Sr. Associate Athletics director for the university. "I feel so bad for Lon (Kruger) and the players.

The Sooners are tied for fourth in the Big 12 Conference and have a 16-8 overall record, and would love to see more fans at their games.

"We'd love to see people use their tickets," said Lon Kruger, head basketball coach at OU. "They're purchased. Now we just need them to come. Fun group to watch, easy group to cheer for."

 

[daqman]

Sadly fewer and fewer Sooner fans care about basketball each year. I'm starting to wonder if they will every come back. Students don't care at all. I think it's starting to creep into football as well.

 

[NickZepp]

It seems like it's a problem in almost every game I watch outside of the few big ones too. Maybe a rivalry game gets filled up once in a while but most college basketball games I watch that don't involve Kansas, Duke, Kentucky etc are at best half full. But it is worse than it used to be here too. We would be filled up for some of the more decent Big 12 games.

 

[oudna]

Part generation, part Thunder.

 

[daqman]

Part generation, part Thunder.

Lots of parts.
Part lack of star as well. Fans want a Blake/Buddy/Trae/Wayman to cheer for.

 

[sanguinetti]

it's all true.

plus, every game is seeable at home.

friend of mine owns a restaurant....in business for 20 years....small place, 12 tables.....the number of "to go" door dash or delivery service stuff is crazy in the last couple years. versus none before.

people will pay to stay home....not to go to the Lloyd Noble Center.

 

[Soonerinkc]

Isu is having a horrible season... relatively... they look pretty sold out.

Does OU still tie b-ball season tickets to fball?

 

[Soonerinkc]

it's all true.

plus, every game is seeable at home.

friend of mine owns a restaurant....in business for 20 years....small place, 12 tables.....the number of "to go" door dash or delivery service stuff is crazy in the last couple years. versus none before.

people will pay to stay home....not to go to the Lloyd Noble Center.

In Boulder couple weeks ago...

There were more folks in line for door dash type pick-up than sitting at tables.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Nova, Kansas, Michigan State, Duke, and Carolina the only teams with more tournament bids than OU since Lon’s second season. Can we at least put to bed the myth that our attendance problem is due to not having put a consistently good product on the floor? No, it’s not as great as we would all like it to be, but better than most.

 

[oudna]

Lots of parts.
Part lack of star as well. Fans want a Blake/Buddy/Trae/Wayman to cheer for.

For the most part they didn’t go see Buddy or Trae.

 

[MichaelM]

Wednesday night games are never huge draws here in the Bible Belt - especially against a cellar-dweller. I'm not sure I've ever been to one myself.

 

[Jeopardude]

Does OU still tie b-ball season tickets to fball?

I'm wondering the same thing.

 

[opsooner]

I'm wondering the same thing.

Yes. Students with football season tickets get into basketball games at no additional cost.


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[thegreyghost]

This has been a problem for like 30 years, no one wants to admit the arena and atmosphere sucks

 

[Soonerman82]

If I lived in Norman/OKC Metro area, I would definitely attend more games.

 

[Soonerinkc]

Yes. Students with football season tickets get into basketball games at no additional cost.


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Thinking more non students

 

[TINY]

This has been a problem for like 30 years, no one wants to admit the arena and atmosphere sucks

This is true but it has very little to do with butts in the seats. Ou has the worst hoops fans in the country and it ain’t close.

 

[daqman]

This is true but it has very little to do with butts in the seats. Ou has the worst hoops fans in the country and it ain’t close.

It's not just hoops.

 

[cowboysooner]

We have beat this to death on this board for as long as I have been on this board (e.g. forever).

The gym is beautiful but sucks. Originally, courtside seats were 20 yards from the court, and now with the renovations and dark red seats, some are closer.

The seats were made for 100 pound third graders' rear ends. They are torture for a fairly normal adult to sit in and at my age, I can't hardly get in and out of the damn things. I sit low so that I can at least make out the players names and get as close as possible to some environment that makes you think you are at a live basketball game.

Heaven help you if you want a coke or need to go to the bathroom. You enter the gyn at the catwalk under the roof and walk a mile to get to your seats in the lower bowl and to walk back up those steps just to get a coke or whatever is an exercise.

I buy 4 tickets and try and use them on Saturdays. But, frankly you might as well ask people to take an ass whipping to go to the games.

I attended games at the fieldhouse. The gym was full the games I went to and the matchbox was rocking during the games.

We need an arena about like Tulsa' s new arena. Seats are comfortable. Bathrooms are plenty and near by, concessions easy to get to. Not a bad seat in the house. Even with a marginal crowd, there is a good environment. We don't need 12K seats. We need a gym with 7500-8500 capacity, built for basketball, with all the modern amenities. Like some programs, you can pay donor money to get in early and get a seat, otherwise, the earlier you arrive the better the seat you get. If you did this, even on nights where only 5000 actually showed up it would look full.

Need a basketball gym, and it needs to be smaller not bigger, and we have to quit selling donor seats the way we do and have most of the better seats empty and not being used.

Just might 2 cents again.

 

[Eielson]

This is an underrated topic that isn't talked about enough. I can't wait for the new insight.