Comments on disappointing attendance

[JBaker]

Thinking more non students

Nope. Football season ticket holders get some basketball-related perks for their football donation (parking, club access, etc.), but they still have to buy basketball tickets separately (although it’s only like $300 a year to have basketball added on).

 

[pnkranger]

1. Quit scheduling games on Wednesday nights when everyone has church commitments
2. Quit starting games at 8 pm on weeknights because the games go too late to bring your kids

 

[Soonerinkc]

Nope. Football season ticket holders get some basketball-related perks for their football donation (parking, club access, etc.), but they still have to buy basketball tickets separately (although it’s only like $300 a year to have basketball added on).

Ok, I thought at one time if ya bought b-ball season tickets you’d get points for better fball seats.

So, figured some bought b-ball tickets just for points but don’t go. Thought that was the policy few years ago.

 

[Soonerinkc]

1. Quit scheduling games on Wednesday nights when everyone has church commitments
2. Quit starting games at 8 pm on weeknights because the games go too late to bring your kids

Some of that is due to TV...I’d guess.

 

[thebigabd]

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.

Agreed... The Reynolds Center is awesome for basketball. So is Gallagher Iba. OU has the third best venue in the state.

Reynolds Center is 8,500 seats. No bad seats. Comfortable. Great bathrooms. They even have Coney Islanders in there.

I think OU could do a 9,000 or 10,000 seater in that mold that is built for basketball and do much better. But if you just plopped the Reynolds Center on campus at OU, games with attendance like the Iowa State game would even be loud and more fun... I've been to TU games with 5,000 people that have an awesome atmosphere... And I've been to TU games that are packed and the atmosphere is electric.

The arena being built for basketball is a huge deal.

 

[JBaker]

Ok, I thought at one time if ya bought b-ball season tickets you’d get points for better fball seats.

So, figured some bought b-ball tickets just for points but don’t go. Thought that was the policy few years ago.

You can get “points” which affect your standing within your donor group, but don’t push you ahead of the donor groups above you, so it’s not a huge impact. And I think you actually have to attend games to get points, especially since “seat donations” are no longer tax deductible.

 

[coolm]

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.

all true

 

[vbdad]

You can get “points” which affect your standing within your donor group, but don’t push you ahead of the donor groups above you, so it’s not a huge impact. And I think you actually have to attend games to get points, especially since “seat donations” are no longer tax deductible.

All true except you don’t have to attend to get your Sooner club points. You do get an extra point or two for near perfect attendance.

There are a bunch of reasons for not going in person. It is sad though. I admit to being guilty of it sometimes.

I didn’t go Wednesday because of early work Thursday and working all weekend. I needed to do some stuff Wednesday evening. Decided being gone 7-11 wasn’t in my best interest.

LNC is horrible for elderly fans which appears to be the vast majority trying to go. My parents both have handicap stickers and Dad uses a walker. They have about 6 handicap slots on each side of practice gym. Usually full very early. Next choice is parking along the median at center court going away from LNC. Of course then they have to walk forever to get in LNC. They have to use south entrance for the small slow elevator to get to their lower bowl seats. Thank goodness the seats were moved to top row. Of course opposite end of the bathrooms and concession. Neither of them could possibly go to upper concourse.

Tramel was actually at the game Saturday and apparently Wednesday. He should ask himself why he rarely attends and most of the media never attends.

 

[coolm]

There are a bunch of reasons for not going in person. It is sad though. I admit to being guilty of it sometimes.

I didn’t go Wednesday because of early work Thursday and working all weekend. I needed to do some stuff Wednesday evening. Decided being gone 7-11 wasn’t in my best interest.

LNC is horrible for elderly fans which appears to be the vast majority trying to go. My parents both have handicap stickers and Dad uses a walker. They have about 6 handicap slots on each side of practice gym. Usually full very early. Next choice is parking along the median at center court going away from LNC. Of course then they have to walk forever to get in LNC. They have to use south entrance for the small slow elevator to get to their lower bowl seats. Thank goodness the seats were moved to top row. Of course opposite end of the bathrooms and concession. Neither of them could possibly go to upper concourse.

meh, in my opinion game attendance is a student problem. if they want old, disabled people like me to attend then they'd make the place old, disabled people friendly. it's not and never has been.

 

[cowboysooner]

Big, I know a Tulsa donor who told me the reason for the 8500 capacity at the Don-Rey is that stadiums with 9000 or less can be built for 25mil or less, over that number you jump to the hundreds of millions. Something about the roof if I remember correctly. In any event, like you I love the don-Rey. I also like maybe.

Unlike some I like the current location. I would like to see any new gym at the current location.

 

[Soonerinkc]

You can get “points” which affect your standing within your donor group, but don’t push you ahead of the donor groups above you, so it’s not a huge impact. And I think you actually have to attend games to get points, especially since “seat donations” are no longer tax deductible.

Ah ok

 

[sheepdogs1]

Big, I know a Tulsa donor who told me the reason for the 8500 capacity at the Don-Rey is that stadiums with 9000 or less can be built for 25mil or less, over that number you jump to the hundreds of millions. Something about the roof if I remember correctly. In any event, like you I love the don-Rey. I also like maybe.

Unlike some I like the current location. I would like to see any new gym at the current location.

Maybe Mabee.

 

[skyvue]

Place this hypothetical new arena in the middle of campus and you'd likely lose as many OKC and other neighboring fans as you'd gain students. It'd be a pain getting out of Norman after the game. It's a relative snap to do so from the LNC.

 

[Max Power]

Place this hypothetical new arena in the middle of campus and you'd likely lose as many OKC and other neighboring fans as you'd gain students. It'd be a pain getting out of Norman after the game. It's a relative snap to do so from the LNC.

Yep, this why why university north park was the desired location. Right off I-35 at Tecumseh

 

[thebigabd]

Big, I know a Tulsa donor who told me the reason for the 8500 capacity at the Don-Rey is that stadiums with 9000 or less can be built for 25mil or less, over that number you jump to the hundreds of millions. Something about the roof if I remember correctly. In any event, like you I love the don-Rey. I also like maybe.

Unlike some I like the current location. I would like to see any new gym at the current location.

Fine... Make the new "Billy Tubbs Arena" 8,900 seats and get it done for that price... Games on Kelvin Sampson Court would be incredible.

 

[sanguinetti]

would be kind of nice for us fans if OU admitted they got their money's worth with the LNC since the mid 70's and built a hoops-first gym. it's supply-side economics, new gym brings fans, you can recruit to it, win games with home court advantage....all that capitulates.

easy to say sitting here Saturday morning with a cup of coffee.

 

[thebigabd]

would be kind of nice for us fans if OU admitted they got their money's worth with the LNC since the mid 70's and built a hoops-first gym. it's supply-side economics, new gym brings fans, you can recruit to it, win games with home court advantage....all that capitulates.

easy to say sitting here Saturday morning with a cup of coffee.

The University owns LNC, right? Maybe they could sell it to the city to help finance the new arena.

 

[Hollisp]

The University owns LNC, right? Maybe they could sell it to the city to help finance the new arena.

City council won’t take on anymore debt. They are trying to trim down.

Bottom line the city blew the opportunity. However, I know on good authority that the former OU Pres didn’t want it either.

Weird deal bc it would have benefitted everyone.

With all that being said a new arena isn’t gonna be the miracle we need. It’s more than that as we all know. But it would have helped.

 

[tmeyer3307]

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

Pretty sure Buddy's Jr/Sr year every big 12 game was sold out! Trae's year I believe half the season was sold out as well.

 

[Hollisp]

pretty sure buddy's jr/sr year every big 12 game was sold out! Trae's year i believe half the season was sold out as well.

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