Comments on disappointing attendance

[skyvue]

The one thing that leaves me scratching my head is when season ticket holders say they have trouble giving their tickets away. I get how lots of folks can't commit to being season tickets holders and understand that some can't even afford to pay for tickets occasionally, but not snapping up free tickets when they're offered? That I don't get.

It would be cool if someone set up a ticket exchange that coordinated with organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters and other charities so that kids who rarely, if ever, get a chance to go to a game could do so. Perhaps this already exists, I don't know, but it seems like a worthwhile thing to pursue if it doesn't.

I recently read about a young woman who, while still in college, set up software (it's mostly a database) and an organization that connects people and companies who have surplus food with food pantries and other charitable organizations that are in need of that food. That's obviously a more important mission than disseminating unused tickets to sporting events, but it seems as though that is something that might also work for tickets.

 

[MJSooner]

The one thing that leaves me scratching my head is when season ticket holders say they have trouble giving their tickets away. I get how lots of folks can't commit to being season tickets holders and understand that some can't even afford to pay for tickets occasionally, but not snapping up free tickets when they're offered? That I don't get.

It would be cool if someone set up a ticket exchange that coordinated with organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters and other charities so that kids who rarely, if ever, get a chance to go to a game could do so. Perhaps this already exists, I don't know, but it seems like a worthwhile thing to pursue if it doesn't.

I recently read about a young woman who, while still in college, set up software (it's mostly a database) and an organization that connects people and companies who have surplus food with food pantries and other charitable organizations that are in need of that food. That's obviously a more important mission than disseminating unused tickets to sporting events, but it seems as though that something that might also work for tickets.

My experience with trying to give tickets away is the online system doesn't allow you to gift or share your tickets for free the day of the game. And since those games I don't want to attend are usually not in demand, You can't lower your price on StubHub past a minimum of like $5-10. Being in Tulsa, giving away the hard tickets is almost impossible, especially for weekday games.

Maybe I am not aware of another system, but unless there is another way to give away tickets electronically to whomever I would like, including the ability to do it on gameday, I am usually stuck eating the tickets.

 

[thebigabd]

My experience with trying to give tickets away is the online system doesn't allow you to gift or share your tickets for free the day of the game. And since those games I don't want to attend are usually not in demand, You can't lower your price on StubHub past a minimum of like $5-10. Being in Tulsa, giving away the hard tickets is almost impossible, especially for weekday games.

Maybe I am not aware of another system, but unless there is another way to give away tickets electronically to whomever I would like, including the ability to do it on gameday, I am usually stuck eating the tickets.

It would be nice if you could just alert the ticket office that you won't be there, and just let them advertise free tickets... "Hey, this is CoolM, i have 4 seats I won't be using tonight"... They look up your seats, print some new tickets, and advertise them as free.

Send out a message that there are "2,000 free tickets available for tonights game against Baylor, first come first serve".

Something like that?

 

[mict085]

I think the attendance problems have many factors. The fair weather fans, new generation with other entertainment options, crappy multipurpose arena, etc.

Having said that, I think OU needs a new basketball only arena. The program deserves it. Others have discussed a new basketball arena with a capacity around 9000 and I agree that’s what we need. The LNC is out of date and it’s like a tomb with its concrete everywhere and open concourses.

That won’t fix everything but having a basketball only arena with better seating, easier access to restrooms/concessions, and an enclosed concourse creating a louder environment with fewer people, that would really help to create a better basketball experience for the fans and the players. If it’s a better fan experience, more people will show up on a regular basis.

 

[coolm]

I wouldnt even have 9,000. More like 7,000 seems better to me. make it tight, up close, and exclusive. the harder the tix are to come by the more desired they become. I still think a small venue on campus is the best choice.

 

[Leroy]

Thunder and all the games on tv are killing OU attendance in basketball. It is also hurting football. Many of my friends gave their OU tickets in football and basketball to buy Thunder tickets. Too expensive to have all the tickets. It is too easy to stay home and watch three good games instead driving to Norman and watch at the LNC. People are lazy

 

[WTSooner]

It is too easy to stay home and watch three good games instead driving to Norman and watch at the LNC.

That is a big reason why I miss some OU home football games. I love watching other teams and other big games. Tough to do that if I travel to Norman for a game.

 

[BoulderSooner]

I wouldnt even have 9,000. More like 7,000 seems better to me. make it tight, up close, and exclusive. the harder the tix are to come by the more desired they become. I still think a small venue on campus is the best choice.

a 7k arena would be sold out all of the time tickets would be more expensive then they are currently ..




and would be half full most of the time

 

[BoulderSooner]

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.

GIA is a terrble place to watch a basketball game if you are not in the bottom 20 rows ..

 

[Kewllane]

Everyone is always looking for a reason to blame bad basketball attendance, when the ONLY issue is the product on the floor. But because OU is so dominant is a sport like football, most casual fans don't want to go see a good team. They want to see a really good to great team. And that just doesn't happen at OU very often (maybe every 4 or 5 years).

And I'm not saying that's how it should be, but that's just the reality.

Is the LNC a great basketball venue? No. There's no denying that. But that's not keeping anyone away. It's just like the old argument that the terrible press box at GFMS is holding OU football back in some ways. It's not. People are just always looking for something to complain about rather than looking in the mirror.

The LNC can fill up and get loud, they just have to have a really good product on the court to get it that way, fair or not. And that's how it's always going to be.

 

[CoachTalk]

Everyone is always looking for a reason to blame bad basketball attendance, when the ONLY issue is the product on the floor. But because OU is so dominant is a sport like football, most casual fans don't want to go see a good team. They want to see a really good to great team. And that just doesn't happen at OU very often (maybe every 4 or 5 years).

And I'm not saying that's how it should be, but that's just the reality.

Is the LNC a great basketball venue? No. There's no denying that. But that's not keeping anyone away. It's just like the old argument that the terrible press box at GFMS is holding OU football back in some ways. It's not. People are just always looking for something to complain about rather than looking in the mirror.

The LNC can fill up and get loud, they just have to have a really good product on the court to get it that way, fair or not. And that's how it's always going to be.

meh...

I hate fairweather fans more than anyone.

Football basketball baseball.

Support of dont.

 

[steverocks35]

meh...

I hate fairweather fans more than anyone.

Football basketball baseball.

Support of dont.

You hating "fairweather fans" doesn't negate anything he said in his post.

 

[daqman]

It's surprising people throw money on tickets and not use them. The ticket AD really needs to find a way to get tickets in the hands of people who will use them.
But if all they care about is cashing the biggest check, it will only get worse.

 

[WichitaSooner]

It's surprising people throw money on tickets and not use them. The ticket AD really needs to find a way to get tickets in the hands of people who will use them.
But if all they care about is cashing the biggest check, it will only get worse.

They make incredibly cheap tickets available to every game. Anyone who wants to attend games for a great price has limitless chances to do so.

 

[daqman]

They make incredibly cheap tickets available to every game. Anyone who wants to attend games for a great price has limitless chances to do so.

What does that have to do with people buying tickets and not using them?

On another note. Go to stubhub and look at the tickets available for tonight's game. There are a total of 22 tickets available in the entire lower bowl. Prices are from $49- $126 altho most are $80 and above. I guarantee there will be more than 22 empty seats in the lower bowl tonight. And no one is going to pay those prices.

 

[skyvue]

They make incredibly cheap tickets available to every game. Anyone who wants to attend games for a great price has limitless chances to do so.

They do, and good for them for doing so, but with so many tickets going unused, I'd still like to see an effort to get them into the hands of people who never get to go to a game, even when the tickets are cheap. There are families, after all, for whom even affordable tickets are out of reach; think what it would mean for a boy or girl from such a family to attend a game.

 

[daqman]

There should be a system in place so that ticket holders can designate if they are not going to use their tickets. Those tickets should then be given away to anyone who wants to attend. Anyone who shows up is assigned a free seat at the door until they're all gone.

 

[daqman]

I'm skeptical the AD is telling the truth wrt tickets being sold out.

 

[CoachTalk]

I'm skeptical the AD is telling the truth wrt tickets being sold out.

Joe C lying... I love it.

Dude is not making up ticket sales. What a savage.

 

[Kewllane]

meh...

I hate fairweather fans more than anyone.

Football basketball baseball.

Support of dont.

You can hate fairweather fans all you want.

But the fact is, you need their support to fill a 12,000 seat arena.

Heck, you even need their support to fill an 8,000 or 9,000 seat arena.