Disappointing!

[Speedy17]

It is not just OU but a general trend with college basketball - attendance is down almost everywhere.

 

[AltSooner33]

It's pretty embarrassing. I was sitting in there in disbelief at the crowd as game time came. Well I guess not really disbelief as I have come to expect it, but I just kept telling my buddy that it's just unbelievable a school like ou can only get this crowd and this kind of student attendance to a game against the #7/9 team in the nation, that hasn't even lost a game. I almost wished that game wasn't being televised so ppl couldn't see that. What really makes it bad is that we have a pretty darn good team, definitely at least a good product to go watch and a great coach. Most of the things that can be done to help have already been mentioned but I'm not sure what would really help. Maybe if this team continues improving and sustains it that will help, but I'm not sure that it wouldn't stay the same and we would only have good crowds against teams like osu, Texas and Kansas. I do kind of believe a top 25 ranking could help some, perhaps give ppl some kind of proof that we have a good team. Maybe make us cooler to some ppl because we have that ranking next to our name.

I live 2 hours away and have made it to the north Texas, la tech, Kansas and Iowa st games and have brought a couple friends everytime. I know not everyone can make it as often as they would like, but if you live in or around Norman or are a student there I just don't get why not go. You can get tickets almost for free and move down to basically wherever you want. Especially to games like Iowa state, maybe they don't have the name appeal but what bigger games are you holding out for?

 

[Darwin]

The size of the crowd reminded me of non conference crowds during the 80's and 90's. We need a smaller arena to enhance the energy that is in the building. That energy needs to come thru on tv. The tv visible side does not need to be the emptiest part of the arena :facepalm

 

[slappy in OP]

I bought a pair of season tickets this year even though I live up here in Kansas City. I can only make about 2 or 3 games a year b/c I have a newborn (plus the distance and no more direct flights on Southwest to OKC), but I ensure that my seats are filled for every game. I gave them to my brother and his family make noise each game. I wish others would do the same. This team deserves our support.

:krugs

 

[JBaker]

Sure we know people that went to OSU but it is close. In fact it is identical. OU wins 58% of the time against both programs.

Regardless of what you say or perceive the fact of the matter is ISU is a big game. OU played a top 10, undefeated team and you want to dismiss it as not being as big a game as OSU. It is absurd for a true basketball fan to say something like that. We will never solve our attendance problem when our best fans support silly notions like playing OSU is per se a bigger game than the highest ranked team in the conference.

My first sentence was, "It's not always a big game." The key word being "always."
Was it a big game yesterday? Absolutely.
My contention was that usually Iowa State is not a very big game.

 

[tycat947]

It is not just OU but a general trend with college basketball - attendance is down almost everywhere.

Exactly!

 

[skyvue]

I think AltSooner touched on a key factor: the televising of games.

My parents were season ticket holders for many years and went to every game, but now that Dad's alone, he finds it easier, much of the time, to watch from home. It's a long driver from the north side of OKC, and he usually goes alone (money factors in, too--he's on a very limited budget).

But he says himself that it's mostly the fact that every game is televised.

 

[DenverSooner]

I agree that television is a big factor.

Others are weekday games and the number of games. Do you want to pay for season tickets when you might have to miss several games unless you live in Norman? If you live outside of the OKC metro making a weekday game is difficult.

The number of games also is an issue in my opinion. With football you have 6 home games a season. There are so few games people don't want to miss any.

 

[SoonerSpock]

Trying to move up the football ticket waiting list.....

Companies and individuals that are trying to move up the football waiting list by purchasing basketball tickets are wasting their money. If they want to improve their position for football tickets they need to make contributions to the Sooner Club.

Per the 2014 Sooner Club membership guide seating priorities are first determined by you level of donation to the Sooner Club and secondly by the total number of Sooner Club priority points accrued over time.

Priority points can be obtained and accrued through current year donations (3 points for every $100 dollars donated), past years donations (1 point for every $100 donated), ticket loyalty points (this is a one time priority point total accrued based on a patron's consecutive years of purchasing season tickets), season ticket points (1 priority point for each sport for which they have purchased season tickets [3 sports, 3 priority points]), Sooner Loyalty Points (attendance points for season ticket holders with 4 points given for 100% attendance, 3 points for 85-99% and 2 points for 73-84%), Current capital/endowment points (1 point for every $100 donated), booster club points (1 priority point for every $100 donated to a booster club) and Touchdown Club points (2.5 points for maintaining an annual membership).

Purchasing a season men's basketball ticket cost $100-460 for which you receive 1 priority point. Purchase 4 season tickets for basketball and you still receive only one priority point. Donate $460 to the Sooner Club and you receive 12 prior points for the current year's donation and 4 priority point for every succeeding year. After 5 years of owning season tickets you have accrued 1 priority points. After 5 years of donating $460 dollars to the Sooner Club you have accrued 28 priority points.

Sooner Club donations determine ticket priority with largest donation class with the Bud Wilkinson Society (annual donation $10,000+) having first priority and Century Sooner Circle ($100-249) having the lowest priority. Within each donation class the member with the highest number of priority points get the first seat option. After all football seat request for the Bud Wilkinson Society have been fulfilled the Golden Sooner Circle ($5,000-9,999) is next. Then Silver Sooner Circle, Bronze Sooner Circle, Coaches Sooner Circle, Crimson Sooner Circle and finally Century Sooner Circle.

Where you would rank in seating/ticket priority for Texas tickets and bowl tickets would be. Remember that each donation level allows for the purchase of multiple Texas and bowl tickets.

Bud Wilkinson Society----Top 500+
Golden Sooner Circle-----1,000+
Silver Sooner Circle------1,000+ to 1,999
Bronze Sooner Circle-----2,000-3,999
Coaches Sooner Circle---4,000-6,999
Crimson Sooner Circle---7,000-8,999
Century Sooner Circle----9,000+

 

[SoonerSpock]

In my opinion, it begins with the students. Somehow, someway, basketball needs to become “cool” to OU students. The students are the most energetic fans. The more students at the game, then the more fun it is for everyone else to attend the game.

If you watch a Kansas State game on TV during Christmas break (when school is out), the arena is packed with students and fans. Basketball is IMPORTANT at K-State. It is a big deal. It is “cool.” The fact that “school is out” does not prevent large crowds at their games.

I think attendance at the LNC will improve as the OU team improves. OU has a long BASKETBALL HISTORY with teams like Iowa State. If OU has a really good team, then every home CONFERENCE game should draw at least 9,000 fans.

The best things we can do as individuals are (1) go to the games ourselves, (2) talk positive about the games to our friends and neighbors, and (3) take a friend or family member to the game. It was a lot of fun to be at the LNC yesterday morning! Come join in the fun!

Absolutely!!! Get 2,500-4,000 students at the game and it will be rowdy, exciting, motivating to the player and become an event that the casual fan will want to experience because it is an exciting event.

The university could do more to motivate student participation by charging $25-50 dollars for a student season ticket, have contests, drawings, recognitions directed at the students and student organizations. You can more than likely more than make up the cost by the number of full paying fans that the excitement of rowdy student fans supporting a good basketball team would draw.

Additionally the school could learn from the Thunder about how to entertain the fans throughout the game. We must not forget that most basketball fans are casual fans seeking entertainment not devout hardcore basketball fans that love the game. It take marketing and ongoing entertainment to intrigue the casual fan to attend with any degree of regularity.

 

[Soonerman]

11 AM tip on a Saturday morning with most students still not being in Norman, against a team that most casual fans probably didn't realize was in the top 10 because it's Iowa State, and Iowa State is usually associated with suckiness.

Getting more student support has been stressed by Kruger and the amount of time and energy he's put in to drumming up interest amongst students deserves to be praised. A big problem with the lack of energy in the arena is the amount of prime location old people seats that remain empty for some reason or another. Looks terrible.

 

[campbest]

Three of the four NFL wild card games last weekend were going to be blacked out in their local market if not for some corporate sponsors buying thousands of tickets. The in home viewing experience has become some great, many people don't see the point in going. It's not just an OU or basketball problem...it's a pricing/accessibility problem across the country.

I would love to make it up there for a game this year, but don't have a free weekend. With every game being broadcast in HD, really don't have an incentive to clear my schedule.

 

[Kewllane]

I'm in LE5 row 6 right behind the ou bench. The last 2 games there have been 6-10 open seats in my row. This is for KU and undefeAted Iowa state. It's pathetic...

I sit on row 7 right behind the bench. I'm sure we see each other all the time! lol But it's the same on my row there. I'm at nearly all of the games and the same few people are at every game on my row. Other than that, no one else shows up.