Hilton

[sperry]

My "mindset" is that I have a limited number of hours in the day and therefore make decisions based on priorities, which is typical of 100% of the human race, not just "our" fan base. To me, threads calling out students or whomever for making the same personal decisions strike me as counter-productive. This is particularly true since similar threads have been appearing on various mb's for about the last decade to no avail. General responses [not that I agreed with all of them]: (a) didn't like Kelvin's style because it was boring [I personally liked winning]; (b) corporate ticket-holders not showing up [very true]; and (c) LNC is a crummy venue [minor modifications could change this]. There are probably more, but those struck me as the most consistent over the years.

Based on my personal experience, attendance is always going to be an issue in the OOC season UNLESS you can sync up with Football games [Gardner-Webb was a great example of this in Blake's final season] or you play better teams. I love Fang, but I'm not taking four hours out of my day to roll down to Norman for our annual Coppin State game anymore. Just not...and nobody else seems to be doing it either. Arkansas, UConn, Cincy, Arizona and sprinkle in a Creighton or two and I'm there. I'm seeing a trend, and that is that "basketball schools" play other "basketball schools" in their OOC pretty regularly. If we are going to be a "basketball school" maybe its time we started scheduling like one.

Now, I'm in the solution business, not the problem business, so here are some simple solutions to start with: (1) put a product on the floor that wins game and is fun to watch [I think Kruger is working towards this and succeeding]; (2) schedule more "name" mid-majors for 2 for 1's and sprinkle in a few more home and homes with BCS conference teams [even if it means skipping some of these tournaments that nobody goes to or care about anyway]; and (3) when you "know" that attendance is going to be about 5,000 or so [like on a Wednesday OOC against Maryland Eastern Shore in late January] make the arena open seating.

Finally, I'd say that on some level there is the reality that this is not just an "OU" problem. As I stated above, basketball attendance is a problem at many similarly situated schools across the country. There is the additional reality that this team is just not winning games right now, so the "average" fan isn't fired up. And then there is the final reality that both OU and oSu are competing for attention with an NBA team that is favored to win their conference about 40 minutes away from each campus competing for both time and monetary resources. I just don't know too many working professionals that can both afford and make it to two or three sporting events a week, especially if they have kids.

Sorry for the rant, FWIW, I didn't take anything personally...worst case I add "ratings" to the Sooner Sports Network to keep it a viable option

Agree 100%. For me, personally, it's just a more enjoyable experience to watch the basketball games on television, at a bar or in my living room. I don't live in Oklahoma anymore, so when I do get a chance to go to a game now, I jump at it, but if I did live in OK I don't think I'd go to more than a handful every year (the 1 or 2 decent OOC home games we get, plus maybe OSU, Texas, and whoever the best couple teams in the league are for conference games).


It sucks that the LNC is in the middle of nowhere in Norman. It would be great if it was close to campus corner, where you could go get dinner and drinks before the game, and then go there afterwards as well. Unfortunately, taht's not likely to happen.

 

[Big Old Booger]

My "mindset" is that I have a limited number of hours in the day and therefore make decisions based on priorities, which is typical of 100% of the human race, not just "our" fan base. To me, threads calling out students or whomever for making the same personal decisions strike me as counter-productive. This is particularly true since similar threads have been appearing on various mb's for about the last decade to no avail. General responses [not that I agreed with all of them]: (a) didn't like Kelvin's style because it was boring [I personally liked winning]; (b) corporate ticket-holders not showing up [very true]; and (c) LNC is a crummy venue [minor modifications could change this]. There are probably more, but those struck me as the most consistent over the years.

Based on my personal experience, attendance is always going to be an issue in the OOC season UNLESS you can sync up with Football games [Gardner-Webb was a great example of this in Blake's final season] or you play better teams. I love Fang, but I'm not taking four hours out of my day to roll down to Norman for our annual Coppin State game anymore. Just not...and nobody else seems to be doing it either. Arkansas, UConn, Cincy, Arizona and sprinkle in a Creighton or two and I'm there. I'm seeing a trend, and that is that "basketball schools" play other "basketball schools" in their OOC pretty regularly. If we are going to be a "basketball school" maybe its time we started scheduling like one.

Now, I'm in the solution business, not the problem business, so here are some simple solutions to start with: (1) put a product on the floor that wins game and is fun to watch [I think Kruger is working towards this and succeeding]; (2) schedule more "name" mid-majors for 2 for 1's and sprinkle in a few more home and homes with BCS conference teams [even if it means skipping some of these tournaments that nobody goes to or care about anyway]; and (3) when you "know" that attendance is going to be about 5,000 or so [like on a Wednesday OOC against Maryland Eastern Shore in late January] make the arena open seating.

Finally, I'd say that on some level there is the reality that this is not just an "OU" problem. As I stated above, basketball attendance is a problem at many similarly situated schools across the country. There is the additional reality that this team is just not winning games right now, so the "average" fan isn't fired up. And then there is the final reality that both OU and oSu are competing for attention with an NBA team that is favored to win their conference about 40 minutes away from each campus competing for both time and monetary resources. I just don't know too many working professionals that can both afford and make it to two or three sporting events a week, especially if they have kids.

Sorry for the rant, FWIW, I didn't take anything personally...worst case I add "ratings" to the Sooner Sports Network to keep it a viable option

I will add the bad non-conference schedule this year was planned to try and get some confidence for the team. I'm sure once Lon has the program back, we will have some better non-conference competition coming in like we used to do with Billy and Kelvin (Pitt, Villanova, Illinois, UNLV, UConn, Duke, etc.).

 

[Mr.B!!!]

I will add the bad non-conference schedule this year was planned to try and get some confidence for the team. I'm sure once Lon has the program back, we will have some better non-conference competition coming in like we used to do with Billy and Kelvin (Pitt, Villanova, Illinois, UNLV, UConn, Duke, etc.).

I'd like to see us play even more of those games than Kelvin [and to some degree Billy] did, add two more legit games to the OOC = 4-6 solid games against name teams every year. I can also see where we need to be on more solid footing before we do that...but you want to reverse a trend, you've got to start with players, then playing people.

 

[MNsooner]

The issue for students isn't that games would break the entertainment budget. The tickets are 5 dollars.

 

[SoMuchDramaInTheLNC]

The reality is that a lot of OU students are from Texas, and thus didn't grow up watching OU. I have a friend who hated OU growing up, until he realized he couldn't get into UT with the 10% rule. Current freshmen-juniors haven't had a reason to even acknowledge basketball, let alone support it. The support will come with our continued improvement. Not to beat a dead horse, but Capel really did a number on this program.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

The issue for students isn't that games would break the entertainment budget. The tickets are 5 dollars.

Whatever it is, ten years of whining about attendance/student participation hasn't fixed it. Time to do something different. IMHO that is getting more big time games early and often.

 

[DenverSooner]

I am a firm believer that the solution to attendance is to build a substantially larger fan base in Norman and Moore. Driving and time just isn't an issue if you live in Norman. It hardly takes any more time to attend the game than watch it on TV when you live in Norman. Add 15 or 20 minutes if you live in Moore. If 50% of the stadium was filled with people from Norman and Moore, I would think OKC, students and surrounding areas could do a pretty good job of filing the rest of the stadium.

I think they do this by practically giving tickets to high school kids. Lets say OU gives away 2,000 tickets to non-conference games to high school and junior high kids in Norman and Moore (add other cities too if you want). Lets say that each year 10% of them become life long fans. In 10 years you have 2,000 life long fans. In 20 years you have 4,000 life long fans. In 30 years you have 6,000 life long fans. Those fans will create more fans. They will invited people to the games. Lets assume that a life long fan creates 1 fan in 30 years. This program would have created 9,000 life long fans in just 30 years. These are fans that like going to games, not just watching on TV. Obviously I just made up the numbers but it would work at some level and 10% seems to be conservative to me. We have been complaining about attendance for 20 years and OU has done nothing. Why not actually try something.

With respect to Students, I wish I knew the answer. I am all for a donor program to make the seats free but it appears they are so cheap now that free wouldn't make much different. Perhaps alumni should donate enough that students get in the game, a coke and hot dog for free. I was usually up for a free meal.

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

The student section is close. If any of you guys remember my posts from this time last year, I was as pessimistic as could be on that subject at that point, but I really think we are very close to getting a full lower bowl student section, and from there it will only get better next year.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

The student section is close. If any of you guys remember my posts from this time last year, I was as pessimistic as could be on that subject at that point, but I really think we are very close to getting a full lower bowl student section, and from there it will only get better next year.

Hope nothing I've said offended you or diminished your personal efforts, in fact, given what you have to work with, I think the students have done great. The "back in my day" posts about an OU team that was Top 5 under Tubbs and Top 20 under Sampson just aren't applicable. I think it would be funny if you guys did a "sit in" in the alleged Crimzone and make them move you.

 

[Big Old Booger]

I'd like to see us play even more of those games than Kelvin [and to some degree Billy] did, add two more legit games to the OOC = 4-6 solid games against name teams every year. I can also see where we need to be on more solid footing before we do that...but you want to reverse a trend, you've got to start with players, then playing people.

If you are talking about 4-6 solid games all at home each year, that means anywhere from 8-12 of your games will be against tough competition because you will have to return to the opposition's home court, too.

If you are talking about 2-3 home games against solid teams per year then I am all for it. That's not far off from what Kelvin used to schedule as he had the yearly game vs Arkansas and then a cincy/uconn/Miss state/Bama etc.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

If you are talking about 4-6 solid games all at home each year, that means anywhere from 8-12 of your games will be against tough competition because you will have to return to the opposition's home court, too.

If you are talking about 2-3 home games against solid teams per year then I am all for it. That's not far off from what Kelvin used to schedule as he had the yearly game vs Arkansas and then a cincy/uconn/Miss state/Bama etc.

Three home, two away, neutral court [all college], whatever. I'd schedule pretty much how Kelvin did but add at least one more "name" game. FWIW, I'd try to play the Big 10 more often, very rare that we play those schools OOC.

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

Hope nothing I've said offended you or diminished your personal efforts, in fact, given what you have to work with, I think the students have done great. The "back in my day" posts about an OU team that was Top 5 under Tubbs and Top 20 under Sampson just aren't applicable. I think it would be funny if you guys did a "sit in" in the alleged Crimzone and make them move you.

Nothing anyone says about the student section offends me. I know it's not even top half of the Big XII level yet, but we really think we're close to getting it there. And any discussion, whether positive or negative, helps us out. So by all means keep talking.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Three home, two away, neutral court [all college], whatever. I'd schedule pretty much how Kelvin did but add at least one more "name" game. FWIW, I'd try to play the Big 10 more often, very rare that we play those schools OOC.

I almost mentioned in my previous post I'd like to see us schedule big 10 teams. I agree with you.