How would you feel about a smaller Bball Venue?

[OUchemE]

Would it be better if OU had a smaller Basketball arena? College basketball teams across the country (Even Duke!) are having a hard(er) time selling tickets. In the future will renovations remove seats to create demand?

 

[zeptrey]

Totally for a smaller arena, and one that is designed for basketball...not concerts.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Not too much smaller, but definitely one dedicated to basketball.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

Totally for a smaller arena, and one that is designed for basketball...not concerts.

Glad to see I'm not the only one that feels that way. Sometimes I think a seven or eight thousand seat arena filled would be a much better enviroment. I remember how loud the fieldhouse could be with the way the sound bounced off the walls.

 

[p230]

Only if they would revamp the way tickets are sold. No point in a smaller arena if they are going to sell the same number of season tickets and then the same number of people don't show up. They would need to somehow get people in the seats. Just my opinion.

 

[sunny]

I believe this would be a huge benefit and great advantage. However, they are running out of room on campus unless they tear down the old field house (but I think it just got updated a bit). Like it or not, OSU is going to continue to spend money on facilities and we will no longer have that advantage. The athletic village will help, but we will need much more over the years. Memorial Stadium will also need updating soon. Hard to keep up with T Boone's money.

 

[WTSooner]

I'm not a fan of small arenas, unless that is all the people you can get there. OU has too many games where we'll need a bigger arena. Also, selling tickets generally hasn't been our problem. Attendance has been. Smaller arena means less money coming in, which is not good.

 

[AdaSooner]

I have been an advocate of a smaller LNC for sometime, for the same reasons OUchemE gave in the original post. I'm not sure OU will ever see a packed house again. If Duke can't do it except for a few key games in their barely over 9,000 arena, it's reasonable to assume that OU may not be able to put more than 11,500 butts in seats. Competition for a place to sit might be a good thing. If nothing else, a smaller facility would put the crowd closer to the floor and increase the noise level.

That said, I doubt if we'll ever see a brand new facility on a new location. I believe the best fans can hope for is a remodeled LNC, which is why I included the name in my opening remarks.

 

[AdaSooner]

I'm not a fan of small arenas, unless that is all the people you can get there. OU has too many games where we'll need a bigger arena. Also, selling tickets generally hasn't been our problem. Attendance has been. Smaller arena means less money coming in, which is not good.

I would agree if I thought ticket sales would return to the level we saw four or five years ago when the crowds were at least close to capacity for the big games. Ticket sales have been way down the last three years, though. The average has been in the mid-8000 range.

I believe winning will cure a lot of those ills. But if the economy doesn't improve in the near future, it will not get any easier to lure some of those fans back.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

I would agree if I thought ticket sales would return to the level we saw four or five years ago when the crowds were at least close to capacity for the big games. Ticket sales have been way down the last three years, though. The average has been in the mid-8000 range.

I believe winning will cure a lot of those ills. But if the economy doesn't improve in the near future, it will not get any easier to lure some of those fans back.

Seems like most of the games I've seen(at least the way it looks on TV) aren't near 8,000. I'm just of the mindset that if 9,000 is a "good" crowd then why not have something that's smaller and a little more basketball friendy. JMO.

 

[AdaSooner]

Seems like most of the games I've seen(at least the way it looks on TV) aren't near 8,000. I'm just of the mindset that if 9,000 is a "good" crowd then why not have something that's smaller and a little more basketball friendy. JMO.

The 8,000 plus I mentioned is the average number of tickets sold. The average attendance is a different matter entirely. Even in the years when ticket sales were at 11,000 plus, there were empty seats because some fans didn't show up.

 

[Big Old Booger]

No, not for every game.

I would be in support of some non-conference games moved to McCasland, and maybe a few mid-week conference games against the lesser programs.

 

[sperry]

I like it. If tickets are tough to get for some games, then so be it. Would dramatically improve the atmosphere.

 

[Tundrasooner]

Build a 10,000 seat basket all only arena. Make it fan friendly putting them on the floor. Make plenty of suites up top so cooperations (who buy lots of season tickets but don't show up) will purchase those instead of seats thus still giving OU plenty of $$$.
Have a club level for richer folks and put fans that will get into the game and show up. Make a student environment that will put them right on the floor.
Make it a distinct building like something e university of Virginia did.
And redo the parking lot making it a heck of lot easier to get out. Work with campus police, Norman police and get them near the building getting traffic out quicker and easier on i35 and highway 9.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Build a 10,000 seat basket all only arena. Make it fan friendly putting them on the floor. Make plenty of suites up top so cooperations (who buy lots of season tickets but don't show up) will purchase those instead of seats thus still giving OU plenty of $$$.
Have a club level for richer folks and put fans that will get into the game and show up. Make a student environment that will put them right on the floor.
Make it a distinct building like something e university of Virginia did.
And redo the parking lot making it a heck of lot easier to get out. Work with campus police, Norman police and get them near the building getting traffic out quicker and easier on i35 and highway 9.

If the lower level were all bleachers, the corporations and donors who aren't basketball fans wouldn't want to sit there.

 

[Sam]

If the lower level were all bleachers, the corporations and donors who aren't basketball fans wouldn't want to sit there.

I think thats the point and why in his scenario he created a suite/club area for the people who go to "be there".

 

[MsProudSooner]

I think thats the point and why in his scenario he created a suite/club area for the people who go to "be there".

I probably didn't make myself clear. That's the way it should be - to insure that the corporations & non-bb fans would chose to sit elsewhere. And put the students next to the court.

 

[StatGeek]

count me in

 

[campbest]

As WT said, selling tickets when OU is an above average team is not the problem...it is getting people to use them. Sorry, but building a brand new arena (at this juncture) is not a cost effective business strategy.

 

[WTSooner]

As WT said, selling tickets when OU is an above average team is not the problem...it is getting people to use them. Sorry, but building a brand new arena (at this juncture) is not a cost effective business strategy.

Yep. I'm not positive what LK is making, but I think it's a pretty big number, salary-wise. We're still probably paying on Capel, or had to make a large lump sum payment to him. The practice facilities are still pretty new, and really nice.

It just doesn't make sense right now. Maybe 10-20 years down the road, but not right now, unless a donor steps up to cover most all the costs.