Leaving early and parking

[Crimson King]

Yes, I know this has been discussed before...

I get to a few home games each year (3 home and 8 total last year). Saturday was the first home game I'd been able to attend this year. Again I was amazed at the amount of Sooner fans who took off before the buzzer. 20% may be accurate. The lady in front of us had been yelling hysterically all game, but was gone at the one minute mark.

Well, we stay until well after the OU Chant has been sung and the team has left and hit the lot. I usually park in the SW corner, Saturday we parked in the SE corner. We sat for 15 minutes and did not even move. Finally my buddy just illegally hopped the curb and made a left onto Jenkins.

There HAS to be a better way to do this. Why there are not cops directing traffic at all four corners of the arena is maddening. (There was just the regular operation of the light on Jenkins, and there is never a cop helping direct traffic towards Chataqua from the SW corner.) I thought having the outlet to Chataqua on the NW side would help, but I don't think it has.

I really do think the parking situation is a deterrent to the casual fan and means that players and fans aren't able to enjoy the celebration of a big win. Yes football traffic and parking is a problem too, but people expect it and are more likely to make a day out of a football rather than hoop game.

 

[ben]

There have been many terrible moments such as these:

1. When Sampson was still coach, I think his last year, we won like 4 straight games by one point. One of those was a home game against a Wooldridge-coached KSU. They had the last possession only down 1 point and people decided..."yea it's a good time to leave". I called people out. They had no reply.

2. Last year, Texas A and M. Same situation...we had to come back from a deficit and thanks to outstanding plays by Pattillo we were able to win. But people HAD to get home before the game was assured.

I know I shouldn't be complaining, because hey atleast they CAME, but it is annoying. When the team needs you most, you leave to save ten-twenty minutes? stupid. I hate it.

 

[Hollisp]

I have no idea how to improve the parking and leaving situation and I understand its frustrating to some, especially those that dont live in Norman. I appreciate them coming however long they have to go to come support OU. However, my comment is about people leaving early. Ive heard it all before but I don't understand saturday at 3pm, OU/tx and we are winning why a large contingent left early. I know some sit at the top and wait and Im not even going to go there. But, why are we in a hurry to leave early from a game that 90% of the people didn't have to do much the next day except watch the Super Bowl?

 

[Sooner23]

Old Man River who sits in front of me was out the door at halftime of the Texas game.

 

[ben]

Maybe if they fixed all the roadwork on the highway people wouldn't be so leery of staying? They've been widening those lanes for what seems like 20 years now.

 

[MsProudSooner]

I usually park as close to the street as possible, not as close to the arena as possible. I also try to park on the end of a row. I stay until the OU Chant is over and listen to the post game on the car radio. Yes, it takes a while to get out of the parking lot and to the highway, but it just doesn't bother me that much.

 

[playmakr]

Old Man River who sits in front of me was out the door at halftime of the Texas game.

Did he stay for Toby Keith?

 

[Bk2X]

I just can't imagine listening to the most exciting part of the game in my car when the opportunity to watch it unfold in the stadium would be soo much better. If you hang out long enough and park in the back of the lot, it is smooth sailing back to I-35.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

People can do what they want. I don't make a habit of leaving sporting events early, especially basketball, but I've left plenty of football games a few minutes early.

I just don't understand complaining about it. And if I ever left a game early, and another fan "called me out", I'd lay into him. Ridiculous. OU isn't winning or losing games b/c of what the fans are doing the last 2 minutes of the game.

 

[seniorsooner]

You guys know me thoughts on this, as I have posted about my displeasure with this situation before. Saturday not only did I stay until the end of the game, but I lingered longer after the game inside the LNC than I normally do. Rather than heading over to the Campus Corner area as we have done in the past, we had to go out to a friend's house which is near 36th and Main. There's really no good way to get out that direction after a game. Still, it only took me a grand total of about 20-25 minutes.

 

[seniorsooner]

People can do what they want. I don't make a habit of leaving sporting events early, especially basketball, but I've left plenty of football games a few minutes early.

I just don't understand complaining about it. And if I ever left a game early, and another fan "called me out", I'd lay into him. Ridiculous. OU isn't winning or losing games b/c of what the fans are doing the last 2 minutes of the game.

You're right, people can. We can call people out, and you can "lay into" people. Free country.

 

[Hollisp]

OU isn't winning or losing games b/c of what the fans are doing the last 2 minutes of the game.

Ill agree to disagree there. Ask Coach Capel if fans can help win a game in the last two minutes. Example : Baylor last year. IMO he missed those free throws b/c of the atmosphere. Less people there going ballistic, I'm betting he makes em.

 

[Sam]

TU, you can't tell me crowd noise aka the fans did not play a factor in Jerrel's missed free throws here aka OU winning or losing. (2:23)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se7S367ruzU[/ame]

 

[SoonerfanTU]

You're right, people can. We can call people out, and you can "lay into" people. Free country.

Doesn't make it any less lame.

And I'm not talking about here, on the board. I'm talking about actually saying something to a person at the game. That is RIDICULOUS!

 

[SoonerfanTU]

TU, you can't tell me crowd noise aka the fans did not play a factor in Jerrel's missed free throws here aka OU winning or losing. (2:23)

I can say two things:

1) I bet there were people from that section that weren't in their seats for those FT's. What if one more left? What if 15 more had left? There is no magic number of fans that need to be in their seats, to create enough noise to make a player miss a FT.

2) I can't say the crowd didn't have an affect, but I can point to other things that probably played a bigger role, including the sheer pressure of that shot. He might have missed it if there wasn't a fan one in the building. As a former athlete, I've played enough ball to know that in a situation like that, Jerrel probably didn't even hear the crowd. I never did. I never heard anybody but my coach and the players in any sport when I was concentrating. Not like Jerrels was a great FT shooter either. Good yes. Great, no.

 

[Max Power]

The problem is the location of LNC, there is really no way to expand road ways, this with the fact that the average OU fan couldn't care less about BBall means the city doesn't care. I love BBall more than anything but OU has, is and always will be a football school. The best solution is to build a new arena that holds less people and is more intimate like Gallagher Iba, and make sure there are plenty of exits from the parking lot. Until then people are going to leave early no matter what.

 

[Sam]

TU, but your original point that fans leaving do not impact the game is debunked now. Yes, the fans weren't the only reason he missed but the influence fans have on games in undeniable. I've heard it directly from Gerald McCoy during the A&M basketball game, when the team was struggling late, Gerald told the student section to get loud cause believe it or not the players do feed off the fan's energy at times. Not saying fans always leave a mark on the game but to act like if all or a large portion of the fans walked out with the game still in question and there would be no impact on the game itself is off based. Why do you think it is always so difficult to win on the road?

 

[playmakr]

And if I ever left a game early, and another fan "called me out", I'd lay into him.

:ez-laugh:

 

[Hollisp]

TU, but your original point that fans leaving do not impact the game is debunked now. Yes, the fans weren't the only reason he missed but the influence fans have on games in undeniable. I've heard it directly from Gerald McCoy during the A&M basketball game, when the team was struggling late, Gerald told the student section to get loud cause believe it or not the players do feed off the fan's energy at times. Not saying fans always leave a mark on the game but to act like if all or a large portion of the fans walked out with the game still in question and there would be no impact on the game itself is off based. Why do you think it is always so difficult to win on the road?

:chestram2:

 

[campbest]

If you're leaving early just to save time getting home on a weekend afternoon, that is pretty weak. If it is a night game and you have kids with you, I can understand...it's called being a responsible parent. Someone may have a legitimate reason for leaving early, you don't know. Take that Baylor game for instance, I had to leave at half to go meet for a project...wasn't happy about it, but that was the priority at the time.

Also, went to a game last year where I sat in one section for part of the game, and then saw a friend's parents and went to sit and chat with them for the second half.

I think calling someone out in person is pretty immature and rude. Focus on yourself and don't worry about others too much, don't hold them to your standard. Our JUCO might have filled 50% of the gym most nights, if it suddenly dropped to 25% under two minutes left in a tight game, I sure didn't notice...wasn't what I was focused on.