So, those of you who really care about OU BB

[campbest]

I don't pay for season tickets, so my opinion is a bit jaded. For thos who think we should have some tougher home games this year I just have one question.

Are you crazy?

We're going to get at least two games against good competition in Maui from high level conferences and/or one of the best mid-majors in Wichita State (good chance to win the MO Valley this year), @ Arkansas, @ Arizona and a neutral site game against Cincy. First off, this team needs to win games for a multitude of reasons (NCAA/NIT profile, confidence, etc.), with such young inexperienced squad, I will take the cupcakes at home instead of leveraging ourselves against a bunch of tough opposition. Secondly, as someone else alluded to, besides the Arkansas game, all of these contests are either neutral site or part of a conference package (Pac-10/Big 12). This is the trend because coaches and ADs aren't stupid, why go play in someone else's house when you can make it a neutral site game?

Winning games and talented teams bring the crowds. You can't expect a D1 school to compete with the enterainment machine which is the NBA.

 

[Tony]

Roland Barrett would solve all of our problems.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Just have Stoops and a few of the players announce that they will be bringing football recruits to those games, and it will be a packed house every time.

 

[BoulderSooner]

The PA guy is embarrassingly bad, but I've been saying that for years. Otherwise, the experience is fine. I go to see the Sooners, not the other team. Strong matchups are nice, but if I lived in OKC, nothing would keep me away, including an opponent that isn't highly ranked.

We're playing plenty of good teams this season -- it just so happens that, because we're playing second halves of home-and-homes and participating in the Hawaii tourney, those games are on the road.

It's just one season, and we'll play plenty of tough home games during conference play.

100% agree .. OU basketball is very very fun to watch in person .. as long as the team: A plays Hard and B plays great D

 

[Sam]

Bingo. "Accompanying entertainment" has nothing to do with it. If people are focused on the non-basketball offerings (and they will be, if they're the types who would not have even attended the event without those additional offerings), they won't be sufficiently engaged with the action on the court.

The problem isn't introducing the game of basketball to people. We're not talking jai-alai here. Enough people have attended an OU basketball game at least once in their lives to fill the house every night. Fans who need another reason to attend besides the action on the court and the chance to cheer on the Sooners are not an asset to the program, because they won't be passionate, attentive fans -- not if it's the accompanying entertainment that brings them in. If they've never seen a basketball game, then just getting them in the door might be all that's required. But as I said, jai-alai, this ain't -- unfamiliarity isn't the issue; enthusiasm (about basketball, not accompanying entertainment) is.

Give me a crowd with seven thousand fans who are there to see a basketball game over a house of 11K, four or five thousand of whom are there strictly for the accompanying entertainment.

So you would rather have empty seats over random people in the house?

I don't understand that at all, attendance is a big deal. It has a great impact on recruits so even if some of them aren't as engaged as the few diehards I would still love to get them in. Its not like the 5 K or so people there are going to cause the 5k diehards to stop caring.

 

[MO]

The notion of "accompanying entertainment" has nothing to do with identifying real fans or those skilled in the understanding of the finer points of the game. It's about the energy level inside the building.

I'm not particularly thrilled by the specific stuff that goes on at the Thunder games, but the place is a non-stop buzz of people having a good time. The place is in always up, sometimes it's the sound, some time it's the play and sometimes it's about seeing so many people obviously enjoying themselves.

Contrast that with an OU game. Except for a few close competitive games a year has there been any enthusiasm in the place lately, no.

The purist argument is meaningless. If you want to place that more than half full, it's about having fun.

In addition, I imagine those making the purist argument haven't seen the decline of interest in OU basketball while watching over 300 home games inside the LNC since 1976. When I do go to the Thunder games, I sit with a group of 15 avid OU fans and former BB season ticket holders. They all left because the basketball is better, the games are more competitive, the atmosphere is more fun and the organization is service oriented.

OU needs to do a better job. That probably means entirely new people running the show.

 

[NickZepp]

I have no problem with the schedule. If we win in good fashion at home maybe more fans will show up. Winning puts fans in the seats not having tough games. If we go into conference play with around 10 or 11 wins, and have a shot at getting into post season play with just 8 conference wins it'll help the attendance as the year goes on.

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

I have no problem with the schedule. If we win in good fashion at home maybe more fans will show up. Winning puts fans in the seats not having tough games. If we go into conference play with around 10 or 11 wins, and have a shot at getting into post season play with just 8 conference wins it'll help the attendance as the year goes on.

A number next to OUr name would help too.

 

[SoMuchDramaInTheLNC]

The PA guy is embarrassingly bad, but I've been saying that for years.

I like the PA guy, he doesn't do anything embarrassing. Now, what I think you mean is the in-game emcee, who is just awful. We don't need one; even the Thunder don't really use one anymore, and when they do he's pretty even-keeled. I hate how our guy(s) have that same high, "extreme" voice.

 

[seniorsooner]

Whoooo wants a free t-shirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttttt

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

whoooo wants a free t-shirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttttt

lol

 

[DenverSooner]

Well, it's been perfectly clear for years, decades really, that just watching the Sooners play isn't enough for most people, and that was before the Thunder came to town. You and I might not like it, but that's the way it is. The number of people who regularly to OU basketball games just to watch OU basketball is tiny.

Our team is playing in an empty gym for half the season, and it isn't always a lot better the other half. You have to get the casual fan in the door once or twice to turn them into a fanatical one, and we can't even do that much, much less win them over. Saying, "Sayanora, we're not changing anything, see you later" seems like a very counterproductive approach to fixing what to me is a very real problem.

Personally, I think you build a great fan base through the students. Get students to go and hopefully convert about 500 grads a year to hard core fans. Some will move away but plenty will stay in the OKC area. If this had been the strategy for 30 years, OU would fill the stadium for every game or come darn close. Unfortunately, OU only seems to create hard core football fans that litterally scream about coaching changes on a team ranked in the BCS top 10.

The other thing I would personally do is try to create greater support from the Norman and Moore residents that are not OU alums. If you pick up a 100 fans a year from these non-alums (along with the new alumni fans) you will quickly be playing to a packed house. It is about 15 minute drive to the game from Moore and less than that from anywhere in Norman.

Finally, getting people to give away the wasted tickets would make a huge impact. There are plenty of people living in Norman, Moore and other parts of the OKC metro that can't afford to spend $40 on a game but would like to go. Even the slightest effort to recycle tickets would add people to the arena. Reward fans with 100% attendance by giving them a better chance to get Texas football tickets, Big XII Championship Tickets or NCAA tickets. If there is nothing in it for you to make sure your seat is used then there is no reason to make the effort to give the ticket to someone that will use the seat. OU has always sold lots of tickets, they just don't get people to show up.

Just imagine if it was well known that first 1,000 walk ups tended to get a free recycled seat (meaning the owner gives it back to OU to give away or sell for a ridiculously low price). 1,500 peole would probably try to get those seats. Once you are in the parking lot you will likely buy a scalper ticket even if the free/cheap seats are gone.

 

[Hollisp]

It bothers me to walk into the LNC and see the place half full. The players deserve more than that and so do the fans. However, when I realize that I'm spending $100 a night for games (and that's the cheapest donor section), I'm just not sure it's worth it anymore.

I enjoy watching the development of the Sooner players. I too go to those early games if for no other reason than to see who is new and who is getting better. Nevertheless, sometimes it's about as interesting as walking around the track at the Y and watching a pickup game on the court below.

OU could make those early games more fun with more competitive "no name" teams or a real effort to provide accompanying entertainment. The Thunder does it every night and does it well.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReYfu5E-hOE&feature=related[/ame]

 

[AdaSooner]

I go to basketball games to watch my favorite team play, not to be entertained. Entertainment to me is when I leave the arena knowing our players have done their best.

I never felt that way last season, and I never want to go through anything like that again. I don't expect this year's team to win every game. Heck, they may not improve on last season's dismal 13-18 season. But, if they're leaving it on the floor and playing as one unit, instead of going through the motions like a few members I could name on last year's team, I can live with it.