So, Why Don't YOU Come to the Games?

[Ham]

It is the Thunder. If I had big money, I would buy the team and move them back to Seattle.

The local media abandoned OU and OSU basketball for the most part and their non stop slobbering about the Thunder has convinced casual fans that is the place to be and be seen.

Kruger and his team can probably build back fan support to some degree. But, the long strings of sellout home crowds is probably over for good.

I don't know, but I am pretty sure BYU and Utah don't struggle in the same way we do with the Jazz in town.

Media markets with NBA and good college programs somewhat nearby:

SLC- 33rd
Milwaukee - 34th
San Antonio - 36th
OKC - 41st
Memphis - 49th.
New Orleans - 51st.

Maybe there are some parallels to OKC/Thunder in there somewhere.

I tend to believe the impact of the Thunder is exaggerated. People have grown up for generations as Sooners. There is just a relative apathy about being there for the game experience. The LNC is an undeniable factor in it.

 

[MNsooner]

first 2,500 students last night got in free and got a coke and popcorn ...

and there were not close to 2,500 students there last night .. so your argument is not correct

This completely correct. OU tickets are incredibly cheap and people don't come. Heck, they tried to give them away and students wouldn't come. I think a part of it marketing. Maybe students don't know when games are and how cheap (or free it is). Mostly, though, I think we just haven't built a good basketball culture. Let's get some sustained winning along with a better marketing push and hope it grows.

 

[Soonerman]

The Thunder excuse is a tired one IMO. I think the impact they have on OU/OSU basketball is extremely exaggerated.

 

[Max Power]

The Thunder excuse is a tired one IMO. I think the impact they have on OU/OSU basketball is extremely exaggerated.

I know older fans it does have an impact on. I know multiple older OU fans that gave up when Caple had the 3 headscases, went to the Thunder, and say they wont be coming back. It is very sad, but it is also the truth.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

the thunder has very little impact on OU games

i completely disagree.

 

[snydrosooner]

I have a couple comments that apply to me. And I do make most of the weekend games(split tickets with parents)

1) My kids are busy during the week. Dance, basketball, baseball, church, girl scouts. They are busy almost every night. Not to mention the money being spent on there activities. They would rather me stay home and watch the game and be around them then to leave. They have been to games but get bored by halftime. Im sure this is the case with other parents.

2) Thunder does deffinitly play a part. If you have purchased Thunder tickets and they have 2 home games during the week, it would be hard to make a 3rd weekday game if its OU/osu or anybody. Goes back to point #1. People are busy. I love OU and go to as many as I can, but if I had Thunder tickets I would probably go to them live and tape the OU game.

3) Games on TV effect students. When I was at OU, we would always have the TV on sports in the evenings while studying. I could easly see me staying at the dorms or my apartment studying while watching the OU game then going if I had a test the next day.

4)expenses. I know lots of people who attend a few games a year because that is what they can afford. A friend of mine goes when he can get the 10 dollar deals for seats and consession. With three kids it can get expensive for the family to go all the time. The basketball games may be cheap compared to some other events, but not everybody goes to the other events either.

 

[Soonerman]

I know older fans it does have an impact on. I know multiple older OU fans that gave up when Caple had the 3 headscases, went to the Thunder, and say they wont be coming back. It is very sad, but it is also the truth.

Sounds more like they left because of Capel and OU losing than the Thunder.

And they can stay as Thunder only fans as far as I'm concerned...I certainly don't know them, but it sounds like they have a pretty terrible attitude about OU basketball despite the amazing steps Kruger has taken the last few years. Don't need that anyway around the LNC.

There's a pretty easy balance to achieve between rooting for the Thunder AND OU basketball. I managed to work for the Thunder and go to OU games as well.

 

[Max Power]

Sounds more like they left because of Capel and OU losing than the Thunder.

And they can stay as Thunder only fans as far as I'm concerned...I certainly don't know them, but it sounds like they have a pretty terrible attitude about OU basketball despite the amazing steps Kruger has taken the last few years. Don't need that anyway around the LNC.

There's a pretty easy balance to achieve between rooting for the Thunder AND OU basketball. I managed to work for the Thunder and go to OU games as well.

Not disagreeing but the thunder getting good as OU got bad was the alternative. Don't worry though when they go on and on about Durant i just call them dirty longhorns.

 

[garyeb2]

the thunder has very little impact on OU games

I guess "very little" is a relative term. It is probably around 2500 per game for both OU and the Aggies.

Who do you think all of those people are that buy those Thunder tickets? I'm sure that the Thunder has a core of fans that like pro basketball just like the Sooners seem to have a core group of 5000-6000 that like OU basketball.

The rest of them are that same bunch that flop all over OKC from Remington Park to the Brick Town Ball Park and now to Thunder games because that is the hyped trendy destination.

If the Thunder started losing big and OU started winning big and OU Basketball became fashionable and trendy again, then that 4,000 -5,000 would flop down to Norman.

Don't under estimate how the local media has hyped and hustled for the Thunder at the expense of every other sports activity in the market.

 

[Big Old Booger]

I guess "very little" is a relative term. It is probably around 2500 per game for both OU and the Aggies.

Who do you think all of those people are that buy those Thunder tickets? I'm sure that the Thunder has a core of fans that like pro basketball just like the Sooners seem to have a core group of 5000-6000 that like OU basketball.

The rest of them are that same bunch that flop all over OKC from Remington Park to the Brick Town Ball Park and now to Thunder games because that is the hyped trendy destination.

If the Thunder started losing big and OU started winning big and OU Basketball became fashionable and trendy again, then that 4,000 -5,000 would flop down to Norman.

Don't under estimate how the local media has hyped and hustled for the Thunder at the expense of every other sports activity in the market.

For people who live in Norman, the Thunder has probably not made a big difference. For those who live in Edmond and North OKC, it's made a huge difference. I have many friends in Edmond and most if not all used to attend a number of OU games. Now they go to the Thunder games and rarely attend OU basketball games.

And, North OKC/Edmond has a large number of OU grads/alums.

 

[BoulderSooner]

I guess "very little" is a relative term. It is probably around 2500 per game for both OU and the Aggies.

Who do you think all of those people are that buy those Thunder tickets? I'm sure that the Thunder has a core of fans that like pro basketball just like the Sooners seem to have a core group of 5000-6000 that like OU basketball.

The rest of them are that same bunch that flop all over OKC from Remington Park to the Brick Town Ball Park and now to Thunder games because that is the hyped trendy destination.

If the Thunder started losing big and OU started winning big and OU Basketball became fashionable and trendy again, then that 4,000 -5,000 would flop down to Norman.

Don't under estimate how the local media has hyped and hustled for the Thunder at the expense of every other sports activity in the market.

the thunder are sold out with a multi thousand person wait list ( that unlike ou football they actaully pay 100 bucks a ticket to be on) ..

OU has over 9k season ticket holders ... with a push i bet next year OU approaches 11k season ticket holders ..

i am one of those thunder season ticket holders to go with my OU seats .. if there is a conflict i go the OU game and sell my thunder seats ..

 

[garyeb2]

the thunder are sold out with a multi thousand person wait list ( that unlike ou football they actaully pay 100 bucks a ticket to be on) ..

OU has over 9k season ticket holders ... with a push i bet next year OU approaches 11k season ticket holders ..

i am one of those thunder season ticket holders to go with my OU seats .. if there is a conflict i go the OU game and sell my thunder seats ..

Good for you.

 

[BigTime]

the thunder are sold out with a multi thousand person wait list ( that unlike ou football they actaully pay 100 bucks a ticket to be on) ..

OU has over 9k season ticket holders ... with a push i bet next year OU approaches 11k season ticket holders ..

i am one of those thunder season ticket holders to go with my OU seats .. if there is a conflict i go the OU game and sell my thunder seats ..

You sure think you know everything....




04,

I don't go because I live in Houston. Can't wait to move back to God's Country and join the tip-in club and start attending again. T-3 years and 4 months!

 

[skyvue]

I do go to the games ... every time the Sooners play in NYC.

(I attend over the Christmas holidays, too, those years when I'm home and when OU schedules a home game.)

 

[tycat947]

There was a show on SoonerSportsTV on Fox just a few short week ago. I can't remember what it was called but it's only OU students and they might have some OU student athletes at times as well. They went on campus and asked 4 or 5 students (these were the only ones that ended up on the show) and of those 4 or 5 students, NOT ONE could name who the men's basketball coach was. They all knew Stoops was football coach and one even mentioned Sherri as women's basketball coach. This tells me, and it looks to be proven all over the country in all different collegiate sports, that the students really don't care and don't have time to bother. There are a few exceptions but overall the students interest in collegiate sports on their campus is probably at an all time low and I don't know that anyone yet knows what's the answer.

 

[Bk2X]

I wonder how many of the empty seats in the LNC were the non-student, "old people" seats. Or the percentage. Probably a lot higher than that of the students. All those empty seats behind the scorers table always looks great on TV.

Pretty sure those are the administrations seats because every time I sit near those, the football players and coaches are in those seats for the marquee games.

 

[Max Power]

Pretty sure those are the administrations seats because every time I sit near those, the football players and coaches are in those seats for the marquee games.

They are sold because I have two of them. Either myself or my parents are at every game and the only two games we had anybody else there, besides my friends that moved down next to us, were OSU and KSU.

 

[Sooner04]

Lots of good discussion in here, and I thank each of you for participating.

I think the Thunder plays a crucial role in transforming a really solid crowd of 8,500 to a bleh crowd of 5,500. I don't think the weather plays much of a part, because I've seen OKC transformed into Duluth and 18,000 are still there for a Thunder game. I think this state and its fans only has so much basketball in them, and more and more of them to turn their eyes, wallets and time to the Thunder.

Growing up, I was a HUGE Supersonics fan. I loved the NBA. I couldn't get any of my buddies to talk pro hoops with me. None of em. They followed the NFL religiously, and they had a passing interest in MLB, but they did not give two flips about the NBA. Now those jackwagons are preaching the pick-and-roll to me and breaking down Brooks's substitution patterns like the Zapruder film. These guys couldn't pick Frank Booker out of a lineup of two, but they'd crap themselves to own a pair of Sefolosha's shoelaces.

There's one other thing that I think needs mentioning. David Boren has done wonderful things for the University of Oklahoma. The campus transformation is incredible when you compare the Ovals today with what I roamed in the fall of 2000. It's like two different schools. But what is also different is the student that arrives in Norman. More and more are coming from Texas, and those kids have no ties to OU whatsoever. Their matriculation here often leaves them football fans and little else. My wife is that way. They just don't have the school ties from their youth like a lot of us did. I know who Jan Pannell is, but there are few students on campus who could tell you the name of our leading scorer.

A rabid student following cures a lot of ills, but they cannot drag these kids down to the LNC. Last night they could come in free and get food and a drink. First 2,500 through the doors got that deal, and it looked like 800 or so made the journey. That's sad.

I'd love for the administration to make it easier on the fans who want to come, but it's hard to turn away the money from the big corporations who pay big bucks for primo seats that go unused. I have no idea how you fix that. I'd love for them to do a new GA program. Something like you can come in for $1 as soon as the ball is tipped, and any seat unspoken for at the first media timeout is open season.

I'm just rambling, I know, but it's such a gut punch to see the place not even half full for the final home game of the year. If we were terrible yeah, that's understandable, but we're GOOD!

Oh well. See you in Fort Worth. And Kansas City! If you need me, I'll be at Winstead's.


In Kruger We Trust!

 

[kbsooner]

Split the season tickets with my folks, we go to the weekend games and some during the week. Work and chasing our son around with all his activities make it really hard for us to make them all. I think between us we have missed one game this year.

 

[schoonerdriver]

I wonder how many of the empty seats in the LNC were the non-student, "old people" seats. Or the percentage. Probably a lot higher than that of the students. All those empty seats behind the scorers table always looks great on TV.

Not sure you are getting my point. Everything up to this point has geared towards the students and has gone as far as making the tickets free and giving money away to someone who is there. Not sure what else can be done to garner interest from the students. Only thing left is to physically gather students and force them to go. Time to start marketing a little more towards the "old people" seats, as you call them.

Those empty seats at midcourt are more likely to be corporate seats than individuals. Keep blaming those "old people" though.

And please don't tell me they need to move the students behind the tables at midcourt. I had to see the abomination that was the CrimZone during Sampson years. Lets not repeat that.