HearstMining said:
BearSD said:
Big C said:
Chabbear said:
Officially Haas only holds 11,858 (2015present) minus the new TV platform so we could never get higher than 6th if we filled it given others capacities.
Was just gonna mention that. Middle of the pack is reasonable, once we start playing .500+ conference ball.
There will always be the issue of being in a pro sports market - note that all the teams in NBA markets are nearer to the bottom in attendance - but winning more would help a lot.
Out of curiosity, I looked up UW attendance stats before and after the Sonics left in 2008. They won the PAC the next season so got a nice bump and hard to say how much of that was attributed to Sonics leaving. But that only lasted for 3-4 seasons, and in the later Romar years, it fell off quite a bit, even below what it was when the Sonics were there. I guess my point is that, at least based on this one location, an NBA team may not hugely impact the local college team. IT REALLY IS ABOUT WINNING.
Even as UW basketball has sagged the last few seasons, their attendance hasn't fallen off nearly as much as Cal's. Of course, they didn't experience the WyFox tsunami. Cal really should have applied for a FEMA grant to aid in recovery.
Good post (and I've never really bought into the Bay Area is a 'pro-market' excuse). Winning is the big issue here, but I think there is still some room on the margins, even if the program is NOT winning as much as we like...
1. Students: Sometimes they DO show up (during the last 8 years). And they bring energy! Someone should really figure out the key factors that correlate to when they DO show up. If its pizzas or tshirts or whatever, then repeat those things. And if someone thinks that any single student is going to hear the non stop MUZAK... please don't...
2. Alumni: These are also the people that bring energy (the run of the mill ex dubs fans than don't want to cross the bay are NOT the energizer bunnies. nor are the people doing some 'value' shopping with their entertainment budget). There has been a concerted effort by Knowlton, Williams and the entire Ath Dept to dissuade ageing alumni from returning and there has been NO effort to bring young alumni (Do they still offer discounted season tickets to recent grads like they did in the 80s and 90s?). Bring these people back! Each one is as good as 5 or 10 bodies off the street for excitement.
Winning is paramount! But getting an athletic department that cares and has a plan about the two items above will help as well.
