Hoyas post 2nd highest home attendance increase

[Grandpa]

Top 5 Largest Average Attendance Increases for 2007-08 (Men's Basketball):

1) Southern Cal +2,670
2) GEORGETOWN +2,514
3) Davidson +2,493 (boo!)
4) Memphis +2,221
5) UCF +2,185

www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/051608aae.html

[lichoya68]

go hoyas yes yes yes

[tlphoya]

If not for 2008-2009 we should aim to break this record in '09-'10 with coach's FANTASTIC recruiting! I know I'll be at every game :-)

[moe09]

See, that's the problem. Comments like "if not for 2008-2009." People should go to all the games regardless. I don't mean to pick on you tlp, but you're probably right, and the fact is there are a lot of people who have an attitude like "this could be a 'down' year so I won't head to as many games." Quite frankly, I think 2008-2009 is going to be a really exciting year for the program, and I personally don't want to miss a game of these guys' development. Here's to breaking the record next year!

[tjm62]

I missed most of the games this year from studying abroad, but I don't expect the school to sell quite so many season tickets this year... the hype from the final four seemed to be a big reason or all the excitement (at least on the student side), and I would guess it's similar for a lot of the regular fans.

Not that they won't draw huge crowds, of course. Either way, i'm excited to see the new recruits.

[fsohoya]

You're right, Moe. People should keep coming to the games even if we're not a trendy pre-season pick, and I think it will actually be more fun watching us without a target on our backs. Nonetheless, we probably will see an attendance dropoff (as we saw with students, I'm sorry to say, as last season progressed) because we have a lot of fair-weather fans. That said, I think our fan support will be better and better long term as JT III era students become alums and remember how much fun basketball brought them. While I have always been a dedicated Hoya fan myself, largely because I grew up rooting for Ewing and Co., I remember how miserable it was to be a student fan during the JT, Jr., era. He did great things, obviously, with the program, but he never made it at all accessible or friendly to students and I think that poisoned fan-dom for a lot of students in my era (roughly the late-80s to mid-90s). And, of course, there were the not-so-wonderful Esh years...

Bottom line: Yeah, next year we will probably see a bit of an attendance dropoff, but I think the future looks pretty bright.

[moe09]

Yeah, I mean, it's just frustrating knowing that there will be a drop off even after all the excitement that basketball has brought to campus the last couple of years. I have to let out my frustration somewhere...

[I Bleed Hoya Gray]

There doesn't need to be a dropoff-- the list was of attendance increases. So even if there are the same number of fans next year, we won't be on that list again.

[fsohoya]

I hear ya', Moe. I'm just trying to look on the bright side.

[rosslynhoya]

I like to blame the students as much as anyone, but it's unfair to put all of this on their shoulders next year. A lot of people come to Verizon, not because they're Georgetown fans, but because they want to see a good matchup and/or they want to see the visiting team. For the last couple years, Georgetown has been the hot ticket in town, luring in a number of local sports fans who don't have a vested interest in the university.

A strong OOC schedule and targetted marketing (I know, I'm crazy) can help mitigate the anticipated attendance dropoff. On the other hand, sending armed patrols through Lauinger an hour before tipoff to tase people would probably work too.

[Hoya TMF]

I can't help but notice that USC is number one on this list. yet people keep complaining that o.j. mayo may have gotten $30,000 in extra benefits? I wonder what kind of benefit USC got from his one year stay there.

[fsohoya]

I'm not just blaming students, rosslyn, though their attendance did appear to drop off over the course of last season (from upper-level seats full to empty). I'm not really blaming anyone, except for maybe JT, Jr., for isolating the program from the students and squandering a lot of potential good feelings from many present-day alums. I want everyone to make every game, but students and "regular" fans alike have a long way to go. As JT III-era students become a bigger and bigger part of the alumni base, though, I think we'll see better and better crowds in the stands..

[HoyaSinceBirth]

1) i think most of the drop off student wise was because off the wristband system. People figured they needed to get there really early to get a good seat and some would rather watch the game on tv from the upper deck. of course if got to the point that people didn't need to show up early to get a wristband because people weren't showing up.
2) we should still be a top 20 team preseason. While this year may be a "down year" we're still going to be good and ranked and I think people will come out. plus we've got at least one great OOC home game and the big east games are going to be great this year.

[moe09]

That's kind've what I'm trying to say, HSB. Fact is that although this is going to be a "down year" comparatively, it's going to be an "up year" objectively, which is why I'm hoping that attendance will continue to be high.

Agree with the wristband deal. Fact of the matter is that somehow, I know it was a lot to get the upperdeck, they need move those seats down so more students will still be lured to the game knowing that they'll get a better view than from their couch.

[HoyasAreHungry]

do we have any idea of how our student section allotment compares to other big time schools? I have always been annoyed that verizon gives the students just the two middle sections behind the baskets and not the other two on either side (i guess the young alum sections). I'm just curious to know how other schools deal with this, if we give out a comparable number of tickets to students or if this is a unique problem. The verizon center is by no means a small venue, we should be able to make this work...

[NickSixers]

May 20, 2008 8:59:53 GMT -5 Hoya TMF said:

I can't help but notice that USC is number one on this list. yet people keep complaining that o.j. mayo may have gotten $30,000 in extra benefits? I wonder what kind of benefit USC got from his one year stay there.

You might want to consider that USC opened a new on-campus arena last season. Suites, club seats, and more season ticket holders = higher ticket sales/attendance numbers

There was a hype about Mayo and that helped. I'd attribute a decent amount of that increase to the arena.

[tlphoya]

May 19, 2008 18:10:36 GMT -5 moe09 said:

See, that's the problem. Comments like "if not for 2008-2009." People should go to all the games regardless. I don't mean to pick on you tlp, but you're probably right, and the fact is there are a lot of people who have an attitude like "this could be a 'down' year so I won't head to as many games." Quite frankly, I think 2008-2009 is going to be a really exciting year for the program, and I personally don't want to miss a game of these guys' development. Here's to breaking the record next year!

I should have been more clear in my post. I always go to every game. Even the 9 pm Wednesday St. John's games :-) I don't think we'll have a drop off next year, I was thinking more along the lines of having exceptional attendance in the near future. Maybe even next year. It does just continue to go up. But by no means am I a fair weather fan. I'm pretty sure I've been at every game for the last four years.

[moe09]

By no means am I calling you a fairweather fan, tlp, I just thought that the sentiment you expressed about attendance going down next year because of a so-called "down year" was a common one (it was in my mind, too), and I just wanted to point out that I feel it shouldn't be at this point in time.

[SFHoya99]

I think improving the attendance is a worthy goal.

I do think that student attendance has not been an issue at all. Basketball games are a huge commitment compared to football games (20+ home games compared to 6; weekdays versus Saturdays, etc.). While Verizon is not hard to get to, it isn't exactly on campus. And having 50% of the folks with season tickets is impressive.

Not that people shouldn't work on student attendance -- they should -- but the bigger improvement potential is in the non-student crowd, I think.

[tlphoya]

May 20, 2008 10:51:14 GMT -5 moe09 said:

By no means am I calling you a fairweather fan, tlp, I just thought that the sentiment you expressed about attendance going down next year because of a so-called "down year" was a common one (it was in my mind, too), and I just wanted to point out that I feel it shouldn't be at this point in time.

I hear what you're saying moe. Can't say I thought through the original post very carefully in all my excitement about signing Shon/Dash. I'm excited for the next 3 years already and here's to no 'down years'. I'm very impressed with what JTIII and co have accomplished in such a short amount of time - great job!!!!