Crowd

[amckillip]

This is exactly why we need to make an effort to get students. If we do not get them now, BU may be staring at a huge lack of fans in the next ten years.

[AZ BU Fan]

This is exactly why we need to make an effort to get students. If we do not get them now, BU may be staring at a huge lack of fans in the next ten years.

AMC
Didn't even make you giggle?

[amckillip]

AMC
Didn't even make you giggle?

I was under the impression laughing at old people was inappropriate...

[AZ BU Fan]

Touche!

[JMM28]

This is exactly why we need to make an effort to get students. If we do not get them now, BU may be staring at a huge lack of fans in the next ten years.

I dunno, I say screw the students. Focus on recent area alums/area yuppies. They need a recent alum season ticket package, discounted of course. Maybe an actual recent alum section. Go 5 years back.

Face it, the average 25-30 year old who isn't yet a die hard doesn't want/cant afford to cough up a grand just for a maintenance fee on decent seats plus the cost of tickets.

[theBUer]

This is exactly why we need to make an effort to get students. If we do not get them now, BU may be staring at a huge lack of fans in the next ten years.

And at the same time, you have a smorgasbord of competition when it comes to watching a particular team.

I was watching TV in a public area on-campus, and it was the SIU-U of I game. This one girl with a Blackhawks jersey (new one I may add) rudely asked if I would move so she and her friends could watch the game against the Predators. Mind you, there are other TVs on-campus.

I teased her, asking her if she has fallen off the bandwagon because of CHI's slow start. She scoffed, and said "No way! Blackhawk fan 'til I die!"

That Blackhawk sweater will be collecting dust if they do not win another Cup.

[sousaman2089]

So we need to screw the students while having a majority of elderly seat owners.........
The key to a ruckus arena is always the students, and I don't see any improvement from last year. Around campus, nothing has really changed: no viable strides in advertising, no offers for students and occasionally you'll see a golf cart with signs, but that just seems to annoy more then anything after awhile. Something has to change if you want students to show up to a team they see as nothing special.

Out of state enrollment has steadily been going up at Bradley over the years, so not as many know the history or importance of basketball on the hilltop. That can be fixed by either a lot more advertising or making the games easier to get to

[theBUer]

So we need to screw the students while having a majority of elderly seat owners.........
The key to a ruckus arena is always the students, and I don't see any improvement from last year. Around campus, nothing has really changed: no viable strides in advertising, no offers for students and occasionally you'll see a golf cart with signs, but that just seems to annoy more then anything after awhile. Something has to change if you want students to show up to a team they see as nothing special.

Out of state enrollment has steadily been going up at Bradley over the years, so not as many know the history or importance of basketball on the hilltop. That can be fixed by either a lot more advertising or making the games easier to get to

I'm spinning my wheels with people with this debate, but your point is moot. Students here place a priority on certain things, and watching a basketball team that has not made a trip to the NCAAs in four seasons is low on their list.

No amount of golf carts or tableside signs is going to change this.

[JMM28]

So we need to screw the students while having a majority of elderly seat owners.........
The key to a ruckus arena is always the students, and I don't see any improvement from last year. Around campus, nothing has really changed: no viable strides in advertising, no offers for students and occasionally you'll see a golf cart with signs, but that just seems to annoy more then anything after awhile. Something has to change if you want students to show up to a team they see as nothing special.

Out of state enrollment has steadily been going up at Bradley over the years, so not as many know the history or importance of basketball on the hilltop. That can be fixed by either a lot more advertising or making the games easier to get to

Making the games easier to get to will not work, period. You could offer to carry them individually by rickshaw and the majority would still be too lazy or uninterested to go. The games aren't hard to get to in the first place.

The one thing that will bring students in droves(and everyone for that matter) is a winning club. Or maybe free beer at the game.

[Chico]

No disrespect, cause I am one of them, but, watching a couple home games over the Internet, the avg age of a lot of the folks in the Arena, must have been pushing 60 yrs old. Don't expect too much from them.....

Perhaps scientists and drug companies could invent a little pill us old folks can take before home games that would help us all stand straight up and yell non stop for a couple of hours.....'Fanagra'

In case you continue to stand up and yell for more than four hours, please consult your physician....

Know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I'm over 60 and I stand when appropriate as do most of the fans, but I guess you have to be there to see it, or hear the silence at every timeout. For several seconds the arena is like the Braves are shooting a free throw, quiet. Then some annoncement from the PA, or a commercial on the scoreboard, or some promotion. Then with just a few seconds before the game starts again the band is finally allowed to play and everyone is supposed to get back into it.
As for the others posts concerning the students, the students that packed the student section at the Kingsville game had a great time and they didn't care if the Braves had been to the Big Dance the last 5 years or not.

[sousaman2089]

So ignoring the students is the answer.
We either need to make drastic changes or just accept the fact that it will be like this for 70% of Bradley games until we have a team winning Valley Championships.

[AZ BU Fan]

Know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I'm over 60 and I stand when appropriate as do most of the fans, but I guess you have to be there to see it, or hear the silence at every timeout. For several seconds the arena is like the Braves are shooting a free throw, quiet. Then some annoncement from the PA, or a commercial on the scoreboard, or some promotion. Then with just a few seconds before the game starts again the band is finally allowed to play and everyone is supposed to get back into it.

No offense intended for us seniors Chico, and I am one of them....When I was still attending BU games, it was difficult to stand and yell for a whole game. I was first off the seat when the game situation called for it, as were most of the fans.

I was hoping the "fanagra" comment would give this post enough tongue in cheek to not be interpreted as a call out for older fans!

It is difficult to maintain cheering with commercials and public info announcements, and taped music coming in and out.

Cheer on fans!

[BUFanatic]

If this win over USC, maybe winning tomorrow for the Championship, doesn't draw the Students, I don't know WHAT WILL!!! Every game we win, the more I say we might have a chance at Duke! Oh, ND is winning 17-3 THIS IS A GREAT NIGHT!!

[jrish12]

The way to a college kid's heart is through their stomach. Free food/free drinks if of age would get a ton of butts in the seats. The catch 22 though, is that most of those people would just be there for the food and not give two hoots about the game.

Just wanted to ask a question on this though: If you want a raucous crowd, where should the students sit? I understand that people pay good money for the seats that they sit in, and that's fine, but at every arena that has a great atmosphere, where are the students? They are in the lower bowl right on top of the action, not in the end zones or upper bowl.

I dont know how to fix it, I was lucky enough as a kid to have a dad and grandparents that had season tickets in the lower bowl. My first few years away at college I would look at the schedule and see how many games I could make when I was home from breaks. After seeing how dead the atmosphere is the past couple years and the poor product on the floor, its almost not worth it to go and sit in an arena that I can hear the lights buzzing over the crowd noise.

[theBUer]

The way to a college kid's heart is through their stomach. Free food/free drinks if of age would get a ton of butts in the seats. The catch 22 though, is that most of those people would just be there for the food and not give two hoots about the game.

Just wanted to ask a question on this though: If you want a raucous crowd, where should the students sit? I understand that people pay good money for the seats that they sit in, and that's fine, but at every arena that has a great atmosphere, where are the students? They are in the lower bowl right on top of the action, not in the end zones or upper bowl.

I dont know how to fix it, I was lucky enough as a kid to have a dad and grandparents that had season tickets in the lower bowl. My first few years away at college I would look at the schedule and see how many games I could make when I was home from breaks. After seeing how dead the atmosphere is the past couple years and the poor product on the floor, its almost not worth it to go and sit in an arena that I can hear the lights buzzing over the crowd noise.

Food food is a great idea, although your idea that they may not care about the game is moot. With cell phones, they will simply text and go on FB if nothing else to them is interesting (all in the eye of the beholder).

Red Sea, if you're here, promote the hell outta beating USC. That is no small potatoes.

At Carver, the students sat next to the band in the lower bowl. They are under the massive "BRAVES" banner.