Open Prectices

[wizard1]

I know I sound like a broken record on this but I truly believe one way BU can help fan interest is to have regularly scheduled open practices. The current coaches may not like this but Stowell, Versace, and Molinari all had open practices in the Fieldhouse. While attendance was not great, there were always 100 or 200 fans watching and over a season, this allowed many fans to see a practice and feel closer to the team.
Not every practice needs to be open but certain practices could be designated as "open".
Wiz

[Bradleyfan1]

I agree 100%

[tornado]

I agree- -
one more thought...

there are two "squeaky wheels" here....

A -you have a huge group (although declining significantly lately) of lifelong Bradley fans, fans who wear red even to bed at night, fans who attend every event that they can, stand in line for an hour to greet their heroes like Chet Walker, they buy season tickets, follow the team on the road, bring family, kids, and other guests along, keep attending through thick and thin - even filling seats in down years, and even if they live in Arizona, Mexico, or Czech Republic, they are still BIG TIME fans and love this team & program.

B - then you have a far smaller crowd - but vocal, often including some in the media who demand things their way, talk of boycotts if the game isn't to their liking, write columns and letters to the editor demanding things go their way or they are ending their loyalty or asking the University cowtow to their wants and wishes, rip on BU if the University does anything - buys up land or chooses to hold a game on campus, they even have weirdly schizophrenic viewpoints that are hard to reconcile - such as griping about playing in a downtown arena, then simultaneously griping about playing in an on-campus arena, they demand people be fired or trash the recruits and players we do have - but are weirdly silent when they get exactly what they want and it leads to historically bad results, and they even attack other fans and call them demeaning names like "the old crowd" or "gray hairs", "rose colored glasses", "Koolaid drinkers" and somehow argue they are better fans because their father went to Bradley or taught there or because they stand up while the 85 year old gray hair behind them does not...even if their names are nowehere to be found on the supporters' list or in St. Louis during Tourney time.

OK - which group should the powers that be aim to please....?
Obviously both if possible but as you can easily see it usually isn't possible - so only one group is seen as the squeaky wheel and they get the oil.
Attendance has slipped from 10,000 to 6,000 and there's a whole lot fewer "gray hairs" so you make the call.......