Attendance-BU Frosh. - Varsity Game

[wizard1]

I notice in todays PJS that 50 years ago the BU Frosh - Varsity game was attended by 6,000 fans! How many people is our current Red & White game drawing at RC? Again, our AD and Pres. seem oblivious to what is causing the fall-off in interest in BU Basketball.
Wiz

[lefty]

and a gallon of gas was 30 cents

[Canton BU fan]

and a gallon of gas was 30 cents

equals $2.29 today

[tornado]

it is hard to compare the two eras - but why the incredible denial and blind eye when it comes to discussing Bradley's enormous dropoff in just the last 3-4 years in attendance...

Attendance (avg) has fallen from almost 10K to 6K (and even the 6K is pretty suspect) - it is moronic to continue to blame someone or some factor from years ago!
Remember - we had SIMILAR bad losing stretches in the early 90's and early 2000's and never saw such a severe and sustained dropoff in attendance.
As recently as 2000 we averaged 10,200, and even in the last years of the Mo era and the bad losing early years 2002-2004 - the average still stayed well above 9000. JL had only one season under 9K, and now we're going to hit our 4th in a row, and 2nd in a row under 7000.

Bradley was around 40th to 50th in attendance nationally for a couple decades - now we're around 80-90th with numbers dropping a declining as we speak - all this talk of "improvement" is not resulting in the most precious commodity - fans in the seats. For an explanation of that all one needs to do is talk to some of the long time fans who are NOT coming any more.
The reasons have been discussed and as someone just said recently - "we've been through this already - good grief I'm done.."
Easy wins from playing a UTPA and Alabama State are hurting us at the box office. Even many of those who demanded all of the exact changes we now have - are no longer seen at the arena -
I'm still there and many good fans are likewise - but we see the problems unfolding that will take years to reverse...

[bradleyfan124]

I see 3 different marketing firms have been thrown around as the driving force to bring back Bradley basketball. Are they local or out of town? My guess is out of town. That is part of the problem. Out of town people know nothing of the tradition of the local college and community. All they look at is the bottom line on reports that worked in other areas. Each area is different with its own flavor. They need to hire someone locally who knows what the community likes. They need to get away from their computers and fancy reports and get out and talk to the people. They need to do it before they lose the community altogether

[TheAsianSensation]

13-14: Jax St, Ala St, CMU, CSU, UTPA, IUPUI, IPFW
12-13: EIU, UTPA, UT-Martin, Michigan, Ga So, GWU, MVSU Attendance: 6,557
11-12: UMKC, SEMO, N. Dakota, Wofford, Northeastern, W. Carolina Attendance: 7,640
10-11: TAMU-Kingsville, NIU, Loyola Marymount, EIU, Utah, Jax St, Detroit Attendance: 8,447
09-10: Wofford, Presby, Idaho St, W. Carolina, Loyola Attendance: 9,339
08-09: UIC, ETSU, Butler, SEMO, SIUE Attendance: 9110
07-08: Iowa St, UMES, FGCU, SEMO, Michigan St, VCU Attendance: 9600

It's pretty clear the schedule is NOT the reason attendance dropped. Look at 09-10. If we can get 9k then, why can't we get 9k now?

And compare the last 2 years there. 9.6k with Michigan St, VCU, and Iowa St involved. 9.1k with just Butler and other pasties. Non-con SoS has little influence on attendance.

[tornado]

nobody said it was "THE REASON" - it is one of the reasons - perhaps one that is correctable..but excuse me if I'm puzzled while looking at your list of opponents..I see a dropoff in recognizable names.....

The past two years does stand out with the number of obscure and low level opponents...

13-14: Jax St, Ala St, CMU, CSU, UTPA, IUPUI, IPFW
12-13: EIU, UTPA, UT-Martin, Michigan, Ga So, GWU, MVSU Attendance: 6,557

.. from the years we drew 9K -
..and BTW - we DID have Drexel, Old Dominion, Cincy, Tulsa, Ohio, Milwaukee, Oakland at home in that span - in 2008-2010,

09-10: Wofford, Presby, Idaho St, W. Carolina, Loyola Attendance: 9,339
08-09: UIC, ETSU, Butler, SEMO, SIUE Attendance: 9110
07-08: Iowa St, UMES, FGCU, SEMO, Michigan St, VCU Attendance: 9600

at what point are the deniers gonna want to accept that the dropoff in home attendance is HUGE, profound, important, and unprecedented over the past 3-4 years -
is anyone going to stop denying it and man-up - Blame me if you want to be that silly, but there are reasons and people responsible but I guess it is just not popular to mention it.

[Canton BU fan]

I see conflicting messages being sent. Hire a new coach and talk of winning and at the same time we move games on campus to a much smaller arena. It's almost as if they want enough of a decline in attendance to eventually move all games on campus. Then the next thing you know they will move down in divisions saying they can't compete anymore at D1 all the while blaming the fans for all this. Reminds me of politicians who spent too much money and then blame the taxpayers who are not paying their fair share.

[lefty]

I see conflicting messages being sent. Hire a new coach and talk of winning and at the same time we move games on campus to a much smaller arena. It's almost as if they want enough of a decline in attendance to eventually move all games on campus. Then the next thing you know they will move down in divisions saying they can't compete anymore at D1 all the while blaming the fans for all this. Reminds me of politicians who spent too much money and then blame the taxpayers who are not paying their fair share.

I'm pretty sure that's their plan...

[Chico]

I'm pretty sure that's their plan...

I almost posted the same thing, but without the smily face.

[TheAsianSensation]

nobody said it was "THE REASON" - it is one of the reasons - perhaps one that is correctable..but excuse me if I'm puzzled while looking at your list of opponents..I see a dropoff in recognizable names.....

I don't.

Everything from the 08-09 season to now has been relatively consistent.

Signature games/opponents: 1 (Michigan 12-13)
Very solid games: Butler (08-09), Utah (10-11)
Games against teams from decent conferences: UIC (08-09), Loyola (09-10), Loyola Marymount (10-11), NIU (10-11), Detroit (10-11), N'eastern (11-12) G. Wash. (12-13), CMU (13-14)

Cupcakes: 3, 4, 3, 5, 5, 5 (in those years with 5 cupcakes, 1 or 2 of them were RC games)

.. from the years we drew 9K -
..and BTW - we DID have Drexel, Old Dominion, Cincy, Tulsa, Ohio, Milwaukee, Oakland at home in that span - in 2008-2010,

Postseason games, not useful for the current debate, but sure

at what point are the deniers gonna want to accept that the dropoff in home attendance is HUGE, profound, important, and unprecedented over the past 3-4 years -
is anyone going to stop denying it and man-up - Blame me if you want to be that silly, but there are reasons and people responsible but I guess it is just not popular to mention it.

No one is denying it, attendance is a problem. I just think we're barking up the wrong tree as to the reasons why. It's pretty directly correlated to Bradley's winning record in the previous year.

the year after the NIT, we got 9.6k
the 2 years after the other postseasons we got 9k
the year after 16-15 and no postseason, we got 8k
the year after the last Les year, we got 7k
the year after the bottom fell out, we got 6k
this current year is the year after the return to postseason

A good solid winning season this year and we probably get 8k during the '14-'15 season.

[tornado]

I guess when we see things differently then we should go to the people who are recognized as experts - the very people whose opinions are accepted by EVERYONE - so let's do that...
I won't force you to believe as I do but at least agree that the Strength of Schedule proves beyond question that Bradley's scheudle has been far weaker this past 3 years or so than for the entire past decade.

Check the Strength of Schedule - I didn't make it up - the experts do and unless you want to lose all credibility - then I will accept what they say...

from 2003 thru 2010 - Bradley's Strength of Schedule was consistently well under 100 and averaged around 60-70

from 2010 'til now the SOS has been consistently WELL above 100 and has averaged about 150
I won't waste your time or argue the point any more since I believe the facts do so quite well.

[kds]

I see conflicting messages being sent. Hire a new coach and talk of winning and at the same time we move games on campus to a much smaller arena. It's almost as if they want enough of a decline in attendance to eventually move all games on campus. Then the next thing you know they will move down in divisions saying they can't compete anymore at D1 all the while blaming the fans for all this. Reminds me of politicians who spent too much money and then blame the taxpayers who are not paying their fair share.

Bingo we have a winner.

[TheAsianSensation]

I guess when we see things differently then we should go to the people who are recognized as experts - the very people whose opinions are accepted by EVERYONE - so let's do that...
I won't force you to believe as I do but at least agree that the Strength of Schedule proves beyond question that Bradley's scheudle has been far weaker this past 3 years or so than for the entire past decade.

Check the Strength of Schedule - I didn't make it up - the experts do and unless you want to lose all credibility - then I will accept what they say...

from 2003 thru 2010 - Bradley's Strength of Schedule was consistently well under 100 and averaged around 60-70

from 2010 'til now the SOS has been consistently WELL above 100 and has averaged about 150
I waste your time or argue the point any more since I believe the facts do so quite well.

We're not debating SoS, we're debating attendance.

I'm analyzing the schedules based on drawing power, not on computer numbers. Those are two different concepts. Bad Horizon League teams can be good for the attendance and bad for the computer numbers.

SoS is a problem, and is absolutely one thing I'm willing to blast the current admins on. SoS needs to be better, period.

[Da Coach]

It's pretty clear the schedule is NOT the reason attendance dropped. Look at 09-10. If we can get 9k then, why can't we get 9k now?

For the record- most people renew and buy their season tickets well before the non-conference schedule is released, so it is hard to say what those people might have done if they knew what the schedule would have been.

I would contend that if a non-conference schedule is weak 2 or more years in a row (like it has been), then that is what is much more likely to make fans not renew their season tickets, and drive down attendance.