What will make attendance better?

[BUSongwriter]

What will make attendance better? The NCAA and its transfer portal are making fan loyalty difficult. Today's Zek decision really stings. Are the athletes students representing Bradley University, or is it more about the name on the back of the jersey and a constant search for a better offer at the end of each year?

A base of loyal Bradley fans, myself included, will always embrace the athletes who put on the red and white. Should next year's newly assembled team gel and succeed -- look what Kansas State accomplished with a whole new team -- the community will get excited and fans will turn out as they did at the end of this year. But if they struggle, it will be that much easier for fans to stay home.

Let's hope we've seen the last to leave. Thank you to Malevy and others who are hopefully staying. We appreciate your loyalty and look forward to cheering you on.

[tomahawk chop]

What will make attendance better? The NCAA and its transfer portal are making fan loyalty difficult. Today's Zek decision really stings. Are the athletes students representing Bradley University, or is it more about the name on the back of the jersey and a constant search for a better offer at the end of each year?

A base of loyal Bradley fans, myself included, will always embrace the athletes who put on the red and white. Should next year's newly assembled team gel and succeed -- look what Kansas State accomplished with a whole new team -- the community will get excited and fans will turn out as they did at the end of this year. But if they struggle, it will be that much easier for fans to stay home.

Let's hope we've seen the last to leave. Thank you to Malevy and others who are hopefully staying. We appreciate your loyalty and look forward to cheering you on.

These transfers are not going to help in the selling of tickets. Most fans do not want to see favorite players continually leaving when they are a huge part to the overall success of the team. Roberts was our leading scorer last year and Mast was this year with Zek showing the potential of being a very good player his last two seasons. Turnover is never good when the players you need to stay are leaving and some of the ones that probably need to go hang around.

[Stryker]

Yep. Why buy a jersey? How can a kid find a player they really want to root for if the players are gone every 1-2 years? Going to hurt things a lot overall imo.

[Jim]

It took a few years for Bradley to produce a team that generated enough support to fill the arena (Drake game). I hope I'm wrong, but I think fan support is going to take a huge hit because of the transfer portal and NIL bribes. Sad!

[Bball31]

If the coaching staff at Bradley continues to put a hard working and winning team on the floor as they did this year, the hard working and very knowledgeable basketball fans in Peoria will support it. Many Bradley fans are acting like it’s only Bradley that is having players transfer. It is happening to all schools. It is effecting almost every program in D1 and all schools must deal with it. While many fans are saying they’re done with college basketball, I’m sure glad the coaching staffs and returning players won’t give up. Here’s a news flash….we are a mid major program and compete against other mid major programs. In the late 1960s Bradley and the MVC decided not to invest in football when Power 5 or 6 conferences did. That’s when Cincinnati, Louisville and Memphis left the league, later followed by Tulsa and North Texas. As a result, we don’t compete against the Power 5 or 6 conferences. There is no reason Bradley still can’t be one of the top mid major programs in the country. There will be some players from Power 5 or 6 teams looking to transfer down. There will be players from mid major programs looking to go to better mid major programs. There will be low major players capable of playing for mid majors that look to move up. In my opinion, the situation isn’t as bleak as some people think. The fact Bradley has one of the best, if not the best, NIL program in the MVC can be a huge advantage. I’m confident that as former players and now coaches, Wardle and his staff are looking at this as an opportunity as oppposed to a big blow to the program. This didn’t just happen. It’s been in the works for a couple years. As a result, recruiting has become a year round job. Nobody knows that better than the Bradley coaching staff.

[Tommy]

If the coaching staff at Bradley continues to put a hard working and winning team on the floor as they did this year, the hard working and very knowledgeable basketball fans in Peoria will support it. Many Bradley fans are acting like it’s only Bradley that is having players transfer. It is happening to all schools. It is effecting almost every program in D1 and all schools must deal with it. While many fans are saying they’re done with college basketball, I’m sure glad the coaching staffs and returning players won’t give up. Here’s a news flash….we are a mid major program and compete against other mid major programs. In the late 1960s Bradley and the MVC decided not to invest in football when Power 5 or 6 conferences did. That’s when Cincinnati, Louisville and Memphis left the league, later followed by Tulsa and North Texas. As a result, we don’t compete against the Power 5 or 6 conferences. There is no reason Bradley still can’t be one of the top mid major programs in the country. There will be some players from Power 5 or 6 teams looking to transfer down. There will be players from mid major programs looking to go to better mid major programs. There will be low major players capable of playing for mid majors that look to move up. In my opinion, the situation isn’t as bleak as some people think. The fact Bradley has one of the best, if not the best, NIL program in the MVC can be a huge advantage. I’m confident that as former players and now coaches, Wardle and his staff are looking at this as an opportunity as oppposed to a big blow to the program. This didn’t just happen. It’s been in the works for a couple years. As a result, recruiting has become a year round job. Nobody knows that better than the Bradley coaching staff.

I haven’t seen anyone say this is only affecting BU. To the contrary, we’re all well aware that it’s affecting the whole of college basketball and that is what has some of us upset and disillusioned. I hate to beat a dead horse by repeating myself, but rooting for a new team or at least a new group of starters every year is just not the same as watching kids grow in a program over 4 years time.
I’ll still have season tickets, but I am really not happy with this new system they’ve created and I think it’s obvious I’m not alone.

[tomahawk chop]

This will definitely hurt ticket sales .

[Stryker]

I haven’t seen anyone say this is only affecting BU. To the contrary, we’re all well aware that it’s affecting the whole of college basketball and that is what has some of us upset and disillusioned. I hate to beat a dead horse by repeating myself, but rooting for a new team or at least a new group of starters every year is just not the same as watching kids grow in a program over 4 years time.
I’ll still have season tickets, but I am really not happy with this new system they’ve created and I think it’s obvious I’m not alone.

At least we know we aren't the only program facing these issues. Even other MVC teams are in much worse position right now than BU due to the transfer rules. Whatever happens, all we can count on is things will continue to change.

[Tommy]

At least we know we aren't the only program facing these issues. Even other MVC teams are in much worse position right now than BU due to the transfer rules. Whatever happens, all we can count on is things will continue to change.

That is true, and I have confidence in BW and the staff to get control over it in the future. They'll find a way to parse out kids that are going to stick around.

[tomahawk chop]

That is true, and I have confidence in BW and the staff to get control over it in the future. They'll find a way to parse out kids that are going to stick around.

The only way anyone can get control of this would be for all of it to go away and hopefully sooner rather then later.

[Lights down]

For student attendance, I think Bradley is going to have to put up some money to drive attendance at home games.

• First, put the bleachers back up next to the band and get rid of that silly Red Sea Club. Tables and seating can be behind the bleachers and mostly out of sight. Students need to have a section together and be more visible (not in random dark seats way off the court)
• Rename the student section something other than Red Sea (not real specific to Bradley outside of our primary color and other student sections share the same name)...The Hilltop Havoc or something along those lines to tie it more to Bradley
• Provide new t-shirts and other branded items for each student that signs up (perhaps with help from corporate sponsor?)
• Keep offering the free tickets, free shuttles and free pizza. Consider having restaurants on campus alternate catering the student section food at games
• Have student organization nights (Greek or otherwise) and contribute money towards their operating budget if they get X number of students to attend the game
• Have team nights where other BU athletic programs (women's bball, soccer, volleyball, etc.) have their entire team attend the game (men's bball would return the favor at their games/matches)
• Manage a drawing for free tuition for the semester or free books or free room and board (whatever is doable financially). You get your name added each time you attend a basketball game (men's or women's), volleyball match, soccer game, etc.
• During winter break games, invite area high school seniors and juniors to get free tickets for the student section and provide them with a Bradley shirt and branded gear (bonus recruitment angle)
• Add better halftime entertainment

Maybe these things have been tried before and have not worked. Unfortunately there are a lot of entertainment options now...and money talks. Gameday experience talks too.

All good suggestions. Additionally the lights could be dimmed allowing a better court experience, such as many similar venues. Then paint off the old logo and ties to the past. Great creative as some college courts have become… multi color, unique wood, a one of a kind floor that would excite fans! Put some sizzle on the steak. I’m as patriotic as the next person but standing on the court for the anthem during games in grade school (1958 ) we had our hands behind our back…. But beginning the school day, over our heart for the pledge.

[bradleyfan124]

All good suggestions. Additionally the lights could be dimmed allowing a better court experience, such as many similar venues. Then paint off the old logo and ties to the past. Great creative as some college courts have become… multi color, unique wood, a one of a kind floor that would excite fans! Put some sizzle on the steak. I’m as patriotic as the next person but standing on the court for the anthem during games in grade school (1958 ) we had our hands behind our back…. But beginning the school day, over our heart for the pledge.

Alot of those suggestions by Bradley Biz they do already.. And should continue to do it

[basketball nut]

I seen one game where a young man (8 years old?) became a Bradley fan.
His grandpa brought him to game and I suggested how they could go down on the floor for player introductions.
That young fan became a big BU fan that afternoon. He was sitting by my wife and talked to her the whole game about his experience. His grandpa said the kid talked about it for the next couple of days.

[Da Coach]

I am hearing that there was a surge of ticket sales for today's game, so hopefully, attendance should be pretty good. I expect some no-shows among the season ticket buyers because of the weather and the fact that the game is on TV (NBCSports Chicago and Bally Sports), but those will still get counted as tickets sold.


Speaking of attendance... Chicago State is having a better season than usual for them. They have already won 10 games. That's more than their 40-year historic average, which is in single digits. They won last night 131-55 over East-West University in front of a crowd listed at 94. That is really pathetic.
However, a photo from the game show that the number might have been far fewer- https://twitter.com/CollegeSportsO/s...971879/photo/1

I count about 20 fans in the arena at the start of the game-



They list their season average attendance as 200.

[braves16]

From Iowa's home game tonite.

https://twitter.com/sammmidd/status/1750306150724026850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1750306150724026850%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=