Nashville Cat
Member
I don't disagree with you. However, free tickets, free transportation and free pizza have already been offered with tepid response. What else is there?
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What will make attendance better?
- Thread starter BUBraves2006
- Start date
I don't disagree with you. However, free tickets, free transportation and free pizza have already been offered with tepid response. What else is there?
Part of me has to think the Civic Center has something to do with these higher prices. I love Bradley Basketball but it just isn't worth that much to go to a game and pay $65 for a decent seat, or pay $10 to sit up high up in a already half empty arena. Especially when I can just stream the game from the comfort of my home.
This would be a different issue if Bradley was playing quality opponents at home or making multiple trips to the NCAA tournament, then I think the demand would be there for the tickets regardless of the price. It is just basic supply and demand. Look at Gonzaga for example, they play in a small 6000 capacity arena yet every game is sold out. Tickets go for hundreds on secondary market, and you aren't going unless you pay that or know someone with season tickets. Their season ticket waitlist is also years long.
I'm not saying Bradley should just be giving away tickets or anything like that but we should at least be regularly filling the lower bowl, this current team deserves to play in front a crowd like we used to have.
Stryker
New member
IMO:
1) A large portion of the fan base has aged out. I graduated from the hilltop in 08' and at that time a large portion of the attendance was elderly. I don't want to downplay this group's contribution to BU basketball though. They are the ones buying the expensive season tickets and contributing to the Braves Club. They are critical. However, many of them are just gone.
2) Glasser/Cross era really ruined the product for a lot of people, which everyone here knows well. I attended a lot of games after graduating but once it became clear how the Glasser era was shaping up I stopped attending regularly.
3) Prices are too high. Now that I have my own kids who I want to bring to games, it is $40+ just for bad tickets. If we want to eat or drink anything there plus the cost of gas to get to downtown peoria etc, I'm looking at $60+ for 2 hrs of entertainment. It is doable some but I won't be dropping $500+ on BU basketball every season.
4) No doubt about it, quality of home opponents has fallen off a cliff the past 15 years. Non-conference home opponents have been terrible. I'm not necessarily saying that this can be improved given the current mens basketball environment, but if it can I think it would help a lot. Maybe the greatest live sporting event I have ever attended was when Michigan State came to Carver in 07'. 11,000+ fans, standing room only, I lost my voice at half time, the mats over the ice were literally vibrating under my feet (1st row of the student section), it was amazing. Also the quality of MVC opponents has fallen as well. While Evansville isn't always as bad as they are now, a 340 NET team or whatever is just so bad to watch. They scored 5 points in about 17 minutes of the 2nd half this week. And when other conference opponents like UIC & Valpo, both not much better, it just won't draw eyeballs. Teams like Wichita and Creighton put people in seats. The conference has gotten weaker.
5) My generation just doesn't do live events quite like they used too. Part of this is COVID, a lot of it is that most young families have both parents working outside the home. Makes it hard to attend events like this especially as other kids activities ramp up. Many industries have been negatively impacted by this, like golfing/country clubs, and other social activities. My generation has more avenues for entertainment than ever before, and most of them can be consumed at home.
Its sad to see the state of things right now for sure. When I was in school during the Les era the student section was always full, as was the lower bowl. While official attendance was always really high, some games probably had 5,000-7,000 people actually there. A lot better than it is now.
I have noticed attendance can be great if the right promos are run, like the Loyola game last year. While student attendance is important, and BU needs to get more them to games, the real focus should be on the local population. Those are the people that won't be leaving after a couple years and they can make generational fan progress as well. BU should be running promos almost every game to get school kids in the door and in the upper bowl.
I used to hate the idea of having basketball games on campus. However, if the on campus stadium can be retrofitted to about 6,000 and a solution to parking was available, it could make a lot of sense at this point. Clearly I don't have all the answers on fixing attendance. I feel with Kaboom and other promos over the past 5 years that a strong attempt was made at promoting the product. Just not sure where it can go from here. Winning helps.
1) A large portion of the fan base has aged out. I graduated from the hilltop in 08' and at that time a large portion of the attendance was elderly. I don't want to downplay this group's contribution to BU basketball though. They are the ones buying the expensive season tickets and contributing to the Braves Club. They are critical. However, many of them are just gone.
2) Glasser/Cross era really ruined the product for a lot of people, which everyone here knows well. I attended a lot of games after graduating but once it became clear how the Glasser era was shaping up I stopped attending regularly.
3) Prices are too high. Now that I have my own kids who I want to bring to games, it is $40+ just for bad tickets. If we want to eat or drink anything there plus the cost of gas to get to downtown peoria etc, I'm looking at $60+ for 2 hrs of entertainment. It is doable some but I won't be dropping $500+ on BU basketball every season.
4) No doubt about it, quality of home opponents has fallen off a cliff the past 15 years. Non-conference home opponents have been terrible. I'm not necessarily saying that this can be improved given the current mens basketball environment, but if it can I think it would help a lot. Maybe the greatest live sporting event I have ever attended was when Michigan State came to Carver in 07'. 11,000+ fans, standing room only, I lost my voice at half time, the mats over the ice were literally vibrating under my feet (1st row of the student section), it was amazing. Also the quality of MVC opponents has fallen as well. While Evansville isn't always as bad as they are now, a 340 NET team or whatever is just so bad to watch. They scored 5 points in about 17 minutes of the 2nd half this week. And when other conference opponents like UIC & Valpo, both not much better, it just won't draw eyeballs. Teams like Wichita and Creighton put people in seats. The conference has gotten weaker.
5) My generation just doesn't do live events quite like they used too. Part of this is COVID, a lot of it is that most young families have both parents working outside the home. Makes it hard to attend events like this especially as other kids activities ramp up. Many industries have been negatively impacted by this, like golfing/country clubs, and other social activities. My generation has more avenues for entertainment than ever before, and most of them can be consumed at home.
Its sad to see the state of things right now for sure. When I was in school during the Les era the student section was always full, as was the lower bowl. While official attendance was always really high, some games probably had 5,000-7,000 people actually there. A lot better than it is now.
I have noticed attendance can be great if the right promos are run, like the Loyola game last year. While student attendance is important, and BU needs to get more them to games, the real focus should be on the local population. Those are the people that won't be leaving after a couple years and they can make generational fan progress as well. BU should be running promos almost every game to get school kids in the door and in the upper bowl.
I used to hate the idea of having basketball games on campus. However, if the on campus stadium can be retrofitted to about 6,000 and a solution to parking was available, it could make a lot of sense at this point. Clearly I don't have all the answers on fixing attendance. I feel with Kaboom and other promos over the past 5 years that a strong attempt was made at promoting the product. Just not sure where it can go from here. Winning helps.
I couldn't agree with you more Da Coach! The very loud music is annoying but could be more tolerable if "younger people" actually attended the games and enjoyed that type of music. I agree the MC is very obnoxious. He adds nothing to the attending the game experience. The combination of him screaming and the worn out speaker system serving section 124 make it impossible to understand most of what he says.
Give me a break, blaming the older people that actually attend the games and stating catering to old people are causing drops in attendance could not be more further than the truth. Without the support of the old folks Bradley would be playing to a nearly empty arena.
I’m not student age, but not “older” either, and I would say these are my thoughts:
1. I’ve probably always been an “old soul” in terms of my interests and tastes. I don’t love loud or modern music much. Give me an acoustic figure and I’m good. However, that’s not the case for most in my generation. It is a tough balancing act because to a certain extent you have to play to younger people’s interests or eventually you will have no one left because older fans won’t be around forever. I love baseball the old fashion way as a non-timed relaxing game, but younger people generally don’t and that’s the MLB’s problem too right now.
2. At the same time, for a program like Bradley the older fans are its lifeblood right now. It’s a tough balancing act between young and older fans.
3. It’s harder to get invested in programs when the team changes every year with the new rules. I’m not saying I even disagree kids should have more pay or choice, but it’s created other problems to solve. I don’t know what the right answer is there. Having said that, Bradley did have some returning players and hype this year as much as a modern mid-major can expect, and it hasn’t seemed to matter much.
4. I’m not sure if power teams will even do 2 for 1s anymore, but maybe even more scheduling deals with other upper level mid majors (established, known programs). I don’t see what that’s not possible. We don’t see to do that much.
5. I don’t think the streaming is hurting young people attendance much. Young people aren’t generally watching cable tv anyway, and sports interest is less in younger generations unless they are playing them. It’s all about promoting one’a self now.
6. I do think more student would go if it was on campus and easy. Also experience is a big factor right now. The college game day type atmosphere with students jumping up and down along with a loud arena are a draw. This would happen more in a smaller arena. I just don’t see, baring a final four Loyola type run, Carver being filled like it used to be no matter what Bradley does due to societal factors. Maybe they could make it a “family” event like some are saying and try to attract people that way, but I’m not sure it’ll work.
To me, keep winning, hopefully eventfully on a national stage (NCAA tournament or beat ranked teams - cause that’s what the kids check), and move to campus (the 6200 seat expansion sounds good enough if still possible) to create a better student and overall atmosphere. Do more scheduling with upper level mid-majors that are well known programs and 2-for-1 with power teams if at all possible. Even do this with lower power teams, because with the new rules programs can change year to year anyway in terms of how good they are. Find a balance between younger game day happenings and a family/older generation happenings in terms of what is presented during games.
As someone who doesn’t live in the immediate Peoria area, as mentioned, the ticket prices are a huge factor for me too. I can’t afford nice seats very often.
1. I’ve probably always been an “old soul” in terms of my interests and tastes. I don’t love loud or modern music much. Give me an acoustic figure and I’m good. However, that’s not the case for most in my generation. It is a tough balancing act because to a certain extent you have to play to younger people’s interests or eventually you will have no one left because older fans won’t be around forever. I love baseball the old fashion way as a non-timed relaxing game, but younger people generally don’t and that’s the MLB’s problem too right now.
2. At the same time, for a program like Bradley the older fans are its lifeblood right now. It’s a tough balancing act between young and older fans.
3. It’s harder to get invested in programs when the team changes every year with the new rules. I’m not saying I even disagree kids should have more pay or choice, but it’s created other problems to solve. I don’t know what the right answer is there. Having said that, Bradley did have some returning players and hype this year as much as a modern mid-major can expect, and it hasn’t seemed to matter much.
4. I’m not sure if power teams will even do 2 for 1s anymore, but maybe even more scheduling deals with other upper level mid majors (established, known programs). I don’t see what that’s not possible. We don’t see to do that much.
5. I don’t think the streaming is hurting young people attendance much. Young people aren’t generally watching cable tv anyway, and sports interest is less in younger generations unless they are playing them. It’s all about promoting one’a self now.
6. I do think more student would go if it was on campus and easy. Also experience is a big factor right now. The college game day type atmosphere with students jumping up and down along with a loud arena are a draw. This would happen more in a smaller arena. I just don’t see, baring a final four Loyola type run, Carver being filled like it used to be no matter what Bradley does due to societal factors. Maybe they could make it a “family” event like some are saying and try to attract people that way, but I’m not sure it’ll work.
To me, keep winning, hopefully eventfully on a national stage (NCAA tournament or beat ranked teams - cause that’s what the kids check), and move to campus (the 6200 seat expansion sounds good enough if still possible) to create a better student and overall atmosphere. Do more scheduling with upper level mid-majors that are well known programs and 2-for-1 with power teams if at all possible. Even do this with lower power teams, because with the new rules programs can change year to year anyway in terms of how good they are. Find a balance between younger game day happenings and a family/older generation happenings in terms of what is presented during games.
As someone who doesn’t live in the immediate Peoria area, as mentioned, the ticket prices are a huge factor for me too. I can’t afford nice seats very often.
bradleyfan124
Active member
Win!!!!
bradleyfan124
Active member
I am not privy to negotiations between Civic Center and Bradley but it just seems like the Civic Center is not very accommodating to Bradley. Prices are high, too many snafus when it comes to normal operations( ticket office and open only one entrance gate at one time). A few weeks ago parking lot prices were $7 per person now they are $10. I know it is being picky but it is annoying people. Hopefully not to the point where they will quit coming
In addition to everything in my previous comment, I will say this seems to be more important to younger generations. Loyalty is not a huge things in sports anymore. Pro sports has been geared to be either you are a championship contender or you tank. Being in the middle is not a thing. Kids all love the Warriors or Bucks when the Bulls are bad. Bandwagon fans are a big thing right now. Very few teams carry a brand that gives them fans no matter what. Even the Cubs now lose attendance when they aren't winning. The Bulls even had fading attendance at the end of the Gar/Pax years despite the Jordan era still giving them more of brand power than most teams' pasts.
Very few kids want to root for a mid-major unless there is a family connection/fan, or they are winning a lot. Kids want to be on the championship bandwagon. Loyola became more talked about with kids because of beating Illinois and making tournament runs. Winning and building that tradition of big wins over a longer stretch of time is important to attract younger audiences. We need to start at least winning the Valley a couple of times in the regular season. I actually think that is more valuable than the conference tournament championships, because sometimes people associating winning conference tournaments with luck more than sustained success.
Bradley8792
Member
Something I noticed when I came to Bradley in the 80’s was the longevity of the administration and athletic department staff. They were in it for the long haul. Think Martin Abegg, Ron Ferguson. Seems like BU has now become a stepping stone for staff moving on to the next big opportunity. The constant turnover means new people who don’t know “how it was done” back when things were going really well. And the newer staff all want to come up with the next big idea (usually copied from another school) that they think will help them get the next job. I think this is the new norm and we might have to accept it.
And I agree, the emcee adds nothing to the experience. BU has an excellent communication department that specializes in sports. Give that opportunity to a student.
And I agree, the emcee adds nothing to the experience. BU has an excellent communication department that specializes in sports. Give that opportunity to a student.
Buesch N Chips
New member
Aren't most of the problems solved (except parking) if they move to RenCol?
The Old Guy
New member
Parking becomes a significant problem if the team back to campus. When the team was still on campus, the University had to depend on the community north of Main Street to provide parking. We lived about two blocks north of the Fieldhouse and our kids loved the fact that they could sell parking spaces in our driveway. Would have to get the neighborhood on board again to make playing on campus feasible.
Bradley3342
New member
I agree with you braves16. When was the last time this game at home was played on a Saturday? Correct me if I’m wrong but I think almost every game in the last few years has always been played on a Wednesday…
Bradley3342
New member
Well said BUfan14
Just last season, the ISU game at Bradley was on a Saturday (Feb. 19, 2022), though you are right that most home ISU games in the recent past have fallen on weekdays.
A former AD told me the main reason for this is because the MVC makes the schedule, and they have always tried to schedule the closer road trips for teams during the week, and the longer trips over weekends so the players miss the minimum amount of classroom days.
I just watched some of the Providence-Creighton game from Omaha. The Blue Jays had a huge student section and they were 9-8 going into that game. It would be interesting to know if Creighton does anything special to get students out for games.
When McDermott left Iowa State for Creighton, ISU hired Fred Hoiberg. ISU started selling $99 season tickets in the balcony at Hilton Coliseum. A buddy of mine jumped on that for 5 or 6 years. My friend has had ISU football tickets for about 45 or 46 years. I know they were still offering those tickets at the beginning of the Steve Prohm era because I went with him to a game when Prohm was there. Maybe Bradley could offer something like to get people interested in going to games without breaking the bank. Just a thought.
When McDermott left Iowa State for Creighton, ISU hired Fred Hoiberg. ISU started selling $99 season tickets in the balcony at Hilton Coliseum. A buddy of mine jumped on that for 5 or 6 years. My friend has had ISU football tickets for about 45 or 46 years. I know they were still offering those tickets at the beginning of the Steve Prohm era because I went with him to a game when Prohm was there. Maybe Bradley could offer something like to get people interested in going to games without breaking the bank. Just a thought.
Thanks DC.
The answer to improving turnout is to move into a building that seats fewer people than the lowest average we've ever had? So even fewer people can attend?? What sense does that make?
The Renaissance Coliseum could be expanded, which is feasible.
If attendance is shrinking with no signs that it will go back to numbers like a decade ago (>6000). The BU Athletic Department cannot continue to lose money with every game like they are at the Civic Center.
If attendance is shrinking with no signs that it will go back to numbers like a decade ago (>6000). The BU Athletic Department cannot continue to lose money with every game like they are at the Civic Center.