What Do You Think Are The Biggest Factors For Attendance?

[FlyByNight101]

I think that ease of access give a pretty big boost to attendance in Omaha. (I can leave my house 45 minutes before tip, drive the 10 miles to the CLink, park and be in my seat with popcorn and my beverage of choice before lineups are announced.) I would imagine that there would be a percentage of fans here that would choose to just watch the games from home if a bigger time commitment was required.
Conversely, I think that student attendance is hampered because games are not played on campus, though this year seems to be a little better than years past.

[SJHooper]

As per the diversity comment, I don't think there's any question it negatively affects school pride and attendance. The question is how much. It's great to be able to boast an international presence, however within our diverse student body, many come from low income areas and are the first to attend college in their family. Many receive Pell grants which I believe are given to us by the government to attract students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. This is our lifeblood and we rely on those grants. The flipside is that academically we suffer because of it. This is why whenever you see the Big East academics rankings, we will always be at the bottom. Our university is more focused on attracting those populations to get as much grant money as possible as opposed to seeking the most qualified students. As I've said before, SJ is very easy to get into as an undergrad, but our graduate programs are very competitive.

I think you are being overly negative on having a diverse (racially, economically etc.) student population. A lot of people are proud to be a part of a diverse student body. So don't get me wrong, SJU's cultural makeup might hurt basketball attendance but many would argue that is a small trade-off.

Also, Pell grants (which I received) aren't given by the school but rather by the government and every single school in america accepts them, so I don't know why you single SJU out. And they have nothing to do with admission standards, its purely based on economic means.

Some seek it and others find it uncomfortable. I don't judge anyone for having either points of view. I believe SJU receives more Pell grants than most schools. It's not just that we get them like other schools, but how many. According to this site, 34% of Pell grant recipients have GPA's of 3.0 or lower compared to non-Pell grant recipients where 29.9% have GPA's of 3.0 or lower. I know it's not a huge discrepancy, but it does back up my assertion. Also interesting is that 41% of Pell grant students have parents who have no higher than a HS diploma. Compare this to 21% of Non-Pell students with parents who have no higher than a HS diploma. My point is that SJ is accepting less competitive students (not faulting them, many have dealt with lots of adversity) and focusing on Pell grants more than other schools rather than going all-in on the most qualified. Though the GPA's may not be that different, their backgrounds make them more likely not to graduate...that's something the study didn't investigate but should have. An educated guess would be that Pell grant students are more likely to drop out. This is focusing on specifics though, the general theme is that more diversity leads to less unity as studies show and therefore not feeling as connected to campus culture or school pride, therefore negatively impacting basketball attendance.

[ecasadoSBU]

Not to focus on the diversity aspect too much

But being from the caribbean myself (D.R) where there isn't such thing as college basketball or intercollegiate athletics at the college level like the NCAA. I attended Stony Brook and can relate to the diversity and sports situation. Diversity is great and has made Stony Brook a wonderful and competitive school academically but in the athletics end is doesn't lead to great attendance or support. Its just the way it is. People have different interests and expectations of what college is meant to be... and that's fine but makes it harder to gather up support from the entire population.

BUT...I wouldn't give up diversity and the benefits it provides (preparing you for the real world to live in a multicultural environment) for collegiate sports success.

[SJHooper]

Not to focus on the diversity aspect too much

But being from the caribbean myself (D.R) where there isn't such thing as college basketball or intercollegiate athletics at the college level like the NCAA. I attended Stony Brook and can relate to the diversity and sports situation. Diversity is great and has made Stony Brook a wonderful and competitive school academically but in the athletics end is doesn't lead to great attendance or support. Its just the way it is. People have different interests and expectations of what college is meant to be... and that's fine but makes it harder to gather up support from the entire population.

BUT...I wouldn't give up diversity and the benefits it provides (preparing you for the real world to live in a multicultural environment) for collegiate sports success.

Interesting to hear your perspective. I know some people from other countries I've spoken to and they are very confused about college athletics here being similar to pros lol it just doesn't exist elsewhere. I also want to get away from the diversity part since it's kind of getting away from the main point, but I'll end it here. I believe it has an influence on attendance and I also think some people love diversity in the student body and good for them. Other people get shamed for going to homogenous schools like PC and I don't like that. I think students should go where they feel most comfortable. If you love diversity, great. If you prefer less diversity, great. It's personal preference. Nothing should be forced either way.

It would also be interesting to see surveys from all Big East schools asking them what would make them attend more games or why they don't attend games now. Giveaways are cool and work for some. For me, I need a good product on the court and I need to be able to have enough space and comfort. SJ is also a dry campus so you can't have a beer on campus. I think this hurts attendance also. Something that hasn't been mentioned yet surprisingly is the times of games. I never understood 9:00 PM games on week days. You essentially guarantee getting home around midnight or later and have to get up for work the next morning.

[ecasadoSBU]

I also wanted to add that the New York entertainment landscape is so huge that in order to draw attention you sorta have to have the HYPE on you. Only a few teams have the non-stop hype (KY, DUKE,etc) thanks to ESPN. The problem we are facing as a league right now is that we have an amazing product but its not reaching the masses as it should. Its deserving of being mainstream but the times have changed and the primary mainstream sport outlet (ESPN) is not helping the B.E a single bit. Why would it?

Thats my major concern. How do we get the B.E product out to the masses like back in the 80s and 90s? I was looking at attendance numbers across the B.E back in the 90s and i was in disbelief. We are talking about NBA level attendances across the board. What was different then? I wouldnt say quality? Or was it?

[Barley]

Thats my major concern. How do we get the B.E product out to the masses like back in the 80s and 90s? I was looking at attendance numbers across the B.E back in the 90s and i was in disbelief. We are talking about NBA level attendances across the board. What was different then? I wouldnt say quality? Or was it?

Every game is on TV now. That's a big difference.

[SJHooper]

I also wanted to add that the New York entertainment landscape is so huge that in order to draw attention you sorta have to have the HYPE on you. Only a few teams have the non-stop hype (KY, DUKE,etc) thanks to ESPN. The problem we are facing as a league right now is that we have an amazing product but its not reaching the masses as it should. Its deserving of being mainstream but the times have changed and the primary mainstream sport outlet (ESPN) is not helping the B.E a single bit. Why would it?

Thats my major concern. How do we get the B.E product out to the masses like back in the 80s and 90s? I was looking at attendance numbers across the B.E back in the 90s and i was in disbelief. We are talking about NBA level attendances across the board. What was different then? I wouldnt say quality? Or was it?

I've always wondered...seeing as the Big East has proven itself to still be a legitimate major conference with lots of ranked teams, lots of berths, and the reigning champion, does ESPN ever try to get us back? I'm not sure what the deal is. Also, the difference is that the old Big East had huge schools like Syracuse, Notre Dame (if not in numbers, definitely in name), Louisville, UConn, Pitt, etc. Even people who do not follow basketball know who those schools are. I guess you can say it's branding and size. I hate to say it, but nationally the average person probably doesn't know about SJ, Seton Hall, Providence, Creighton, Marquette, Xavier, DePaul, Butler. They probably have at least heard of Villanova and Georgetown. With the other group, unless basketball is part of the topic, I don't think many would know. Remember, the C7 stayed...small catholic schools. So of course our branding never was at Louisville or Syracuse levels and probably never will be.

With that being said, if our teams win consistently and go deep consistently, it will continue to raise the conference profile. There should be more "Big East" events like a "Big East Fan Fest" in the city maybe an open bar and a chance to win prizes and meet coaches/players. I think that would get the name recognition out to more lay people who otherwise wouldn't know about us. Maybe if they also did a "Fan of the Week" for each school in the conference then have them as finalists to then be voted on and win the "Big East fan of the Week" grand prize which can be something substantial. I know this sounds dry and old but free t-shirts always seem to work especially if they are nice shirts. Give free Under Armour shirts away and I guarantee people will come. I know at SJ our bobblehead nights were usually solid. Hey, it worked on me...I drove 45-50 minutes because they were giving away a Mullin bobblehead. On the way out, those who didn't get there on time were offering me 20 bucks for it on the spot to which I declined. It definitely seemed to motivate people. I wish we could get whoever is responsible for promotions for the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets minor league team). They always have great ideas and cool giveaways that make the national news they are so cool. We just need creativity.

[stever20]

I also wanted to add that the New York entertainment landscape is so huge that in order to draw attention you sorta have to have the HYPE on you. Only a few teams have the non-stop hype (KY, DUKE,etc) thanks to ESPN. The problem we are facing as a league right now is that we have an amazing product but its not reaching the masses as it should. Its deserving of being mainstream but the times have changed and the primary mainstream sport outlet (ESPN) is not helping the B.E a single bit. Why would it?

Thats my major concern. How do we get the B.E product out to the masses like back in the 80s and 90s? I was looking at attendance numbers across the B.E back in the 90s and i was in disbelief. We are talking about NBA level attendances across the board. What was different then? I wouldnt say quality? Or was it?

I've always wondered...seeing as the Big East has proven itself to still be a legitimate major conference with lots of ranked teams, lots of berths, and the reigning champion, does ESPN ever try to get us back? I'm not sure what the deal is. Also, the difference is that the old Big East had huge schools like Syracuse, Notre Dame (if not in numbers, definitely in name), Louisville, UConn, Pitt, etc. Even people who do not follow basketball know who those schools are. I guess you can say it's branding and size. I hate to say it, but nationally the average person probably doesn't know about SJ, Seton Hall, Providence, Creighton, Marquette, Xavier, DePaul, Butler. They probably have at least heard of Villanova and Georgetown. With the other group, unless basketball is part of the topic, I don't think many would know. Remember, the C7 stayed...small catholic schools. So of course our branding never was at Louisville or Syracuse levels and probably never will be.

With that being said, if our teams win consistently and go deep consistently, it will continue to raise the conference profile. There should be more "Big East" events like a "Big East Fan Fest" in the city maybe an open bar and a chance to win prizes and meet coaches/players. I think that would get the name recognition out to more lay people who otherwise wouldn't know about us. Maybe if they also did a "Fan of the Week" for each school in the conference then have them as finalists to then be voted on and win the "Big East fan of the Week" grand prize which can be something substantial. I know this sounds dry and old but free t-shirts always seem to work especially if they are nice shirts. Give free Under Armour shirts away and I guarantee people will come. I know at SJ our bobblehead nights were usually solid. Hey, it worked on me...I drove 45-50 minutes because they were giving away a Mullin bobblehead. On the way out, those who didn't get there on time were offering me 20 bucks for it on the spot to which I declined. It definitely seemed to motivate people. I wish we could get whoever is responsible for promotions for the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets minor league team). They always have great ideas and cool giveaways that make the national news they are so cool. We just need creativity.

It's going to be interesting to see in I guess now 2 years when the CBS sub-licensing deal runs out if ESPN doesn't try to pick up the same deal. I could see a scenario where maybe ESPN gets some Big East games in exchange for Fox getting some Big 12 games perhaps? Would make sense both directions.

[billyjack]

On Syracuse... important to understand that in 1979 they were ranked and had a great team, made a recent Final Four... so they were well known, but they actually weren't a national name. The coach that took them to the Final Four in 1975 moved on the next year to Tulane.

As JPSchmack has mentioned, Syracuse and St Bonaventure were in the same general orbit, though Syracuse was better.

Also, they and Pitt were the only 2 Big East schools off the I-95 Northeast Corridor, so they were relatively isolated compared to the other BE schools.

Two keys to building up their status were moving from Manley Fieldhouse to the Carrier Dome which allowed amazing crowds, and the success and exposure they got in the Big East.

What's my point? I'm not sure. Kind of thinking out loud, which is dangerous. Except I guess I'm thinking, there are parallels between Syracuse 1979 and Creighton 2016... huge crowds, no major league teams, a relative geographical outlier. The Creighton program could really turn into a juggernaut if things continue to move correctly.

[Letsgonova]

Some other factors:

- Size of student body/alumni pool/local market - seems obvious, but the more students/alumni/casual fans around, the more people who can come to the building.

- Local enterainment competition. This is a big one for schools in large metros. Lots of competition for the entertainment dollar and time allocation. Benefits schools in smaller college towns and non-pro sports cities. Also affects the level of local media coverage and exposure.

- Facilities I'd argue is less important. Villanova has perhaps the worst building in the major conferences, but has sold it out for decades. If you've got a good product, people will come.

- Increasingly, cost. When Rutgers wants $40 a head to see a game, it's getting a little out of reach for a casual fan. This is starting to be a real problem.