Bill Marsh wrote:Taking in all of the pageantry associated with Media Day got me to thinking about the only other time that the Big East teams all come together under one roof - the Big East Tournament.
Last year the tournament averaged 20,000 attendance per session. Contrast that with the Atlantic Ten tournament , which averaged 6,000 per session across the river at the Barclay Center. That's the conference from which 2 of the 3 new members will be coming. Creighton is used to bigger numbers than that at its conference tournament, which averaged 14,000 last year.
Will the new Big East be able to sell out the Garden as the old version did? Will the tournament be a happening?
If they don't sell out, expansion will be coming sooner rather than later in order to sell more tickets. That thought makes me realize why Dayton is still in the running for an expansion spot. Not only was their 12,400 home attendance 26th in the country last year, but they are located farther east than any of the other Midwest members of the conference. Contrast them with St Louis, which sits 362 miles farther west and averaged 7,673 in attendance last year. Which of those 2 is more likely to deliver fans at tournament time? VCU averaged 7693 in attendance last year, only a tick higher than St Louis, but they are also only a 333 mile drive up I-95 from Richmond and an easy commute to the tournament by Amtrak or air line. Richmond, the other frequently mentioned expansion candidate has the same location advantage as VCU but attendance last year (5960) that was under 6000 and barely made the top 100 in the country (95th).
The economics of the new conference normally focus on TV ratings and TV market, but ticket sales at the tournament are a big deal and relate heavily to the conference's ability to sell its tournament to the TV networks. It will be interesting to see how these economics effect expansion decisions when and if that time comes.
DumpsterFireA10 wrote:You matched up the Big East with the worst conference in America. Easy to make any point that way.
DumpsterFireA10 wrote:You compared the Big East to the Jokelantic 10. That's not a downside, that's Armageddon.
The A-10 is brutal, and I would rather see my school independent than be a member of it.
Bill Marsh wrote:DumpsterFireA10 wrote:You matched up the Big East with the worst conference in America. Easy to make any point that way.
But they're not the worst conference in America. Want a list of the conferences that drew worse?
I was simply presenting best case scenario, I.e. old Big East. But that was with as many as 16 teams including some that are a lot bigger than most of the current BE and others who are closer than many of the new BE and who have many alumni in NY/NJ.
Then I contrasted it with where a couple of our new members are coming from, i.e. a place the new BE doesn't want to be. Anyone who isn't willing to look at the down side possibilities that the league faces just isn't being realistic about the risks facing a 10 team league with a number of relatively small schools playing their tournament on the East Coast with HalfThe members coming from the Midwest.
XtoDC wrote:If we are worried about selling out the Garden for the Big East Tournament then perhaps it is time to temper down the 'Winning the Big East Tournament is on par with winning the national championship' talk.
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