The number one way to increase attendance is to win more games and put a better product on the floor – to me this doesn’t just mean winning a few more games – this means recruiting better athletes and changing the style of play to be a more entertaining brand of basketball. Simply running high ball screen after high ball screen and shooting a desperation 3 with under 5 seconds left on the shot clock has to go. I am not saying that the whole system has to be changed, but I do think that a more up tempo style of play is necessary to truly bring back some of the fanbase (including myself) that is currently not interested in attending any games at Carver with the current product that is being offered.
Offer some serious ticket price discounts. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Carver Hawkeye is less than half full for most of the games this year. If the Athletic Department truly wants to get some butts back in the seats, there needs to be more than just single game promotions. Having dollar dog night is nice, but having a couple of dollar dog nights is not going to bring back the masses. Significant discounts like all non-conference games being offered to the public for $15 and Big 10 games at $20 would be a good starting point. Offering reduced concession prices would also help, and if the Athletic Department were smart they would combine the 2 strategies and offer a free concession (hot dog or ice cream cone) with each paid ticket.
Move the students / Hawks Nest closer to the court and give them some other spot than directly behind the basket. Most of the “prolific†home court advantages have a student section that is highly visible and loud – make some changes to the current layout to give our student section the opportunity to help create a hostile environment for opposing teams.
There are a number of other ways to improve the atmosphere at Carver including things like having player autograph signings or team poster giveaways, modernize the music from the pep band and come up with some cool form of halftime entertainment.
The one thing I can’t stand is to remain dormat and do nothing proactive to try to get some of the fanbase back into Carver. It’s the coaches job to improve the product on the floor, but it is the Athletic Department and Mr. Barta’s job to do everything they can to improve the Carver experience by making it more affordable and more enjoyable for the fans.
Offer some serious ticket price discounts. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Carver Hawkeye is less than half full for most of the games this year. If the Athletic Department truly wants to get some butts back in the seats, there needs to be more than just single game promotions. Having dollar dog night is nice, but having a couple of dollar dog nights is not going to bring back the masses. Significant discounts like all non-conference games being offered to the public for $15 and Big 10 games at $20 would be a good starting point. Offering reduced concession prices would also help, and if the Athletic Department were smart they would combine the 2 strategies and offer a free concession (hot dog or ice cream cone) with each paid ticket.
Move the students / Hawks Nest closer to the court and give them some other spot than directly behind the basket. Most of the “prolific†home court advantages have a student section that is highly visible and loud – make some changes to the current layout to give our student section the opportunity to help create a hostile environment for opposing teams.
There are a number of other ways to improve the atmosphere at Carver including things like having player autograph signings or team poster giveaways, modernize the music from the pep band and come up with some cool form of halftime entertainment.
The one thing I can’t stand is to remain dormat and do nothing proactive to try to get some of the fanbase back into Carver. It’s the coaches job to improve the product on the floor, but it is the Athletic Department and Mr. Barta’s job to do everything they can to improve the Carver experience by making it more affordable and more enjoyable for the fans.
