Improving the atmosphere at Carver Hawkeye

Strippers would help draw the fellas in. Maybe set up the concourse like those shitty vendor events for the women were they can buy knick knacks and Lu La rue clothing.
 
lightning1 said:
It would require Gutless Gary to have a brain, to accurately project that. He doesn't. I'm sure his crazy idiot math has assured him it will work out down the road. But the factors are stacking up against him. The maximum amount that the fans will pay for mediocrity has been reached. The cost of doing business isn't going down. Gutless and his coaches expect raises and performance bonuses for mediocre results. How long can Gutless Gary afford to keep ticket prices at the current level? A level that already can't convince fans the product is worth the current price of admission.
Gutless Gary is going to shit a kitten when the media contracts begin to decline. I'd love to see the look on his face when that happens.
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Your last paragraph speaks to why the whole house of cards they have built in Iowa City will collapse at some point. This whole track of revenues first has built a momentum of its own over the years which has blindsided everybody involved in making the big decisions. I think it probably extends even beyond athletics where parents have written about how distant the administration seems from the student body in comparison to other schools where they have sent kids to college including Iowa State. Barta deserves every bit of flack that comes his way but this extends way beyond him. The future doesn't look pretty and I too hope Gutless Gary as you like to call him has to deal with it.
 
I love Carver arena & still love Fran, but the game experience is horrible. Don’t believe Iowa needs to start winning before changing the culture. Entirely new culture and a major rehaul of game day atmosphere is needed, starting now.

Problem, as others have said, is the administration. It seems like the person in charge of the game atmosphere has never been to or cares to ever watch an actual basketball game. All parts of the game day experience are horrible.

I also doubt if Fran or anyone under Fran enjoys or even approves of the atmosphere. I can’t imagine playing on the road in other big10 arenas & then having to play in front of Iowa’s crowd. I actually feel bad for the entire team. Carver should help the home team win & I don’t think it does.

There’s way too many flaws to list but I’ll include a couple:

1. Installed jumbo screens and center court screens last year, mostly filled with advertising. WTF?! Why advertise Iowa during an Iowa game? Show more stats, there’s plenty of room on the monitors
2. Need more replay’s.No controversial calls are shown. Hold the refs accountable for doing their job.
3. Better music. Iowa band plays the same music game-by-game, every year. Few exceptions but learn new songs or hire a DJ (like NIT last year).
4. Pregame – when iowa is in the locker room, visitors are on the floor warming up. Play gospel music or opera.
5. Food & drinks are too expensive. I never purchase anything from concessions.
6. Iowa’s timeout courtside announcer, Laura Vandeberg. Need someone with more energy & will get the crowd into the game. Again, she advertises Iowa way too much. Don’t think its her fault, it’s the script. Boring. Scrap it.
7. Starting lineups, Chant or get loud for visting team. Instead, Iowa fans clap for the visitors. WHY?!
8. University needs to get the student section involved. Drake has given free pizza, gift cards & contests to their students during the game. This would be a start, donated by local businesses.
9. Personal interactions with the players (prerecorded interview with players shown on big screen)
10. Cheerleaders don’t need to be the center of attention for every timeout.
11. Easier idea: I went to away game in Lincoln this year. Iowa needs to scrap the entire game day & copy Nebraska, Pinnacle Bank Arena. PBA is the NBA & Iowa atmosphere is a middle school

Get HOSTILE IOWA!!
 
Agree way too much "politeness" in Carver. Fans should be loud and hostile (not vulgar) in a fun way. The place sounded loud for the Indiana game. My guess a bunch of regulars sold their tickets and some fans with a pulse bought them up. My guess they didn't go for much over $25 a ticket. When tickets go for over $75 bucks apiece and it would be $300 bucks for a family of 4 is the reason many fans don't go to games. I'm a Hawk fan from the 80's but that's too much to pay for the quality that is being put out.
 
lightning1 said:
It would require Gutless Gary to have a brain, to accurately project that. He doesn't. I'm sure his crazy idiot math has assured him it will work out down the road. But the factors are stacking up against him. The maximum amount that the fans will pay for mediocrity has been reached. The cost of doing business isn't going down. Gutless and his coaches expect raises and performance bonuses for mediocre results. How long can Gutless Gary afford to keep ticket prices at the current level? A level that already can't convince fans the product is worth the current price of admission.
Gutless Gary is going to shit a kitten when the media contracts begin to decline. I'd love to see the look on his face when that happens.
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It could be interesting times in the future. It's all about the money, for sure. If the media money goes in reverse, it wouldn't surprise me to see teams like OSU and Michigan deciding they're not that motivated to equally share in the revenue with schools like Iowa. I don't know what the conference agreement looks like, but it can't be in perpetuity. New super conferences could be formed by the true big shots, or the threat of it to renegotiate revenue sharing, and leave the others scrambling or capitulating.
 
1. Pick up Carver and move it 2 miles East.
2. Wait 10 years until all the fans around the floor are dead.

But in reality, like someone else said the game day atmosphere is terrible. Feel like I'm walking into a movie theatre. No excitement, noone having fun. Inside is no different. Boring food, boring merchandise, too dark.

All the obvious fixes have been discussed over and over, yet the athletic department doesn't need to change anything because they are still making plenty of money.

The only way it changes is if a successful coach comes in and demands the changes. Alford attempted it but was crushed by the athletic department as usual.
 
Healzya said:
1. Pick up Carver and move it 2 miles East.
2. Wait 10 years until all the fans around the floor are dead.

But in reality, like someone else said the game day atmosphere is terrible. Feel like I'm walking into a movie theatre. No excitement, noone having fun. Inside is no different. Boring food, boring merchandise, too dark.

All the obvious fixes have been discussed over and over, yet the athletic department doesn't need to change anything because they are still making plenty of money.

The only way it changes is if a successful coach comes in and demands the changes. Alford attempted it but was crushed by the athletic department as usual.
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It will take a no nonsense athletic director who can win the support of the donor class and show the administration that you can raise money and field competitive athletic teams for things to change IMO. The university just has no clue what having nationally recognized athletic teams can do to raise the profile of the entire university. I didn't like Iowa City when I went to school there and the way they operate leaves me rather cold as far as ever wanting to go back like for a football game. I think a competent female AD post Barta would make things interesting but at this stage of life I've become too cynical to think that the needle will move much in my lifetime.
 
What I like about CHA:
The Cambus from Hancher is great. Drops you off at the door. Sure, maybe a line after, but worth it.
Food isn't out of this world pricey.
Bathrooms typically are doable.
Traffic around the top seems to move well, even when busy.
(Finally), the video aspect has been upgraded to digital.
The sound seems to filter down to the floor...it gets loud.

What I don't like about CHA:
The regular seats suck. SUCK. Hard, narrow, no cup holders. Tight and uncomfortable.
It's a long walk if you don't do the Cambus. No wonder the students don't show up.
Halftime entertainment is mostly lame.
Student section isn't very intimidating.
It simply isn't the field house. What a home court advantage was when I went there.
 
thedukeofearl said:
Play with the lights out. Players wear miners hats.....

7f14676ab8514f59472b0fa2d3321cfd--coal-mining-oil-lamps.jpg


Or just light the glass and rim.....

t3.jpg
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You deserve many points for this post.
 
hawkation said:
I love Carver arena & still love Fran, but the game experience is horrible. Don’t believe Iowa needs to start winning before changing the culture. Entirely new culture and a major rehaul of game day atmosphere is needed, starting now.

Problem, as others have said, is the administration. It seems like the person in charge of the game atmosphere has never been to or cares to ever watch an actual basketball game. All parts of the game day experience are horrible.

I also doubt if Fran or anyone under Fran enjoys or even approves of the atmosphere. I can’t imagine playing on the road in other big10 arenas & then having to play in front of Iowa’s crowd. I actually feel bad for the entire team. Carver should help the home team win & I don’t think it does.

There’s way too many flaws to list but I’ll include a couple:

1. Installed jumbo screens and center court screens last year, mostly filled with advertising. WTF?! Why advertise Iowa during an Iowa game? Show more stats, there’s plenty of room on the monitors
2. Need more replay’s.No controversial calls are shown. Hold the refs accountable for doing their job.
3. Better music. Iowa band plays the same music game-by-game, every year. Few exceptions but learn new songs or hire a DJ (like NIT last year).
4. Pregame – when iowa is in the locker room, visitors are on the floor warming up. Play gospel music or opera.
5. Food & drinks are too expensive. I never purchase anything from concessions.
6. Iowa’s timeout courtside announcer, Laura Vandeberg. Need someone with more energy & will get the crowd into the game. Again, she advertises Iowa way too much. Don’t think its her fault, it’s the script. Boring. Scrap it.
7. Starting lineups, Chant or get loud for visting team. Instead, Iowa fans clap for the visitors. WHY?!
8. University needs to get the student section involved. Drake has given free pizza, gift cards & contests to their students during the game. This would be a start, donated by local businesses.
9. Personal interactions with the players (prerecorded interview with players shown on big screen)
10. Cheerleaders don’t need to be the center of attention for every timeout.
11. Easier idea: I went to away game in Lincoln this year. Iowa needs to scrap the entire game day & copy Nebraska, Pinnacle Bank Arena. PBA is the NBA & Iowa atmosphere is a middle school

Get HOSTILE IOWA!!
Click to expand...
Sounds like you're describing an NBA game, which I agree would be nice.
 
What ever happened to going to the game to just actually being entertained by basketball. I'll bet most of you can't entertain yourself without a computer. I see young people at the games constantly on their smart phones and don't even watch the game. Got any excuses for those people like you do for the so called blue hairs. Can't wait to hear these comments.
 
judzeehawk said:
What ever happened to going to the game to just actually being entertained by basketball. I'll bet most of you can't entertain yourself without a computer. I see young people at the games constantly on their smart phones and don't even watch the game. Got any excuses for those people like you do for the so called blue hairs. Can't wait to hear these comments.
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Agree! I go to watch basketball....period.

It drives me nuts to see people constantly on their phones. Criminy...can't they manage to stay off them for 2 hours? Is it really that hard? What is so darn important that you have to be staring into your phone all the time? Put it away and pay attention to life.
 
judzeehawk said:
What ever happened to going to the game to just actually being entertained by basketball. I'll bet most of you can't entertain yourself without a computer. I see young people at the games constantly on their smart phones and don't even watch the game. Got any excuses for those people like you do for the so called blue hairs. Can't wait to hear these comments.
Click to expand...
This^^^^. I only require 2 things.
1). Put the student section on one side of the court, on the floor.
2). put a consistent winning team on the floor. Win a BIG title at least once a decade. Make a deep tourney run once every decade. To accomplish those things, you must hire a coach that can recruit.
 
83Hawk said:
Agree! I go to watch basketball....period.

It drives me nuts to see people constantly on their phones. Criminy...can't they manage to stay off them for 2 hours? Is it really that hard? What is so darn important that you have to be staring into your phone all the time? Put it away and pay attention to life.
Click to expand...
Stay off my lawn!!
 
lightning1 said:
This^^^^. I only require 2 things.
1). Put the student section on one side of the court, on the floor.
2). put a consistent winning team on the floor. Win a BIG title at least once a decade. Make a deep tourney run once every decade. To accomplish those things, you must hire a coach that can recruit.
Click to expand...

The product on the court is way more important than where the students actually sit. Purdue students sit behind the baskets, they don't seem to have any problems drawing fans or winning this year. Iowa State, Kansas and Minnesota students sit behind the baskets and never seem to have issues drawing students to the games.

Iowa definitely has issues with student engagement, but it all starts with winning.
 
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