99topdawg
Well-Known Member
I don't know man, they have balloons. If that's not atmosphere and a reason for 5 stars to be fighting to commit, I don't know what is.
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Fryowa
Administrator
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
IF THEY SOLD ALL OF THE TICKETS TO THE GAME IT IS A SELLOUT. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY SOLD 1,000 TICKETS TO THE SECRETARY IN THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT FOR A DOLLAR. THE TICKETS WERE STILL SOLD.
Fryowa
Administrator
Basketball games being boring is a venue issue, not a fan/team issue. If we had a 10K-12K seat arena in a smaller, louder building with students and fans closer to the court, free tickets and pizza to students, it'd be more fun.
Conversely, Carver is the undisputed best venue on earth for wrestling...it's just not a basketball place. Hearing a sell-out crowd erupt after Spencer Lee pins a guy in period 1 of a Penn State dual is something basketball has never and will never do.
They're two different sports and basketball needs a different home.
racerhawk
Well-Known Member
It's both. The arena isn't ideal, but when you put the blue hairs near the court, and they ask people to sit down, it's not all that different than what you are describing about Nebby. Iowa is a state with an aging, but loyal, hawkeye fanbase. Carver would be different if the students were all courtside around the whole arena.
If rasslin' can be loud, so can basketball. Your point is that the crowd makes the difference, much more than the arena. I agree with you.
Put the blue hairs near the top so they don't have to climb as many stairs. They have easier access to ice cream, and can leave early to beat the traffic!
Fryowa
Administrator
For wrestling Carver is akin to a gladiator pit, it's just set up so much better for a sport where 100% of the action occurs inside a 32' circle. It also helps with the history the Hawks have in the sport. In the wrestling world Carver is like Cameron Indoor Stadium, or Madison Square Garden. Russians, Turks, Iranians, Khazaks, Cubans, all with arguably a deeper and more historic wrestling culture (freestyle), all recognize it as the Mecca of the sport. It's crazy how so few local people understand the significance of this little arena in their backyard to a particular sport.
racerhawk
Well-Known Member
That makes sense. I've been to a few Wrestling events (both against Iowa State) in Carver and they were great. I've also been to too many Carver basketball games to count, and when I was a student I worked in Carver for my summer job. I know every space in Carver like the back of my hand.
I've been to a few basketball games that were amazing. Loud. Intense. Most aren't that way at all. But they have ice cream.
The crowd makes all the difference.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
I went to a fair amount of hoops games when I lived in IC and Chicago and I gotta say CHA is a shell of what it was in the '80's and '90's in terms of hoops fan engagement.
No debating that... Felt like Alford started to change that. Things were good with him initially. He beat UConn his first game and that first season folks were engaged but not long after that season man... Then the Licklighter era just put a huge turd in the punchbowl. Hasn't been the same since the Chris Street, Acie Earl, and earlier days to me and that was like 92-93ish.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
That's because the corporations and school bought them out prob for $25, just to say they kept their sellout streak going. It's a racket. Yea, ticket's on Stub Hub for $40 is telling and proves this. Nobody is going to buy $80 willing to take a loss of 50% on tickets online. That is really telling.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
It still wasn't like it was in the 80's, though.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Yep, eighties until around '93 or '94 was prolly the golden era (caveat that I'm too young to remember the Lute era). I remember meeting up with my old man and going to a game at some point in the Joey Range era (my old man lived near Galesburg at the time and was a huge Joey Range fan) and when we walked out my old man asked "Is that the same place we used to go watch Iowa play?" He couldn't believe how hard the crowd support had fallen off.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Those blue hairs must have been a lot rowdier in their younger years.
99topdawg
Well-Known Member
What were the numbers on tickets scanned at Husker games?
The number of tickets scanned at Husker football games stayed mostly steady this past season until a November drop-off as Nebraska played two of its bigger rivals in
247sports.com
SmokeTownHawk
Well-Known Member
I remember working at assisted living home in the early 80's. The blue hairs in Cedar Falls were anything but quiet when Lute and the boys were on. Bob Hogue could work up a TV audience like no other, even amongst the 80 year olds.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
The Field House was deafening. Raucous. Almost not believable. Just being there was an event in itself.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Bob Hogue, KWWL Sports. No shit. I remember him. A classic!
Fryowa
Administrator
Which is what we need now. Smaller arena.
Call it the Fieldhouse again.
Chris Street Court at Iowa Fieldhouse.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
Was there as a kid when Lester and co knocked off to be #1 IL. My first game. The crowd and me included really gave it to Illinois shooter....ironically who later became a friend and asst coach. The noise was cso loud it sounded distorted.
