The Elephant in the room
- Thread starter BILLBUCKNER
- Start date
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
The crowds in Carver have been pretty lame for quite a while, at least since the Lick era, maybe even the Alford era, not sure.
Say what you will about yesterday's opponent, but I remember last year when Iowa beat MSU in Carver when MSU was #1.. The Hawks got off to a GREAT start in that game, 11-4 lead early or something.. Just some polite clapping from the crowd. Did they not realize that the #1 team in the country was in town? It wasn't until later in the game that I remember the crowd getting into the game much.
I'm not sure it's attendance or lack thereof that's the real problem - seems those who do show up just sit on their hands. WHY that is, though, I'm not real sure. Maybe it's as simple as Alford and Lick to blame for sucking the life out of the fan base, but seems like the enthusiasm you saw in Carver during the 80's and 90's is gone.
Say what you will about yesterday's opponent, but I remember last year when Iowa beat MSU in Carver when MSU was #1.. The Hawks got off to a GREAT start in that game, 11-4 lead early or something.. Just some polite clapping from the crowd. Did they not realize that the #1 team in the country was in town? It wasn't until later in the game that I remember the crowd getting into the game much.
I'm not sure it's attendance or lack thereof that's the real problem - seems those who do show up just sit on their hands. WHY that is, though, I'm not real sure. Maybe it's as simple as Alford and Lick to blame for sucking the life out of the fan base, but seems like the enthusiasm you saw in Carver during the 80's and 90's is gone.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Real simple: let students in free. I can't even begin to count all the other schools that do this.
lightning1
Well-Known Member
Multiple reasons.
Kids sports are year round any more. This coupled with the fact that the basketball schedule fluctuates, makes it difficult to attend every game. That makes purchasing season tickets more expensive.
The AD is too stupid to put the student section in the best seats, near the floor.
Nobody likes to go to a college sporting event and be told to sit down. This has been a 30 yr long problem at CHA
Poor attendance is the result of bad coaching hires. It's much easier to keep customers, than it is to get them back. Now fans understand that they can sit in the comfort of their own homes and watch for 2 hrs - for free, instead of devoting 4 hrs to the travel/cold/uncomfortable seats - for $40 per.
If the current coach wins a BIG title or gets to a Final Four, ticket sales will take off and the arena will be packed. Short of that, all of your whining, bitching and complaining about how other people spend their money is just a YOU problem.
Kids sports are year round any more. This coupled with the fact that the basketball schedule fluctuates, makes it difficult to attend every game. That makes purchasing season tickets more expensive.
The AD is too stupid to put the student section in the best seats, near the floor.
Nobody likes to go to a college sporting event and be told to sit down. This has been a 30 yr long problem at CHA
Poor attendance is the result of bad coaching hires. It's much easier to keep customers, than it is to get them back. Now fans understand that they can sit in the comfort of their own homes and watch for 2 hrs - for free, instead of devoting 4 hrs to the travel/cold/uncomfortable seats - for $40 per.
If the current coach wins a BIG title or gets to a Final Four, ticket sales will take off and the arena will be packed. Short of that, all of your whining, bitching and complaining about how other people spend their money is just a YOU problem.
MisterLucky
Well-Known Member
I think yesterday was a combination of it being against Rutgers and the fact the Packers were playing on TV at the same time.
I think people will start showing up for more of the Big Ten games. Unfortunately, the Big Ten seems to keep sticking us with no Saturday games and late starting week night games. Of course, we're just an afterthought to the Big Ten.
I think people will start showing up for more of the Big Ten games. Unfortunately, the Big Ten seems to keep sticking us with no Saturday games and late starting week night games. Of course, we're just an afterthought to the Big Ten.
blubberhawk
Well-Known Member
Hawks sold out regularly during the Alford years. I paid over $100 to sit a few rows behind the Wisc. bench on Senior day. Fun day. I got to hear The Grinch drop f-bombs all afternoon. (Horner/Bru senior year) Maybe the fans miss Steve?
blubberhawk
Well-Known Member
It is the students who are apathetic. Hawks Nest is weak.. Hawks are losing out to X-box, etc.
blubberhawk
Well-Known Member
Students pay about $5.00 per game for student season tickets..Cost is not a factor.
Iowa was 19th in average attendance last year. 89.2% of capacity. Assuming those available seats are behind basket and high, I would prefer to stay home and watch on TV. I don't think this is just an Iowa problem. Nebraska is different because of new arena and everyone's bro-crush on Tim Miles. http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/defa..._release_mens_basketball_attendance_final.pdf
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
The Pack didn't sell out till late...
HawkeyeTech
Well-Known Member
This is not true. Attendance was good during the Horner/Brunner/Haluska run. Otherwise not so much.
mopkins
King Kong
So when a home team like Indiana or maryland loses to Nebraska it's because their arena was sold out and the fans were crazy but the team for some reason didnt feed off it? Then Nebraska sells out their arena, and loses by 8 to northwestern?
I'd like to see your documented proof that teams with louder fans have more home success.
I know that we as fans like to think we can contribute to a teams success but the fact is we cannot.
ClintonIAfan
Well-Known Member
After the new student center is expanded it would be great to renovate the center gym and north gym so that it can hold public sporting evens and concerts. Even if they can only get a capacity of a few thousand that would be great for the non profit teams to have that available.
ClintonIAfan
Well-Known Member
We can also use more support at the womens games. Regular price tickets are $12, plus there are specials all the time. We still have $1 ticket night for the Michigan State game. Parking for those games is free too so that helps. If you are like me and you order your tickets early great seats are available too. I get first or second row seats often to the points where my friends complain about all the steps. To me it's part of the joy and well worth the effort. Those games are a lot of fun.
http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/2016/6/13/tickets-iowa-tickets-w-baskbl-html.aspx
http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/2016/6/13/tickets-iowa-tickets-w-baskbl-html.aspx
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hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
that's like 2 PBR's or a 3/4 of a Red Bull and Vodka
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
In some locales it's THREE PBRs
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
I think as someone mentioned above, Iowa sells a large % of their available tickets. I wonder if the problem is a lot of those season ticket holders (folks in the 1st 20 rows) are people from Des Moines, Waterloo, Quad Cities, maybe even KC/Chicago area that just can't make it to every game. They want their tickets for the games they can attend, but often they go unused.
I've always wondered why Iowa doesn't try to do some sort of ticket exchange/seat filler program. For example, if a season ticket holder couldn't make it to Thursday night's game against Purdue, send an email to the ticket office letting them know the seats are available. The ticket office could then sell them or simply give them away to the walk up crowd. Whatever walk up sales they would lose would be minimal. I know the ticket holder could sell on stub hub or some secondary site, but sometimes the decision not to go is day of, and they may not want to mess with trying to sell them.
I just think this would be cool, especially for students or casual fans who may only go to a couple games a year, and maybe have the opportunity to get really good seats vs sitting behind the baskets in row 35.
I've always wondered why Iowa doesn't try to do some sort of ticket exchange/seat filler program. For example, if a season ticket holder couldn't make it to Thursday night's game against Purdue, send an email to the ticket office letting them know the seats are available. The ticket office could then sell them or simply give them away to the walk up crowd. Whatever walk up sales they would lose would be minimal. I know the ticket holder could sell on stub hub or some secondary site, but sometimes the decision not to go is day of, and they may not want to mess with trying to sell them.
I just think this would be cool, especially for students or casual fans who may only go to a couple games a year, and maybe have the opportunity to get really good seats vs sitting behind the baskets in row 35.
And by "average attendance," we mean tickets sold, not actual attendance. Student season tickets are counted, but rarely is the student section full.
