close the poll now

I agree with you guys on most of your stuff, and even though our attendance is down too, it’s certainly not bad.

Are people seriously not going to games this year because of Pierre Pierce? I’ll never buy that. It was SIX years ago!

Iowa hasn’t made any type of Postseason since 2005-06 (and that season Hawks were undefeated at home and Carver was packed all Big 10 season). And that ended in arguably the worst loss in Iowa basketball history. We haven’t been back to postseason play since N’western State (I fucking hate those words).

Iowa’s attendance problem is certainly a combination of many things with lack of wins at the top of the list.

of possibility to lend a little credence to what Alfraud said when he left. “Iowa is a football school.” I dont necessarily think its true, but given football’s success and basketball’s decline over the same time period, factor in that it is much more fun, much easier, more convenient, etc. to attend football games, and I think there is some level of validity to that. I mean, really, when is the last time you were glad football was over so you could concentrate on basketball?

Not saying I think it’s true, it’s just a theory, man.

If you want to learn anything from Penn State, it’s that a bad product doesn’t sell. Period. It sounds like transportation is also an issue for you, and while our arena isn’t right in the middle of campus, getting there in January isn’t really desirable.

When ESPN covered the Big Ten, virtually every game was available on television.

Is that really true? We’ve commented a lot at BSD about how the BTN is actually helping, there are PSU basketball games on TV now that I would never be able to see otherwise. Part of this might be the large number of people who don’t live anywhere near the school (or even the state) after graduation, plus competition with Big East schools located in PA’s cities, but the BTN is 100% good for PSU bball.

I chose Alford Hangover, but I realize that’s also coupled with the lack of success.

I think Matt Gatens is getting people excited due to his potential and the ‘local boy’ factor, but we’ll see how much that does.

As a student season ticket holder this year, I 100% agree with the horrible schedule. There have been 2 games during the NFL playoffs, 1 game during the national championship and just way too many games on Sunday period. There were also two home games that corresponded with when everyone was in Tampa for the Outback Bowl.

Add it up, and out of the 12 home games, the average student ticket holder has maybe made it to 6. Also, you are right, our seats kind of suck. I sit on the baseline next to the opponents bench and yell at the coach all game, but 2 games ago, we had people behind us ask us to sit down because the couldn’t see. Seriously, the Per Mar guy asked the students to change their seats or sit down? That’s a real problem too.

I’m sorry but I don’t think our students deserve to be in better seats. It could actually be more embarrasing if they were put courtside. While I was excited to see “The Hawks Nest” and what it might do to revive the dead atmosphere in Carver, it hasn’t worked out. I blame the students for allowing it to get to where it is. We all wish it was like the Cameran Crazies at Duke, but fact is our students feel they have better things to do than attend games. The ones that do attend are not passionate and don’t go all out. Football was bad attendance wise for most games (I don’t think we filled it all year) but at least the students that were there were passionate and fanatical. Basketball has been lame. The students have done absolutely nothing to EARN the courtside seats.

Would you rather have the pathetic, quiet, half empty student section hidden over in the corner or at mid-court for all the world to laugh at?

I don’t think the economy has anything to do with it. Season tickets were $336 and only like $250 for football season ticketholders. Student tickets were far far less. I do think the schedule/gametimes affect it. While I can get up early and make the trip to football games on Saturdays, it is basically impossible to travel the 3 1/2 hours each way to make any games on weekdays with work. The couple of games that happen to be on the weekend, at home, and against teams worth seeing are the only ones I can make from across the state. There have been very few of those games this year. I think a lot of the other fans are in the same boat. Maybe if the place was fun again, and the event was exciting I could justify taking a day off work to make the 7 hour round-trip. Not the way it is now though.

The sad truth is the product right now isn’t enough to get the average person to want to be in the crowd. It’s too cold to run around downtown before or after the game. With basketball there really isn’t a tailgating event, the games are on Wednesdays or whatever when it is simply easier to go to the local bar or (for those of you who can get it) watch BTN from home. Sadly, you might get the same or even better game environment that way too!

The only way to fix it is to create an excitement at the event. It isn’t gonna happen until the students show up loud and rowdy and make the other fans need to come for the experience they can’t get at home or the bar. Neither is going to happen until we are good again in a year or two. Iowa basketball fans are now officially fairweather. Especially the students. Pathetic.

At the end of the day, I think it is more of the perfect storm of these elements converging at a single point in time. Its sort of like a Long Island ice tea, each one of the shots on their own are not going to do a lot of damage, but you combine them (then order a double: yes they are that though to watch at times), then slam it and you are a pretty-much shitfaced.

Obviously, winning cures most of what ails you. But given the horrible schedule, the worse game times, and complete lack of connection left-over from last year, I don’t know if even a better record would help attendence.

I don’t know how simple these changes are but here goes.

1. Basketball team starts winning some meaningfull (home) games: Excitement rises getting fans and students to attend games.

2. Scheduling. As mentioned above there needs to be some continuity. Conference games should start no earlier than 7 PM and are played on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday. This gives fans an hour away (which there is a lot) time to get to game and get home at a decent time. This allows locals and students to relax with a few cocktails and leisurely head to the game.

I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull’s ass, but I’d rather take a butcher’s word for it.

This year is the first year I haven’t gone to at least one game (usually many or all games) since I’ve been like 5. So – the 1980’s.

And I’ve done this knowing full well that I could buy a ticket at the door from my man with the tam and glasses at the North Entrance for like $5 and then go sit in one of the hundred of open seats in the first ten rows – or – on a good day, courtside.

However, I’ve just never been into it – last week, I decided I’d rather watch on TV, so I could keep tabs on Lost. Before that was Oklahoma vs. Florida. I frequently get stuck at work.

The larger point, though, is that in the past, these would all be easy decisions in the other direction – I would make sure I didn’t get stuck at work, etc.

I don’t think the attendance problem is much of a problem, because I’ve had my fill of the Lickliter era, and want him gone, but that’s another post for another day.

Lick is about as emotional as a thumbtack. Granted, I don’t think he needs to be Bruce Pearl on the sidelines, but let’s face it – I think Lick would have a hard time getting Harvey Milk excited for a colonoscopy. It’d be nice for the players if it seemed like their coach, um, gave a shit from time to time instead of burning holes into the eyes of fans across the court from him.

But there are so many other pressing issues out there for this program – I’m just highlighting my opinion that I find Iowa basketball and their coach to be boring.

I think we could use the famous Financial Analyst Oscar Rogers’ economic strategy to correct our current basketball situation:

You’ll Want to Jump to 2:20 Mark

Really!?

a comment on an unrelated thread is probably not the place for this but I tried making a fan post and didn’t have enough words. Did you guys know that they are citing BHGP for the Podolak photos on channel 7 Waterloo? I saw it this noon and couldn’t believe my eyes. It makes this place seem so much more legitimate. I don’t know what to that of that….

This means there is absolutely no reason the section shouldn’t be full and rockin’. If it isn’t, this takes the pathetic-ness to a whole ’nother level. On ESPN against a top 10 ranked team. Come on students! Carver can get crunk too!

Hats off to the high ups in the Athletic Department or Sports Marketing or whomever that decided to do this by the way. As a fan I really appreciate them trying to stir up the students a bit and improve the atmosphere factor.

PS – I also still blame Tyler Smith.

This shit is gold.

Growing up, the Iowa game was always on in the kitchen. Hundreds of thousands of Iowans who otherwise would be absorbed into the season win or lose, have nothing to cheer for. And to accomodate that, the games are at all sorts of wacky times. So there’s nobody watching on TV, and therefore nobody giving enough of a shit to fill the empty seats with a family road trip a few times a year.