Average Men's Attendance

[kdiff77]

I wanted to bring this thread back where we're a month into the season. Are people losing a lot of interest in non-confernece games? I'm surprised BU and BC had such small attendances against what truly is a great Denver team.

Gonna guess a lot of that had to do with Halloween weekend.

[chickod]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

I wanted to bring this thread back where we're a month into the season. Are people losing a lot of interest in non-confernece games? I'm surprised BU and BC had such small attendances against what truly is a great Denver team.

I'm going to paste in here something I posted a couple of weeks ago in response to a similar discussion on the UNH thread (and I suspect there are several discussions happening regarding this topic):

My theory is that, first of all, the season is too long. Early October is ridiculous to start hockey. Now I know at BU, the school is COMPLETELY different in terms of student demographics than it was even twenty years ago. There is a giant international population. You can't just say, "Well, we'll market to them and they will show up." Hockey is a regional, niche sport. Most of us who follow hockey grew up with it either because we grew up in a climate where it was played frequently or had fathers who exposed us to it. It's a sport that requires more of the "hard core" fan, as opposed to some other sports, which attract more casual fans simply because of the increased coverage on "wide-reaching" (read: national) networks. I don't know the demographics at UNH, but clearly "other" activities and interests exist now that weren't available when we were students. Just the prevalence of the internet, computers and technological advancements seems to attract students and appeal to them more than watching sporting events.

Also, I know I didn't have a car when I was a student. It seems today that students have more money and resources to go "off campus" for entertainment. Of course, this is even more prevalent in the city, so it's very difficult for hockey to compete against that. When I was in school, we also played during the week - not just on weekends. Students would be less inclined to go home, or out of town, or whatever, during a school night.

Now obviously the "isolated" schools have a more captive audience. In the East, there are more urban schools that simply offer more, especially when one has the means (money, transportation) to partake of these things.

So to me, it's a combination of availability, resources and lifestyle that have all contributed to the decline in attendance. I wish there was a magic bullet, but the reality is I don't see how you can go back to the days when it was the "only game in town." Those days are gone. It's a big world and being a student on campus isn't as "isolating" as it once was. That's probably not the answer you were hoping for, but I don't think there is one. I don't like it either. And, in fact, the effect cascades. As the arenas become emptier, I am less inclined to go because, as several have mentioned, the atmosphere is dead. So this just begets even less excitement and smaller attendance and a domino effect occurs. I also think students today will show up for the "big events." There doesn't appear to be the "dedicated" following, even if someone LOVES hockey. They tend to not confine themselves to one or two things. So there isn't a feeling that one has to attend "consistently," as long as they can show up for the "big game." It's a media-driven world. I remember a few years ago when BU was playing the Patriot League Championship tournament final [basketball...inserted because I know this is a hockey thread ] at Agganis. It was live on ESPN and the place was packed - a complete madhouse. But they never got more than 300-400 fans for ANY other game all year.

Even the attendance at the Hockey East tournament at TD Garden last year was down. Attendance for the Beanpot is down. The availability of games on your computer has made it easier to stay away. And, as previously mentioned, money is no object. These students will pay to watch on their computers as much as they will pay to go. And speaking of money, ticket prices are becoming insane (which may very well be a larger factor than anyone seems to realize). There are tickets on the "BU Ticket Exchange" for the BC game in December priced at NINETY-TWO DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stratus]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Yesterday I thought about going to see a Div 1 game at my alma mater. It's a 90 mile drive, $5-$10 to park, and $25 for a ticket.
Instead I went to see two Div 3 CLUB teams 45 miles away, free parking, a couple bucks at the gate.

I'll go see the Div 1 team a couple times before the season's out, but it's got to be a social thing. For example, last season I went with a co-worker, his wife, and 3-4 of his friends --- all from India, and some of whom got turned on to hockey while at MI Tech. We'll probably do that again, if schedules work out.

It was a CS professor whose enthusiasm got a lot of us going to games in the old Goggin. Free admission, packed house, up next to the glass ... always a good time. The new rink is nice, in a "look but don't touch" sort of way.

Yeah there are a lot of distractions, but it should be fun & social more than antiseptic like an MBA project. I can't shake the feeling that's part of what's going on.

[Koho]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Yesterday I thought about going to see a Div 1 game at my alma mater. It's a 90 mile drive, $5-$10 to park, and $25 for a ticket.
Instead I went to see two Div 3 CLUB teams 45 miles away, free parking, a couple bucks at the gate.

I'll go see the Div 1 team a couple times before the season's out, but it's got to be a social thing. For example, last season I went with a co-worker, his wife, and 3-4 of his friends --- all from India, and some of whom got turned on to hockey while at MI Tech. We'll probably do that again, if schedules work out.

It was a CS professor whose enthusiasm got a lot of us going to games in the old Goggin. Free admission, packed house, up next to the glass ... always a good time. The new rink is nice, in a "look but don't touch" sort of way.

Yeah there are a lot of distractions, but it should be fun & social more than antiseptic like an MBA project. I can't shake the feeling that's part of what's going on.

Seems like there are a lot of team threads talking about declining attendance. It wasn't that long ago that there was a long waiting list for Gopher tickets, now there were huge areas of unoccupied seats this weekend. People blame move from WCHA, costs, non-conference opponent (this weekend) etc., which I am sure are all contributors, but the apparent trend across multiple schools seems to suggest there is more to it than just those.

[northeastern]

its all about the outreach.. coll hockey can adapt (to changing trends) or go the way of the dinosaur (okay not as drastic).. but for example, if the casual int'l student is going.. appreciate them going.. run a few specials. make them a part of it all through contests, activities. rest takes care of itself as it is a great sport. Lowell has done a great job with this as their arena averages 4, 5 or 6K a gm kudos to their outreach among youth hockey teams, dance teams, area high school, town.. all very good.

Last night, in the city of Boston.. NU had some outreach around campus and alumni during the week prior.. & they had close to 4K fans show up, which for NU is great given all the distractions Boston has to offer.

Adaptation is the way to go. The folks running the ticket office & programs at the colleges should heed & stay ahead of these trends. That's the best we can do.

[Drew S.]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Gonna guess a lot of that had to do with Halloween weekend.

I don't completely disagree with you, but think it is a dangerous way of thinking. There is always something else going on and I can't imagine Halloween discouraged thousands of people from going. I really think 10 or 20 years ago fans of other teams would have gone to get a look at Denver. They're that good. Hopefully this is a wakeup call to those in charge and changes are made.

[chickod]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Hopefully this is a wakeup call to those in charge and changes are made.

Good luck with that. Ticket prices (and parking prices) go nowhere but UP. I don't see how that is going to create an incentive for families. It can cost up in the $200 range to take a child to a game if you consider parking, tickets and going to eat (or, worse, eating the overrated, overpriced concessions at the arena).

Like most things, a good percentage of the problem comes down to money. The FIRST step these schools can take is to make a serious evaluation of what they are charging people to attend.

[mookie1995]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Mookie likes how they try to compare NHL pricing to the product

[The Zlax45]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

My PC season tickets in seven years went from a Family Plan season ticket at 99 dollars total to 250 for one season ticket.

[FireKnight]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Good luck with that. Ticket prices (and parking prices) go nowhere but UP. I don't see how that is going to create an incentive for families. It can cost up in the $200 range to take a child to a game if you consider parking, tickets and going to eat (or, worse, eating the overrated, overpriced concessions at the arena).

Like most things, a good percentage of the problem comes down to money. The FIRST step these schools can take is to make a serious evaluation of what they are charging people to attend.

I think the changes can vary greatly from school to school. The cost is a double-edged sword. A lot of people blamed the stagnant economy for a long time but honestly, the economy getting better this year can actually hurt schools like UMTC. People are still going to have to find activities for the family, regardless of how the economy is. With people feeling more comfortable about the economy and having some more disposable income, they may just be more willing to take the family to the Wild game on a Saturday night than watch the Gophers face Clarkson.

The biggest thing for all the schools is to market to an audience that will show and then putting on a product that will satisfy that market. Clarkson started an incentive last year for season tickets at a deep discount price ($168 for alumni per ticket). That's a great deal but the problem is that alumni will only show for a successful team and a rivalry, though they may buy the season package just for playoff seating or good seats on the weekend they may be visiting. (Most Clarkson alumni aren't starving artists like SLU alumni.) Well those empty green seats for a majority of the games don't add to the atmosphere.

The closest D-1 school to my house is Army. They have done a great job keeping the program drawing crowds understanding their market. They have events for family and kids almost every weekend, offer group deals for Boy/Girl Scouts, etc. etc. They've also kept ticket prices down ($15 for chair backs, $10 for bleachers, and kids rates) except for the Air Force series. This weekend, they drew 1,500 a night, which is pretty good for a program that will never be horribly successful in the NC$$ and without a student base.

[northeastern]

My PC season tickets in seven years went from a Family Plan season ticket at 99 dollars total to 250 for one season ticket.

..and you got yourselves a pretty good HC & that darn NC.
(not the topic of this thread but i'll take that)

[kdiff77]

I don't completely disagree with you, but think it is a dangerous way of thinking. There is always something else going on and I can't imagine Halloween discouraged thousands of people from going. I really think 10 or 20 years ago fans of other teams would have gone to get a look at Denver. They're that good. Hopefully this is a wakeup call to those in charge and changes are made.

I’m mostly talking about student attendance. In a perfect world, college kids would make time to go to school sporting events before they go out, but it’s naive to think 18-22-year-olds are going to opt for sports over the biggest undergrad holiday of the year.

[FireKnight]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

I’m mostly talking about student attendance. In a perfect world, college kids would make time to go to school sporting events before they go out, but it’s naive to think 18-22-year-olds are going to opt for sports over the biggest undergrad holiday of the year.

I would love to worry about Clarkson students going to games on St. Patrick's Day. It's been a while.

[Split-N]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

...(Most Clarkson alumni aren't starving artists like SLU alumni.)...

Boom!

[Crimson on the Glass]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

I wanted to bring this thread back where we're a month into the season. Are people losing a lot of interest in non-confernece games? I'm surprised BU and BC had such small attendances against what truly is a great Denver team.

I thought about going, but honestly I got enough Denver in Chicago to last me a while longer.