More On Attendance...
More On Attendance...
Well, the good news is that our attendance doubled last night.
The bad news is that we officially had a crowd of 2218, still well below minimum standards.
The head scratching continues.
pgb-ohio: I share your concern, and compliment you on your earlier review of the attendance woes.
Thanks, and I certainly return the compliment.
Some additional thoughts: let's begin with the woeful lack of media coverage. Tonight's game didn't even get a mention anywhere in today's Dispatch. We did, however, get thoughts about Terrelle Pryor from the Texas football coach--that was front page news, BTW. We also got to read about Coach Tressel's thoughts on their retro unis that won't be won't be worn until November 21st. That's page 3. We did, however, find out that Villanova beat Kutztown in bounceyball. I was holding my breath for that. In short, OSU hockey is out of mind and out of sight with the local media.
Well put, and all too true.
We do get occasional feature stories in the Dispatch, usually after FB season is over. But since the departure of Craig Merz from the paper, the level of coverage has declined.
The 11:00 News also partially wakes up later in the season. Every now and then a couple of goals will be shown on the sportscast. Of course you better score the pretty goals early on, because the cameraman will be gone before the end of the second period.
The lack of identifiable competition. This is an extension of your both your "Competition with Football" and "Unattractive Opponents" points. COWlumbusans know the Big Ten schools. Some still think OSU plays in the Big Ten for hockey. That myopia--coupled with the obsession with that school up north--means traditional hockey powers, the Denvers, the North Dakotas, the Bostons (U&C) won't even pop on their radar screen. Throw in a Quinnipiac, or a Northern Michigan, and the awareness drops to zero. Remember when we hosted the F4 a few years ago??? The Dispatch actually printed a map showing where the schools were located. That was helpful--I always wondered where Denver was. The only thing that helps to boost attendance beyond the Michigan matchup is when we play Miami, or Bowling Green, which helps garner competitive support from both their current fan base and its alumni living in central Ohio.
The crowds are noticeably larger for Michigan State, and there usually is some bump for Notre Dame. But those amendments actually support your point. I'm just slightly less pessimistic.
I also think that the other CCHA opponents have
some name recognition here. While both attendance numbers are discouraging, it is true that Northern Michigan outdrew Denver by 1,000 fans under similar circumstances. At least for a few fans, there was more awareness of NMU's conference tie-in than Denver's national standing.
A loss ends your season. With football dominating the mental and emotional landscape, the concept of losing more than two games in a single season is unfathomable. And, let's face it, many Buckeye fans have the ability to jump on and off a bandwagon at a warpspeed rate. Hockey fans know that losses happen. A "good" hockey season would be the rough equivalent of FOUR football losses. Horrors! Why bother going to an Ohio State hockey game when they MIGHT lose???
I've never thought of it exactly this way; you may be on to something.
Fans everywhere prefer a winner; that's nothing new. So the question is whether the problem is actually worse here than elsewhere.
It could be. I've long noticed that the "Herd Ethic" is much stronger in Columbus than most places. If you manage to gain acceptance in our marketplace, you're extremely well supported. If you fail to gain acceptance, you're likely to be completely ignored. Finding a niche with a medium level of support is tough here. And this goes way beyond the world of sports.
What you're saying is that the local herd won't accept any W-L record that's below the OSU FB level. If true, that's sad. And it might be true.
The lack of awareness of college alumni in the NHL. Until RJ Umberger came back to town, I'm not sure many BlueJackets fan even knew his name. Dave Steckel? Nah. Ryan Kesler? Nope. And, I think, many BlueJackets fans are Johnny-come-latelys to hockey anyway. College hockey is probably seen on the same level with college volleyball. A great way to get your education paid for, but with no professional future after that.
The word isn't out, that's for sure. The marketing people really should bring this message to our potential fans. Instead, the focus is usually on goofy promotions between periods. While there's nothing wrong with having fun, there's educational work that's being left undone.
If anything, there's been
less marketing of the Hockey Bucks than usual. Given the economic downturn, maybe that's understandable. Still, even squib ads in the Dispatch listing game times apparently make a difference. We haven't even seen that this season.
Certainly, there is a small, dedicated corps of OSU hockey fans. I think we all reside here. And even we are few and far between. How does that fan base expand? I'm not sure it can. It may very well be a function of the city itself and its sports culture.
Food for thought -- and cause for more head scratching. But I'd certainly hate to see that small, dedicated base actually shrink, and my fear is that it may be happening.
Let me close with a totally out-of-the-box thought. Maybe the Big Ten Network is to blame.
OK, I'm partially kidding. But bear with me for just a moment. With the expanded coverage BTN offers, it is now possible for fans to engorge themselves entirely on Big Football, to the exclusion of all else on the sports menu. With a DVR, you can now watch every single BT FB game. There is also new FB feature programming every weeknight.
If there's any truth to this, it's tremendously ironic. One of the justifications for the BTN was that it would provide more exposure for the "Olympic" sports. While it's certainly an open question, this may be backfiring -- at least during FB season.
