Zippy87

I didn't know that either. Cool to see him connected to the team.

With Freeman, Ali, Tribble, Thornton, Hunter all graduating and Prather, Tavari, and Lyles all transfer candidates, there could be a ton of turnover this offseason.

Freeman is now at 1,483 points and 1,162 rebounds. He needs 9 points to pass Travis and move into 8th all-time for points. He needs 10 rebounds to pass Bill Turner and move to 4th all-time. Special player!

https://medina-gazette.com/news/377730/boys-basketball-close-bond-with-dad-informs-maxx-bosleys-life-and-basketball-game/ Nice article on Jami Bosley and his son Maxx, a senior at Wadsworth.

Effort and creativity can go a long way.

It's interesting to see the varying opinions shared here. I used to think, "If people don't want to come, what can you do?" But as I've gotten older and seen other teams in various sports/leagues grow their fan base in creative ways, it makes me push back on that. Akron can make a better effort to draw fans. Akron can make a better effort on promotions and ticketing. Akron can most certainly make an effort to get better gear available to fans. Keith Dambrot outperformed what this program would have done without him. We hit the jackpot in replacing him with John Groce when the time came, who is also outperforming what the program would do without him. My biggest fear with Zips basketball is that if/when Groce leaves, we won't be so lucky to find another elite coach. Athletics need to be better. Those involved with GameDay experience need to be better. I know they're tied up with a crummy contract on merchandising, but find ways to be better (remember when they sold black jersey, shorts, shirts, and "Tree" socks and they all quickly sold out?). I absolutely refuse to accept mediocrity for the program and university I love so very much, and I hope others do the same.

It is stupid and unfortunately not at all surprising.

Offer some of these ADs a big enough check...

I think this would actually be Kent lol

I told my son, who is a young athlete himself, how Tribble is the definition of hard work. He was 11-66 from 3PT in his first four seasons combined and is 11-34 this season. He's never going to be a sharpshooter, but just hitting them at a respectable clip and not allowing the defender to cheat in is HUGE for the entire offense.

Some interesting numbers so far in MAC play... Tribble 13.3 PPG 68% FG% (17-28) 55% 3PT% (6-11) The only negative to his game is he's fouled out now two games in a row. Hunter 3.3 PPG 12% FG% (2-17) 22% 3PT% (2-9) Safe to say Sammy is in a slump. Also worth nothing Dawson is 7-12 (58%) from 3PT range over the last two games and hopefully starting to break out of his month-long slump.

We're losing to a team that lost to the Little Rock Trojans by 26.

I dig this

Agree 100%. I stopped at the Team Shop attached to InfoCision over winter break. I asked if they had any Nike fitted hats and they did not. The employee told me new Nike fan gear was very, very delayed - they had expected it last summer. He said they now expect to get it in February, but that I'd have to go to the campus bookstore or buy it online because "they were probably going to close that particular Team Shop until Spring". The best Zips gear is at Rally House in Fairlawn.

I agree, but I also think the university/athletics do things that make that seem accurate. Our family went to a Friday night game (7 PM start) and my son wanted a snack with about 9 minutes left in the game. Went out and every single concession was closed and the workers were long gone. I mentioned another game we went to a few weeks before Christmas that the team shop wasn't even open. Can't ask others to take your athletics seriously if the people overseeing them don't treat them that way.

Serious question - if giveaways and promotions don't work, why does every college, minor league, and professional team invest so heavily in them? If you've been to every game for the last 25 years (which is AWESOME) then I'd say you are, as you said, a different breed. As I said in my earlier post, it's hard for diehards to see it from any other way than, "Zips hoops is awesome, I'm there no matter what." But that's not every fan or even the majority of them IMO.

Nobody here is going to stay away from games because of lack of promotions, ticket prices, concessions, lack of engagement. If you're posting here, you're a die-hard that's going to go no matter what. But some can't step outside that fandom to see things from another type of fans' perspective. I love the Zips. And I love them so much that when I see them not reaching their potential as a program or as Athletics as a whole, it frustrates the hell out of me, especially when so much of it is effort-based. If promotions, marketing, and ticket deals didn't help bring more people to games, nobody would do them. So we can plug our ears, call people insane, tell them they should be happy with what they get or we can have a real and honest conversation about this program, this University, and how they can help grow a program with a coach and players who deserve a better effort from everyone involved.

Sure, let's ignore a team (with an awful home field) who still sells out every game and had 10,000 people on their waiting list for Akron last year. Why look at others when we have the "Sub of the game" promotion to draw in everyone! 🙃 Nobody is asking the Zips to be the Bananas. As you said, very different in a lot of way. But any smart leader would look at what they're doing and be able to learn something from it.

Cool, no point in reading the rest then. Go Zips!

This is a multifaceted issue, why can't both be discussed?

If going to $10 to $7 is meaningless, why do stores list things for $9.99 instead of $10?

Nobody is asking the AD to "schmooze" anyone. I do find "cheap patrons" to be an interesting word choice, and part of the issue is I think that's how the administration views the people sitting in GA. Different sport and situation, but one of my favorite trailblazers in sports is Jesse Cole, co-owner of the Savannah Bananas. He built his team's culture around the idea that every single fan that attends a Bananas game needs to have a great time. Because those people will come back. Those people will tell friends about how much they had. Those people will feel more connected to the team. And those people will be more likely to spend more of their money on the team in the future.

Why are we comparing Akron to Wake Forest, a good ACC team with a legitimate arena that has hosted the NCAA Tournament multiple times? Do people there sit on old bleachers, some of which have an obstructed view of the game? Part of marketing in knowing and being realistic about what you have to offer. Yes, $10 for any non-chair ticket is too much. Something like $7 would be a fair price.

I get the need to engage and keep big donors happy but yeah, have people on your team dedicated the other fans. If budget is tight, get some GAs with energy and enthusiasm.

They used to at least try. I remember game day promotions, t-shirt giveaways for students, unique ticket deals. This Athletic Department seems apathetic toward anyone who isn't a wealthy donor.