Dr Z Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 We had a big one last night--we gave away the game in the last 2 minutes.Nice. That made me laugh.I like the Serbian angle for the fan club, but damn you for putting that crap song, Oh Niki, in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbozeglav Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 In regards to who mentioned the lack of advertisement for the basketball games... its true. Walking around campus, the ONLY sign I saw that was letting people know about the game was this cheap sign sitting in the student union saying "Mens Basketball Game Tuesday 7pm". It looked as if someone just opened up word and printed it off in 5 seconds. Now, I know there was some other advertising, but the overall majority of students either don't know about the games or don't care.Whats EVEN WORSE is that its really noticeable in the AK-ROWDIES club. Yeah, they have 1200+ students signed up, but how many of them ACTUALLY go to games. If I were to estimate, theres probably a group of about 100 students who actuall give a crap about our sports (myself included). I remember pointing this out a while ago and I'll mention it again... the AK-ROWDIES had a mandatory meeting for all students who signed up the first week or two of school. If I were to guess, nearly all those who signed up were there. However, if you look at how many of them actually show up for the games, its a small fraction of that number. My question is not why the University doesn't advertise more or why they don't do any promotions for students, but WHY THE AK-ROWDIES DON'T MAKE ATTENDANCE TO ATHLETIC EVENTS MORE MANDATORY??? If they'd simply use a "system" where you're required to show up for X amount of games for the football, X amount of games for soccer, and X amount of games for basketball, student attendance would more than likely double where it stands now. Ugh... it angers me that it just seems that not only the students but the University itself doesn't care about putting fans in the seats for their athletic programs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z.I.P. Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 My question is not why the University doesn't advertise more or why they don't do any promotions for students, but WHY THE AK-ROWDIES DON'T MAKE ATTENDANCE TO ATHLETIC EVENTS MORE MANDATORY??? If they'd simply use a "system" where you're required to show up for X amount of games for the football, X amount of games for soccer, and X amount of games for basketball, student attendance would more than likely double where it stands now. Ugh... it angers me that it just seems that not only the students but the University itself doesn't care about putting fans in the seats for their athletic programs...What's the carrot, and what's the stick?As I mentioned previously, there's a private (D-II) university in Hawaii which provides small scholarships to their student rooting section (actually amounts to several hundred $ as I'm told), and to receive it the student has to show up for like 75 or 80% of men's and women's BB games and some other events. I don't know if this is at all feasible for a public university, but you have to have some incentive, as I'm sure like in my day, most students are working adults with little time for Zips games. Good luck Rowdies. I know you sure aided the soccer team, from what I've seen on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZipster0305 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I am really disappointed in the the student attendance. The University has what 20-25 thousand students and they couldn't fill the lower two ends of the student section. When I attended the U (back in the prehistoric days) we had 5,000 students and had at least twice as many students at the games, every game. :(And I am sure it was uphill to and from the game as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 My question is not why the University doesn't advertise more or why they don't do any promotions for students, but WHY THE AK-ROWDIES DON'T MAKE ATTENDANCE TO ATHLETIC EVENTS MORE MANDATORY??? If they'd simply use a "system" where you're required to show up for X amount of games for the football, X amount of games for soccer, and X amount of games for basketball, student attendance would more than likely double where it stands now.There is something starting today where students get "points" for attendance, and the top ones supposedly get tickets to the final game of the season at Can't. 1 point for men's games and 2 points for women's games. Hopefully that bumps it up some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbozeglav Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 My question is not why the University doesn't advertise more or why they don't do any promotions for students, but WHY THE AK-ROWDIES DON'T MAKE ATTENDANCE TO ATHLETIC EVENTS MORE MANDATORY??? If they'd simply use a "system" where you're required to show up for X amount of games for the football, X amount of games for soccer, and X amount of games for basketball, student attendance would more than likely double where it stands now.There is something starting today where students get "points" for attendance, and the top ones supposedly get tickets to the final game of the season at Can't. 1 point for men's games and 2 points for women's games. Hopefully that bumps it up some.Really? I haven't heard anything about that, but if its true I am glad that they are finally getting around to doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoops47 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Well in my opion the nam AK-Rowdies might be a little old fashion for this new generation.for example Pitt have the Pittsburgh Zoo, Duke has the inferno. Pretty cool names if you ask me.For the zips and the AK-Rowdies to get more students to their games, they would have to start a grass roots campian. to change the name and push students to get invole and come to a came. Facebook is a great place to reach thesestudents. The students are well connect their. the players alone have 400 -600 friends on ther pages.It a place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Cvetinovic boosters will be pleased to learn that an analysis of the play-by-play shows the following:In the 7 minutes that Cvetinovic was on the floor, the Zips outscored Buffalo by 11.In the 33 minutes that Cvetinovic was on the bench, Buffalo outscored the Zips by 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZipAlumn Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I am really disappointed in the the student attendance. The University has what 20-25 thousand students and they couldn't fill the lower two ends of the student section. When I attended the U (back in the prehistoric days) we had 5,000 students and had at least twice as many students at the games, every game. :(And I am sure it was uphill to and from the game as well.Not really ........ after a few "lemonades" at Schroeders' or DiMarini's it was all downhill from there. :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gozips19 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Well in my opion the nam AK-Rowdies might be a little old fashion for this new generation.for example Pitt have the Pittsburgh Zoo, Duke has the inferno. Pretty cool names if you ask me.For the zips and the AK-Rowdies to get more students to their games, they would have to start a grass roots campian. to change the name and push students to get invole and come to a came. Facebook is a great place to reach thesestudents. The students are well connect their. the players alone have 400 -600 friends on ther pages.It a place to start.ok time for a history lesson on the term ak rowdies. first of all its a pretty new term and very new to the university. the term ak rowdy became popular a few years back with a rap song called ak rowdy ( pretty good song by vic?). from there it sprung from the streets to the university and now is the name for one of the best student groups in the mac! while the student turn out has been a little up and down this year it is growing. i just wish the university posted more signs about upcoming games. i am an alum but i think all that is around campus is the sign heading into the jar and the sign on the walk way heading from the parking deck to robs. if there are any others please let me know.....hope i'm wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Let me share a little bit of old history as well...maybe this will help...Back in the early part of the Huggins era, when I was still a student, we didn't have internet, facebook, etc., or needed signs all over campus to get people to games. Now, I know this isn't the typical example, but the year after our first NCAA tournament appearance, we played a ranked Cleveland State team in Rhodes. The students packed the entire upper section designated to them (what is now "upper reserved") BEFORE THE WOMEN'S GAME EVEN ENDED (it was a double header that night). If you wanted to even go to the bathroom, there was no way you could. Do any of the other older folks remember this?We did have other games similar to this during that era, but not to the same magnitude. But, I am thoroughly convinced that if they had allowed students to sit in the end sections down low back then, we would have been fighting over those seats. And this was a period of time from about 83-88, when we had about the same success rate as we've had the last few years. And I can assure you, paying a fee to be in an official club to have that priviledge would have totally been acceptable to that contingent. The question is...what is different now? More students are even living on campus now than we had back then. Are people turned off by "joining a club" these days? Is the typical student less interested in the basketball games on campus than playing their new video game in their dorm in their free time?I think there's just a lack of interest.....and I don't know why. And I don't think that the lack of marketing is the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbozeglav Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 The question is...what is different now? More students are even living on campus now than we had back then. Are people turned off by "joining a club" these days? Is the typical student less interested in the basketball games on campus than playing their new video game in their dorm in their free time?I think there's just a lack of interest.....and I don't know why. And I don't think that the lack of marketing is the culprit.As a current student, even I cannot begin to explain to you why this happens. Even sitting here thinking about it brings me to nothing. It's true that students don't care as much as they seemed to back in your days here, but why... I don't know. In regards to your "joining a club" statement... you're spot on. I honestly believe students sign up for the AKrowdies because of the tshirt and NOT the sports, although they aren't "turned off". The number of members in the AKRowdies has increased on a yearly basis, but after they sign up, they're never heard from again (in a sense).One thing that I really hate to bring up, but it seems to be one of the main reasons for the lack of student support is the students down in Cowlumbus. It seems to be that more and more students here at Akron are OSU "fans" (and I use that term loosely) rather than Akron fans. What that translates into is that students will only care about what's going on down in the cow pastures rather than their own back yard because they believe Akron to be an inferior and less-popular choice of a team to support based on OSU's recent "success" (again, using the term loosely). Whether or not this is ACTUALLY the case is beyond me and would take a survey of the general student body to validate, but the more I think about it the more I believe it.Now, can this be changed? Of course, but it will take quite a bit of work. If you just get the fans to the game by some means and the team is winning games (namely the home games), that will build a foundation where students see this as a fun experience and will want to come back and do it again. Thats what we're missing here. When I visited the campus as a high school senior, I never heard anything about the athletics programs and the student support. I really didn't give a damn until this past fall when I started seeing what I had been missing.I really just want to see more of an emphasis on students being at the games on both the University's and the AK-Rowdie's part. I don't care what it takes to get more students in the seats, I just want them there and exposing them to the game experience. /rant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 uazipsman...the team down in Cowlumbus competes on a national scale, will always have it's front-runners, and will always get the attention of the so-so sports fans who are just looking for something to associate with. But, it's hard to attribute our current lack of student interest to that factor since it's always been a factor. Frankly, the atmosphere I have seen at most of our home games this year (with the exception of Dayton) has been so dull that I get mad when I bring people there for the first time since I previously described an Akron basketball game as a fun and exciting experience.I will be very interested to see if "Zeke-mania" will bring much higher student attendance numbers at the start of next season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 In the several decades since I was in college, some things have changed and some haven't. For example, it's not uncommon for students at smaller colleges to be fans of the large state university with the great athletic program, just as they cheer for professional teams in the state. The group I hung with in college was like that. We cheered when Our State U beat Other State U. But we also attended every home game for our school, and were pretty darned rowdy. So it's no surprise to me that today's Akron students might also root for that Columbus school. That's something that hasn't changed, and I don't think should be considered a major problem.The biggest difference today is that there are just way more options available to spend one's time, whether one is an adult or a student. For example, back in the days before the internet, I used to spend a lot of time watching TV. Now I spend more time on the internet. There isn't enough time in the day to do all the things I'd like to do from among so many different options. So I can understand how today's students might have a similar problem when it comes time to decide whether or not to go to a game.I think you are on the right track to make AK-Rowdies membership more dependent on game attendance. There are many different ways to accomplish that. But it will require leadership and effort from someone to make it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I'll make the point again that I have been making ever since I first appeared on this board...You need to appear as if you are gaining ground on a national level. Just winning games is not enough. Most college basketball fans in NE Ohio couldn't even tell you that Akron has won well over 20 games the last two years. An NCAA tournament appearance would go a long way towards giving people that feeling. And if we managed to win a game or two? Wow. I think our history over the last few decades tells the entire story:Winning 20+ games and almost winning the MAC in basketball? No Winning a game in the NIT last year? NoWinning the MAC in football and going to a bowl game? YesWinning the OVC and making the NCAA tournament in 1986 in basketball? YesNow...this might explain some things, but I will remain perplexed about why there is not at least a decent amount of student participation...at least for "something to do". More students live on campus than ever before, and its free. I don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZipAlumn Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Let me share a little bit of old history as well...maybe this will help...Back in the early part of the Huggins era, when I was still a student, we didn't have internet, facebook, etc., or needed signs all over campus to get people to games. Now, I know this isn't the typical example, but the year after our first NCAA tournament appearance, we played a ranked Cleveland State team in Rhodes. The students packed the entire upper section designated to them (what is now "upper reserved") BEFORE THE WOMEN'S GAME EVEN ENDED (it was a double header that night). If you wanted to even go to the bathroom, there was no way you could. Do any of the other older folks remember this? ..............................The question is...what is different now? More students are even living on campus now than we had back then. Are people turned off by "joining a club" these days? Is the typical student less interested in the basketball games on campus than playing their new video game in their dorm in their free time?As an alumni I definitely remember the Huggins era as I had season tickets down on the floor. But as a student I remember the Laterza era in the 60's and we also had students pack Memorial Hall (easier to do than at the JAR). For the dorm student there was not the variety of things to do back then (cars on campus were few) and there were few places of entertainment within walking distance. Also few dorm students went home on the weekends as a lot of them do today. So a basketball game, a party, a free movie, anything on campus drew a big crowd ... especially a basketball game.Personally I think that there is much more today to take up a students time. The internet (we didn't even have computers), more bars (we basically had two), and the ability to travel away from campus whenever you wanted (freshman were not allowed cars on campus then), also maybe (just maybe) students today spend more time at the books than we did.I also think that the type of college has something to do with sports attendance. Akron is still a "commuter college" (despite the cries of denial and the wails of despair) and a university like Ohio, Bowling Green, and Can't (yes Can't) are not .... and they get much better student participation at those type of colleges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyzip84 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Let me share a little bit of old history as well...maybe this will help...Back in the early part of the Huggins era, when I was still a student, we didn't have internet, facebook, etc., or needed signs all over campus to get people to games. Now, I know this isn't the typical example, but the year after our first NCAA tournament appearance, we played a ranked Cleveland State team in Rhodes. The students packed the entire upper section designated to them (what is now "upper reserved") BEFORE THE WOMEN'S GAME EVEN ENDED (it was a double header that night). If you wanted to even go to the bathroom, there was no way you could. Do any of the other older folks remember this?I sure do, skip-zip. That was the largest crowd I ever saw at a Zip game in the JAR. I believe the estimated attendance was around 8,000. The running track was pretty much filled with "SRO".It is puzzling to me that there seems to be a lot more students living on campus, yet hoop attendance remains fairly low. It kind of makes me reconsider (a little) the notion that the Info will be as well attended as I had first hoped, at least on the student side (although even at the Rubber Bowl, Rowdies seem to be better represented than in the JAR). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 The main reason students do not attend games in droves is -- we aren't winning. Simple as that. Akron-area fans are no different than any other fans...they actively support a winner...and they, at best, passively support anything less.So why is men's basketball attendance so mediocre? They win? Note: Basketball attendance isn't terrible by any stretch...3k people showing up on a blizzard-like Tuesday night to see Buffalo is hardly cause to whine about lack of support.Basketball has won ZERO games that capture the imagination of Joe Akron. ZERO championships. Knocking off a Top 20 team gets butts in the stands...dancing underneath a sea of confetti at The Q gets people pumped to buy season tickets. Beating Florida State in the NIT and finishing second in the MAC is impressive to hard core hoops fans, but it will NEVER pack the house. If the Zips had beaten Pitt this season, and were sitting at 13-2 right now, you could easily tack on 1,500+ to whatever crowds presently exist. Maybe more.K.e.n.t. drew flies before they turned their program around a decade ago. The Akron / K.e.n.t. game @ K.e.n.t. would be lucky to draw 3k in 1998. And 2/3rds of those fans were from Akron! Now, even though their heyday has somewhat faded, they're still riding that attendance wave. Their student turn out for home basketball games dwarfs the AK-Rowdies. K.e.n.t alumni, who at the time loved the Buckeyes as much as any UA alumni, all the sudden grew some school pride and began buying K.e.n.t. t-shirts and ball caps. That’s what happens when you win championships and play in the NCAA tourney. NIT Fever doesn’t quite measure up.If UA hoops would have won a MAC championship...competed in the NCAA tourney...we would not be having any discussion. Students and alumni would be ga ga over the Zips. But we haven't. And while us hard-cores are ga ga, Joe Akron, Joe UA student and Joe UA alum sit at home and peck away on the internet. “Market” all you want…winning is the only way you’ll draw great crowds. 15k Zips fans showed up in Detroit to see a 7-5 Zips football team play Memphis in the MCB. Zips fans will show up if you win championships. If you don't win, they won't. Look at Miami in the Szerbiak years or Rothlisberger years. Compare their respective attendance then, to today. It is no different at any other mid-major college. Win and they will come. Come up short on the field/court, and your attendance will likewise come up short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Watcher Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Where's the dead horse guy when we need him?Go Zips! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirdZip Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 The main reason students do not attend games in droves is -- we aren't winning. Simple as that. Akron-area fans are no different than any other fans...they actively support a winner...and they, at best, passively support anything less.So why is men's basketball attendance so mediocre? They win? Note: Basketball attendance isn't terrible by any stretch...3k people showing up on a blizzard-like Tuesday night to see Buffalo is hardly cause to whine about lack of support.... It is no different at any other mid-major college. Win and they will come. Come up short on the field/court, and your attendance will likewise come up short.I agree on the attendance--I was surprised at the 3000+ number when I got there. it took me 2 hours to get there when it normally takes me 1, yet still a decent crowd. That says to me the potential is there when the wins start again.This third loss in a row prompted me to look back at the last time Akron lost 3-in-a-row. Last time I could find was at the end of the 2003/2004 season--Marshall, Buffalo & Ball State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Where's the dead horse guy when we need him?Go Zips! B) I banned him. BWAH HA HA!! Viva la attendance discussion!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Top 10 reasons attendance is down.10. They don't play that cool "thriller" video anymore09. No more Jamie Bosley08. Zippy doesn't jump off a trampoline and dunk at halftime07. LeBron doesn't attend games anymore06. They don't shut the lights off and blow smoke during the introductions05. The Big Ten Network is replaying Ohio State vs Houston Baptist that night04. They refuse to play 'The Humpty Dance'03. The new coach doesn't smack the floor and yell enough02. I'll miss the chat on ZipsNation and the numberone reasonattendance is down....01. KD never puts Zeke Marshall in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromdaBurgh Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Top 10 reasons attendance is down.10. They don't play that cool "thriller" video anymore09. No more Jamie Bosley08. Zippy doesn't jump off a trampoline and dunk at halftime07. LeBron doesn't attend games anymore06. They don't shut the lights off and blow smoke during the introductions05. The Big Ten Network is replaying Ohio State vs Houston Baptist that night04. They refuse to play 'The Humpty Dance'03. The new coach doesn't smack the floor and yell enough02. I'll miss the chat on ZipsNation and the numberone reasonattendance is down....01. KD never puts Zeke Marshall in CAN WE GET HIM GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL FIRST......You are tooooo funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoops47 Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 I agree that Akron is a comuter college. and that is a problem. Tere is plenty of advertising in down to draw people so it's not the marketing people.If you think "Zeke mania" will bring more people I doubt. I rember two years ago this board had the same conversation with Travis and Joyce playing. It would take a player like Lebron James to pull that type of feat. It would have to be a winning team. not just for a year but a team that makes the trip to the NCAA tournamet. consecutively.Like I said I before it would take a grass root campain to motivate the students to come to the games, Pluse a winning team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoops47 Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Top 10 reasons attendance is down.10. They don't play that cool "thriller" video anymore09. No more Jamie Bosley08. Zippy doesn't jump off a trampoline and dunk at halftime07. LeBron doesn't attend games anymore06. They don't shut the lights off and blow smoke during the introductions05. The Big Ten Network is replaying Ohio State vs Houston Baptist that night04. They refuse to play 'The Humpty Dance'03. The new coach doesn't smack the floor and yell enough02. I'll miss the chat on ZipsNation and the numberone reasonattendance is down....01. KD never puts Zeke Marshall in CAN WE GET HIM GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL FIRST......You are tooooo funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Amen Brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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