Game 14- Bowling Green

[zippy5]

6 minutes ago, GP1 said:

I generally think if every taxpayer in Ohio received four general admission tickets to two MAC sporting events of their choice per year, there would have been more people. 

 

Are all of the seats in the lower bowl sold and people are not showing up?  

Yes

[csims0917]

7 hours ago, ZippyRulz said:

 

Dude even had a double double tonight!  He just needs to work on his assists... such a ball hog 😅

 

It’s kinda wild his assists aren’t higher the amount of pass outs he does. 

[clarkwgriswold]

40 minutes ago, Zip JD said:

Groce said in the postgame that Trib’s T was for talking trash to BG.  He said he heard the whole interaction and that if that was a T, there should have been 15 prior T’s on each team.  He added that the BG players were yelling at the Zips bench all night so he thought it was an interesting time to call a T (3:30 left in the game).

 

I will add that even by MAC standards the officiating last night was atrocious.  Way too many missed calls and way too many touch fouls.  Throw in a couple make up calls to round it out with 5 or 6 trips to the video.  Worst officials of the year.  

 

They were all over the place.  They missed obvious calls while calling a bunch of ticky tack soft stuff.  The Tribble technical was a perfect example of how bad it was.  On its own, it may have warranted a T but after a game of trash talking and posing, you don't suddenly start enforcing the rules with under 5 minutes to play to foul a kid out.  

[GP1]

11 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

Yes

Thanks.

 

So, it looks like there was bad weather in NE Ohio yesterday, the holidays just ended, the flu is pretty bad in Ohio right now and the game started at 9 PM against what is not considered a historically good MAC program. In many ways I get why the crowd was small. 

 

On the other hand, why aren't these season ticket holders at least giving their tickets away? I understand not wanting to go to a 9 PM game, but these people have to know SOMEONE who would use them. Does the University have a convenient way for season ticket holders to get their unused tickets into the hands of someone else? 

 

Step one needs to be getting season ticket holders to show up. Step two, have a convenient method to get the tickets that will not be used to someone else. When I lived in Akron, I didn't go to many MBB games because lower bowl tickets were not available, only the clergy during the Spanish Inquisition would have been fans of the bleachers and generally didn't like the view from the upper bowl chair backs. That was 16 years ago and the technology to move tickets from one person to another now exists and is easy to use. I would have gone to many more games if that technology existed then and the season ticket holders took advantage of it. 

[zippy-claws]

9 hours ago, csims0917 said:

if they do a good promo

🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣

Oh...you weren't joking?

 

[clarkwgriswold]

4 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Thanks.

 

So, it looks like there was bad weather in NE Ohio yesterday, the holidays just ended, the flu is pretty bad in Ohio right now and the game started at 9 PM against what is not considered a historically good MAC program. In many ways I get why the crowd was small. 

 

On the other hand, why aren't these season ticket holders at least giving their tickets away? I understand not wanting to go to a 9 PM game, but these people have to know SOMEONE who would use them. Does the University have a convenient way for season ticket holders to get their unused tickets into the hands of someone else? 

 

Step one needs to be getting season ticket holders to show up. Step two, have a convenient method to get the tickets that will not be used to someone else. When I lived in Akron, I didn't go to many MBB games because lower bowl tickets were not available, only the clergy during the Spanish Inquisition would have been fans of the bleachers and generally didn't like the view from the upper bowl chair backs. That was 16 years ago and the technology to move tickets from one person to another now exists and is easy to use. I would have gone to many more games if that technology existed then and the season ticket holders took advantage of it. 

 

The empty blue seats increased for some reason when KD left and has never completely rebounded.  It's a damn shame and I don't get it.  The Groce teams are every bit as entertaining as the KD teams.  I guess they're people who feel some allegiance or loyalty to make the donation but have established no connection with the program.

 

Last night's crowd seemed decent.  However, according to the official stats (not that I trust them), it was the second lowest attendance on the year, second only to Heidelberg.  Those who were there were very engaged and involved.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I think we’re at the cusp of tarping-over the bleachers and moving home games to Florida.

[GP1]

32 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

The empty blue seats increased for some reason when KD left and has never completely rebounded.  It's a damn shame and I don't get it.  The Groce teams are every bit as entertaining as the KD teams.  I guess they're people who feel some allegiance or loyalty to make the donation but have established no connection with the program.

 

Last night's crowd seemed decent.  However, according to the official stats (not that I trust them), it was the second lowest attendance on the year, second only to Heidelberg.  Those who were there were very engaged and involved.

You make a good point about people using tickets as a donation. I'm not a big fan of someone doing this if they aren't going to maximize their donation with attendance.

 

The technology exists to know who is using tickets or not. Maybe it's time to work with some season ticket holders who are no using their tickets to see if maybe a donation to the Foundation in the same amount coupled with a tax benefit is best for them. Then they can get those tickets to maybe, let's be honest, younger fans who would use them. 

[GP1]

9 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

I think we’re at the cusp of tarping-over the bleachers and moving home games to Florida.

That would mean it's 1834 and María Cristina de Borbón is the athletic director. 

[clarkwgriswold]

17 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

I think we’re at the cusp of tarping-over the bleachers and moving home games to Florida.

I think I just lost post of the year.  😡

[NWAkron]

55 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

The empty blue seats increased for some reason when KD left and has never completely rebounded.  It's a damn shame and I don't get it.  The Groce teams are every bit as entertaining as the KD teams.  I guess they're people who feel some allegiance or loyalty to make the donation but have established no connection with the program.

 

Last night's crowd seemed decent.  However, according to the official stats (not that I trust them), it was the second lowest attendance on the year, second only to Heidelberg.  Those who were there were very engaged and involved.

IDK.  Seems like I was at a different game than everyone else.  Blue Seats...I know someone who has 4 but now goes to Florida in January.  It may be KD leaving but also many didn't re-appear after COVID.

[zipsrule]

1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

They were all over the place.  They missed obvious calls while calling a bunch of ticky tack soft stuff.  The Tribble technical was a perfect example of how bad it was.  On its own, it may have warranted a T but after a game of trash talking and posing, you don't suddenly start enforcing the rules with under 5 minutes to play to foul a kid out.  

💯 (out of likes)

[GP1]

36 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

IDK.  Seems like I was at a different game than everyone else.  Blue Seats...I know someone who has 4 but now goes to Florida in January.  It may be KD leaving but also many didn't re-appear after COVID.

The dynamics of college athletics attendance around the country have changed in the past 10 years. 

 

One mistake universities are making is selling expensive tickets for the sake of selling the tickets. No consideration is given to whether or not anyone shows up. The tickets exist just to fun athletics but not benefit the athletes students alumni fans and general community. It's as gross as most everything that goes on in college athletics. These tickets get sold to companies and older people who tend to have more money. You guys see this at basketball games. I see it at Wake Forest football games. They had three "sold out" games last year where the stadium was half empty.

 

I would ask the following questions. 

1. Do we have a problem selling tickets?

2. Do we have a problem getting season ticket holders to the games?

3. If both are a problem, which one is more important to solve?

4. Is it possible to solve both at the same time?

[zippy5]

2 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I think I just lost post of the year.  😡

It's early!

[Reslife4Life]

The JAR ticket prices are just crazy. You’ve got $10 GA, $20 upper level chair back, $30 lower level non mid court, then $50 lower level mid court. Those prices are just too far apart, especially the last 2. There really isn’t that much of a difference in seating to be charging that much

[1981 grad]

2 hours ago, GP1 said:

You make a good point about people using tickets as a donation. I'm not a big fan of someone doing this if they aren't going to maximize their donation with attendance.

 

The technology exists to know who is using tickets or not. Maybe it's time to work with some season ticket holders who are no using their tickets to see if maybe a donation to the Foundation in the same amount coupled with a tax benefit is best for them. Then they can get those tickets to maybe, let's be honest, younger fans who would use them. 

I am a season ticket holder in the blue seats and I am out of town for 3 weeks.  As a season ticket holder you can bank your tickets and then use them at a later time.   I plan to bring people to the games when I get back and used the banked tickets.  I think Groce should talk to the AD about promoting Akron basketball.  When is the last time you saw a billboard or any type of advertising for the basketball team.  They should do some promotions to get butts in the seats. 

[Zippy87]

On attendance:

 

- Home games have been Southern Mississippi, Heidelberg, Bradley, Miami-Hamilton, Gardner-Webb, and Bowling Green. Which opponent is going to draw the average fan to the game?

 

- Pricing is still too high. Looking at next Friday at Buffalo, it's $10 for a GA bleacher seat, $20-$50 for reserved, and $100 for floor. Good luck drawing the average fan.

 

- Promotions are scarce and when there is one, it's barely promoted. We sat in the student section last night, taking advantage of the $10 winter break deal, and my wife asked why so many people would pay $10 for GA instead of $10 for a lower level ticket and I told her they probably didn't know. Why not do a Freeman t-shirt giveaway and give him half of the proceeds for NIL? Why not offer a free kids ticket with paid admission of an adult? Why not partner with a local business to do some type of giveaway? The effort, quite frankly, is embarrassing.

Edited January 6, 2024 by Zippy87

[GP1]

17 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

I am a season ticket holder in the blue seats and I am out of town for 3 weeks.  As a season ticket holder you can bank your tickets and then use them at a later time.   I plan to bring people to the games when I get back and used the banked tickets.  I think Groce should talk to the AD about promoting Akron basketball.  When is the last time you saw a billboard or any type of advertising for the basketball team.  They should do some promotions to get butts in the seats. 

Is your season package for every game?  When you bank them, can another person have an opportunity to buy the game you are banking?

[ewbrooman1]

5 hours ago, Zip JD said:

Groce said in the postgame that Trib’s T was for talking trash to BG.  He said he heard the whole interaction and that if that was a T, there should have been 15 prior T’s on each team.  He added that the BG players were yelling at the Zips bench all night so he thought it was an interesting time to call a T (3:30 left in the game).

 

I will add that even by MAC standards the officiating last night was atrocious.  Way too many missed calls and way too many touch fouls.  Throw in a couple make up calls to round it out with 5 or 6 trips to the video.  Worst officials of the year.  

I stand by my observation. 🙂 It was right in front of me.  Tribble turned and looked directly at the ref and said something, as he turned around to run up court the ref T'd him up. No one was nearby. I guess the ref could have been between him and the bench. Prior trash talk may have contributed to the call.

Edited January 6, 2024 by ewbrooman1

[1981 grad]

31 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Is your season package for every game?  When you bank them, can another person have an opportunity to buy the game you are banking?

My package is for every game and that is one of the advantages of buying a season ticket and you also get free parking.   Yes, when I bank the ticket it is available for another person to buy.

[ewbrooman1]

5 hours ago, Zip JD said:

Groce said in the postgame that Trib’s T was for talking trash to BG.  He said he heard the whole interaction and that if that was a T, there should have been 15 prior T’s on each team.  He added that the BG players were yelling at the Zips bench all night so he thought it was an interesting time to call a T (3:30 left in the game).

 

I will add that even by MAC standards the officiating last night was atrocious.  Way too many missed calls and way too many touch fouls.  Throw in a couple make up calls to round it out with 5 or 6 trips to the video.  Worst officials of the year.  

I stand by my observation. 🙂 It was right in front of me. Groce was at the other end of the court and Tribble's back was to him when he spoke at the ref. I'm sure there was plenty of prior trash talk to bring on the T.

[GP1]

20 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

My package is for every game and that is one of the advantages of buying a season ticket and you also get free parking.   Yes, when I bank the ticket it is available for another person to buy.

Does the University do a good job of letting people know there are really good seats available?

[NWAkron]

5 hours ago, GP1 said:

Does the University do a good job of letting people know there are really good seats available?

so looks like these are seats available for purchase on the bench side.  That's a lot of blue.  You add in the ticket holders who don't show up and that's even more blue.

Edited January 7, 2024 by NWAkron

[csims0917]

Why can’t we at least do this???

[NWAkron]

7 minutes ago, csims0917 said:

Why can’t we at least do this???

then you risk upsetting the ticket holders who paid for their seats, especially if you paid a lot for a single game ticket and then a bunch of folks surround you for free.

Edited January 7, 2024 by NWAkron