Increasing JAR Attendance/Engaging the Fans

[clarkwgriswold]

I'm starting this thread to continue the discussion regarding basketball attendance that broke out in the BG game thread.

 

As for the GA seating, the cost of a season GA ticket is $60.  $60.  Parking for those games- $140.

[GP1]

Out of curiosity, I looked up the cost of a basketball ticket to Hudson High School. It costs $8.00 for an adult to attend a high school basketball game. The quality of play at the mid major level shouldn't even be compared to a HS, but some think tickets should cost less.  It's utter insanity. 

[clarkwgriswold]

19 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Out of curiosity, I looked up the cost of a basketball ticket to Hudson High School. It costs $8.00 for an adult to attend a high school basketball game. The quality of play at the mid major level shouldn't even be compared to a HS, but some think tickets should cost less.  It's utter insanity. 

But they have valet parking.  😁

[GP1]

3 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

But they have valet parking.  😁

Probably bidets in the bathroom. 

[Hilltopper]

In essence, the athletic depart is subsidizing the cost of parking through cheap season ticket prices. 

[GP1]

If Friday night's game was on pay per view, I would have paid $25 to watch it. 

[NWAkron]

21 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

In essence, the athletic depart is subsidizing the cost of parking through cheap season ticket prices. 

To be fair, it's really not the 10$ but the forcing folks to park there that is jarring (pun intended).  So many are just cheap.  Many have heard me tell the story about a couple I knew who procured floor seats for free for years and once that golden goose stopped laying they refused to come back even though for years they got some amazing entertainment and not amazing free meals in the Evans lounge.

[Hilltopper]

15 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

To be fair, it's really not the 10$ but the forcing folks to park there that is jarring (pun intended).  So many are just cheap.  Many have heard me tell the story about a couple I knew who procured floor seats for free for years and once that golden goose stopped laying they refused to come back even though for years they got some amazing entertainment and not amazing free meals in the Evans lounge.

The food in Tommy Evans lounge has definitely improved under the current administration. Clearly the reason I keep renewing my tickets!🤣

[ewbrooman1]

From what I see basketball parking for PCCC games is free or $3 depending on day of week and location and at YSU it's free. Enough said. I have no problem with a $5 fee. $10 is ridiculous. Not to mention $4 for a bottle of water and $6 for a 32 oz. pop. (How about $3 for a 16 oz drink?)

[clarkwgriswold]

I don't think that the actual $10 is as much the issue as is way it was handled.  There was no head's up that I am aware of until after the GA tickets were ordered and sent out.  The deck parking was always a part of the GA season ticket and that was the expectation for many going in.  I think a better solution would have been a good head's up with the option to add on a parking pass.  With the way it was handled it has become a matter of principle for some rather than a matter of affordability.  This position has been further aggravated by the "parking police" being a private entity.

[NWAkron]

19 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

The food in Tommy Evans lounge has definitely improved under the current administration. Clearly the reason I keep renewing my tickets!🤣

Better coach.  Better players.  Better culture.  But, you know, cost of a soda.

[GP1]

16 minutes ago, ewbrooman1 said:

From what I see basketball parking for PCCC games is free or $3 depending on day of week and location and at YSU it's free. Enough said. I have no problem with a $5 fee. $10 is ridiculous. Not to mention $4 for a bottle of water and $6 for a 32 oz. pop. (How about $3 for a 16 oz drink?)

Reason ten thousand I'm glad we are not KSU or YSU. 

 

I'd imagine with all of this cheap parking, they are drawing overflow crowds. 

[GP1]

Of course, the inability to draw a big crowd has everything to do with the cost of sodas and not the 9PM start. 

 

I can't imagine how uninterested I would be in going after working my butt off all week, coming home exhausted, having to haul my butt off to dinner, going to a late starting game and then not getting home until almost midnight. I'd probably give my tickets away to someone who actually would use them. 

[GP1]

It's more than the price of the event. Start time is important but since we let TV networks, who don't care about attendance as they are better off if everyone stayed home and watched the game on TV, decide our start times, we will struggle with attendance. 

 

Why can't the MAC get with a western conference like the MWC, go to CBS and see if they would do a MAC/MWC triple header?  Play MAC games at 6 and 8 PM and then the MWC at 10?  There is a big difference for fans between an 8 and 9 PM start. 

[kreed5120]

Outside of Cincinnati/Dayton area college basketball just isn't that big of a deal. Even the Buckeye "fans" I know don't really start following OSU until the conference tournament is about to start. 

 

$4 waters, $10 parking, $4 tickets, etc isn't the problem. People pay those prices to see the Rubber Ducks. They pay several times those prices to go to a concert as Blossom. There is just a lot of apathy surrounding the program. Outside of the Kent game, going to Akron basketball just isn't "the cool thing to do". It's a shame because when the Zips have those 4500+ fan crowds, the games are very exciting. I don't really have a solution, but they need to change the perception surrounding Akron sports.

[ClevelandZip]

One hurdle besides attracting alumni and the community to these games I’ll add in is the student body. When I was going to UA the student body was almost 30,000 and it’s closer to 15,000 now. It also may be me, but I feel like the students aren’t as into sports either. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of AK Rowdies anymore.

 

The $10 parking is kind of annoying but I’ve just been parking on the street (virtually on-campus) and walking a few minutes. That would be super annoying for less mobile people, though.

[Zippy87]

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.

[kreed5120]

3 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

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.

The thing is students can attend games for free, yet they still don't. I'd say the cost of time is the bigger deterrent. People think sitting at home watching Netflix, playing video games, going to the movie theaters, or whatever else is a better use of their time. That's what really needs to he changed.

 

The cost of the game itself isn't a real deterrent. When I've had season tickets in the past, when parking was free, I couldn't even find anyone willing to take my tickets for the games I couldn't attend. I wasn't even asking money for them. 

[Reslife4Life]

1 hour ago, Zippy87 said:

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.

Exactly. Minor League Baseball is a good comparison to Mid Major college sports. Both have some die hard fans, but a majority of the people that go to MiLB games go for something else. Whether its a theme, giveaway, or whatever, the entertainment is what makes people come out. We can do more entertainment at games without taking away from the actual product on the floor. The in-game experience hasn't been the same since Covid, and that really does make a difference, especially if casual fans came back to one game after covid, and went home with the mentality of "I can just watch this at home"

[Reslife4Life]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

The thing is students can attend games for free, yet they still don't. I'd say the cost of time is the bigger deterrent. People think sitting at home watching Netflix, playing video games, going to the movie theaters, or whatever else is a better use of their time. That's what really needs to he changed.

 

The cost of the game itself isn't a real deterrent. When I've had season tickets in the past, when parking was free, I couldn't even find anyone willing to take my tickets for the games I couldn't attend. I wasn't even asking money for them. 

I've said it before on here, but UA doesn't prioritize sporting events (other than football) for students. Students honestly don't even know games are going on most of the time. I think the focus on social media this year has been good, but if you ask 10 students on the Tuesday that classes resume if they are going to the game that night they will say "Oh, I didn't know there was a game tonight" from more than half. I think how bad the football team is does discourage some students from attending other sports simply because they think we are bad at everything. If the school did more things to excite students about sports more would show up

[NWAkron]

41 minutes ago, Reslife4Life said:

Exactly. Minor League Baseball is a good comparison to Mid Major college sports. Both have some die hard fans, but a majority of the people that go to MiLB games go for something else. Whether its a theme, giveaway, or whatever, the entertainment is what makes people come out. We can do more entertainment at games without taking away from the actual product on the floor. The in-game experience hasn't been the same since Covid, and that really does make a difference, especially if casual fans came back to one game after covid, and went home with the mentality of "I can just watch this at home"

I appreciate your posts, so please don't see this as an attack but isn't the "in-game experience" THE GAME!  This isn't like going to a movie theatre...yeah, easier just to watch at home.  The excitement is in seeing the last second shot, etc and being there.  The entertainment is THE GAME.  What has sucked forever and happens at every MAC school is the administration's inability to convince the pep band to be there for some of the games over break.  I know I sound like an Ohio U person when I say that but it seem, from the posts on here, that folks want the traditional game atmosphere.  Maybe I'm a different breed, but I've been to almost every home game for the last 25 years and, even in the early years, a promotion wasn't what got me there.  I may have arrived earlier if there was a "first 500 fans receive..."  My mother collected a bunch of taylor made jewelry balls and lots of t shirts at these games before she died but that wasn't why she attended.  I do remember some dollar hot dog nights but, you know, times change.  What matters is the product on the floor.  And if that isn't driving people to the JAR giveaways aren't going to do it either.

[NWAkron]

Let me add:  yes, anything will help.  Do what they can to get more people involved and present.  Creating an overall game day experience would only benefit the team and fans.  More social media and promotion of these amazing players would help.  Comes back to the product.  Make people want to see them.

 

They should send out clips of the big plays .  Get those up on social media with sound and editing.  Something we can share and get some interest. 

Edited January 8 by NWAkron

[Zippy87]

36 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

I appreciate your posts, so please don't see this as an attack but isn't the "in-game experience" THE GAME!  This isn't like going to a movie theatre...yeah, easier just to watch at home.  The excitement is in seeing the last second shot, etc and being there.  The entertainment is THE GAME.  What has sucked forever and happens at every MAC school is the administration's inability to convince the pep band to be there for some of the games over break.  I know I sound like an Ohio U person when I say that but it seem, from the posts on here, that folks want the traditional game atmosphere.  Maybe I'm a different breed, but I've been to almost every home game for the last 25 years and, even in the early years, a promotion wasn't what got me there.  I may have arrived earlier if there was a "first 500 fans receive..."  My mother collected a bunch of taylor made jewelry balls and lots of t shirts at these games before she died but that wasn't why she attended.  I do remember some dollar hot dog nights but, you know, times change.  What matters is the product on the floor.  And if that isn't driving people to the JAR giveaways aren't going to do it either.

 

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. 

[LoyalZIP]

I urge folks to look at what McNeese State is doing. That thing has turned into a total party, amazingly without stilts and Tik Tok dances and foul balls sponsored by Luigi’s. They are good, and they make sure people know it. 
 

The game-winning dunk (I repeat, GAME-WINNING) at NKU went totally under the radar. Sure, they posted it. With grainy video, no audio, no Zips radio call, and went on their way. That’s not good. It didn’t get outside the Akron bubble we all exist in. There are a few people I spoke with at the Miami-Hamilton game the following week, who obviously follow the program and go to the games, and they said they had heard about some game winning shot but never saw it or had any idea what happened. That blows my mind and should never happen. It’s not 2007 lost footage of a Jeremiah Wood game winning layup at Kent. 
 

To add, with promotions, they do not move the needle as much as you’d think. When UA has done them in the past, many students and general public have shown up, picked up their items, and left. There was a whole controversy back in 2015 when all the hats for a football game were given away within 15 minutes of the gates opening. And an empty, rainy infocision stadium watched Akron win their 6th regular season game for the first time in a decade anyway. Same thing with bobble heads over the years. And coasters, lapel buttons. You should have seen the ticket office the last few years before it was cleaned out. It was like a Zips giveaway mass graveyard. The Ark of the Covenant could have been buried in all of the unclaimed items that were supposedly going to help make a difference. 

[NWAkron]

excitement building in Muncie.  😇

Edited January 8 by NWAkron