The fans aren't going to the games?

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,264]

I read an article today that the seats aren't filling up at the games these days. Is this true?

[NoahW35 459]

Current student who is from just about 40 minutes west of Bloomington and has been going to games all my life. The seats are obviously much more full than in that picture but attendance this season is the worst I can remember. The balconies are very empty most games and even in the main oncourse there is a noticeable amount of empty seats

[Magnanimous 4,574]

Current student who is from just about 40 minutes west of Bloomington and has been going to games all my life. The seats are obviously much more full than in that picture but attendance this season is the worst I can remember. The balconies are very empty most games and even in the main oncourse there is a noticeable amount of empty seats

 

I think it's a combination of fans not being sure what to make of the team, the bad taste leading into the season, a weak Big Ten, and a pretty lackluster home slate. The best home game we've had so far while the students have been on campus was Maryland (OSU was the Sat. before spring semester), and Maryland isn't a big draw right now. Wisconsin was on the road, Michigan is down, and then it's Rutgers, Minny, and Penn State. The home schedule this year has been awful. OOC was SMU and Pitt. Our big games were in Indy and NYC. We also don't have one primetime Saturday game at home all season which is a joke. It should be pretty full for Purdue and MSU though.

[colonel06 1,913]

Well if Fisch is mentioning it or should I say calling out the fans for not showing up then there is something to it.  Dakich had mentioned it as well that the current influx of students from out of state do not support the team like the Hoosier student base of old as well.

[MikeRoberts 6,998]

Is that the fans speaking their mind about Crean?

[Magnanimous 4,574]

Well if Fisch is mentioning it or should I say calling out the fans for not showing up then there is something to it.  Dakich had mentioned it as well that the current influx of students from out of state do not support the team like the Hoosier student base of old as well.

 

I think that's a copout argument made by oldtimers looking for a scapegoat. The product had gone stale for a while, and there isn't really anything beyond that. When I was at IU there were plenty of in-state hipsters who couldn't give a crap about the basketball team. And as an alum, I'm glad that people come to IU for reasons beyond the basketball team.

 

Also, I love it how Dakich (and others) always compare current student interest to when they were at IU like 30 years ago. The schedule now is a month longer, and back then there were less OOC cupcakes to lull the fanbase to sleep.

 

The oncampus transportation on gamedays is also terrible, which makes it convenient for students living off-campus or south east to go to a bar or stay home and watch on a big screen. When I was living downtown on College Ave, our choices to get to the games were walk to the game in 10 degree weather, park at a friend's place that was closer and walk to the stadium in 10 degree weather, or drive to the stadium and pay for parking either away from the stadium or in half-empty overpriced permit lots with terrible traffic. Considering there are multiple streets running north from the heart of campus, I don't know why IU doesn't have a better shuttle system in place on game-days.

[bnkepner 1,509]

 a weak Big Ten

The Big Ten may not have tons of big named players this year but I think it is just as competitive as it always has been. Last year only 6 teams finished at or above .500 and this year there are 8 teams at or above .500 so I would say the Big Ten is just as good as it has been in the past. Just as competitive.
 

[NoahW35 459]

What state the students come from has nothing to do with it. I think it's mostly that there is an overall negative feeling about the state of the program on campus. We have been much better than preseason predictions but not so good as to get the casual fans fired up and because of the negative feelings around campus there unfortunately just isn't a lot of buzz about the basketball team

[Hovadipo 56,100]

Is that the fans speaking their mind about Crean?

I'm sure that's it.

[Magnanimous 4,574]

The Big Ten may not have tons of big named players this year but I think it is just as competitive as it always has been. Last year only 6 teams finished at or above .500 and this year there are 8 teams at or above .500 so I would say the Big Ten is just as good as it has been in the past. Just as competitive.
 

 

It's competitive because it's mediocore from #2 on down. Two years ago the 5th place Big10 team made the NC. Let's see if this year's 5th place Big10 team can get out of the first round.

[Magnanimous 4,574]

What state the students come from has nothing to do with it. I think it's mostly that there is an overall negative feeling about the state of the program on campus. We have been much better than preseason predictions but not so good as to get the casual fans fired up and because of the negative feelings around campus there unfortunately just isn't a lot of buzz about the basketball team

 

There also hasn't been a primetime game to hype up for the students to come together. Our only Big10 game played at night on a weekend this year was Minnesota on Sunday. No Saturday night games against a top ranked Michigan, MSU, OSU or Wisconsin. No marquee Kentucky game or big brand like UNC coming to town in the OCC.

 

Glass has yet to fill the void left from the Kentucky game. I know we've added some other big names, but you can only get so hyped up as a student for Kansas in Hawaii or Louisville in NYC.

[Hovadipo 56,100]

There also hasn't been a primetime game to hype up for the students to come together. Our only Big10 game played at night on a weekend this year was Minnesota on Sunday. No Saturday night games against a top ranked Michigan, MSU, OSU or Wisconsin. No marquee Kentucky game or big brand like UNC coming to town in the OCC.

Maryland was hyped up well on campus and I like to think the fans delivered. That was a great atmosphere. It was a Thursday, but still an awesome crowd.

[bnkepner 1,509]

It's competitive because it's mediocore from #2 on down. Two years ago the 5th place Big10 team made the NC. Let's see if this year's 5th place Big10 team can get out of the first round.

Mediocre? Laughable.

 

At least 5 Big Ten teams will still make it this year

[HoosierHoops1 5,024]

He's saying the 5th place team (Michigan) played for the title.

What will the 5th place team this year do?

[colonel06 1,913]

Interesting stuff here late at night tonight!

[CheddarDavis 13]

I really don't understand the terrible attendance this year. I'm a current senior in the basketball pep band, so I've never missed a single home game in the past 4 years. And I can say, without a doubt, that attendance this years has been far worse than the past 3 years. Even last year, when we were rather disappointing, people showed up. But this year, outside of the Maryland game, AH hasn't been packed like it usually is. Even the "bigger" games like SMU, Pitt, Michigan, etc were not completely full. I get that the schedule is not as food as it has been in past years, but games are still fun to be at even when we're winning by 25 against Mississippi Valley State.

I've also noticed a lot more fans leaving games early this year. That frustrates me to no end.

[pappy1865 2,204]

I don't think it's just Assembly Hall.  I know at Indiana State the attendance is crap, which it has been for years.  Hell, students can attend games for free and don't go.  Of course, when I was an undergrad living on campus I skipped ISU games in favor of watching the Hoosiers with several fraternity brothers.  We still try to get to as many ISU games as we can, but with me traveling for work,we haven't gone this year.  Hell, it's been over 3 years since I've been to Assembly Hall.  Went to several Nebraska games while located there for 18 months and attendance was crap as well.  Same with going up to Omaha to some Creighton games last year.  

 

I just realized I totally miss going to games!

[coonhounds 8,933]

I was unaware of the attendance issue but I have no doubt all the negativity towards the program is the reason. I can think of no other reason for it. If we finish strong this year and keep most of the pieces in tact the fans will come back. I predict the purdue game will b a sellout just hope there isn't a lot of black and gold in there

[djsalway 4,161]

Not gonna lie, I have sold all my tickets since winter break. But at least those people are using them.

[drock161 586]

I know a lot of people weren't too thrilled with some of the new ticket policies at the start of the season too. They tied season tickets purchases to football tickets (which I know has been covered at great length in 342657612345336457 different threads about Glass), but also they're getting less games than they used to (what is it, 8 games if you buy season tickets now). The way they decide who gets tickets to what games has changed recently as well. It isn't by seniority, but rather by some odd point system depending on how many games of different sports you go throughout the year. So if you happen to be busy in the fall with a job, marching band, school work, being hung over, or whatever and can't go to every single football, soccer, volleyball, and foosball game, chances are you'll get a worse pull than you'd like.
Now I've never bought season tickets because of band, but if I did and only got junky games after 4 years of being here because I'm busy in the fall, I'd probably sell a lot of the tickets too...

In regards to Dakich's out-of-state student comments, I haven't heard something more ridiculous in a long time, and I'm dealing with all of the bogus messing with the education system right now. If he thinks that just because a student isn't from the state of Indiana that means they have no love for their school or care less than anyone else, he must be a whole lot less intelligent than I though. And if there is any part of him that thinks students should pick their college based on basketball team, he needs to get his head and priorities back in line. There are a million different reasons a kid decides to come to IU, but the basketball team should be one of the last ones he/she considers. University is about education and building life experiences, it costs way too much time and money for sports to be a major factor (unless you're going to school to play sports). What state you're from has no bearing on your ability to be a fan and love your school.