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  • Attendance Has Been A Success???

    Normally 89Rabbit has links posted on this site, to Solari's articles on State, before the argusleader even puts them up. However, I couldn't help but notice that he didn't post today's article on the Jackrabbits. For those of you who haven't gotten a chance to read the article, I figured I would post it for you. Your welcome. ;D

    SDSU attendance down
    Schools officials expects numbers to rise next season

    Chris Solari
    csolari@argusleader.com

    published: 02/10/05


    A handful of fans watch from behind the basket as the SDSU men’s basketball team takes on Southwest Minnesota at Frost Arena last Monday.
    (Stuart Villanueva - Argus Leader)
    ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
    SDSU men's basketball home attendance, 2000-01 to this year


    Games Total Avg. 04-05:
    11 17,783 1,617 04-05:
    17 57,383 3,375 03-04:
    17 59,357 3,492 02-03:
    17 75,633 4,449 01-02:
    14 52,707 3,765 00-01

    SDSU women's basketball home attendance, 2000-01 to this year

    Games Total Avg.
    7 10,473 1,496 04-05:
    14 34,777 2,484 03-04:
    19 51,172 2,693 02-03:
    15 38,626 2,575 01-02:
    13 24,004 1,846 00-01

    COMING UP
    INDOOR TRACK: Friday-Saturday, Iowa State Classic, Ames, Iowa

    WOMEN'S TENNIS: Friday, vs. Augustana, Sioux Falls, Sioux Empire Fitness

    WRESTLING: Friday, hosting Northern Iowa, 7 p.m.

    MEN'S TENNIS: Saturday, vs. Dordt, Sioux Falls, Sioux Empire Fitness.

    WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Saturday, University of Sioux Falls, 7 p.m., Frost Arena.

    BROOKINGS - There's a framed photo of a jam-packed 1997 game at Frost Arena that sits on a table in the venue's press box, a symbol of a glorious, ear-ringing era at South Dakota State.

    Glance out into Frost these days, and you'll see a sea of empty seats and hear more echo from the cowbell than roaring crowds.

    Men's and women's basketball attendance has dropped off significantly this season, the school's first at Division I, but Athletic Director Fred Oien said it was an anticipated decline because of home games against mostly NAIA teams and the men and women not playing games on the same nights.

    At the same time, Oien expects the attendance to increase once Division I opponents start visiting South Dakota next season.

    With their home schedule finished, the Jackrabbit men averaged 1,617 fans for their 11 home contests, down more than 50 percent from 3,375 in 17 games a year ago.

    The SDSU women are at 1,496 a game after 851 watched the team's victory over Si Tanka-Huron on Wednesday.

    SDSU was second nationally in Division II women's attendance for 2003-04. The 2,484 average was just behind North Dakota State for the second straight year.

    "We understood that because the way that basketball scheduling was going to work, being a non-counter (for Division I teams in RPI), that we were going to play predominantly a non-conference schedule," Oien said. "(Non-conference) attendance had always been a lot lower than being in a conference."

    Last season, the Jackrabbit women drew 1,752 fans for six non-league games, while the men averaged 2,575 in nine contests. Both numbers are higher than this year's average attendance.

    This season's high-water marks for fans came against North Dakota State, which is also making its transition to Division I. The women's game between the two schools, with 4,739 fans, setting a single-game women's record at Frost, and actually outdrew the men's game (4,281).

    Oien likened the NDSU games to how a theater fills up for a highly regarded film's opening.

    "They were both weekend games and, obviously, against a familiar foe," he said. "But at the same time, people's expectations for those games were good, quality competition. Everyone brings perception when they buy a ticket on its value."

    Up in Fargo, NDSU is experiencing the same kind of difficulties drawing fans. The Bison men have averaged 1,280 fans in nine home games, while the women have drawn 1,268 to 10 games. Both totals are down by more than 1,000 fans a contest compared to last season.

    "There's no question the quality of our home opponents hasn't been as good as it has been in the past," Bison men's basketball coach Tim Miles told the Grand Forks Herald last week. "This year, it's not. But (the home schedule) will be stronger next year and stronger as you go on."

    NDSU hosts SDSU for a men's-women's doubleheader on Feb. 26.

    SDSU was allowed to schedule whatever opponents it could in its first of a five-year transition to full-fledged Division I status. Next year, Oien said the Jackrabbits must play a minimum of 23 D-I opponents for both men and women, with at least nine of those games being at Frost. They'll also be able to schedule four non-Division I games, all of which will be held in Brookings.

    Oien said that though the two SDSU teams won't have the opportunity to piggyback each other's crowds without doubleheader, the opponents' name recognition should help sell tickets.

    "A lot of that will hold true when Arkansas State and Butler come here, or when Alabama comes here for the women," Oien said. "All of a sudden, the perception of what's going to happen at the game creates more fan interest."

    Reach Chris Solari at 977-3923.


  • #2
    Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

    Originally posted by sports_buff
    Normally 89Rabbit has links posted on this site, to Solari's articles on State, before the argusleader even puts them up. However, I couldn't help but notice that he didn't post today's article on the Jackrabbits.

    Congrats you beat me to posting this.  The Argus used to post their stories on line at about 11:30 PM the day before.  With a new baby in the house I was still up.  Now she is going to bed sooner and the stories are posting later.  

    The reason I post the link to the story and NEVER post an entire story is because to not do so would be a volation of copyright laws.  It is permissible to quote a large (almost all of) part of the story but not all of it.  

    Turning to your USD glee over the diminished numbers at Frost.  As optimistic as I am I knew our attendance numbers were going to be down this year in Basketball.

    We went from playing double headers on Friday and Saturday to playing single games spread out over the week.  Add to that this year's transition schedule and even a blind man could see that it would be down.

    I bought season tickets for Jackrabbit basketball not because of the teams on this schedule but in spit of them.  I wanted to show my support to an even greater extent (was already a member of the Jackrabbit Club) for our move to D-I.  I also had the vision to see that soon Frost will be packed again because of the teams coming in the future and I wanted good seats.  This being a reallocation year, I will have the same seats for this season and the two after it.  

    I was rewarded with great seats, behind the basket, that I will enjoy even more next season when Manhattan,  Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Alabama, and the rest come to Frost.

    One must also recognize that the Women's Program now has paying customers of it's own and I think that is good for SDSU.  They Woment set a single game attendance record for the only D-I home game on their schedule.  The Men's attendance was up (compared to the rest of the home schedule) for it's only home D-I game.  Also keep in mind that half of the Men's home games were played in Frost during school breaks, so no students to speak of.  Again, as we move forward and the flexibility of our schedule goes up this will not be the case in future years.

    This story didn't touch on it, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that SDSU set a Single Season Attendance record for football this past fall.  We beat USD's attendence in that sport with 2 fewer home games.

    Finally I have to ask how is USD's basketball attendence this year?  The big rivalry with Augie working out for you?  Sports_buff,  keep in mind that the largests single game crowds in Frost Arena history (both Men's and Women's) don't involve your beloved Coyotes.  Can you say the same?  SDSU will be just fine.

    Go State!  ;D

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

      Here is the link by the way.

      http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...33/1002/SPORTS

      Go State! ;D

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

        The thing I worry about is that we have a lot of increased expenses that are coming right away in this move and yet it may take some time to build revenues to catch up to the increased expenses. (ie-diminished attendance). I do think we will catch up in a couple of years but what is going to happen in the next year or two when we are probably going to run a deficit. Where does the extra money come from or what gets cut? Anybody know?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

          A valid concern, but as Mike_H pointed out on another thread with guarantees paid by some of the Bigger programs (Marquette, San Diego State, etc.) we actually will have greater revenues this season.

          Go State! ;D

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

            We get a pretty nice check when we travel to other d1 programs, gaurantee money I believe is what they term it. Remember, if we draw 1500 for a mens game and 1500 for a women's game, that's the equivelant of 3000 for a double header in years past. Those same people will also buy an ice cream cone or coke at each event, doubling our concessions revenue.

            Sure would be nice to see some Jackrabbit apparrel being sold at some of the games, maybe next year :-/

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

              Originally posted by 89rabbit


              Finally I have to ask how is USD's basketball attendence this year?  The big rivalry with Augie working out for you?  
              I'm not positive but I think USD's attendance is about the same as it has been. Obviously USD is missing the big draw from the State game that it is used to. As far as the rivalry goes with Augie, well there isn't much of a rivalry. You can't manufacture a rivalry, as I'm sure State found out with NDSU in basketball this year. Ya it was your biggest draw--which isn't saying much--but it was no where near the crowds that you were drawing for the USD games; just as Augie didn't bring in near the crowd for USD that State did.
              I'm glad to see you have remained so optimistic through all of this, it couldn't have been easy. I commend you for that.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                Those figures aren't comparing apples to apples.

                In the past those attending the Women's games paid their $10/12 to attend it and got the Men's for free.

                Now they are seperate. It's still down, but not as bad as it looks.

                I would say overall attendence is down roughly 1/3 or less. Not bad for the oppenents we played, timing of games, single games instead of double headers....

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                  Originally posted by sports_buff

                  I'm not positive but I think USD's attendance is about the same as it has been. Obviously USD is missing the big draw from the State game that it is used to.
                  USD has had 12 home games at the DakotaDome, drawing 25,325 for an average of: 2110.

                  Granted, that'll go up some. They've got some big home games coming up. But it's not particularly impressive.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                    Not much about the move to DI for the men's BB team can be considered a success this year. Its been disappointing to say the least. Nothing will change that. We did get our first DI win and thats about all I'll say about that. Even if things completely turn around next year, 2 years from now or 5 years from now, it doesn't change that fact that this year has been a disappointment. Eventual success (no garuantee) does not excuse the futility demonstrated during stretches of this inagural season. All that said, whats done is done. Attendance had better improve, we all know that.
                    We are here to add what we can to life, not get what we can from life. -Sir William Osler

                    We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                      Our move to D1 has little/nothing to do with the poor performance of this years mens BB team, Our record would be just as unimpressive had we stayed DII. Our players would be the same. Moeller's transfer probably would have happened even if we had stayed D2. This was just a year that we had to get out of the way, to prepare for the future

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                        Originally posted by Texas_Jacks_Fan
                        Our move to D1 has little/nothing to do with the poor performance of this years mens BB team, Our record would be just as unimpressive had we stayed DII. Our players would be the same. Moeller's transfer probably would have happened even if we had stayed D2. This was just a year that we had to get out of the way, to prepare for the future
                        I believe it was rabbit4life that pointed out that Moeller was forced to transfer if he wanted to use his final year of eligibilty.  As I understood it, under D1 rules, moeller was done in terms of eligibilty. I dont have the patience and time to study NCAA regs, but if that is true, I wish now that a press release had been made explaining this situation.  The Admin at SDSU seems to get some undeserved black eyes with this "no comment attitude"  and average fan can't understand why Moeller left SDSU.

                        Privately I had wondered if something else was wrong, but in this case it was no one fault except that Andy wanted to play one more year and he did what he had to do in order to play, and that was to tranfer to another D2 institution. A good public relations person could have save SDSU some grief by getting a press release out when he left.


                        The attendence as the article states is a big pain of transitition and nothing else.  I am not worried and will be back next year.  At least we did not have go the legislature for 1.8 million to balance the athletic dept budget. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                          I can't buy the argument that Moeller was somehow ineligible this year. One of the few rational arguments for the inexcusably long transitional period is exactly to not penalize players for the rule differences between the divisions. In any event, I believe that technically, SDSU is still an NCAA D-II school in year 1 of the D-I transition this year, and is not officially a D-I school. Certainly not all D-I rules yet apply.
                          "I think we'll be OK"

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                            Originally posted by filbert
                            I can't buy the argument that Moeller was somehow ineligible this year.  One of the few rational arguments for the inexcusably long transitional period is exactly to not penalize players for the rule differences between the divisions.  In any event, I believe that technically, SDSU is still an NCAA D-II school in year 1 of the D-I transition this year, and is not officially a D-I school.  Certainly not all D-I rules yet apply.
                            I think it doesn't matter, but based on what Nagy said about the unfortunate late timing of Moeller's announcement and our lack of guards, I suspect he was eligible to play.
                            We are here to add what we can to life, not get what we can from life. -Sir William Osler

                            We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Attendance Has Been A Success???

                              Fred Oien was on KSOO either Monday or Tuesday and they asked him about the M/W basketball attendance and revenue. He stated that while the attendance numbers are down a fair amount from last year, the revenue from home games is nearly the same. Main reason is that in previous years it was almost always a 2 for 1 deal, but now you have to pay for each.

                              If I remember correctly, SDSU averaged around 4000 for all games. If you get 1500 at each now, and have extra concession sales from more nights, it doesn't surprise me that the revenue is close. Previous years seemed to have low attendance for non-conference games in comparison to conference games, this year the attendance seems to be more consistent.

                              My numbers are probably off, but I'm sure someone on the board can correct them.

                              You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you can never teach a stupid dog anything.

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