Tweet
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...601120352/1002
Attendance up, but SDSU still struggling to fill Frost
Arena nearly 2,000 short of D-II mark
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
Article Published: 01/12/06, 2:55 am
part one
The seats encircling Frost Arena remain decidedly empty for Division I basketball games.
Attendance is still markedly lower than in the South Dakota State's Division II heyday. But a slight increase from last season's totals keeps Athletic Director Fred Oien optimistic.
"If you look at our numbers, I think we're fairly pleased with it," Oien said. "We've had some contests without students there, but that's just the nature of scheduling right now. Now that people see the quality of basketball coming into (Frost) Arena, there's no doubt they like it."
Through the first eight games this season, the Jackrabbit men are averaging 1,858 fans, including the Dec. 20 game against Manhattan at Sioux Falls Arena. SDSU's women are up to 1,528 fans through five games.
Last season, the Jackrabbits' first competing in Division I, the men averaged 1,617 fans to 11 games at Frost. The women drew 1,473 a game to their 11 home contests, as both teams played nothing but sub-D-I teams at Frost.
Still, those overall totals pale in comparison to Division II attendance at Frost Arena, which seats about 8,000 fans. The Jackrabbit men averaged 3,770 and the women 2,399 in the four years prior to the move to Division I. Those totals were bolstered by traditionally strong crowds for games against the University of South Dakota, Augustana and Northern State -- usually between 5-6,000 fans would be there for the second game of the men's-women's doubleheaders.
"You can't live on three games a year," Oien said. "If (fans) only came to USD games and Augie games, they'll say our crowds (now) are terrible. But they tend to forget that when we'd play some other teams in the league or non-conference games just how low crowds were."
Jackrabbit men's basketball averaged 3,752 fans a game between 1973 and 2004, the last year in D-II. Athletic department officials have expressed a hope throughout SDSU's transition to Division I that the higher level of competition will eventually draw big numbers more frequently.
The largest crowds last season were for the North Dakota State games - 4,739 fans for the women and 4,281 for the men for games held a week apart. The two schools, both in the transition to Division I, will meet Feb. 18 in SDSU's lone doubleheader at Frost this year.
Brookings resident Dave Quam said he feels the crowds aren't bad considering the transition and the shift away from doubleheaders. He likes the new level of competition coming to Frost.
"We're not going to have the big ones we had in the past, but I think we'll be OK," said Quam, who attends games with his wife Shar. "You used to get the women playing at 6 (p.m.) and the men at 8, and some people would come to just watch the women play and some just to watch the men.
"Now, you just have the women play one night and the men play a different night. We just make our schedules fit around it."
In some ways, the Division II totals were a bit misleading since many fans were double-counted by being in the stands for both games in the old doubleheader format, paying for just one ticket. Division I schools do not play the men's and women's games back-to-back and charge separate admission to each game.
"I don't think there is any objective way to analyze it because we don't have any comparative figures with single competitions," Oien said.
Attendance up, but SDSU still struggling to fill Frost
Arena nearly 2,000 short of D-II mark
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
Article Published: 01/12/06, 2:55 am
part one
The seats encircling Frost Arena remain decidedly empty for Division I basketball games.
Attendance is still markedly lower than in the South Dakota State's Division II heyday. But a slight increase from last season's totals keeps Athletic Director Fred Oien optimistic.
"If you look at our numbers, I think we're fairly pleased with it," Oien said. "We've had some contests without students there, but that's just the nature of scheduling right now. Now that people see the quality of basketball coming into (Frost) Arena, there's no doubt they like it."
Through the first eight games this season, the Jackrabbit men are averaging 1,858 fans, including the Dec. 20 game against Manhattan at Sioux Falls Arena. SDSU's women are up to 1,528 fans through five games.
Last season, the Jackrabbits' first competing in Division I, the men averaged 1,617 fans to 11 games at Frost. The women drew 1,473 a game to their 11 home contests, as both teams played nothing but sub-D-I teams at Frost.
Still, those overall totals pale in comparison to Division II attendance at Frost Arena, which seats about 8,000 fans. The Jackrabbit men averaged 3,770 and the women 2,399 in the four years prior to the move to Division I. Those totals were bolstered by traditionally strong crowds for games against the University of South Dakota, Augustana and Northern State -- usually between 5-6,000 fans would be there for the second game of the men's-women's doubleheaders.
"You can't live on three games a year," Oien said. "If (fans) only came to USD games and Augie games, they'll say our crowds (now) are terrible. But they tend to forget that when we'd play some other teams in the league or non-conference games just how low crowds were."
Jackrabbit men's basketball averaged 3,752 fans a game between 1973 and 2004, the last year in D-II. Athletic department officials have expressed a hope throughout SDSU's transition to Division I that the higher level of competition will eventually draw big numbers more frequently.
The largest crowds last season were for the North Dakota State games - 4,739 fans for the women and 4,281 for the men for games held a week apart. The two schools, both in the transition to Division I, will meet Feb. 18 in SDSU's lone doubleheader at Frost this year.
Brookings resident Dave Quam said he feels the crowds aren't bad considering the transition and the shift away from doubleheaders. He likes the new level of competition coming to Frost.
"We're not going to have the big ones we had in the past, but I think we'll be OK," said Quam, who attends games with his wife Shar. "You used to get the women playing at 6 (p.m.) and the men at 8, and some people would come to just watch the women play and some just to watch the men.
"Now, you just have the women play one night and the men play a different night. We just make our schedules fit around it."
In some ways, the Division II totals were a bit misleading since many fans were double-counted by being in the stands for both games in the old doubleheader format, paying for just one ticket. Division I schools do not play the men's and women's games back-to-back and charge separate admission to each game.
"I don't think there is any objective way to analyze it because we don't have any comparative figures with single competitions," Oien said.
Comment