I'm not sure this would work at Syracuse's level, but i thought this was pretty neat. Players from the UAlbany woman's basketball team came to my son's class and read with the kids. I assume, they are making the rounds at most of the elementary schools locally. They also gave all of the kids a free ticket, which is good for any game. So of course, my son, who enjoys sports, wants to go to games now. Honestly, i would never go otherwise, but i like the gesture, and will make sure my son gets to at least one game. Since my wife and other son will probably come too, UAlbany just got four fans to attend for the price of 1 (and will most likely get another $30-40 in concessions and parking fees on top of the tickets.
Silver bleachers do the program no good. Give a gaggle to the Ft. Drum soldiers and their families. Give a gaggle to the students. Give a bunch to Ronald McDonald House, Boys and Girls Club, etc. Do outreach at the area schools. While i believe the free tickets will more than pay for themselves in parking and concessions, you also need to rebuild/broaden the fan base.