Student attendance

[Eric15]

This isn't a problem unique to SU students. Attendance is down across the spectrum of all college and pro sports.

Most of the kids who attend SU don't have a lifelong loyalty to the school like how it is with large state schools. Often, their freshman year is their first exposure to SU sports. If you're a new student who has attended home games this year, you saw us get blown out by Virginia, blown out by Iowa, lose to ND, lose to VT... so if a kid isn't itching to get out of bed to go over to the Dome for a Noon start against Pitt, is that really that surprising? I'm personally extremely excited about this 5 game winning streak, but I'm not going to judge any students who aren't foaming at the mouth for SU hoops at the moment.

This is an entertainment product. If people aren't showing up, the question to ask isn't, "why do these kids suck so much! I used to walk uphill in the snow both ways to go to games when I was a student, now get me my Metamucil!" The question is: "what does the University have to do different to get more students in the building?"

 

[Red Holzman]

Shooting contestant was so AWFUL that I wondered: were the spastic contortions shooting the ball intentional, just to be a goof -and forego the potential prize $?
How could he even say "yes" to participating with those skills?
-must have realized he would make a complete fool of himself in front of 23K+.
And somebody else lost an opportunity to win some $ while he suffered through Shooting Convulsions!
Won't ever forget that performance (though I'll try!)....

 

[Cusefan0307]

I’d gather that there’s not as much interest watching live sports...

 

[Red Holzman]

I’d gather that there’s not as much interest watching live sports...

Baby Race was excellent though!
Who won by the way?

 

[Stevenson]

Time to make the student tickets free. We play in an arena with virtually unlimited capacity and could have accommodated the entire undergrad student body if each of them showed up today.

Honestly we’re gonna have to do this eventually as all schools are going to do this and anyone charging students will be outliers as attendance declines across college sports. People who attend games and donate for good parking spots etc aren’t getting younger. TV product is too good. Why be behind the curve and one of the last to do it? They pay enough in tuition.

it wouldn’t matter. It’s a generational thing. Todays kid would rather sit at home and watch multiple games on TV while playing PS4. They will show up en masse for the one or two BIG games each years but the era of a full student section for a regular conference opponent are over.

Note though that my boy at SU and his pals attend every single game, so there are still some die hards out there. My oldest boy at MSU stopped going to games after sophomore year because “...it’s more fun to watch them in the Frat house then stand in line in the cold hoping to get a good student section ticket...”

 

[sutomcat]

Shooting contestant was so AWFUL that I wondered: were the spastic contortions shooting the ball intentional, just to be a goof -and forego the potential prize $?
How could he even say "yes" to participating with those skills?
-must have realized he would make a complete fool of himself in front of 23K+.
And somebody else lost an opportunity to win some $ while he suffered through Shooting Convulsions!
Won't ever forget that performance (though I'll try!)...

I had a good look at that guy. I don’t think anyone can act that well.

 

[Brooky03]

Ok, boomers

 

[Eric15]

it wouldn’t matter. It’s a generational thing. Todays kid would rather sit at home and watch multiple games on TV while playing PS4. They will show up en masse for the one or two BIG games each years but the era of a full student section for a regular conference opponent are over.

So if the students are home playing PS4, then what are older generations home doing that would result in that entire upper deck being barren for a Saturday conference game?

 

[Cusefan0307]

So if the students are home playing PS4, then what are older generations home doing that would result in that entire upper deck being barren for a Saturday conference game?

View attachment 175873

The part of the upper deck you are showing in that picture is for student seating which was once always full for conference games.

 

[Stevenson]

So if the students are home playing PS4, then what are older generations home doing that would result in that entire upper deck being barren for a Saturday conference game?

View attachment 175873

That’s part of the student section

 

[Trueblue25]

going to have o be ranked again. Most downstate, long island, city, jersey kids don’t care about college sports.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I had a good look at that guy. I don’t think another can act that well.

Is it possible he really did have a medical condition?

 

[JRHEETER]

So if the students are home playing PS4, then what are older generations home doing that would result in that entire upper deck being barren for a Saturday conference game?

View attachment 175873

yeah...that’s the student section that used to always be full that your showing...hence why people are complaining.

students used to fill all of their lower section, plus the 300 section and then some...

syracuse NEEDs to talk to kids and find out what can be done to get them to games...if anything

 

[Eric15]

Alright, here's the Iowa game.

Is this specifically a student problem or a general decline in overall attendance?

 

[FrancoPizza]

The part of the upper deck you are showing in that picture is for student seating which used to always be full for conference games.

They really should consider opening up that section and cutting student allotment in half. 100s only.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Alright, here's the Iowa game.

Is this specifically a student problem or a general decline in overall attendance?

View attachment 175874

Culmination of a steady 6-year decline in the program. The highlight of the last 6 years was a flash in the pan FF run which didn’t take place in the dome. The stale product at home for the last 6 years has a lot to do with it. Addressing student concerns will help a little but the program needs an entertaining product most of all.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Alright, here's the Iowa game.

Is this specifically a student problem or a general decline in overall attendance?

View attachment 175874

Apples and Oranges.

The team wasn’t playing well then.

Yesterday the entire dome was just about full besides the student section. This included the 3rd level over to the 50 yard on the opposite side. At tip-off the student section may have been half full in the first level.

 

[JRHEETER]

Syracuse basketballs other major problem is their price point for basketball...$60+ in the third tier on the baseline? 150 for first tier?

that’s absurd, was considering going to the game yesterday but saw those prices and said, why pay that much when I can sit home and be comfortable.

and all of this is before paying $10+ for a beer in the dome.

people simply can only afford to go to one or two of these games a season at most now if they are lucky

don’t get me wrong nothing can compare to being inside a sports stadium for games...but all teams are going to find out real soon they are charging far too much and hopefully they realize sooner rather than later...otherwise all major sports are going to end up like NASCAR has with a handful of people in the stands.

 

[Stevenson]

And these attendance threads always make me want to mention that senior year, 87-88, I had fourth row half court (blue seats) as assigned student tickets. Beat that.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Syracuse basketballs other major problem is their price point for basketball...$60+ in the third tier?

that’s absurd, was considering going to the game yesterday but saw those prices and said, why pay that much when I can sit home and be comfortable.

don’t get me wrong nothing can compare to being inside a sports stadium for games...but all teams are going to find out real soon they are charging far too much and hopefully they realize sooner rather than later

Getting season tickets is usually a better deal than single game tickets. Now after the winning streak the secondary market has skyrocketed. I expect it to get worse for Duke when we beat Clemson Tuesday.

 

[JRHEETER]

Getting season tickets is usually a better deal than single game tickets. Now after the winning streak the secondary market has skyrocketed. I expect it to get worse for Duke when we beat Clemson Tuesday.

I understand, but the reason the dome used to always be full is not because of season tickets, people were buying single game tickets. Syracuse and pretty much any other school or sports team has priced themselves out

 

[Red Holzman]

and all of this is before paying $10+ for a beer in the dome.

And $20 to park and ride bus from Manley!
Yes it does get expensive.

 

[TexanMark]

Baby Race was excellent though!
Who won by the way?

The cute one

Actually loved watching it. A way to get 20 and 30 somethings into attending

 

[ApexSUFan]

Caught some of the Duke mid-week game. They had empty sections along the baseline of their student section.

Times and student populations change...

Just an FYI, the Duke student section isn't on the baseline. The student section is on the sideline across from the player benches. There are some grad students that sit in the baseline section near the visitor benches, but a vast majority of the seats you most likely saw empty were Iron Duke seats.

 

[JRHEETER]

It’s also incredibly hard for anyone that is outside of the immediate area of syracuse to justify buying season tickets being that it is the winter season...although this season has been completely fine, many others there would be several games you would miss day of because of weather and not being able to get to the game and because it’s last minute getting stuck with eating the tickets...so with that in mind many people outside of syracuse are going to buy singles when they can...