Real Small Crowd
- Thread starter MCKnight
- Start date
and it is not just that. Spending min $60 plus 5 hours of time every game especially this late during the week just wears on a person.
ROI has been KILLER for so long and the efforts both B1G 10 games at home have already been far from inspiring. I have plenty of tix left for the season but personally worn out.
ROI has been KILLER for so long and the efforts both B1G 10 games at home have already been far from inspiring. I have plenty of tix left for the season but personally worn out.
well there are excuses for everything
bottom line contrary to belief pushed on the board, is that there is zero buzz about the program except for the board and the season ticket holders
the next excuse will be the game is at noon on Jan 21, then other excuses will be the 6:30 start time....the truth is the program has been bad for years and people are interested in watching the product and feasting on cupcakes does not change that
bottom line contrary to belief pushed on the board, is that there is zero buzz about the program except for the board and the season ticket holders
the next excuse will be the game is at noon on Jan 21, then other excuses will be the 6:30 start time....the truth is the program has been bad for years and people are interested in watching the product and feasting on cupcakes does not change that
midweek games are probably generally tough for getting fans, even at 7pm.
A 2 hour game starting at 7 ends at 9 and starting at 9 ends at 11.
I am guessing some fans here have kids in various school sports that may conflict mid-week.
As mentioned the Rutgers break has an affect since less students are on campus. Of course a 9pm start may benefit student attendance when school is in session since so many kids nowadays prefer the later classes that run from around 7:40 pm until 9. Even if they take an earlier 6:10 class that ends at 7:30 so those kids can't attend 7pm games.
A 2 hour game starting at 7 ends at 9 and starting at 9 ends at 11.
I am guessing some fans here have kids in various school sports that may conflict mid-week.
As mentioned the Rutgers break has an affect since less students are on campus. Of course a 9pm start may benefit student attendance when school is in session since so many kids nowadays prefer the later classes that run from around 7:40 pm until 9. Even if they take an earlier 6:10 class that ends at 7:30 so those kids can't attend 7pm games.
The lame excuses for attendance really is a reflection on the non interest in Rutgers basketball based on decades of futility.The RAC is a small arena with approximately 8000 seats located in a state with over 8 million people.With every excuse imaginable there still are plenty potential people to attend games if there was interest .
If we were 14-3 and ranked the place would have been packed, 9:00 start or not
9pm start for someone who works in the city and lives about an hour away from the RAC AND has an infant makes it impossible. I've been able to get to weekend games and the occasional 7pm start, but it's tough.
Not having the students on campus due to break does impact attendance, however given the recent performance of the program one has to wonder just how many students would show for a 9pm Thursday game. I do miss the days of the RAC (alum 2004-2008) when even those teams were not great but competitive and it didn't matter what program came to town in the BIG East, that student section created some serious noise.
I was watching last night and what irked me in the 2nd half is you saw Coach trying to implore the fans on when RU was trailing by 3, roughly around the 14-15 min mark of the game and it went by the wayside. Maybe when the students return this will change, but I can remember being a student and going to every game, we were much louder on a more consistent basis. I get that the offense is offensive to watch at times as they lack shooting ability and touch around the rim, but we really need the crowd to be more vocal to help fuel this team. I hope to be in attendance next Saturday and lead the charge.
I was watching last night and what irked me in the 2nd half is you saw Coach trying to implore the fans on when RU was trailing by 3, roughly around the 14-15 min mark of the game and it went by the wayside. Maybe when the students return this will change, but I can remember being a student and going to every game, we were much louder on a more consistent basis. I get that the offense is offensive to watch at times as they lack shooting ability and touch around the rim, but we really need the crowd to be more vocal to help fuel this team. I hope to be in attendance next Saturday and lead the charge.
yeah you can see the deterioation over time, it was still great in the mid 2000s
I was a student from 88-93 when the student attendence exploded and RU went to 2 NCAAs and 2 NITS, if you though the games vs UConn and Cuse in the 2000s were loud thats nothing compared to what the atmosphere was for games vs Penn State, Missouri, UNLV, Seton Hall, UMass were back in that timeframe. When Wenzel's teams started to sputter in the mid 90s, the RAC lost a bit of magic but the Bannon years with his upsets brought it back strong albeit not what is was...same for Waters...excellent loud place to play. Program was gutted by Uncle Bob's decision to hire Fred Hill and then Fred decimated the fanbase and turned the students away and they really didnt come back. Yes a few games during Rice...Florida was quite amazing but now the last 4 years the students have emphatically stayed away and I dont see anything more than okay numbers from them the rest of the year.
Pike has brought change but students are not impressed by wins over cupcakes and then laying an egg vs Penn State for the first game. I also notice when the students are there except for the hardcore group of 50 thats always there, the others dont seem to know what to do. We actually have a generation of students who have no idea how to cheer at a basketball game..then add in the stupid cam stuff and piped in music and there is no shot to build a decent atmosphere
Watching highlights on tv, I noticed a huge amount of empty seats in the lower level from our season ticket base.
I sense a buzz. At every e zp *** station,Rutgers Basketball. I disagree there is no buzz.
The excuses about the time, and issues, are real.
interesting the mention of 7:30
TV like 7 or 9
7:30 allows:
- for alumni to go home after work, eat, and then come
- those who work till 6 or later / in the city have a chance to commute to Rutgers
- game is over by 9:30 so can potentially be home by 10ish
7
- some fans can't make it in time from work, especially if they work in NYC and are catching a 6pm train
This is simple. Our team sucks and has for a long time. Therefore, people won't show up. I'm a diehard RU fan and if RU could show some life, I would go to multiple games. I've been dying for the program to give me a reason to go and thought this year was it but we are still pretty bad. However, we have improved with Pike and I'm hopeful this staff will turn it around in time
I believe we have two 6:30 games coming up plus 3 noon games....so plenty of excuses for fans and students not to show
That is great to hear some insight from an earlier time period. I was part of the student fan base in those Waters days and it was an excellent loud place to play, albeit we had arguably the best player in the past few decades to be in uniform with Douby lighting up the RAC. I see similarities in Waters & Pike in that they didn't have the most talented kids as a whole, but got them to play hard and fight. You are right these days there are a handful of "hardcore" students and the rest who just are there for the use of meal swipes and to hang out. We had a lot more of those days where the student section was rocking, people were jammed in and it got rowdy. I guess I am just hoping that someday soon the RAC can be that loud venue again. The generation of students we have now sure seem lost at the games and rather sit on their phone or have side conversations.
I go to all of them. Commuted back from NYC, picked up my son and his friend and we met my uncle at Old Man Rafferty's for a pre-game dinner. I have season tix though so of course I'm going.
Attended my first game of the season last night. The good news is no lines for concessions/rest rooms, easy to get out of the lot after the game, room to spread out since our row was completely empty, screams at opposing players on the foul line are easily heard.
IDK. It's a rough watch and I try to look for signs of optimism. I'll be back to the RAC for the game against Nebraska on January 21.
IDK. It's a rough watch and I try to look for signs of optimism. I'll be back to the RAC for the game against Nebraska on January 21.
The team is playing much better this year, AND a 9 pm Thursday tipoff stinks for anyone having to go to work the next morning.
would you like to hear some stories about what it was like to be a student attending games back from '77 - '83 (when students were sitting sidecourt behind the benches?) and the team was one of the top 2-3 teams in the East and putting up 20+ win seasons?
I've missed 1 game in 14 years...And that was in Minnesota last season. I want to be there, all the time.
Doesn't matter when they play, if people cared, they'd be there. The excuses would fade away.
I completely understand the fan apathy though, as even I have moments where I question things. With so much else to do sports wise in the area, with little real hope beyond the die hards, it's just going to be that way till it isn't. Nobody should take it personally.
Doesn't matter when they play, if people cared, they'd be there. The excuses would fade away.
I completely understand the fan apathy though, as even I have moments where I question things. With so much else to do sports wise in the area, with little real hope beyond the die hards, it's just going to be that way till it isn't. Nobody should take it personally.
Agree...I work in Manhattan and the 7 pm starts are trying (it is amazing what a difference for me with a 7:30 start) but I make the effort to get there because I want to support the team. I also am a Women's season ticket holder plus wrestling. I love my school and the teams representing it although I must admit that I had some doubts about going last night since I had to be in the office at 7 am and the game was on TV but I am somewhat glad I did. Disappointed in the outcome but cannot fault the effort. Freeman was a warrior but we need to score/not miss the easy ones. GO RU!
Bad team, bad attendance. Good team, good attendance. Longstanding bad teams, longstanding bad attendance. Great team, great attendance.
That's the equation. It applies everywhere. It's the simplest of simple things.
That's the equation. It applies everywhere. It's the simplest of simple things.
I think that WVU game was the last time they allowed/sold standing room tickets. One of the better games in RU lore. I think the year earler we beat WVU at the buzzer on a Neiberlien rebound.