Basketball, how did it get to this point?

[bullman3]

I attended the mens bball game Friday night, as I have the other games this year.  Friday's announced attendance was 2200 or so, but the actual was more like 1,000 or so.  My question is, how did we get to this point?  Why wasnt something done before now.  It was clear over the past 5 years that our average attendance was dwindling to record lows, and NOTHING was done about it.  This years pathetic attendance numbers arent a all of a sudden phenomenom, it has gradually gotten to this point.  Obviously our aweful season last year contributed, but this has been happening now for the past 4-5 years.  The AD is clearly at fault.  I think they believe in the status quo.  Did they not have the guts to fire SG, was the focus of the dept on football and they didnt notice the dwindling support for bball?  There is a huge difference in the atmosphere now in the sundome.  1,000 fans is a long way off from the 5,000-6,000 fans we had each game just a few years ago, and a really long way off from the 7000 fans we had per game in the early 90's.  This is really embarassing and I am disappointed we let it go this far.  It is like watching a particular stock price, slowly go from $120 per share to $10 in a two year period but never deciding to sell until it reached $10, hoping that it would just go back up.  Our AD watched this program plummet and never decided to sell.

Football gripe - I am not sure if there is any correlation, but, I have noticed that since PG left as AD that our FB team has become a lot more undisciplined and things that were heavily punished back then, arent now.   The players are a lot more undisciplined in the past two or three years.  I know PG was a no nonsense type of guy and the program reflected that.  Hopefully DW recognized some of the things that are going on and fixes them quickly.

[Velcro]

People stopped going to boycott SG, everyone on here was complaining that they would stop going if we didn't get rid of him.  Interest started to dwindle, and focus started to move towards our winning football program, which most people around here like football over basketball anyway.  If we don't have a winning product, people won't go... PERIOD.  The die hards will be there of course, and people looking for something to do on a tuesday or friday evening... but the turnout will not be good until we prove we have something good going.. .and while we are 3-0, it was an expected 3-0.  We have a new coach, so we are moving in the right direction and hopefully within a couple a years, the product will get better and the names of teams will get better.  

Winning product = fans... in any sport... i think you'll actually see woman's bball start to garner moderate interest this year and over the next few.

[smazza]

athletic dept needs direction

it starts with not  finishing scheduling for football games to marketing teams and everything in between

[Markeymark]

Basketball is a tough sell in Tampa and it takes a winner to attract new fans. Having marquee teams helps a little bit but only consistent winning will keep fans coming back.

[GarySJ]

It would also help if the basketball games did not directly conflict with the football games.

[bulls96go]

win and they will come

[Apis Bull]

win and they will come

It's true of football and basketball.

[NAM37]

Basketball is a tough sell in Tampa and it takes a winner to attract new fans.

CRAPPY basketball is a tough sell anywhere...

NAM37

[dabull80]

Win and they will come is exactley right.  The reason we had good attendance in the early 90s is we went to the NCAA tournament twice.  The NCAA tournament is the bar of success.  Go and you are succseeful, don't and you aren't.  No more no less.