Basketball Attendance

[mrjolly01]

Back when I was in school (Dell Curry era) we filled the Cassell every time we played. Now, unless we are playing UNCheat, UVA, or Dook, we see empty seats scattered all over the place. What does Whit have to do to fill up this building? Just winning doesn't seem to be enough anymore, and I'm concerned this would be one of the things that could cause us to lose a good coach like Buzz.

There are a number of factors I typically hear mentioned, i.e., season ticket holders not making the trip, student seating, television, etc.

I recently saw where we are putting in new seats and am wondering if this is the time to be addressing this issue. If I was Whit, and it appeared that our average is only going to be 7000, for example, then I might consider only installing 7000 seats so we don't look half empty every time the TV cameras come on.

Alternatively, to get attendance up, would it help to stop selling season tickets to people who don't show except for the big name opponents, so that more tickets are available for students and locals?

Just curious if anyone else have any concerns or thoughts about this. Seems to me that this should be part of the reboot of our program.

 

[LakeErieHokie]

Back then tickets were part of our student activity fee added to our tuition. All we had to do was show our ID at the ticket office at a set time and we got our ticket.

 

[mrjolly01]

Back then tickets were part of our student activity fee added to our tuition. All we had to do was show our ID at the ticket office at a set time and we got our ticket.

Has that changed?

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

Too many season tickets holders brought tickets just for 3 games mentioned above.(UNC, Boo Hoos, Duke). This makes tickets somewhat hard to get. I recall going to a game and brought the alledged best ticket available. It was in corner of Cassell. When I stood up, my head hit rafters. Yet there were lot of empty seats

 

[mrjolly01]

Too many season tickets holders brought tickets just for 3 games mentioned above.(UNC, Boo Hoos, Duke). This makes tickets somewhat hard to get. I recall going to a game and brought the alledged best ticket available. It was in corner of Cassell. When I stood up, my head hit rafters. Yet there were lot of empty seats

That seems to be a big problem with our season ticket holders. I think we should find a way to stop selling season tickets to the no shows.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

They are high rollers who just want to see 3 games a year. Season ticket holders should attend 75% of all home games.

 

[1bburgfan]

Season tickets should be sold within a 100 mile radius of Blacksburg. While you were in school many local people had season tickets back from the 60s . Many lost their good seats and faced higher prices due to restructuring and told VT to keep them. Buzz and the players deserve to have the Cassell rock like it did for Charlie every game .

 

[mrjolly01]

Buzz and the players deserve to have the Cassell rock like it did for Charlie every game .

Absolutely spot on. Any program that aspires to have a great program, players, and coaches must get out and support them. My opinion is we have to stop providing tickets to people who don't show up. The fan support in college basketball is the sixth man on the team. We are going in the right direction with the product on the floor but need to find a way to fix the attendance problem.

What about scanning the tickets and sorting on the no shows? When we find the no shows, make them ineligible to renew. Then free those tickets up for purchase by the locals who do want to come.

 

[Hoos19NC]

I like the idea of making sure students get some of the best seats down low to really rock for their team. Give the big money donors one side and the students the other. Maybe that's how it is now at VT, I have no idea.

 

[1bburgfan]

no, the students are behind one goal , just like football seating took away real home field advantage by moving the CORPS and VT's real band The Highty Tighties from behind the visiting bench for the love of the dollar . Sadly our beloved sports are no longer a game but a business.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

Playing and winning in college (and high school) is more important than $$$$$$$$.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

Does anyone know how attendance was in New York for ACC tournament yesterday.

 

[Hoos19NC]

Does anyone know how attendance was in New York for ACC tournament yesterday.

Low...just like opening day everywhere they play the tournament.

 

[Hampton Roads 6]

I hope ACC loses money by having it in NY

 

[HeaksManley]

Flex 'em, Leday

 

[VT33]

Part of the ticket season hold program should be a "pool" you can put your tickets into and resell them or give them to a student or something if your not going to go. Something's got to be done about attendance because there are a lot of people that would like to go to a game and don't get to.

I went to a UVA/UNC game that someone I knew gave me tickets and they were great seats. The friend played for UVA back in the early fifties and had season tickets down front. It was the year after Sampson left and UNC still had a good team. UVA still had Othell Wilson. I think UVA had Wallace and other great players. The people next to us bought season tickets and only went to the UNC game. And they hated UNC. UVA won.

So it happens all over the place, we just don't get a lot of people buying the cheaper seats some times.

LeDay was on fire tonight. Hope he has a lights out game against FSU, we'll need it.