WBB: Attendance trends - Printable Version
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WBB: Attendance trends - 81alum - 11-05-2022
We began to discuss attendance at WBB games on another thread, but I thought it deserved its own thread.
Maples Capacity: 7233
Average annual home game attendance.
These are our average home attendances. I think what they show is our cap for regular average attendance seems to be about 4800, but in the years since the Pac 12 Network began to broadcast we have not averages much above 3500. So the broadcasts seem to have cost us about 25% of our attendance. So be it.
Beyond that, we seem pretty steady, with a rise and fall depending on wins, starpower, and bringing in some big name opponents. Tennessee drew bigger crowds in the Summit era, UConn always brings big crowds, Pac 12 opponents only do if they are having great years.
21-22 2550 (coming back from COVID)
20-21 0 (COVID)
19-20 3516 (pre COVID until the end)
18-19 3063
17-18 2865 (11 loss season, worst since 2000-2001)
16-17 3160
15-16 3207
14-15 3574
13-14 3463 (Chiney's last year)
12-13 4284 Pac-12 Network launches
11-12 4250
10-11 4839
09-10 4280
08-09 3953
07-08 4139
Some interesting individual game attendances
Last year, our big home game against Texas drew 3681, or about half full.
Later last year, during league play, Arizona drew 3479.
Washington at Sunday noon drew 3777 for senior day.
Those were our three best, all matinees for last year.
Looking back at the pre-Covid year 2018-19:
Baylor came to play on a Saturday noon and drew 3440.
UCLA drew 3231
Oregon and Ionescu came to play a nationally televised game on ESPN and drew 5250 for our drubbing, unfortunately. That seems to be the best we've done in recent years.
In 2017 when Tennessee visited and beat us, we drew only 3084.
I remember, however, coming for a UConn game at Maples at 1:00 on a Saturday in 2012. They throttled us, holding us to 35 points. Attendance: 7329, which was more than a sellout. I remember being so sad that we finally sold out a game and it was the worst basketball game I had ever seen.
In December 2010 we ended UConn's win streak, decisively, at Maples. It was sold out at 7329.
The thrilling 2007 overtime win over Tennessee, the same season we went on to lose to them in the national championship, was not quite sold out at 7172.
RE: WBB: Attendance trends - BobK - 11-05-2022
OTOH so many more games are on TV now. That means more fans and more revenue to Stanford and all Pac 12 schools.
Being a season Tix holder to a number of sports I hear ya
RE: WBB: Attendance trends - chimera - 11-05-2022
I don't think attendance is where the team deserves it to be, not close. I also think the athletic department doesn't do nearly enough to attract and to keep fans. Back in the day when Fast Break Club was a real thing, not just a website (although I appreciate the writers who contribute there), we had many post-game events and other events that kept fans in the loop more and made us all feel closer to the program. That's all gone away for the most part. With everything pulling fans to stay home - TV and streaming for almost all games, gas prices high, ticket prices high relative to most schools, and of course the lingering COVID effect, I'm not surprised attendance is not where it could or should be. I get the sense that the program is well aware of this but I don't get the sense anything new and exciting is planned to help the situation. Hope I am wrong about that.
From my perspective, as someone who for years and years went to every home game no matter what, driving in crazy storms I shouldn't have been out in, arranging travel to miss as few games as possible, etc., it is a bit sad. I am no longer the same. A good rain cancels the drive for me (down from San Francisco). I no longer go to every single game, sometimes just because I don't feel like it and am happy to watch on TV. If that has happened to me, I imagine it has to other long time fans - the love is still there, but the priority isn't anymore.
RE: WBB: Attendance trends - BostonCard - 11-05-2022
If you want to improve in person attendance, you are basically going to need games to be in the afternoon on week ends, and not available on TV.
Perhaps another way to look at it is that more people get to watch Stanford basketball games than before, but fewer people are watching it at Maples.
BC
RE: WBB: Attendance trends - WBB fan - 11-05-2022
I'm in the "waning of the Fast Break Club" has an effect camp. Back in the early 90s, we felt really connected to the team, felt that we were a part of things. I don't have nearly the same feeling now that the coaches are really working to make the fans be a part of things. Yes, the Buck-Cardinal club may result in more $ coming to the program, but it's impersonal re the WBB team. And it's not just a question of having money. It's a matter of how it's being spent for marketing. For several years, my husband made significant annual donations that were supposed to be used to promote student attendance. We gave up on it after concluding that the monies weren't being used effectively or with much creative thought. There needs to be more done to get fans and students involved, create a sense of being invested in the team. Other schools seem to do much better. Oregon, OSU, Arizona come to mind, but on the other hand, these are schools that don't have as much competition for fan attention. But they are also places where the coaches and staff work really hard to connect with fans. And that matters! (BTW, we do continue to go to every single game unless there is an unavoidable conflict, and we're driving from San Francisco to do it.)
RE: WBB: Attendance trends - chimera - 11-05-2022
Another issue is ticket prices. Stanford tix to WBB are way higher than most programs. I think they should drop prices generally. Add up the cost of tickets, gas, and maybe some food and some people will say nah, just watch on TV. Parking is also not as easy as back in the day when there was a big lot across the street from Maples. I never go into the parking garage, too hard to get out and I don't mind walking to Track House lot or wherever. All in all with so many weekday games, they are asking people to hustle home from work, maybe get kids ready, drive on our congested Bay Area roads during rush hour, maybe have to park farther away than some people like if a game is well attended, buy expensive tickets and overpriced food, and you can see why many people who enjoy the team don't turn up to games.
We also have too many people who have season tickets but don't use them much. If you look to buy tickets on GoStanford, all the seats aside from upper level are not available. Tickets are sold but many people don't use them. Newer fans have only upper level seats they can purchase, the no chair back seats. I don't know if the seat back option is used much. Personally I haven't tried it because the rare times I don't go to a game it is usually a last minute decision because the weather is really bad.
RE: WBB: Attendance trends - BostonCard - 11-05-2022
Well, they did outdraw the football team, so there’s that.
BC