[76lsjumb]

There are only so many explanations:
1) Pac 12 network had undermined attendance.
2) Interest in basketball is waning in the local area
3) We are doing a much poorer job of promotion, pricing, advertising than we once did.
4) There is much greater competition for the time and money of WBB fans than there once was.

Which of these is it?

One more potential issue - failure to get younger fans to come to games.

I see a similar issue up in Seattle when I go to women's games: average age of the few season ticket holders left for UW is 'dead.' The original hardcore women's BB fans are aging out. Someone has to market to Millennials (good luck with that) and Gen Z.

The generational explanation made sense to me, especially since I have gotten to know the elderly couples who sit around me, and who come less and less often as their health deteriorates.  A lot of them became fans not so much because of the sport but to support Title IX and gender equity.  That was back when Stanford was one of the most progressive universities at fielding women's teams.  So yes, those folks are aging out.

But the generational explanation doesn't explain how Oregon, Oregon State, and Arizona are able to turn out 8-12 thousand fans.  All three of those places are also in smaller metropolitan areas than we are.  They have obviously conquered the generational issue.  Why haven't we?

It seems to me there is at least one more reason.  When you are very good for a very long time but you never manage to win a National Championship, you aren't going to generate the type of bandwagon excitement that comes with doing that.  That's what brings in new/more fans to supplement the stalwarts. 

Oregon and Oregon State have never won a national championship, but they both think they've got a legitimate shot at it this season for the first time.  

If/when we have a season where people really believe we are going to win it all -- not just do really well, and make it to the Final Four, but then, who knows? -- then the chance of it being "like the old days" will get much better.

[76lsjumb]

There are only so many explanations:
1) Pac 12 network had undermined attendance.
2) Interest in basketball is waning in the local area
3) We are doing a much poorer job of promotion, pricing, advertising than we once did.
4) There is much greater competition for the time and money of WBB fans than there once was.

Which of these is it?

One more potential issue - failure to get younger fans to come to games.

I see a similar issue up in Seattle when I go to women's games: average age of the few season ticket holders left for UW is 'dead.' The original hardcore women's BB fans are aging out. Someone has to market to Millennials (good luck with that) and Gen Z.

The generational explanation made sense to me, especially since I have gotten to know the elderly couples who sit around me, and who come less and less often as their health deteriorates.  A lot of them became fans not so much because of the sport but to support Title IX and gender equity.  That was back when Stanford was one of the most progressive universities at fielding women's teams.  So yes, those folks are aging out.

But the generational explanation doesn't explain how Oregon, Oregon State, and Arizona are able to turn out 8-12 thousand fans.  All three of those places are also in smaller metropolitan areas than we are.  They have obviously conquered the generational issue.  Why haven't we?

It seems to me there is at least one more reason.  When you are very good for a very long time but you never manage to win a National Championship, you aren't going to generate the type of bandwagon excitement that comes with doing that.  That's what brings in new/more fans to supplement the stalwarts. 

Oregon and Oregon State have never won a national championship, but they both think they've got a legitimate shot at it this season for the first time.  

If/when we have a season where people really believe we are going to win it all -- not just do really well, and make it to the Final Four, but then, who knows? -- then the chance of it being "like the old days" will get much better.