When attendance makes a difference
It’s easy to say that fans don’t make a difference in the outcome of a sporting event.
Fans don’t throw a pass or stop the read-option in football, nor do they shoot a jump shot in basketball. But fans can certainly make a difference in the mood and tempo of an event.
So I ask, why does Ole Miss perennially rank dead last in the Southeastern Conference in men’s basketball attendance?
According to the SEC website, Ole Miss ranked No. 85 nationally in men’s basketball attendance by averaging 6,278 fans per game during the 2009-2010 season. That comes in twelfth out of the 12 SEC member institutions.
Sure, I get it; fans don’t want to make the trek from Jackson during the workweek to see Ole Miss take on Mississippi Valley State or Southeastern Louisiana, for example.
That’s true for most SEC schools, aside from Kentucky and Tennessee.
But for the students who live on campus, some as close as 100 yards away from Tad Smith Coliseum, there is no excuse whatsoever.
Maybe the culture of alcohol on campus is just too much for some to be able to have an enjoyable time. While security regularly turns a blind eye to alcohol consumption at football and baseball games, many are routinely cavity searched at basketball games.
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy and selected players shouldn’t have to visit fraternity houses on campus to give out free tickets.
Students and alumni alike should be buying tickets well in advance or at least at the door.
I can tell you right now, a key factor in a recruit making his decision is fan support. What does it look like when fans don’t show up to support a team that goes on to win the SEC West Division title?
All great programs have great fans. Look at Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky, etc. If Ole Miss wants to take the next step with its basketball program, the fans will do their part.
Speaking of a commitment from fans, if the fans are going to do their part then maybe the university should, too.
According to the University of Mississippi’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, the University’s athletics budget has risen to $57 million in 2011. Men’s basketball ticket sales dropped 11 percent from
the 2008-2009 season to the 2009-2010 season. Why?
Was Ole Miss not projected to have one of the better teams in the program’s history last season?
You know, with two All-SEC performers back and healthy. Yet ticket sales dropped 11 percent.
I honestly have no words.
The same Five-Year Plan makes nary a mention of making improvements to Tad Smith Coliseum. All that is said is, “Though minor improvements have been made, Athletics plans to research and investigate ways to further modernize our basketball facility.”
It doesn’t say, “renovations will be made” or “plans for a new facility will be looked at in preliminary stages.”
Don’t try and pass off the brand new Basketball Practice Facility as enough.
While extremely necessary, considering most other schools in the SEC already have one, a practice facility won’t bring players to campus.
How many times has a recruit said, “Well, I chose this school because they had a gorgeous practice facility.”
The new video board is fantastic. But it’s lipstick on a pig, comparatively speaking.
The players and coaches are committed to taking their respective basketball programs to the next level, but are the fans and the University? Let’s hope so, because the next five games are going to be crucial for Ole Miss’ season.
On Wednesday, the Rebels host Murray State, who finished the season with a two-point loss to eventual national runner-up Butler in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the coming two weeks, the Rebels host Dayton, a projected NCAA Tournament team; Penn State, which features All-Big Ten guard Talor Battle; and Larry Eustachy’s up-and-coming Southern Miss squad.
If it wasn’t apparent already, the coaches and players need the fans now more than ever.
Let’s just hope they respond to the challenge.
