Basketball attendance

[kcatz]

It doesn't help that the only TV viewing option for fans statewide is ESPN+. For years, the local stations treated Cat-Griz basketball, men's and women's, just like the football game, with a unique local broadcast of each game.

Cat/Griz is still broadcast on local TV stations in addition to ESPN+.

The games last weekend were broadcast only on the MTN network which isn't carried by Spectrum, so for their subscribers, ESPN+ was the only option. I went to dinner that night at P. Gibsons in GF, which is the most popular sports bar in town. Not a single TV was tuned into the Cat-Griz game until I asked them to put it on. Even then, they had trouble finding it. Except for real diehards, not many people statewide care much about Cat or griz hoops anymore.

Neither Spectrum nor Dish carry MTN network in Montana

[kennethnoisewater]

I think basketball in general has changed, and so has its fan base. Even in Montana high schools, crowds are way down for the most part. The NBA is a totally different game, and I for one am not interested in watching it. And to be a great player anymore, you have to train year-round and be somewhat of a freak athlete. We have a few freak athletes in Montana, for sure, but not ones that play it year round. So I think for some of the students and other fans in Montana, basketball players are a little tough to connect with, and that matters. Now, if MSU was winning so much that they were playing deep into the NCAA tournament, I think fans would come out. But MSU has won a fair amount in the last few years but it hasn't translated to much of a boost in attendance or interest. I just think fans know this is a good team for this little corner of the country, but overall what are we competing for? To maybe possibly upset a team at the big dance? That would be fun, but it's a long shot. Everybody knows we're not competing with Duke and Kansas and Alabama and the big dogs. If there was a mid-major tournament that MSU could try to get into and possibly make a deep run for, I think it might help.

Also, the Brick sucks for basketball games haha.

[aucat]

I have ALWAYS felt that way about a mid major division like the fcs in football. I will say that I went to the game last night, and granted it was the No More Stolen Relatives game with 5.00 tickets, but considering our men’s team was 3-5 and 8-13 going into the game, there were 3200 fans present. Not bad.

[WalkOn79]

I think tv access has also impacted attendance to some extent. I know I've missed some games just because it's easier to watch from my man-cave than drive the 10 minutes to the Brick in the cold.

[MSU01]

I think tv access has also impacted attendance to some extent. I know I've missed some games just because it's easier to watch from my man-cave than drive the 10 minutes to the Brick in the cold.

100%, especially for fans who don't live in Bozeman. Drive to Bozeman and back or sit on the couch and have every game available on ESPN+? Most will choose the latter option more often than not. I know I do.

[aucat]

I think tv access has also impacted attendance to some extent. I know I've missed some games just because it's easier to watch from my man-cave than drive the 10 minutes to the Brick in the cold.

100%, especially for fans who don't live in Bozeman. Drive to Bozeman and back or sit on the couch and have every game available on ESPN+? Most will choose the latter option more often than not. I know I do.

I understand that and agree. I just wish more STUDENTS would support their team.

[Cataholic]

The key is to get students interested. Sprinkle understood that and worked hard to get the students interested. They bring energy and enthusiasm. Football games are a social event with tailgates and partying. Basketball games are basically just a game. If you look at GCU, they have figured out how to keep the kids entertained for the full game. They are raucous and engaged. They try to impact the game. It has become a major social event. Same thing at Utah State or BYU with the student engagement.

Basketball as a whole is becoming a niche sport in the US. Even high school games are drawing little interest. How many people here can tell me who were the top 5 NBA draft picks? Who won rookie of the year? Who is in first place in the Eastern or Western conferences? I am guessing less than 5% on here.

Back in the late 80’s, I was an MSU college student who lived for the basketball games. It was an event that included pregame somewhere before and getting in line 1 hour early. There was usually about 500 other fans doing the same thing. It was a can’t miss event on Thursdays and Saturdays. That student base really was loud and got the place rocking.

As for the Brick, I still love it. When there are 3,000 fans, it is cavernous. When there are 6,000 fans, you can feel the energy.

How do you gets students engaged again? I am not sure with today’s kids. I think we have to look at how the GCU’s of the world got it done. Maybe a “pep” group of dedicated students start organizing pre-game rallies. Maybe just organizing various ways to get the students more involved.

[RickRund]

The key is to get students interested. Sprinkle understood that and worked hard to get the students interested. They bring energy and enthusiasm. Football games are a social event with tailgates and partying. Basketball games are basically just a game. If you look at GCU, they have figured out how to keep the kids entertained for the full game. They are raucous and engaged. They try to impact the game. It has become a major social event. Same thing at Utah State or BYU with the student engagement.

Basketball as a whole is becoming a niche sport in the US. Even high school games are drawing little interest. How many people here can tell me who were the top 5 NBA draft picks? Who won rookie of the year? Who is in first place in the Eastern or Western conferences? I am guessing less than 5% on here.

Back in the late 80’s, I was an MSU college student who lived for the basketball games. It was an event that included pregame somewhere before and getting in line 1 hour early. There was usually about 500 other fans doing the same thing. It was a can’t miss event on Thursdays and Saturdays. That student base really was loud and got the place rocking.

As for the Brick, I still love it. When there are 3,000 fans, it is cavernous. When there are 6,000 fans, you can feel the energy.

How do you gets students engaged again? I am not sure with today’s kids. I think we have to look at how the GCU’s of the world got it done. Maybe a “pep” group of dedicated students start organizing pre-game rallies. Maybe just organizing various ways to get the students more involved.

Dorm contests...

[Cataholic]

The key is to get students interested. Sprinkle understood that and worked hard to get the students interested. They bring energy and enthusiasm. Football games are a social event with tailgates and partying. Basketball games are basically just a game. If you look at GCU, they have figured out how to keep the kids entertained for the full game. They are raucous and engaged. They try to impact the game. It has become a major social event. Same thing at Utah State or BYU with the student engagement.

Basketball as a whole is becoming a niche sport in the US. Even high school games are drawing little interest. How many people here can tell me who were the top 5 NBA draft picks? Who won rookie of the year? Who is in first place in the Eastern or Western conferences? I am guessing less than 5% on here.

Back in the late 80’s, I was an MSU college student who lived for the basketball games. It was an event that included pregame somewhere before and getting in line 1 hour early. There was usually about 500 other fans doing the same thing. It was a can’t miss event on Thursdays and Saturdays. That student base really was loud and got the place rocking.

As for the Brick, I still love it. When there are 3,000 fans, it is cavernous. When there are 6,000 fans, you can feel the energy.

How do you gets students engaged again? I am not sure with today’s kids. I think we have to look at how the GCU’s of the world got it done. Maybe a “pep” group of dedicated students start organizing pre-game rallies. Maybe just organizing various ways to get the students more involved.

Dorm contests...

There is no reason we can’t do something similar in the Brick. Just have to get students to show up. Check this out. And they are in the WAC, but soon to be moving up.

[MSU01]

Just getting students to show up for one game by doing things like prize giveaways or contests isn't going to do any good if there's not a reason for them to come back to the next game, and the next after that, and...

If you read up on how the GCU Havocs started it tells you what will need to happen for MSU to have something similar. A small group of extremely passionate students who are willing to put in the work to build something much bigger over time. Students will respond to other students, not to the Athletic Department trying to get them to show up or through older fans complaining about it. And the other reality will always be that football is king at MSU and will continue to hold that position for the foreseeable future. The football team making deep playoff runs that last until the basketball season is already half over doesn't help basketball attendance one bit either.

[BobcatDel]

Just getting students to show up for one game by doing things like prize giveaways or contests isn't going to do any good if there's not a reason for them to come back to the next game, and the next after that, and...

If you read up on how the GCU Havocs started it tells you what will need to happen for MSU to have something similar. A small group of extremely passionate students who are willing to put in the work to build something much bigger over time. Students will respond to other students, not to the Athletic Department trying to get them to show up or through older fans complaining about it. And the other reality will always be that football is king at MSU and will continue to hold that position for the foreseeable future. The football team making deep playoff runs that last until the basketball season is already half over doesn't help basketball attendance one bit either.

There is a young lady who works in Bozeman (or did a year ago) who was on the Havoc board for a year. I have tabled this to athletic department a couple times to let her come talk to them on what it took to get this going…without success…she was even willing to get the student chair of the Havocs to call in. Jut talking to her casually….it doesn’t happen overnight….it’s a building process….you have to commit both financial and human resources to lead the effort….you have to refresh the program as the student dynamic changes…..all just common sense thoughts. Or even fly someone down to witness the event and interview them on site.If a leader like Wadid got behind it, it would happen.

[WalkOn79]

I think tv access has also impacted attendance to some extent. I know I've missed some games just because it's easier to watch from my man-cave than drive the 10 minutes to the Brick in the cold.

100%, especially for fans who don't live in Bozeman. Drive to Bozeman and back or sit on the couch and have every game available on ESPN+? Most will choose the latter option more often than not. I know I do.

I understand that and agree. I just wish more STUDENTS would support their team.

Good student turnout tonight though I was pleasantly surprised

[damnyoutuesday]

The key is to get students interested. Sprinkle understood that and worked hard to get the students interested. They bring energy and enthusiasm. Football games are a social event with tailgates and partying. Basketball games are basically just a game. If you look at GCU, they have figured out how to keep the kids entertained for the full game. They are raucous and engaged. They try to impact the game. It has become a major social event. Same thing at Utah State or BYU with the student engagement.

Basketball as a whole is becoming a niche sport in the US. Even high school games are drawing little interest. How many people here can tell me who were the top 5 NBA draft picks? Who won rookie of the year? Who is in first place in the Eastern or Western conferences? I am guessing less than 5% on here.

Back in the late 80’s, I was an MSU college student who lived for the basketball games. It was an event that included pregame somewhere before and getting in line 1 hour early. There was usually about 500 other fans doing the same thing. It was a can’t miss event on Thursdays and Saturdays. That student base really was loud and got the place rocking.

As for the Brick, I still love it. When there are 3,000 fans, it is cavernous. When there are 6,000 fans, you can feel the energy.

How do you gets students engaged again? I am not sure with today’s kids. I think we have to look at how the GCU’s of the world got it done. Maybe a “pep” group of dedicated students start organizing pre-game rallies. Maybe just organizing various ways to get the students more involved.

Dorm contests...

There is no reason we can’t do something similar in the Brick. Just have to get students to show up. Check this out. And they are in the WAC, but soon to be moving up.

I just want to point out that GCU is a basketball school. They don't have a football team, so their fans put all their energy into basketball. It's the same with Gonzaga. Not to defend our poor home attendance, but there's a reason they have an environment like that

[Cataholic]

The key is to get students interested. Sprinkle understood that and worked hard to get the students interested. They bring energy and enthusiasm. Football games are a social event with tailgates and partying. Basketball games are basically just a game. If you look at GCU, they have figured out how to keep the kids entertained for the full game. They are raucous and engaged. They try to impact the game. It has become a major social event. Same thing at Utah State or BYU with the student engagement.

Basketball as a whole is becoming a niche sport in the US. Even high school games are drawing little interest. How many people here can tell me who were the top 5 NBA draft picks? Who won rookie of the year? Who is in first place in the Eastern or Western conferences? I am guessing less than 5% on here.

Back in the late 80’s, I was an MSU college student who lived for the basketball games. It was an event that included pregame somewhere before and getting in line 1 hour early. There was usually about 500 other fans doing the same thing. It was a can’t miss event on Thursdays and Saturdays. That student base really was loud and got the place rocking.

As for the Brick, I still love it. When there are 3,000 fans, it is cavernous. When there are 6,000 fans, you can feel the energy.

How do you gets students engaged again? I am not sure with today’s kids. I think we have to look at how the GCU’s of the world got it done. Maybe a “pep” group of dedicated students start organizing pre-game rallies. Maybe just organizing various ways to get the students more involved.

Dorm contests...

There is no reason we can’t do something similar in the Brick. Just have to get students to show up. Check this out. And they are in the WAC, but soon to be moving up.

I just want to point out that GCU is a basketball school. They don't have a football team, so their fans put all their energy into basketball. It's the same with Gonzaga. Not to defend our poor home attendance, but there's a reason they have an environment like that

Definitely some logic to that, but doesn’t mean you can’t have both football and a good basketball environment. Look at Utah State crowds.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZQPzrgnif80? ... zx8sRllDUt

[Bobcat4Ever]

It doesn't help that the only TV viewing option for fans statewide is ESPN+. For years, the local stations treated Cat-Griz basketball, men's and women's, just like the football game, with a unique local broadcast of each game.

Cat/Griz is still broadcast on local TV stations in addition to ESPN+.

ESPN+ aired the same signal. We couldn’t dodge Krista (I played for Robin Selvig) even viewing from out of state.

[Bobcat4Ever]

Observations from an old guy who attended 80-90% of the men’s basketball games from 1956 - 2017:

Winning works. Compare attendance between Rich Juarez (nice guy) and Stu Starner.

That a chance for a unique “Havoc workshop” was ignored by MSU Athletics tells you a lot about the lack of students (and people) at the games, and how they are marketed. I was surprised Waded never lit a match.

I don’t know if they still do it (probably don’t need to now) but when GCU was just getting basketball started they offered a course credit to students for attending the games. Bribery works.

It used to be so darned cold in Bozeman all winter that going to the Brick was a great idea when everything else was frozen solid. Basketball now competes against activities — sports-minded students are more likely out being active than sitting watching a game.

Multi-player video games, interactive poker, etc. have taken a big toll on the less actively inclined. Stay home and play, or go to the Brick and have fun with your friends supporting your school and team? Aww, let’s stay home because our friends are online anyway.

Don’t underestimate the Sprinkle effect. Utah State and Washington didn’t, and he’s not a home-grown hero there. Hiring Danny at MSU was two shots of lightning in the same bottle. I’ll never forget when my cousin and I (with my walker) stepped into the arena at the Brick a few summers ago to watch the women’s team practice. Danny was just finishing with his players, and as they headed for the locker room, he saw us and trooped all the way across the arena to chat for awhile. My cousin was blown away — he said something like, I just met a force of nature.

Go ‘Cats!

[BobcatDel]

Observations from an old guy who attended 80-90% of the men’s basketball games from 1956 - 2017:

Winning works. Compare attendance between Rich Juarez (nice guy) and Stu Starner.

That a chance for a unique “Havoc workshop” was ignored by MSU Athletics tells you a lot about the lack of students (and people) at the games, and how they are marketed. I was surprised Waded never lit a match.

I don’t know if they still do it (probably don’t need to now) but when GCU was just getting basketball started they offered a course credit to students for attending the games. Bribery works.

It used to be so darned cold in Bozeman all winter that going to the Brick was a great idea when everything else was frozen solid. Basketball now competes against activities — sports-minded students are more likely out being active than sitting watching a game.

Multi-player video games, interactive poker, etc. have taken a big toll on the less actively inclined. Stay home and play, or go to the Brick and have fun with your friends supporting your school and team? Aww, let’s stay home because our friends are online anyway.

Don’t underestimate the Sprinkle effect. Utah State and Washington didn’t, and he’s not a home-grown hero there. Hiring Danny at MSU was two shots of lightning in the same bottle. I’ll never forget when my cousin and I (with my walker) stepped into the arena at the Brick a few summers ago to watch the women’s team practice. Danny was just finishing with his players, and as they headed for the locker room, he saw us and trooped all the way across the arena to chat for awhile. My cousin was blown away — he said something like, I just met a force of nature.

Go ‘Cats!

I forgot about the bribery of a credit for attending games!

They do make it a social event for sure at GCU.

MSU is trying to sell this Cat's Den on the board at some of the games but I have no clue who is leading this... what the progress is.... if it is dying on the vine or growing. I guess this is the second year I have seen it advertised by just from an outsider perspective I don't know how I would know they were making progress. Would be nice to get an update?

[MSU01]

Attendance numbers for yesterday's games:

PSU @ MSU - 3,846
SAC @ UM - 3,344
EWU @ WSU - 2,426
UI @ ISU - 1,729
NAU @ UNC - 1,653

Student attendance has definitely been better since classes started for Spring semester. Overall MSU is looking pretty good, maybe not if you compare the numbers to what they were 30 years ago but definitely if you compare them to what other Big Sky games are drawing these days. Plenty of room to grow but this is pretty good for a team that had not been playing up to its potential for most of the season until the last few weeks.

[DwaineF]

To answer Aucat's Weber St question, Sprinkle was flagrantly fouled in a game vs Weber St that ended his season. ( Sophomore year I believe.) I got to meet coach at his basketball camp and we got around to discussing that particular play. I could sense a bit of angst in him about that play. Weber was also the consistent powerhouse Big Sky team in those days. So I guess what I am saying, Weber St was almost as big a game as UM.

[aucat]

To answer Aucat's Weber St question, Sprinkle was flagrantly fouled in a game vs Weber St that ended his season. ( Sophomore year I believe.) I got to meet coach at his basketball camp and we got around to discussing that particular play. I could sense a bit of angst in him about that play. Weber was also the consistent powerhouse Big Sky team in those days. So I guess what I am saying, Weber St was almost as big a game as UM.

Interesting, thanks!