http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/...um=twitter


Ouch but kind of embarrassing. C-USA must do something about this now!

Click bait article

Yes, click, bait. But he makes some good points.

When did they start letting students in for free? I know two years ago, students paid. The thing that I get from this article...CUSA needs to play the tourney in a smaller arena. There is not enough fans willing to drive or fly to fill this arena over half full if we are going by butts.

Western had the lowest amount that I can recall at a conference tourney...3.5 hours away. Hell even when Western played in the SBC and the tourney was in Denton, we had more fans. If you take away the band, cheerleaders, lady Toppers I bet there wasn't 100 fans at the game. Most likely 25 of those players family.

On another note. If there was another reason (vacation sitting) to book a room for 4 to 5 days my son and I probably attend last nights session and the finials even if Western is not playing. There wasn't so we play it game by game.

With the fan support or lack of, CUSA gets....

might as well move it to a place fans want to spend their money at. Wont get many more fans..if any. But at least those that do come, will book rooms for the 4 to 5 days.

Quote:
"Serious question: Do UAB fans actually exist beyond Twitter and the 1990s? Maybe so, but there are doubts. People tell me Birmingham is a great sports town, and TV ratings for major events support that, but the apathy toward UAB basketball seems unsustainable."

WOW. Haha. Ouch.

(03-09-2017 12:58 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  When did they start letting students in for free? I know two years ago, students paid.

I haven't yet attended a CUSA tournanent, bit I went to four SBC tournaments as a student and got in with my MT student ID to all of them.

(03-09-2017 01:10 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 12:58 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  When did they start letting students in for free? I know two years ago, students paid.

I haven't yet attended a CUSA tournanent, bit I went to four SBC tournaments as a student and got in with my MT student ID to all of them.

Was that way for every Colonial tournament I attended. Pretty sure the ACC used to let in a number of students for their particular school's game (until the sections behind the basket were full).

They arent telling anyone else's students its free. They should consider advertising it if true.

With 18k seats, perhaps they should all be free...

Nothing unique to Cusa about this. Conference tourneys are drawing lousy this year, and in the recent past. The Sec has $2 tickets available for their tourney and you can get in to the ACC in Brooklyn for $6 today to see Duke or UNC.

Lots of pics of empty arenas here: https://twitter.com/EmptySeatsPics

(03-09-2017 01:10 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(03-09-2017 12:58 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  When did they start letting students in for free? I know two years ago, students paid.

I haven't yet attended a CUSA tournanent, bit I went to four SBC tournaments as a student and got in with my MT student ID to all of them.

Year before last when UAB played Western, Western students had to buy tickets. I don't know the exact numbers but UAB said something like the first 3000 students got in free.

I had a usher to tell me that a lot of UAB student were showing up tonight so they were enforcing fans seating in the seats on their ticket. She said students were getting in free for that game.

Someone later said UAB sponsored the free tickets. Well I bet it wasn't close to the value on the ticket that other students had to pay. Even if it was...it's paper dollars on a line. Not real money coming out of pocket.

SBC all a student had to do was show a ID at the ticket office and they got a free ticket in Hot Springs.

I'm a student at Rice and will be driving to Birmingham if we make the final on Saturday..

However, I can't justify skipping three days of classes to attend the first few rounds.

That article blasts more than just tournament attendance. Seems local media is setting itself up to say TOLD YOU SO if our football team doesn't draw well.

(03-09-2017 01:34 PM)BeliefBlazer Wrote:  That article blasts more than just tournament attendance. Seems local media is setting itself up to say TOLD YOU SO if our football team doesn't draw well.

I got that also...

not just a shot at basketball but a shot at UAB support in football and that is why it's a hit piece. But it's still not factually incorrect about the tourney. But I think if you looked all across the country you will find weak attendance for early round games. Even with the home team playing. And those games will count paid vs butts.

(03-09-2017 01:34 PM)BeliefBlazer Wrote:  That article blasts more than just tournament attendance. Seems local media is setting itself up to say TOLD YOU SO if our football team doesn't draw well.

Weren't there a lot of season tickets sold during the effort to bring back FB? I expect UAB will do well at the gate.

Latech Sports announced free tickets just now. Have to show ID at Latech will call window to recieve ticket. It really not convenient to announce these things the day of our games. Any student who wants to come to either game can not make it by tip-time.

Is the conference making them wait a day to announce? They did the same thing last year.

Sometimes it seems CUSA had rather market on social media for people to read then to actually show up at these games...

Granted it's a different sport but when USM hosted the baseball tournament back in May students had to buy tickets regardless of which school you attended. The student tickets were about 2-3 bucks cheaper than GA tickets but they still had to purchase a ticket to get it.

They wanted me to have a ticket for my 8 month old yesterday at Bartow. That's just sad.

(03-09-2017 02:28 PM)svb002 Wrote:  They wanted me to have a ticket for my 8 month old yesterday at Bartow. That's just sad.

Birmingham media is terrible. CUSA tournament is no different than any other tournament out there. Article accomplishes nothing. UAB's football's attendance this coming fall has nothing to do with a 17-15 basketball team.