CSNbbs

According to Buc2002 in a response to one of my posts in another thread.

Quote:If we were turning people away at basketball games on a regular basis I think your thoughts would have even more weight. However, there have really only been two times in the program's history when we were in need of more than 6,000 seats on a regular basis (the glory years run and then for just a few games back in 2003 and 2004).

My follow up question on why we had not seen an upswing in attendance this year following a NCAA apearance as we had in years past (and as he pointed out) went unanswered. My theory was because it was the A-Sun.
But the ETSU line as stated above and in this article below is that
ETSU really has never drawn that well except under special circumstances and it isn't the A-Sun fault, just the way it is.

From an article by that pesky Brian Smith

http://www2.tricities.com/tri/news/local...sun/17859/

Quote:Mike White, ETSU’s associate athletic director for communications, said the decline in attendance involved issues that “were beyond the control of the men’s basketball program.”

ETSU’s inability to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament the past four seasons is another possible reason for lower attendance, he said.

“As much as we would love to think at mid-major [conferences] we have fan bases that consistently will come out, 8,000, 6,000, 4,000 strong, it really, it’s like anywhere else: When you’re successful, fans come. When you win, fans come,” White said.

ETSU President Dr. Paul Stanton and Athletic Director Dave Mullins denied requests for interviews for this story, and directed questions to White.

“We’ve kind of had to start over with building rivalries, we had to kind of start over with our scheduling, the way scheduling works,” White said. “And I think
that more than the league itself probably has something to do with it.”

They most have a sheet with bullet points in a drawer somewhere to pull out.

Since they don't have the "Factual" information on their side all they can do is attack the messangers, Pitt, Smith and posters such as myself who dares question them.
I have another question for them. According to records ETSU gave to Smith under the Freedom of Information Act ETSU's home attendance was 3419 for the 2007-08 season but ETSU's website is saying that home attendance was 3901 that season. Where did those exta 500 fans per game? (6,000 plus fans for the season) go?

Quote:“We are still winning games. You would think that [ETSU’s] record would be really bad, considering we only have maybe 2,000, 3,000 fans showing up for our games now.” – Keith Jennings, former ETSU point guard (1987-91), current Science Hill High School basketball coach

Rod, I think I know where you're going with this, and I agree with you.

The reason for ETSU not picking up any attendance from last year's NCAA berth is because the community is down on ETSU sports. They will continue to be down on ETSU sports until football is reinstated and/or the athletic programs move to a larger conference, or possibly if a new arena is built and built the right way.

The article itself contains many of the reasons why attendance is down. The numbers don't lie and I don't see anyway ETSU can spin that there isn't a problem. The trend is there for all to see and even an NCAA berth hasn't had any affect. But Stanton and his flunkies will never admit that.

The only thing worth a damn in section I quoted was the very first part.

Mike White, ETSU’s associate athletic director for communications, said the decline in attendance involved issues that “were beyond the control of the men’s basketball program.”

That is true, it was not the basketball program that created the problems it was Stanton and Mullins.

When did Mister say that?