WBB: Game #23 @ Michigan

One thing I'd like to add about the attendance - take it with an extraordinary grain of salt.  You aren't even comparing apples to orange.  It's apples to bagged salad.

Some schools, such as Purdue, sell a season seat license for all winter sports and they are allowed to count those as 'tickets sold' across gymnastics, wrestling and women's basketball, rather there is a human being in those seats or not.  When Purdue reports 8,000, there are probably closer to 3,000 there.  And they have loud, loyal fans, but their attendance reports are not actual people.

Last night Michigan reported just under 2,000.  I'd say that was fairly accurate.

Michigan State - don't even get me started.  Same thing as Purdue, except they multiply their attendance by a factor of about 3.5.  Wisconsin's is also not even close to actual people in the stands.  If you'll remember in the Big 12, Texas Tech started selling seat licenses and they'd announce 8,000 when there were about 2,000 there.  Women's Basketball attendance figures are like the two weekly polls:  interesting to talk about and they mean absolutely nothing.

Nebraska's attendance, since it's a city-owned arena, is people through the turnstiles.  And it's almost impossible to cheat attendance as the lower bowl is 8,000.  If there isn't anyone above the lower bowl or there are any empty seats in the lower bowl, it's below 8,000.

When you talk to staff from opposing teams, it's very clear everyone in the league knows Nebraska has the highest attendance and best crowds.  But it's a recruiting nugget for coaches to tell a kid, "Come to _______ University as we lead the league in attendance!"  They just have to hope they don't do a visit or go to a game somewhere else.

I enjoy reading the great discussions on here!  Thanks for being great fans!

Go Big RED!!!!

Matt

Glad to have you aboard Matt, And will see you on Sunday.

The actual attendance last night in Ann Arbor was reported at 1728. Michigan is closer to the actual number than some other B1G teams but you can't help but look at that picture and wonder where the other 1000 fans are. I listened to Purdue coach Sharon Vrsyp brag in an interview a few weeks ago that Purdue leads the league in attendance.

Iowa State is the same way. They even have their fans that go to the games say they have 10,000 per game. For example 2 years ago they had a few games scheduled between the Christmas & New Years break where the students are gone and had to battle bad weather to boot. But in one of those games they played a winless Mississippi Valley St team and reported they had just under 10,000 at that game. But here's the kicker at the end of the year they hosted the first and second round of the NCAA tourney where they aren't allowed to pad attendance figures and had a little over 4,300 show up for a significantly more important game in the second round game against Wis Green Bay.  

The actual attendance last night in Ann Arbor was reported at 1728. Michigan is closer to the actual number than some other B1G teams but you can't help but look at that picture and wonder where the other 1000 fans are. I listened to Purdue coach Sharon Vrsyp brag in an interview a few weeks ago that Purdue leads the league in attendance.

 

Iowa State is the same way. They even have their fans that go to the games say they have 10,000 per game. For example 2 years ago they had a few games scheduled between the Christmas & New Years break where the students are gone and had t battle bad weather to boot. But in one of those games they played a winless Mississippi Valley St team and reported they had just under 10,000 at that game. But here's the kicker at the end of the year they hosted the first and second round of the NCAA tourney where they aren't allowed to pad attendance figures and had a little over 4,300 show up for a significantly more important game in the second round game against Wis Green Bay.

I hear ya row 6. My wife and I watch most of the big 10 women's games and we just wonder where they come up with the figures that show up in the box score. Must be all of the concession workers etc. that they count

Short NU/Michigan highlights and JHoop interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gam1LvGOmoE