olldflame wrote:Jonathan Carone wrote:flameshaw wrote:It used to be filled, even during weekday games, back in the Aluma, Hilldebrand, etc. era.
I think one thing we have to acknowledge is that it’s an entirely different culture than it was in the 90s. There are too many other distractions and options for students. They can watch the games from their dorms. There’s a billion things going on in terms of club sports, intramurals, and student life. While those additions have been great for student life, it is a negative impact on athletics attendance.
There is also a tiny bit of revisionist history going on as well. We filled the Vines on occasion, notably against VT and Radford (when the rivalry was much more intense), but in our best years we did not average much over 5000 (if that). Even back then, there were a lot of games where we had under 3000, and the place looked and felt empty. I like this move a lot. It solves a lot of problems, gives us a great place to play in a better atmosphere (for the majority of games), and we still have the Vines if we expect a bigger crowd. Win-win IMHO.
Not sure about revisionist history, I was at most of those games and many of them were at least 80% full. I am talking about conference games as well. We were a basketball school back then (at least according to the AD and others) and I believe that to be true as well. Yes, there are many more things to do in L'burg and at the school than there used to be. But we also have 2x as many students on campus (at least).
Regardless of the past, if we return to having a winning program, play exciting teams (no Tacco Falls, etc), we will fill it up regularly again. Heck, I might even start coming back to the games. I was a season ticket holder for probably 10 years, followed them on the road to Campbell and CCU, etc. Haven't been to the Vines in probably 10 years, no atmosphere, mediocre play.
The new building is a great idea for the other sports. Hope it works out well.