[ballcoach15]

I noticed in Lynchburg News Advance this morning that attendance at Lady Flames' game has declined a lot in past couple of seasons. Does anyone know reason for this decline ? If team was losing it would be somewhat understandable, but they are winning and are in first place in conference. I have noticed a decline in games I have attended this season, especially among students.

[Purple Haize]

Yep. There are several reasons for the decline.
One being the fallacy that if you win attendance will follow
JBock can give you more reasons.

[thepostman]

women's basketball is boring and we haven't returned to the sweet 16.

[Chippy]

women's basketball is boring and we haven't returned to the sweet 16.

We have the largest number of on campus students and yet there are 5-6 teams (women's teams) in our conference that draw more than us. They've never been to "Sweet 16" and most, if not all of them, have ever made it to NCAA. So how do you explain that?

[ballcoach15]

With 12,000 students on campus, one would think 2 or 3 thousand would show up for every men;s and womens games.

[thepostman]

women's basketball is boring and we haven't returned to the sweet 16.

We have the largest number of on campus students and yet there are 5-6 teams (women's teams) in our conference that draw more than us. They've never been to "Sweet 16" and most, if not all of them, have ever made it to NCAA. So how do you explain that?

I can't. LU students are a very unique bunch. It takes all kinds of pulling to get them out out to football games and STAY the whole game. If they can't even commit to that then why would they commit to going to a boring women's basketball game plagued with turnovers??

I am not saying we shouldn't have the best support in the conference, but its just the reality of our student body.

[Old School]

It is shameful the way that the students DON'T turn out for the ladies games, and even the men's games. These players all practice their hearts out for the school, if you don't believe me, just come to a practice and watch. Jessie Sanders, before his career is over in my opinion will be one of the best and most exciting players ever to put a Liberty uniform on and Avery Warley has represented the USA and has even been mentioned as a possible second round WNBA prospect. AND THE STUDENTS GET IN FOR FREE TO SEE THESE PLAYERS ! So get out and watch these teams, they work hard for your support and deserve it. Stepping down off my soapbox...oops I slipped. I hate these wooden boxes.

[Chippy]

women's basketball is boring and we haven't returned to the sweet 16.

We have the largest number of on campus students and yet there are 5-6 teams (women's teams) in our conference that draw more than us. They've never been to "Sweet 16" and most, if not all of them, have ever made it to NCAA. So how do you explain that?

I can't. LU students are a very unique bunch. It takes all kinds of pulling to get them out out to football games and STAY the whole game. If they can't even commit to that then why would they commit to going to a boring women's basketball game plagued with turnovers??

I am not saying we shouldn't have the best support in the conference, but its just the reality of our student body.

So your saying our student body is apathetic compared to other BSC universities' student bodies. I'll say it! Yes, even the men's team is 8TH in the BSC in attendance We have one big old empty gym. And the cheerleaders except for doing their routines NEVER cheer. Don't get me started. Sparky is working his tail off and I give him credit for being in the game

[ballcoach15]

It may be time for the Administration to put some pressure of student body and get them to attend the games

[Purple Haize]

It may be time for the Administration to put some pressure of student body and get them to attend the games

And how exactly do you propose to do that ? Hire Rick Santorum as Dean in Charge of Student Activities?
If you put your thinking cap on I'm sure more reasons for poor attendance will become clear. But hey, I've been to 4 or 5 games even though I have other commitments.

But props to Sparky. He did bust me for posting to FF on my phone during Sat game! If he only knew I was posting not texting!

[ballah09]

maybe they should actually get some big name teams to come to the vines. both men and women. it would spark some interest. Who wants to watch liberty play 3-4 non d1 schools?

[Chris Lang]

Way easier said than done, ballah, especially on the men's front. It's extremely difficult to get anyone above even the CAA or SoCon level to want to come to play in Lynchburg. What's the motivation for that? Why would Virginia Tech come to LU? The Hokies would have everything to lose and nothing to gain by playing in Lynchburg. Same goes for any sort of high-level mid-major. Liberty has to play at Richmond three times to get the Spiders to come to Lynchburg once. Clemson only came because McKay agreed to play the Tigers in Clemson on short notice the day after a conference game. ODU only came here because of the BracketBusters game return mandate.

This is why I'm completely against only having 16 conference games when the basketball schedule comes out next year. I fear everyone will play four non DIs because they have to fill out 14 non-conference games somehow, and no one wants to play 10 road games in the non-conference schedule.

That's one of the things that's nice about the Liberty-JMU women's series. Both teams have the same issues with getting high-level opponents to come to their home floors, so as long as Carey Green and Kenny Brooks are at the schools, they'll continue to play each other.

[Purple Haize]

What? You mean schools aren't lining up to fly into Lynchburg International to face off with the Flames at the Vines? You main stream media types are all the same You just find anyway you can to bash Liberty! You probably send out Twitter Bombs to all the ACC schools telling them not to come! We are LIBERTY we should be a destination where other schools come to test their metal against us!

Woooooaahh. What just happened!! must have been spiked!

[ballah09]

yeah i know it's difficult but i just figure if the team gives one of those "guarantee" contracts like the bcs schools give, they would come and collect the W.

[Purple Haize]

So you are advocating that WE pay a school like UCONN to come play here?

[thepostman]

Seriously guys look at what Liberty offers as far as activities around campus compared to other schools. Its not even close. There is so much for students to do that the only ones that go to the games are the people who love sports. Unless we are successful AND exciting students aren't going to come. I love all the things that LU offers the students but when it comes to athletics and the support of the students it does hurt.

I am not trying to give the students a pass because when I was a student it use to annoy the crap out of me how hard it was to get the students to support the different teams but it is what it is.

[ballcoach15]

Other than studying and homework overload, there is no excuse for students not to attend. It would help if some big names would come to town. VT used to come and maybe even UVA. We need to attempt to get some ACC schools in, and even the Uconn women's team.

[thepostman]

Other than studying and homework overload, there is no excuse for students not to attend. It would help if some big names would come to town. VT used to come and maybe even UVA. We need to attempt to get some ACC schools in, and even the Uconn women's team.

hahahaha

UConn in the Vines?? seriously what are you smoking??

[Chad4Life]

This is why I'm completely against only having 16 conference games when the basketball schedule comes out next year. I fear everyone will play four non DIs because they have to fill out 14 non-conference games somehow, and no one wants to play 10 road games in the non-conference schedule.

I agree 100%

[Chad4Life]

1) I take attendance numbers with a grain of salt. I'm convinced that in some cases, it includes anyone in the facility, whether or not they paid to attend the game and/or season ticket holders who didn't show up. I mean, I went to a VMI game a few years ago and it is impressive when the student body comes into the facility. Yet, once the game started, I noticed a number of cadets who had no interest in game whatsover (reading, doing homework.) At High Point, I've noticed over the Christmas holiday, a game at the Millis Center has good attendance, but also notice that they usually have some young dance squad do a show at halftime and part of that good attendance are the parents coming to see their daughter participate.

2) As I get older, I understand more and more there are many in the student body of the various institutions who have no concern about any of the athletic programs and if knowing that the student activity fee that is often inflated to help support the athletic programs would be reduced greatly, they would be happy to see the athletic programs de-emphasized or even in some extreme cases eliminated.

3) For some fans, they just aren't excited about supporting women's basketball. Just because Liberty or High Point or Winthrop (or Duke or UNC Chapel Hill, for that matter) have a team doesn't mean that they are interested in attending that particular sport, just as they might not be interested in attending a Liberty Baseball game or a Women's Soccer game. In my neck of the woods, for all of the issues that NC State has had in men's basketball, their attendance at an off campus facility will greatly exceed the attendance for a women's game at an on-campus facility. That's just the way it is.

4) And is it entertaining? For the hardcore fan, it may not matter, but for the casual fan or the student who has no strong desire, would I want to spend my 2 hours at a basketball game or do something else? If I'm a supporter from out of town and maybe have to drive 1 or 2 hours to the game, will I be entertained enough to give up an additional 2 to 4 hours?

I'm sure that there are things that can be done to help your attendance, but I'm not certain the Vines Center will be filled to the rafters unless maybe Liberty makes the Final Four (and I'm not certain about that.)

[Purple Haize]

Other than studying and homework overload, there is no excuse for students not to attend. It would help if some big names would come to town. VT used to come and maybe even UVA. We need to attempt to get some ACC schools in, and even the Uconn women's team.

Do you actually read any other posts or just randomly repeat and slew your nonsense?

[Cider Jim]

Seriously guys look at what Liberty offers as far as activities around campus compared to other schools. Its not even close. There is so much for students to do that the only ones that go to the games are the people who love sports.

Agree 100%.

Plus, I blame technology: college kids would rather play with their phone or do video games or watch movies on their computer than to go to an actual live college basketball game. Even those who do go to games often spend more times looking at their phone and not at the court.

When I was in college, I could name ever starter on my school's little NCCAA team (heck, I can do it now, 30 years later). How many LU students can Layer's starters or even know one player not named Jesse?

[NotAJerry]

Part of it is the lack of the standout star that has something unique about them. I remember when I first got to LU in 93, I would take my homework into the Vines during women's BB games because there was no chance of being distracted since the players/coaches/training staff/refs outnumbered the crowd. A couple of years later and I was running around with a ridiculous orange hunting vest on as part of "The Heat," the official fan club for the women's BB team, and crowds in the 3-4k range were showing up to see the Wilkerson twins and Elena Kisseleva go through an undefeated regular season. That year we had 4-5 busloads of students go to Knoxville for the first round game against Tennessee.

Over the years there have been "star" players that were either enormous like Katie Feenstra or were triplets. There was something unique to them that made them stand out. Even the Wilkerson twins had the whole left-handed thing going for them. There's nobody like that with this team. There's likely a bit of Atlanta Braves syndrome at this point in that everyone just expects them to win the regular season and tunes out until tournament time.

This is where the move to a bigger conference is paramount to help our other sports just as much as football. If our conference home games are JMU, ODU, Charlotte, etc., that's likely going to improve attendance just by itself.

[Chris Lang]

There's likely a bit of Atlanta Braves syndrome at this point in that everyone just expects them to win the regular season and tunes out until tournament time.

Couldn't agree with this more. And that's one of the issues with a true neutral court setup for the conference tournament in a one-bid league. The only thing that matters is three days in March. It's almost like the regular season is a series of exhibitions.

[jbock13]

When you used to dominate, and now you don't, and then you have to sit through turnover after turnover and a coach who is completely incompetent as to fixing the problem... nobody wants to sit through that.

I could say more but that should suffice. If you don't agree with me somewhat, there's zero chance you ever will.