|
Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Nov 15, 2019 14:59:09 GMT -6
Which begs the question why we still have games there? It has a grade school vibe Well, this year we have zero regular season games.
|
|
|
Post by Duct_Tape_Pounce on Nov 15, 2019 15:12:51 GMT -6
Any sustained increase in attendance will likely need an increase in the team’s success. It’s no secret that our attendance peaked immediately after the Sweet 16 run and then steadily decreased until 2012 (with the exception of years where the Badgers came to town). There were two big decreases: the move to Klotsche Center and the Rob Jeter fiasco. Attendance hasn’t recovered from either, and we would be mistaken to think that anything other than success on the court would sustainably bring it back. I’m not convinced Pat Baldwin is the coach to bring our program back to our peak levels, but he will be given at least this year and probably next to show improvement.
I am not sure if there are rules that disallow this since we are a college program, but I believe UWM has sponsorship agreements with the Admirals and the Brewers. The Admirals and the Brewers have a package each year where you can get a ticket to an Admirals game and a ticket to a (low demand) Brewers game for a discounted price (maybe $20?).
Perhaps they can work with one (or both) of these teams to put together a package. Maybe a 300-level UWM ticket, a dark blue or light blue Admirals ticket (perhaps on a weeknight when even they struggle to get 2,000 fans in the seats, and need to often give away tickets to so that), and perhaps a T-shirt with both teams’ logos on it for $20-$25.
I know the Admirals also do ticket promotions with the Harley museum, Wendy’s, and maybe other companies to bring fans in. They also have a game where the giveaway is a ticket to a low demand Lakeshore Chinooks game.
The main positive effect of these promotions would be, by my estimation, to get fans through the doors and to show off the product. A family of 4 could very easily spend hundreds of dollars for a night with nosebleed seats at Bucks games. To a kid, a Panther game could be just as fun and a fraction of the cost. As a kid, I went to a lot of Bucks, Admirals, and Wave games at the Bradley Center, and I liked the Admirals games and Wave games just as much as Bucks games (if not more). Getting those families through the door the first time and having a quality team on the court is how you start getting repeat customers.
|
|
|
Post by ghostofdylan on Nov 15, 2019 15:33:09 GMT -6
Please elaborate on the "Rob Jeter fiasco." I'd genuinely like to understand what you mean.
|
|
|
Post by nickpanther on Nov 15, 2019 15:36:38 GMT -6
Please elaborate on the "Rob Jeter fiasco." I'd genuinely like to understand what you mean. The fiasco in how he was fired
|
|
|
Post by ghostofdylan on Nov 15, 2019 15:44:19 GMT -6
Please elaborate on the "Rob Jeter fiasco." I'd genuinely like to understand what you mean. The fiasco in how he was fired OK, got it.
|
|
|
Post by ghostofdylan on Nov 15, 2019 15:49:21 GMT -6
I think that you hit on it, DTP. It's going to take a lot more than merely winning. This requires a grassroots effort to infuse life into a dormant program ... and I'm convinced that none of the main players are the ones to help us recover.
|
|
|
Post by Duct_Tape_Pounce on Nov 15, 2019 16:41:52 GMT -6
Winning has to start it. A non-basketball related story (moving to Klotsche, firing Rob Jeter, APR ban, etc.) can definitely bleed out support for the program, but there are very few non on-the-court basketball stories can bring people in (only ones I can think of off the top of my head would be a new arena (not happening), a high profile coach (I’m thinking of Memphis with Penny Hardaway type hire), or a nationally known high profile recruit (and while we have one in mind, it’s highly unlikely to come to fruition)).
The more likely way is to make your name well known throughout the city by winning. When Bo Ryan started coaching the Panthers, UWM basketball was largely an unknown institution around the city. By the time Bruce Pearl was gone, we were averaging more fans per game than the Admirals or Wave are now. It came through winning.
To try to aid in that strategy, though, I think more marketing campaigns would help. I mentioned the Admirals above. Maybe give away a free weekday ticket to a UWM game at a Brewers game. Or at least a BOGO coupon. Getting people in the doors and realizing that Panther basketball exists and you get a better entertainment value for the buck than other similar indoor winter activities.
|
|
|
Post by striker14 on Nov 15, 2019 23:22:48 GMT -6
You really have to see that video, if you haven't yet. Mone is an unmitigated disaster! Where is the video?? Seconded
|
|
|
Post by PantherU on Nov 19, 2019 16:02:23 GMT -6
You really have to see that video, if you haven't yet. Mone is an unmitigated disaster! Where is the video?? Topel asking the real questions.
|
|
|
Post by PantherU on Nov 19, 2019 16:14:49 GMT -6
Tuesday there was maybe 200 people there. Yes it's a Tuesday against a D3 school, but still. Also, 15 and cold outside. I was still glad it was not at the KC. That's the obvious problem. We need to schedule more home games in August and September!
|
|
|
Post by PantherU on Nov 19, 2019 16:37:17 GMT -6
It would be nice if the the students would (consistently) do their part as well...especially for such a large school enrollmentwise. The difference in student attendance between Saturday and Tuesday was insane. They get a free ticket, free travel to the game, and pretty cool giveaways at times. Pretty sweet deal...and it's definitely being advertised enough. Years in sales has only confirmed to me one thing: people don't give a sh*t about something if they don't see the value in it. If you're discounting and discounting and discounting the product, the customer is seeing the value go down. Instead, the university needs to be building value into the product - selling it to its community. That goes for students, alumni, the whole city. If people see the value in something, they'll trip over themselves to buy in. These students are the same generation that's spending $1,000 for a f*cking brick with the word "SUPREME" on it. You have to figure out how to reach them. About 7-8 years ago, I had an idea that the school should print season tickets for every incoming freshman with "$10" printed in the cost. I think it was Dan Croak, might have been a predecessor that pointed out we pay Ticketmaster something like $2.50 for every printed ticket. No idea if it's the same setup now, but I tweaked the idea: give each incoming freshman in the dorms a voucher pass for every game - with a printed value over zero on the front of the ticket. Students need to be courted. If there's anything we know about the college-age crowd, it's that each of their worlds revolve around themselves. I certainly was that way when I was a student (yeah I know). So the marketing to them needs to center around - you guessed it - them. Anybody familiar with San Diego State, and their monster student section? What's it called? THE SHOW. An opposing coach complained about them in a post-game presser, saying something along the lines of, "Those kids are just insane, they think they're the show." They took that sh*t and RAN WITH IT. Most students have no idea they're paying for it, or at least they don't know how much they're paying for it. If you give them vouchers to show that they're paying considerably for the privilege of going to games, and that they are central to the home court atmosphere necessary to win games, then they're going to show out. Obviously winning has to happen. But you can lay the ground work so when the team does start winning real basketball games, you're not scrambling trying to figure out how to get people in the seats to create a snowball effect.
|
|
|
Post by Spirit of Bruce on Nov 19, 2019 19:31:27 GMT -6
You really have to see that video, if you haven't yet. Mone is an unmitigated disaster! Where is the video?? It was posted on Facebook from the Milwaukee Panthers page. If I knew how, I’d post it here, but I’m not savvy with that stuff.
|
|
|
Post by ghostofdylan on Nov 20, 2019 8:47:58 GMT -6
Why on Earth would you expect anyone to show up for the men's games when you instead send the band to a women's game that for some reason is scheduled for the same day at the same time as the men's game? Think about it.
|
|
|
Post by steveisback on Nov 20, 2019 9:08:08 GMT -6
Went to my first game in 4 years. A lot of conflicting thoughts. In no particular order: <thoroughly enjoyed the game. Seems like a nice group of young men who high fived a few of the fans after the game. <the arena is absolutely beautiful. No problem with the security measures at all. <gift shop is really an upgrade. Concessions would be great but very few were open. <I was shocked at the crowd. Paul, this was the smallest crowd I have seen at the arena since I started attending back in the early 90's. Never saw a crowd as small as this in all the years I had season tickets including the last here year of Antrim and Ric. <Where are alumni? Very few younger adults. I am 65 years old and a good portion of the few people around me were actually people I remember from years ago and I was the youngest.... <I wss a bit shocked at ticket prices. Bought a ticket in my old section 225. $27. A bit pricey I think for a UWM Panther game. If I brought my wife we would have been out $54 plus $16 dollars parking at Isaac's garage. $8 for a jumbo hot dog, really?? Oh well.... <Side thought..... the irrelevance issue. Look in the Journal Sentinel and it lists the local sports teams..We stand out with NO RADIO...not a good look. Might as well be Cardinal Stritch or Wisconsin Lutheran. Geesh.. <David Gruber and his wife were courtside. Nice people. I gave them credit for continuing their support. <Ironic...all the years dreamed of the arena being basically ours...now we have this beautiful palace to play in and no one is there... <I actually though am going to attend more games and likely renew my seasons for next year. I used to get so irritated at games when attendance was brutal. Now more accepting and just going to relax and enjoy. Good game last night. Maybe as season progresses and we win a bit and get into conference things will pick up. If we could even have a thousand actual bodies in the seats on average an 2-3,000 once in awhile would be ok. Problem is the lack of buzz and irrelevance. No radio just one more indication of how are we have fallen. And it is not all due to Jeter being let go. Frankly, while things got worse after he was part of the problem and not the solution. Probelm is the two elephant in the room still there, Braun and lack of institutional support.
|
|
|
Post by ghostofdylan on Nov 20, 2019 9:21:35 GMT -6
I'll ask the question: why is the crowd (gaggle?) suddenly so shockingly small? It was 2,500-plus on average just a few short (but interminably long) years ago. We have an historic but sparkling facility in which to play. What happened?
|
|