But the rest of the Pete is empty as well . Did Heather sell ANY season tickets . This is beyond embarrassing for her
I get it that the students went home
- Thread starter snaphook297
- Start date
Heather doesn't sell, the team does.
My first game of the year. I thought about counting the fans but didnt feel like. I did count the upper deck sections I could see and there were 42 people (shortly after the game started). My guess on attendance would be 800 or so. Definitely lower than 1500.
I think we all know that number is either
a) completely made-up
or
b) the number of tickets distributed
If its b, they would likely count 1200 student tickets (since they distribute those tickets to the Zoo), the maximum number of media, family, visitors, season ticket holders, etc.
They are obviously not doing turnstile count.
Bad time slot. 8:30 PM during the week before Thanksgiving? Come on. Should have switched the ND game and Pitt game.
I had a weird sad feeling. Felt sad for the players, families, even coaches (though they are the #1 reason why). Volleyball and soccer are drawing more. I get that we have been terrible but I'm not sure there's ever an excuse for a team in a pro city without an NBA team to be drawing HS-level crowds. There will plenty of WPIAL basketball games that outdraw us.
Ticket prices are partly to blame. They are extremely high for what is one of the worst P6 programs. They should be priced at rock bottom prices to at least get some fans in the building. I was kinda tempted to buy season tickets this year after we signed Dior because I felt good about the program and thought we could make it to the bubble. I just couldn't justify the cost and the fact I'd have to miss games due to youth sports making it difficult to recoup that money on Stubhub. Last night, I got 2 great seats for $18 total after fees. You can't get into a WPIAL game for that.
Where did they get the official number of around 5400 in attendance? Must have been tickets sold vs butts in seats from what those who were there report.
See my post above. Its either completely made up or the total number of tickets "committed" to people. I say it that way because I am assuming that number counts 1200 Zoo and the maximum amount of media, family guests, and visitor tickets. I would guess its like 3000 season ticket holders, 1200 Zoo and the rest are like tickets given to players, visitors, and media, most of which go unused. I think its probably just a made up number though with no basis on anything. For ACC games, they'll probably announce 7000-8000 for crowds of 3000.
I had tickets for yrs , but now spend the bb season in Fl , going to the games was always the highlight of most days . But its also a hassle to go to Oakland , park and walk to the Pete after a long day at work .Their play over the last ten or so yrs ( especially the last 6 ) had made the hassle of attending games greater than the enjoyment for most people . Factor in the cost and with most games on tv I can understand the lack of attendance. The fan base has been eroded to the die heart fans only
Every game on watch ESPN . ( except exhibitions )
WVU and Michigan were tough to watch !
With how bad they’ve been the last 6 yrs I doubt I’d be a season ticket holder anymore , I’d just pick a few games and none of them would be 8:30 starts .
The lack of a fan base is a two edged sword , on one hand the program desperately needs a new look , but on the other hand with so little support it might just be cheaper to stay the course and how many fans are you really going to lose .
The first rule when you find yourself in a hole is "stop digging", not "keep digging faster to see if you can find the bottom."
Pathetic is a good word for the program. Capel is too arrogant/aloof/exclusionary for the city. I am not sure which term is the correct description.
High school games get as much or more.
Even during the worst day of Willard, there were still 2,000-3,000 at all games at the Field House.
Even during most of Stallings 0-18 season (even the OOC part of year), there were still something like 2,500 at most ACC games. The next to last game against Wake Forest looked like the game last night. But the final game against Virginia had about 4,000 or so because they were the #1 team.
Last year, I was willing to chalk up some of the incredibly bad attendance to some COVID concerns. But that doesn't apply this year of course.
I understand Pitt that Pitt Volleyball games are getting somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 attendees.
Probably 2 major reasons why Pitt basketball attendance is low and will continue to be low:
1) We have a terrible product on the court with very little chance of improvement.
2) Ticket prices are in the stratosphere and should be at most 50% of what they are now. No one will shell out that kind of money for a very poor product.
1) We have a terrible product on the court with very little chance of improvement.
2) Ticket prices are in the stratosphere and should be at most 50% of what they are now. No one will shell out that kind of money for a very poor product.
I think the program has now reached the center of the Earth , the bottom is in .
Is 500 fans any different than 600/800 ?
What you fail to recognize is that I too believe Pitt would be better off with a change and yes I’d be willing to do it with your money and I believe that Pitt may feel the same way .
Maybe they don’t want you to see how bad the product is ! (High prices )
They had 3556 for their match tonight against Georgia Tech at the Pete. From the looks of it that was actually a real number too. We won't have anywhere near as many on Friday night.
The difference is that you are also driving away the casual fans, the ones that you could turn into ticket buyers in the future but are now very possibly gone for good. Or if not for good, for a very long time.
The strategy of doubling down on losing because you don't think anyone cares just ensures that no one will care. It really is a moronic way to do things, whether that's at sports, in business, or in life. There's a reason that the saying goes "you have to spend money to make money", not "if you sit around and do nothing long enough you'll eventually start making money".
The crowd is bad product and a coaching staff that is dismissive of the Pitt fandom. People are never attending a game where they feel a coach is not at least mildly grateful for the fanS.
The low crowds are 0% due to Jeff Capel's engagement with the fan base. They are due to bad teams and a bad decade of basketball and high season ticket prices. If Capel held weekly pep rallies, there would have been 900 people at the last game instead of 800.
This is true. But the fact remains that Capel, besides being a very poor coach, doesn't engage with the fanbase and isn't involved in the community. For someone who touts his "social justice" issues and being politically aware, he is rather hypocritical. Instead of making his social justice statements, he needs to become more engaged with the community and fanbase and STFU about politics. In other words, do his job! Why doesn't he help at the Light of Life Missions? Or make some effort to visit the disabled veterans in the hospital, or young children fighting cancer in Children's Hospital? All talk, no action...that's Capel.
The least he could do is visit the prisons and tell the criminals he longs for their release, at least he would be genuine.
He can do all that but it would lead to very little to no increase in attendance. What did Jamie do for the community? He did help a woman on the side of the road but most of us would have done that. People want to see wins. If Capel volunteered in the community 20 hours/week, you wouldn't see a noticeable difference in attendance.
And fans dont care about coach's politics as much as you guys want to believe. I would be all in favor of hiring a January 6 insurrectionist if he was guatanteed to win games. Fans will looks past almost anything for wins. I would be ok with the Pitt coach punchint me in the face and stealing my wallet if he advanced to a Final Four.
There’s another saying “ don’t chase good money after bad “ too .
Pitts fortunes aren’t going to change by simply firing Capel . Coach K is not coming out of retirement and no other big name coach is coming to town in a white hat to save the day . The only way to revive the program is winning and just not being a middle of the pac ACC team they need to win big to revive fan interest , especially the casual fan .
Pitts in a pickle , it appears that without Dior Pitts going nowhere this season . Next season with the core intact and the recruits there’s some light at the end of the tunnel . Fire Capel they lose Hugley , they could lose the twins and Hinson they definitely lose the recruits , now you have a KS yr two situation with no players .( or Louisville this yr ) . So here you are paying two coaches to lose playing to a still empty Pete .
How much is Pitt willing to pay to win a few more bb games . Obviously they weren’t willing to pay him last yr to leave probably because no booster would underwrite the buyout , is one stepping up this yr ? It appears to me Pitt will fire him using your money not theirs , so don’t be surprised if he’s still here next yr .
ps …like I’ve said I’m like Pitt I’d fire him using your money not mine
I missed this game because I just did not feel like going. I have missed very few games in the past 40 years or so. This is the first game I have ever missed that I was in town and could have gone.
That is a foolish notion. We have had absolutely worse teams with larger crowds. Capel is disengaging as a coach and so nobody cares to support his team. You really are oblivious to subtlety of actions. But you are autistic so I understand that.
Good point. But I sure hope he wouldn't express something foolish like wanting them released, though. That wouldn't have a favorable impression with the people of Pittsburgh.
Capel is not the Devil , he’s just not a good HC . Pitts program was losing steam the last few yrs ofJDs tenure and after 2 yrs of KS and 4+ yrs of JC nobody gives a rats ass about Pitt bb except for the few die hearts that are left .
It would be SRO if they were a final four level team with JC .
Which is exactly what continuing to pay large sums of money for poor results is.
No surprise that the guy who stuck with Kevin Stallings until the bitter end doesn't see that though.
When you can’t prove your point you go back to your false narrative. I never endorsed the hire or retention of KS .I wanted him fired when Cam left and Thompson decommitted but you forget that . I was surprised that they bought him out and turning themselves in for NCAA violations to try and save a few bucks says all you need to know about how Pitt values money over athletic success . The best thing KS did was stick up for his players at Louisville, which they tried to use against him . I’ll say this they’d have been better off right now had they stuck with KS .
What you also fail to grasp is that they’re going to have to pay JC either way so the next coach needs paid also which increases their expenses . There’s no coach out there that they’ll hire that will dramatically increase ticket sells . Firing JC and hiring whomever just means more red ink . I would like a change , but try and understand this Pitt wants someone to bail them out again and it appears no one is stepping up with their checkbook. Maybe you should start a go fund me page for Pitt .
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