2022 Home Attendance and Trends

[WuDrWu]

You weren't wrong. I might have been right there with you. I remember when people were gung-ho for expanding CKA capacity. I said to pump the breaks because if WSU ever dropped back to .500, "the Marshall Faithful" (my made-up term) wouldn't be there to go to games like "the Stallworth faithful" did during the 90s. I thought that was years down the road though, not within a decade of the Final Four.

I still think it goes back to some arrogance that WSU Athletics had, taking the fanbase for granted for many years. They raised prices and SASO dues with the attitude of "we know you will pay it." Now that things have taken a downturn, I almost think it's karma.

Here's an example that I mentioned to a couple friends. I was fortunate to be able to tithe my income this year, so I made a budgeted plan of how I wanted to give that amount of donations over the year. One donation went to an organization where one of my dear friends is involved. When I gave her that check for $500 a couple weeks ago, she practically bear-hugged me. Not that I want or expect the WSU staffers to do the same, but I kinda get the impression that such a gift would be looked at like "That's cute. We have people who add a couple more digits to their gift." I get it. I'm small potatoes and likely won't ever 5+ digit gift to WSU. But who knows? If I ever find myself in that situation where I can, I do have an incredibly good memory.

You know me well enough to know that I'm not lecturing you here, but we (everyone) has to stop the "my meager donation doesn't make a difference" whining.

My guess is 99% of the people on this board are easily capable of donating $25 a month to WSU Athletics. If every season ticket holder across the WSU platform did the same, that would be about 10K (minimum) and generate around 3 million a year. $25 isn't even close to a meal out for 2. And that's if you're grinding month to month. I get it's a choice and everyone has the right to choose to whom they give and how much. No one is questioning that or holding it against anyone, but all you can do is what you can do, and I promise it makes a difference.

Just don't let not being able to give enough to get your name on the floor completely stop you from giving. It all matters.

[BostonWu]

The day was actually picturesque. But yeah it was cold and there was quite a bit of snow, enough that I got stuck getting out of the driveway. Slow and steady won the day and the facilities crew at WSU did a bang up job getting the parking lot usable. And the crowd that made it to the game got after it.

There won't be anywhere near 2400 on Thursday. Maybe a thousand. MAYBE. Hell, I may be alone.

The great run was always going to come to an end, I just don't think anyone expected the fall to be this bad or hurt this much.

Thank you Mark Turgeon for setting the table, and thank you Gregg Marshall for serving the best ****ing decade long gourmet meal I could ever dream of consuming.

Damn it reads like a eulogy.

[BostonWu]

You know me well enough to know that I'm not lecturing you here, but we (everyone) has to stop the "my meager donation doesn't make a difference" whining.

My guess is 99% of the people on this board are easily capable of donating $25 a month to WSU Athletics. If every season ticket holder across the WSU platform did the same, that would be about 10K (minimum) and generate around 3 million a year. $25 isn't even close to a meal out for 2. And that's if you're grinding month to month. I get it's a choice and everyone has the right to choose to whom they give and how much. No one is questioning that or holding it against anyone, but all you can do is what you can do, and I promise it makes a difference.

Just don't let not being able to give enough to get your name on the floor completely stop you from giving. It all matters.

Donating in the current scheme of things may not be enforcing the change that needs to happen.

[WuDrWu]

Donating in the current scheme of things may not be enforcing the change that needs to happen.

Trust the process.

[Stickboy46]

Donating in the current scheme of things may not be enforcing the change that needs to happen.

Its a balance .. I understand the viewpoint if you don't want to donate until you see change. After the previous admin ... i completely understand that. I'm taking the approach that I'm donating because I'm trusting the new admin until proven otherwise. My donation this year is roughly double what it was last year. One .. because I'm excited that ADKS is going to make the changes needed and two .. the opportunity to get good seats that I may or may not have gotten access to in the future presented itself.

I'm doing so with the mindset that they will need money to make the changes I want to see. So I'm trying to be part of the solution here. I don't want a self fulfilling spiral downwards that you don't donate because you don't see the change you want which means the department doesn't have the money to make the changes needed.

Though like I said, I see and understand the other viewpoint too.

[ShoxFan7]

I was at that game and I didn’t think I though twice about if I should go because I was pumped about the coach and the program even when the records weren’t there yet. Heck, my car got suck in the parking lot after the game but with aid of a few other Shocker fans walking by I was able to get on my way home.
In contrast to last Saturday. I was contacted by a friend of mine about 2 hours before tip about free tickets, mid court a few rows up, and I just couldn’t muster the strength mentally to go to that game. Even with great seats on the table this program does nothing for my emotional well being. I have no hope for the future and no hope that even when I see a decent preformance on a given night that they’ll actually build on it the next game.
I went to WSU during the end of Smithson era to the first season of Turgeon. Lean times but I had more desire to go to a game then now. Yes, my life priorities have changed drastically since then but my passion for the program is at an all time low now and I see no hope for that to change until this current staff is gonzo. I’ve be pessimistically hopeful that IB & company might not as bad as I feared but that all went bye bye last year and has only gotten even more hopeless this year.
I will continue to stream the games but I just can’t emotionally little loan financially support this program as I did in the past until there’s actual real hope not the hopeless I see around this program being sold or spun as anything than the complete shitshow it is.
Was a season tix holder from 2005-2020 FWIW.

[shockerfan]

It's kind of funny to me.

All the people that say, "I am not donating another cent until a change happens" (WHICH I DO ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THAT REASONING AND FEELING)

But then knowing that this exact change CAN'T happen without MORE money.......

Quite the issue.

Not sure what the answer is. Everyone has to do what feels right to them. Guess it comes down to whether they trust the administration to do what needs to be done. And simply "relying on the big donors" isnt the full answer IMHO.

I wouldnt give ONE CENT to former ADDB. But I do like the vision of ADKS. So I can invest in HIS vision and give him the time needed to fix the direction of the athletic department.

I will give what I can so that the change we all want CAN happen someday.

But that is just me...and LITERALLY my 2 cents.

[WstateU]

Trust the process.

Ding Ding Ding!

Sometimes we grow by learning from the past.

I have a memory of a game in the spring of 2000; we were playing Missouri State at Levitt Arena, on our way to a 12-17 season. It was half-time and I was 'rubbing elbows' with a few folks in the 'tiny' SASO room. President Beggs came up to me and my family (we had met him a couple of times previously and really liked him; he was genuine). The team coached by Randy Smithson had struggled mightily the first half and let's just say it was 'ugly' basketball. I'll paraphrase the comments President Beggs made to our family. "Tonight's play and the season isn't acceptable at Wichita State. We have a proud basketball tradition to uphold. Wichita State and the City of Wichita deserve better." He made his point, thanked us for our continued support of the program and promised us better days were on the way. We knew from his tone and body language what was going to transpire at the end of the season. Randy and WSU (Jim Schaus) parted ways a couple of months later. Randy's coaching record at WSU was 55-62.

[AZ Shocker]

Boatwrong should've been sued for "neglect".

But instead he's sitting pretty being FIRED for "neglect".

[SubGod22]

My donation funds are earmarked for a local non-profit. Perhaps next year I'll look at my cash flow and see if I can make a small donation of some kind work while still supporting the non-profit and being able to still build up my savings and take care of what I need to take care of.

If I were in a better financial place, I'd have no issue donating to Saal and his vision. I do however, have things in my personal life that I prioritize higher right now and some of those are on hold as it is. We'll see what the new year brings.

[MadDog]

It’s not just the athletic department that shoots itself in the foot. I have a BG parking pass and park in the old Fairmont Towers lot. A couple Saturdays ago the wife and I had to drive separately to the game. She took the parking pass and I drove without a pass. I explained the situation to the gatekeepers and they waved me in no problem. And why would there be a problem? There’s 300 spaces in that lot and maybe 25 are ever used. Well, three days later, here comes the parking ticket. $50. Nice way to treat your long time season ticket holders and SASO donors.

[ShockerDropOut]

It’s not just the athletic department that shoots itself in the foot. I have a BG parking pass and park in the old Fairmont Towers lot. A couple Saturdays ago the wife and I had to drive separately to the game. She took the parking pass and I drove without a pass. I explained the situation to the gatekeepers and they waved me in no problem. And why would there be a problem? There’s 300 spaces in that lot and maybe 25 are ever used. Well, three days later, here comes the parking ticket. $50. Nice way to treat your long time season ticket holders and SASO donors.

I got one of those last year parking on the east side of Cessna Stadium. Blowing snow, cold as heck, no signs, no attendants saying I couldn't park there and got a ticket. I did get it dropped but had to.go through the whole process to do it. That left a bad taste on my mouth. It kind of dampened my desire to attend many more games. Just such a simple thing that should never have happened but did.

I did get to meet some great people at that game though!

[Onegreatracer]

Realistically, what kind of attendance are we looking at for Thursday?

[SubGod22]

2500 max

[Shock Top]

I 100% won’t be there.

A statement I never thought I would make, but here we are…