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Generation Z, Millenials, The Free Market, and Our Basketball Product

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  • Generation Z, Millenials, The Free Market, and Our Basketball Product

    OK -- I might be beating a dead horse, and everyone might be tired of discussing this but . . .

    I am starting a new thread to discuss the issue of student attendance at Shocker Men's Basketball games. The reason I am starting a new thread is that I want to move the discussion away from an angry, tantrum based discussion where angry insults are hurled at the students; and move the discussion to a rational, market based discussion on the issues. I would especially like to hear the opinions of the students and maybe non-students in the traditional college age range. If there's any chance of them honestly posting their opinions on this forum, it's going to require that the rest of us respect their opinions AND NOT lash out at them with insults if they say things we don't like or agree with. Can we be respectful of opinions that we may not agree with?

    Regardless of how you think of Shocker basketball, it is ultimately a sports entertainment product that is marketed by the Wichita State Athletic Department to the Wichita metro area. It is in competition with our disposable income dollars with many other entertainment options both locally, on the internet, and, of course, TV.

    Even though students don't technically purchase tickets, the Shocker basketball product is still competing with other entertainment products at least for their time (to attend the games), and attention (are they interested in Shocker basketball?).

    So, why does there seem to be a steady decline in students attending the game? Here are a few thoughts:

    1. Shift in consumer preferences for this demographic - For many of us, when we were college students, attending Shocker basketball games was a highlight of our collegiate experience. We looked forward to going to the games. However, maybe attending sporting events is not as high of a priority with millennials as it was for previous generations. This article would indicate that this is very much a factor, and the shift for this demographic might be the driving factor in the decreased student attendance at Shocker games:



    2. The competition - How excited will the casual fan get about going to numerous games against no-name opponents where the outcome of the game is pretty much decided within a few minutes of the opening tip off? Then there are our MVC opponents that do little to interest our fan base because it's more of the same (beating up on no name opponents). With the exception of some years that UNI has fielded very competitive teams, the overall quality of the MVC basketball product has continued on a trend of steady decline for around a decade now. We don't even have a true rival in our conference any more like we did in the days of Creighton, and before that Tulsa.

    3. The non-basketball aspects of our basketball game product - I don't know about the rest of you, but I often find going to the games to be stale and uninspiring. It's the same promotions every game every year. Usually the dance team does a little routine during half time, and the same videos and promotions on the jumbotron. Same old, same old, blah, blah. I wish our athletic department would take a cue from the University, at large, and become more innovative in their approach to the in-game productions. Change things up, be innovative, bring something fresh every now and then. Couple this with another blow out victory of a no name opponent, and I don't always get a whole lot of charge out of attending a game (yawn). Sorry if I have offended some of you with this.

    So how can we get millennials to come to Shocker basketball games? How can we keep the product fresh and interesting to draw more interest?

    Students, I would really love to hear from you. Would love to have an open, respectful dialogue where we might come up with some pretty good ideas on how to improve the product.
    Last edited by Shocker-maniac; December 8, 2016, 08:24 PM.
    ShockerNet is a rat infested cess pool.

  • #2
    I would just like to point out the people you are talking about is considered Generation Z(birth years mid nineties or later). Millennials generally have now entered the workforce. I'm sure the ability to watch anywhere is a big factor, but I also don't think attendance and sports interest is a Shocker only issue, see NFL TV ratings this year.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by ShockCrazy View Post
      I would just like to point out the people you are talking about is considered Generation Z(birth years mid nineties or later). Millennials generally have now entered the workforce. I'm sure the ability to watch anywhere is a big factor, but I also don't think attendance and sports interest is a Shocker only issue, see NFL TV ratings this year.
      Good point and definitely an oversight on my part - Do you think that the views of Generation Z differ much from Millennials on attending sporting events?
      ShockerNet is a rat infested cess pool.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Shocker-maniac View Post
        Good point and definitely an oversight on my part - Do you think that the views of Generation Z differ much from Millennials on attending sporting events?
        I can't speak for them as I am a Millennial season ticket holder, but I definitely think there is a significant change in how things are consumed. Just the change from my experience is stark in such a short time. I grew up in Northeast Kansas and was forced to stream the radio(when it worked) to follow the Shocks. But now all games are steamed nationally on ESPN3. Being able to watch at home or wherever has to be a draw, being able to accomplish other things and not dealing with less desirable parts of games(timeouts, parking, showing up early for seats).

        Comment


        • #5
          I'm currently a senior at WSU and fully understand the frustration with the lack of student attendance.

          I guess I'll start with my experience with the student tickets. My freshman year tickets were released three games at a time. We would wake up around 6 in the morning to get tickets and there was a genuine feeling that if you didn't get the grouped release, you might not be able to go to the next few games. The issue with this is that some people would pick up the three tickets and only go to one or two games. That was later fixed and tickets last season began to be released one at a time. This summer I put myself on the season ticket list so if there were any openings I might be able to snag a seat. I've never been a fan of having to spend 4-5 hours per game to get a spot and would rather walk in closer to 7 than get there at 3. Obviously this year that has not been the case as you can show up late and still get a good spot.

          Thinking back to my freshman year one of my favorite memories was going to the midnight game with the people on my floor at Fairmount. I was already a fan of the team before this, but I imagine most people on my floor didn't have much of a connection with the team other than watching the Final Four the year before. Having a midnight game on ESPN that energized a fresh new group of students had to have some effect on getting a new class of students excited about the team. This makes me wonder that maybe this years Freshman class may not have been to a game yet this season. Games on ESPN help energize the non fan students and gets them to the games, where in turn they might fall in love with the team. This class is the largest freshman class in WSU history and it makes me wonder how many of these new faces haven't been to a game at Koch yet.

          As far as this last game goes, the attendance was extremely poor. In my head I think this was a result of a few things:
          1. St. Louis is terrible this year.
          2. Finals are coming up.
          3. Intramural season ending tournaments were taking place during the game time. Many of the kids who are on these teams, including myself, are also the people who are probably interested in the basketball team. All three courts at the Heskett were being used from 6-10 for games.

          These aren't meant to be excuses, but just an insight into what I've seen.

          Comment


          • #6


            And another player chimes in

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by WINGdingBALLfling View Post
              I'm currently a senior at WSU and fully understand the frustration with the lack of student attendance.

              I guess I'll start with my experience with the student tickets. My freshman year tickets were released three games at a time. We would wake up around 6 in the morning to get tickets and there was a genuine feeling that if you didn't get the grouped release, you might not be able to go to the next few games. The issue with this is that some people would pick up the three tickets and only go to one or two games. That was later fixed and tickets last season began to be released one at a time. This summer I put myself on the season ticket list so if there were any openings I might be able to snag a seat. I've never been a fan of having to spend 4-5 hours per game to get a spot and would rather walk in closer to 7 than get there at 3. Obviously this year that has not been the case as you can show up late and still get a good spot.

              Thinking back to my freshman year one of my favorite memories was going to the midnight game with the people on my floor at Fairmount. I was already a fan of the team before this, but I imagine most people on my floor didn't have much of a connection with the team other than watching the Final Four the year before. Having a midnight game on ESPN that energized a fresh new group of students had to have some effect on getting a new class of students excited about the team. This makes me wonder that maybe this years Freshman class may not have been to a game yet this season. Games on ESPN help energize the non fan students and gets them to the games, where in turn they might fall in love with the team. This class is the largest freshman class in WSU history and it makes me wonder how many of these new faces haven't been to a game at Koch yet.

              As far as this last game goes, the attendance was extremely poor. In my head I think this was a result of a few things:
              1. St. Louis is terrible this year.
              2. Finals are coming up.
              3. Intramural season ending tournaments were taking place during the game time. Many of the kids who are on these teams, including myself, are also the people who are probably interested in the basketball team. All three courts at the Heskett were being used from 6-10 for games.

              These aren't meant to be excuses, but just an insight into what I've seen.
              Thank you for your comments but they don't make sense to me.

              For this to totally change from last year to this year just doesn't make sense. Any student (new or otherwise) has to have heard about our basketball program unless they live in a cave with wolves. I've been to other states and they know about our basketball program. It's a special thing, not to be taken for granted. Our team is a Top 30-40 team (maybe above that).

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by shockmonster View Post
                Thank you for your comments but they don't make sense to me.

                For this to totally change from last year to this year just doesn't make sense. Any student (new or otherwise) has to have heard about our basketball program unless they live in a cave with wolves. I've been to other states and they know about our basketball program. It's a special thing, not to be taken for granted. Our team is a Top 30-40 team (maybe above that).
                Empty seats in the student section has been a problem for two or three years. That is the reason for the changes in student tickets policies. Marshall sent an open letter to the students last year because of the large number of empty seats.
                ShockerNet is a rat infested cess pool.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by shockmonster View Post
                  Thank you for your comments but they don't make sense to me.

                  For this to totally change from last year to this year just doesn't make sense. Any student (new or otherwise) has to have heard about our basketball program unless they live in a cave with wolves. I've been to other states and they know about our basketball program. It's a special thing, not to be taken for granted. Our team is a Top 30-40 team (maybe above that).
                  Maybe students came to see Fred and Ron? It seems to me that getting the student section full has been a reoccurring issue the last 2-3 years, especially early in the season. I agree this team shouldn't be taken for granted. Just because students have heard about WSU doesn't mean they are a fan from day one or someone who cares to attend a game against a 250+ team. I'm searching for the answer to why students haven't come, but an early home game against a team who isn't going to be smashed might create the excitement to get students out of their routine and into Koch Arena. So far this season I haven't had anyone ask me about the games until yesterday when freshman were asking what time they should try and get tickets for the OSU game tomorrow. There might be the answer.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by WINGdingBALLfling View Post
                    I'm currently a senior at WSU and fully understand the frustration with the lack of student attendance.

                    I guess I'll start with my experience with the student tickets. My freshman year tickets were released three games at a time. We would wake up around 6 in the morning to get tickets and there was a genuine feeling that if you didn't get the grouped release, you might not be able to go to the next few games. The issue with this is that some people would pick up the three tickets and only go to one or two games. That was later fixed and tickets last season began to be released one at a time. This summer I put myself on the season ticket list so if there were any openings I might be able to snag a seat. I've never been a fan of having to spend 4-5 hours per game to get a spot and would rather walk in closer to 7 than get there at 3. Obviously this year that has not been the case as you can show up late and still get a good spot.

                    Thinking back to my freshman year one of my favorite memories was going to the midnight game with the people on my floor at Fairmount. I was already a fan of the team before this, but I imagine most people on my floor didn't have much of a connection with the team other than watching the Final Four the year before. Having a midnight game on ESPN that energized a fresh new group of students had to have some effect on getting a new class of students excited about the team. This makes me wonder that maybe this years Freshman class may not have been to a game yet this season. Games on ESPN help energize the non fan students and gets them to the games, where in turn they might fall in love with the team. This class is the largest freshman class in WSU history and it makes me wonder how many of these new faces haven't been to a game at Koch yet.

                    As far as this last game goes, the attendance was extremely poor. In my head I think this was a result of a few things:
                    1. St. Louis is terrible this year.
                    2. Finals are coming up.
                    3. Intramural season ending tournaments were taking place during the game time. Many of the kids who are on these teams, including myself, are also the people who are probably interested in the basketball team. All three courts at the Heskett were being used from 6-10 for games.

                    These aren't meant to be excuses, but just an insight into what I've seen.
                    Number three had to be a big deal... those are your traditional students.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      So we're still on this schedule thing?

                      We aren't getting ACC schools in here anytime soon. We haven't in the past either.
                      Deuces Valley.
                      ... No really, deuces.
                      ________________
                      "Enjoy the ride."

                      - a smart man

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by ShockerFever View Post
                        So we're still on this schedule thing?

                        We aren't getting ACC schools in here anytime soon. We haven't in the past either.
                        i remember in 1992 or 1993 Bama came to Wichita and we beat them. We were excited and went wild. Today, our spoiled fans who take this team for granted would say that Bama sucks and I won't go unless we play a good team. After all we know that NotrevDame wants to come to Wichita and Bama sucks. I guess I'll just stay home. A Top 40 team is coming to IBA? Forget that! I don't want to walk or I won't pay for that game. This is a real SPECIAL SPOILED bunch of fans.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Something I wonder about, but really don't know..does anyone know what percentage of student section seats were actually used by students last year? And how many were sold as GA? I know the section was not always full last year either, but I'm wondering how many more students actually went last year versus this year, and how many non students were buying the extras last year versus how many are buying this year. Obviously the players are noticing the student section being worse this year than it was last year, but I just wonder if it's partly about less GA seats being sold as well as about not as many students showing up.
                          "You Don't Have to Play a Perfect Game. Your Best is Good Enough."

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Just a point of information:
                            Looks like we went to Alabama in 1993 that year and got smacked by 22. http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/...-schedule.html

                            Not really sure what you are going for with the spoiled comment, but after looking a bit more, Bama came to Levitt arena in 1990, ranked 12th in the nation, and lost. I don't think any Shocker fan or student would pass up the opportunity to catch a game like that. Can't really compare playing Eastern Maryland Shore and Southern Nazarene.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I wonder if they should consider some sort of local Cox 22 blackout for games that don't sell out. Or maybe only broadcast in standard definition. If the game experience is now better in someone's home then there is little incentive to go out.

                              Just trying to think outside the box.
                              You miss 100% of the shots you don't take....

                              .....but, statistically speaking, you miss 99% of the shots you do take.

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