Fact: After their game Sunday, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked about scheduling and blamed lackluster attendance on having Sunday games versus Saturday games. Ken Tysiac commented on Coach K’s observation and pointed out that N.C. State should be used to low attendance at their games.
Opinion: There are things that can be done cooperatively by the RBC Center and N.C. State Athletics Department to increase attendance at men’s basketball games. Improving the attendance for these games can improve the endowment, fan morale and possibly build up the team for a win.
The student sections of the RBC Center aside, attendance has been a consistent issue at our men’s basketball games. It may seem unfair to expect such quick turn around from our new athletic director, but this issue lands squarely at the feet of the Athletics Department.
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski says bad attendance at Sunday games could be improved by moving them to Saturday, but while discussing Coach K’s comment on Monday, columnist Ken Tysiac wrote, “There were thousands of empty seats for some sessions at the ACC tournament last year, and there may be more of the same next month in Greensboro. Teams from N.C. State, Boston College, Miami and some other ACC schools should be used to that, because they often play in front of arenas that aren’t close to being full.”
It is upsetting that the Wolfpack fan base has hit a spot where it is simply understood that basketball games will suffer from poor attendance.
The RBC Center is a massive venue for our basketball games, but that is no real excuse for it being half empty on game day. Chapel Hill has an average of 18,812 people attend its home game, while the Wolfpack only gets 13,117. We can see the list of promotions being offered throughout the schedule, but more of an effort should be made to let Wolfpack fans in Raleigh know that there are incentives to go to an N.C. State basketball game.
The better the Athletics programs do, the more likely endowment money will find its way into the school. Potentially, the more fan support that our teams have, the better they will do. The more effort put into filling the game venues and creating an atmosphere of fan appreciation, the more fan support our teams will have. It is the purview of Debbie Yow and the Athletics Department to create the best circumstances for fans to make it to the games and support teams that perform to the maximum of their ability.
Working with the RBC Center and N.C. State Athletics to create the best environment for success, the Wolfpack fan base can see glory days once more. Increasing attendance can work to meet all our needs, directly and indirectly. There are plenty of fans wishing they had a good reason to enjoy an N.C. State basketball game.
