Harty: Let the students in for free
Something is better than nothing, but Iowa’s latest attempt at drawing more students to men’s basketball games still isn’t enough.
Iowa is offering its students a “6-for-5” ticket package for each of the remaining six home games, beginning with Thursday’s 6 p.m. game against Nebraska at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The package will cost students $50 and includes a free game against Minnesota on Feb. 1.
Iowa students also were allowed into the Nov. 29 game against Clemson for free as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
I say if you can do it for two games, why not let the students in free for the remaining six games? Why not try to seize the moment when the Iowa basketball team is showing signs of getting over the hump under second-year head coach Fran McCaffery?
And don’t give me the excuse about how letting the students in for free would cheapen the product because nothing cheapens the product more than a bunch of empty seats in the student section.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that more students will attend the games if they don’t have to pay. And if more students attend the games, more items will be sold at the concession stands and more hostility will be directed at the visiting opponent.
The “6-for-5” package is an OK gesture, but 50 bucks is still 50 bucks. Combine that with having to get to the games and you still have more than enough excuses for students not to attend.
Letting UI students in for free will make them feel special. It’ll make them feel like they’re part of show, which in some ways they are.
It’s sad and disturbing how far the Iowa student section has regressed in terms of having bodies in the seats and having an influence on games.
The tumultuous years under former coach Steve Alford began to chip away at the size of the student section and then Todd Lickliter’s disastrous three-year run from 2007-10 nearly destroyed it.
But now with McCaffery, you have a head coach that not only brings passion and energy to the job, but also a winning attitude and some unexpected victories to go along with it.
At 11-9 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten, Iowa already has defeated two ranked opponents and matched its win total from last season.
And yet, the student section is usually more than half empty for games, even for Big Ten games against ranked opponents.
I counted fewer than 100 students in the stands on Jan. 14 when Iowa defeated then 13th-ranked Michigan 75-59 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
It is worth noting that the spring semester at Iowa didn’t start until the following Tuesday, so that undoubtedly kept some students from attending the Michigan game.
But on the other hand, the final weekend of a month-long semester break is always a time to gather on campus. So it’s reasonable to think that enough students were in town to where the student section shouldn’t have been almost empty for a quality opponent like Michigan.
It’s obvious that apathy is still a problem amongst UI students and anything short of winning might not cure it.
So you have to try different things, sometimes even going outside the box, to help accelerate the process.
And is letting students in for free for six games really that big of a financial sacrifice when so few attend the games in the first place?
It would only generate $150,000 in revenue if 3,000 students purchased the “6-for-5” package. That’s not much for a school that’s currently paying its former coach $800,000 annually as part of termination settlement.
A raucous student section could be the difference in Iowa winning a close game or two down the stretch this season. And winning a close game or two down the stretch could be the difference in Iowa finally getting over the hump.
The students are sending a message every time they show up in small numbers for the games.
It’s now time for UI officials to send a message. Show the students you care by letting them in the remaining six games for free.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
You present a great idea. By letting students into the games for free it would also give students a taste of Carver and, next year’s student ticket sales would undoubtedly increase as well.
There is one problem though. The University would have to give a fair shake to the students who bought season tickets and give them a refund. Would the University be willing to take a hit like that?
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F R E E
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Even though I am in Atlanta, Georgia and it doesn’t benefit me or my family I like the idea. Let’s fill up the stands.
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I agree with arhuse…might give us a problem with those students who did buy season tickets, but I say go for it. I’m sure they’d appreciate the support as well. And instead of 6 games for the price of 5, I say 6 games for $5!!! What a bargain and what a wonderful way to fill the stands!!!
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The University of Iowa has generated a negative impact on the level of student enthusiasm by placing the student section at the baseline (& to the rafters) of the BB court.
One only has to look at other B10 Universities such as Michigan State with their Izzone student section having the seats at court level, or similarly Ohio State, which according to the B10 Network has not lost a single home game since moving the students to the lower level.
It would seem that the University Athletic Department is more intent in “Premium Seating Packages” with their high dollar courtside seats to satisfy the “Cocktails & Hors de vours elite”, than promoting any zeal and youthful fervor that having the students at courtside might generate.
It only proves that in the eyes of the Iowa Athletic Department, that the Almighty Dollar does trump Youth and Exuberance!
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I couldn’t agree more with this…for a student section to truly make an impact on a BB game the proximity to the court is huge. Duke, Illinois, not sure where ISU sits, the old Fieldhouse, Pac 10 schools..all have students pouncing on their opponents. I was a freshman (fortunately 86-87) and I believe they messed with the seating since then. Regardless, the way it is now you literally could fall asleep in there even. Something strategic still needs to be done about bringing inaa college BB crowd vs. a booster BB crowd. Serve booze if you have to in order to get the older people bitter & surley ready to take out their anger with the world on the other team.
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I say that this team will fill the seats without giving them away.
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WRONG !!!
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I have a son who goes to a pac12 school,students pay an annual fee that gets them into all athletic events and it is inexpensive $125. This covers entrance into football games as well. Free is great as well, but in seems only to be a short term solution. Next year will be bringing more attendance with a new buzz, maybe an nit berth behind us, and new highly thought of recruits.
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Bad grades?
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Hmmmmm, fifty bucks for an iffy proposition OR
fifty bucks for cheap booze?
In IC?
Booze wins that contest, hands down.
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Why don’t we wait until tonight when the students are back to pass judgement. The reason there are so few students there probably is a factor of the fact that the students were on break
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The game is over, a close Iowa LOSS to a team they should have beaten.
I watched the game on ESPNU… and while the players on the bench were energetic in their support of the STUDENT ATHLETES on the floor, the WHine(sic)& Cheese crowd were firmly glued to their seats less they have to warm them up again. In a close game students “AT COURTSIDE” make a difference… it did not happen tonight!
It is a shame that Iowa has not changed since the days of Students in the Rafters of the old Fieldhouse…I know because my student seat was only two rows from the top.
Iowa will never be competitive while the “Seat-Sitters” occupy the retractable seat area… and will never fill the CHA no matter how good a player Fran recruits.
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After last night’s debacle, “free” may still be charging too much.
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What a fantastic idea, but the good ole boy network/gray hairs are so firmly entrenched in the iowa administrative system I doubt any such ideas would even cross their minds. I agree the student sections should be located near the courts too. Hire Pat Harty as a promotional director and get some change in the system
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I could not agree with the idea more. If you look at look at the big powers like Duke they keep they’re students near the court to intimidate opponents rather than just selling out to the highest bidder. As a student I have a hard time shelling out even $10 to have an obstructed view. While the team has improved this year, it is not enough to get students excited to fill the stands. They should offer free games for next year to build a following and then maybe start offering cheap tickets from there. Since only students can use student tickets its not devalueing other tickets, instead its building a better atmosphere. But hey, since when has the Iowa athletic department been about winning rather than $$?
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