I thought about doing a comical version of what the Iowa athletic department should do to increase attendance for next year, like paying fans to come to games. But I feel like that has been over-played on message boards. Instead, I give you my serious solutions to temporarily solve the attendance crisis.
Note: the following suggestions assume that Iowa will play 17 home games as it did in 2008-09.
10. For God sakes, change the pre-game music once in a while.
9. Re-paint the court. The black on the sidelines and on the lane look good, but it’s time for a change. Remind fans of the gold ol’ days and paint these areas gold--a flashy, snazzy gold, though.
8. Get Todd Lickliter more endorsements. He may not be that kind of guy, but having his mug on TV can’t hurt. It couldn’t hurt if Lickliter started tweeting either. It’s all about getting the name out there.
7. Ask a well-known Iowa alumnus or native Iowan to speak or answer questions at halftime of every game, and promote it. Get Tom Arnold, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Davis, Hayden Fry, Zach Johnson, Nate Kaeding, Ricky Davis, etc.
6. Hold a fan convention in the summer. This would allow fans to meet players and get autographs. Perhaps even add a dunk contest and a 3-point shooting contest open to the public. Also, hold a scrimmage game and have Todd Lickliter and his son John play one-on-one or a game of HORSE.
5. Emphasize Matt Gatens as the face of the program. Slap him on the cover of every program and media guide and make him a permanent fixture on the Hawkeyesports.com home page. Fans like to be able to identify with a star player.
4. Fix single game ticket prices at $15 for the general public (and don’t change it, no matter what); $5 for students.
3. Make season tickets $200 for the general public; $60 for students.
2. Promote these price drops vigorously. Hold a press conference, put it on billboards throughout the city and buy ads in local newspapers.
1. Win. Okay, so it’s not going to be easy. But ultimately, that’s how the program will have to bring the fans back without marketing gimmicks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
How about some much needed parking? I think this is one of the real problems, especially for students. Kids that still live in the dorms have to pack onto crowded buses that run on a normal schedule to get to Carver. Run more buses, have free parking for students on game day, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat's definitely a good point. I like the idea. They need to give students a reason to come. Why should students inconvenience themselves to watch a bad team play?
ReplyDeleteSome kind of student parking pass sounds like a good idea to me.