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Post by Mocha on Dec 19, 2014 18:16:58 GMT -5
Hard to understand why more fans don't want to visit Oklahoma City in December?!! Then they'll be in for a treat next year in Omaha.
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Post by bigfan on Dec 19, 2014 18:17:24 GMT -5
From a TV viewing perspective... it didn't look great to have plenty of empty seats on ESPN. On ESPN2 it looked like the place was at least half empty. If this FF was at Nebraska or Hawai`i it would have sold out.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Dec 19, 2014 18:18:32 GMT -5
I'm going to open a sacrilegious can-of-worms here, but how many of those attending are volleyball fans, as opposed to, say, coaches? IOW, what would the attendance be if they didn't hold the AVCA convention at the same time? There would still certainly be a lot of coaches how up just to attend, but now the advantage is that the championships can be an activity during the AVCA convention, so a lot of coaches are in town for the AVCA first. I can speak for at least 10 of us from around where we were sitting last night who are just fans. But beyond that, it seemed like everyone at the match had some sort of business at the convention.
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Post by gogophers on Dec 19, 2014 18:25:44 GMT -5
Was there any noticeable difference in the number of fans from each of the participating schools? I would guess Texas, BYU, PSU, and Stanford in that order.
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Post by mikegarrison on Dec 19, 2014 18:32:18 GMT -5
I'm going to open a sacrilegious can-of-worms here, but how many of those attending are volleyball fans, as opposed to, say, coaches? IOW, what would the attendance be if they didn't hold the AVCA convention at the same time? There would still certainly be a lot of coaches how up just to attend, but now the advantage is that the championships can be an activity during the AVCA convention, so a lot of coaches are in town for the AVCA first. Last year I bought two tickets to the Final Four before the season ever started, because I was planning to go whether or not Washington was there. On the other hand, I've never taken vacation and flown somewhere just to go to the Final Four. So speaking only from my personal experience, I bet it makes a lot of difference if the event is held in a place with lots of regular season VB support or if it is held in a place with very little regular season VB support. I also spoke with a few recruits or parents of recruits last year, so I'm guessing that's a thing, to take your recruit daughter to the Final Four.
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Post by gogophers on Dec 19, 2014 18:40:06 GMT -5
I'm curious, too, whether there was a noticeable contingent from Nebraska. There was in 2009, even though Nebraska didn't make it to the FF. I wouldn't be surprised if several hundred husker fans bought tickets and made plans to attend this year, just in case.
I'd like to hear more reports from the fans about the whole experience of attending, not as a coach, not as as someone with professional ties, but just as a fan of the sport. Was it fun? What did the NCAA do, besides actually hold matches, to make it fun?
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Post by tomclen on Dec 19, 2014 18:40:12 GMT -5
I also bought tickets last year thanks to an email tip that they were available even though early sale hadn't even been announced yet.
I ended up with endzone seats three rows from the floor, but in the corner. The view was okay, at best. A few people a few rows closer to the corner got up and left at intermission of the first match, because the bench players standing in the corner were blocking their view.
It was a little disappointing to look over at the really good side seats and see so many seats that were 'reserved' but for the most part no one sat there. The mucky-mucks just sat for a few plays or a set and then left. Seems to me the hoity-toity who aren't going to really watch both matches could be put elsewhere and those seats could be given to real paying fans. Just my $0.02
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Post by gobruins on Dec 20, 2014 5:17:10 GMT -5
I'm curious, too, whether there was a noticeable contingent from Nebraska. There was in 2009, even though Nebraska didn't make it to the FF. I wouldn't be surprised if several hundred husker fans bought tickets and made plans to attend this year, just in case. I'd like to hear more reports from the fans about the whole experience of attending, not as a coach, not as as someone with professional ties, but just as a fan of the sport. Was it fun? What did the NCAA do, besides actually hold matches, to make it fun? There were a good chunk of Nebraska fans in the section that BYU had. The lower half of the section was BYU, but the upper half of the section seemed to be almost all Nebraska fans.
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Post by gobruins on Dec 20, 2014 5:24:52 GMT -5
I'm going to open a sacrilegious can-of-worms here, but how many of those attending are volleyball fans, as opposed to, say, coaches? IOW, what would the attendance be if they didn't hold the AVCA convention at the same time? There would still certainly be a lot of coaches how up just to attend, but now the advantage is that the championships can be an activity during the AVCA convention, so a lot of coaches are in town for the AVCA first. Last year I bought two tickets to the Final Four before the season ever started, because I was planning to go whether or not Washington was there. On the other hand, I've never taken vacation and flown somewhere just to go to the Final Four. So speaking only from my personal experience, I bet it makes a lot of difference if the event is held in a place with lots of regular season VB support or if it is held in a place with very little regular season VB support. I also spoke with a few recruits or parents of recruits last year, so I'm guessing that's a thing, to take your recruit daughter to the Final Four. I think it is more about how much the hosts promote the event in the local community. Last year in Seattle, and the year before in Louisville, did a great job. This year, not so much. Sure it helped to have UDub in the final four, but you have pointed out that most of the seats were sold long before they qualified for the final four. Louisville volleyball doesn't usually draw big crowds.
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Post by tomclen on Dec 20, 2014 9:49:35 GMT -5
Hard to understand why more fans don't want to visit Oklahoma City in December?!! Then they'll be in for a treat next year in Omaha. From the NCAA Website: 2014 Championship: Oklahoma City, OK 2015 Championship: Omaha, NE 2016 Championship: Minot, ND 2017 Championship: Ketchikan, AK 2018 Championship: Siberia
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Post by pogoball on Dec 20, 2014 10:58:41 GMT -5
Honestly, why would they choose to hold it in a state with the least interest in volleyball in the nation?
Did they WANT no-one to show up?
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Dec 20, 2014 13:14:50 GMT -5
Honestly, why would they choose to hold it in a state with the least interest in volleyball in the nation? Did they WANT no-one to show up? Because Oklahoma City offered the most attractive bid. Outside of a few basic parameters (arena size, luxury suites, proximity to a convention center, number of local hotel rooms) the NCAA doesn't care that much where the venue is located.
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Post by austintatious on Dec 20, 2014 13:31:55 GMT -5
Honestly, why would they choose to hold it in a state with the least interest in volleyball in the nation? Did they WANT no-one to show up? You mean less than Mississippi, I don't think so.
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Post by timduckforlife on Dec 20, 2014 14:02:11 GMT -5
Then they'll be in for a treat next year in Omaha. From the NCAA Website: 2014 Championship: Oklahoma City, OK 2015 Championship: Omaha, NE 2016 Championship: Minot, ND 2017 Championship: Ketchikan, AK 2018 Championship: Siberia haha, but the real is 2015 Omaha, NE 2016 Columbus, OH 2017 Kansas City, MO
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Post by nowhereman on Dec 20, 2014 16:06:10 GMT -5
Seems like the NCAA is predisposed to hold events more in the interior of the USA than on the coasts. Maybe the east or west coasts will get something once every five years if they are lucky.
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