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February 2012, CSBN Columnists
Hoops, We Hardly Knew Ye
(or, Who’s Killing College Basketball?)
A funny thing happened on the way to the Super Bowl: the college basketball season joined the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams as this year’s biggest losers.
At least that’s how it seems.
The season that wasn’t is already less than a month away from Selection Sunday, and if I didn’t hear CBS’s Jim Nantz mention it at the end of the Waste Management Phoenix Open one week ago, I may not have woken up to the season until St. Patrick’s Day. (If you want to call that waking up.)
What is it about this college basketball season that has made it so uninspiring? Why didn’t I hang in to see the incredible finish of the Duke-North Carolina game as I had for so many games from so many seasons before?
I have my suspicions.
First, on a personal level, as a lifetime fan of the New York Giants I was caught up in their march to the Super Bowl, so I assumed that must have had something to do with my lack of interest in the latest group of one-and-doners at Kentucky and programs like it. But that doesn’t reflect the national malaise, so I don’t believe that’s a contributing factor…
Second, with the schedule creep of the college football season now extending nearly half-way through the basketball season, and with the NFL occupying more prime time TV acreage during its regular season, college basketball has all of a sudden become jayvee entertainment. We might stick around and watch for a few minutes, but we’re mainly here to see the varsity play. Still, that doesn’t nail it either…
Third, “it’s the economy, stupid!” Yes, things are tough all around. But that hasn’t stopped Major League Baseball from growing attendance by a half-percent in 2011 compared to 2010, nor has the economy hurt NBA attendance, which also grew slightly in 2010-2011 from the prior year. So if you hear someone blather about the economy being to blame for lousy attendance and public indifference, you’ll know it’s a lame excuse.
Fourth, the rapid growth of social media and real-time game reporting online now makes it possible for fans to follow the progress of contests without having to fight traffic to get to the game, endure rude fan behavior once they arrive, or have their wallets emptied by price gouging arena management. The same goes for television viewers who now can watch Jersey Shore until their brains melt and not miss a play as long as they have a mobile device or computer handy. We’re getting warmer...
So what else is behind the “no look” pass fans are giving college basketball?
Plain and simple, it’s neglect. College basketball has become the neglected stepchild to its handsome, more celebrated sibling. The singular focus of the big conferences on the football product and the machinations of realignment are already coming home to roost in arenas around the country. I suspect that fans, witnessing the chase for the almighty dollar, are thinking to themselves much as I am: If the conference commissioners and college presidents don't care what happens to their basketball leagues, why should we?
Take the ACC, for example. The Washington Post reported Friday that “nine of the conference’s 12 men’s basketball teams are on pace for a lower attendance from last year. Maryland and Virginia Tech both are averaging more than 1,500 fewer fans per game than this time last season, the two biggest drops in the league.” Try blaming that on Randy Edsall, Terps fans.
The ACC isn’t the only conference feeling the pain, either. The Big East is down this year after four consecutive years of rising attendance. The Pac-12, which is having a dreadful year on the court, joins the ACC as the two conferences that have seen their average attendance drop four years running. It wasn’t long ago that the ACC was riding the top of the basketball wave, but then it stole Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech from the Big East and the slow trip down the slippery slope soon followed.
Rivalries aren’t created overnight, but they can be killed in an instant. Of the recent maneuvers, only Nebraska to the Big 10 and Colorado and Utah to the Pac-12 make sense to me psychologically. (After all, marketing is all about psychology.) I’ll add in Memphis to the Big East, strictly as a move to shore up the basketball product. But West Virginia to the Big 12, Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC, and Missouri and Texas A&M to the SEC are emotionally vapid. How fired up will fans get for Florida-Missouri instead of Kansas-Missouri? Or Texas A&M-Georgia instead of Texas A&M-Texas? Sorry, I don’t see it. Outside of playing North Carolina and Duke in basketball and lacrosse, what does Syracuse bring to the ACC? Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia was a terrific rivalry until greed ripped them apart. Will the “Backyard Brawl” be preserved when they move to their new conferences, or will their open dates be filled with cupcakes to pad their won-loss records?
As far as fan engagement, the regular season in college basketball is beginning to look a lot like the NBA regular season: a speed bump on the way to March Madness. And that’s an awful shame.
The present sorry state of affairs in college basketball was crystalized for me when a buddy of mine, knowing my solid track record for picking these kinds of things (strictly for recreational purposes, of course), called to ask which team sitting outside of the Top 10 did I think had a chance to win the whole enchilada. I mean, I usually have a solid handle on this kind of prognostication. But not this year.
I told him I’d have to get back to him. San Diego State, anyone?
As a creative director, Rich has over two decades of experience in developing and helping implement strategic programs in branding and marketing communications. He has developed brand identities and helped create and recommend successful brand strategies for international, national, regional and local marketers. He has worked on behalf of clients such as Panasonic, Saab, Exxon, American Express, Ansell, Public Service Enterprise Group, Delta Dental, NJ Travel and Tourism, Coldwell Banker, WebMD, Lonza, The CIT Group and Citibank, as well as many non-profit organizations and sports marketers.
His professional work experience includes conceptualizing and supervising copy, design and production on regional and national print, radio, TV, video, and digital and social media campaigns. A winner of many industry awards, the several he is most proud of include a Direct Marketing Association "International Echo Award", and a "Best in the World" Pro Award from PROMO Magazine. He is a graduate of Montclair State University with extended coursework at the School of Visual Arts, in New York City. Rich is a partner in the O'Brien Sports Group. He can be reached at rlehmann@collegesportsbusinessnews.com