Attendance

[mjmaherjr]

Went to UBS last night for concert. Free parking in emerald if you have a BMW instead of paying the $50 and they have an Amex lounge near section 101 that you get free and a free drink ( $25 margarita actually they gave me 2 ) so right there $100 in my pocket. I just became huge UBS fan

Just 2?

Unfortunately yes. Monday never a good day to drink but i certainly wasn’t passing up free Plus Elmont to Huntington too long of a drive to have drinks. By 7pm I was drinking water ( that was the most expensive part of the night. Lol )

 

[SJU61982]

Put a better product on the court and games at MSG become much more exciting and fun even with the opposing team having their fans there as well.

And if you want to schedule major programs in the non-conference obviously you have no choice but MSG.  Duke and Kansas are not playing in Carnesecca.


Absolutely, Fordham
This is New York City
Win and they will come
Lose and they will stay home

 

Saying "win, and we'll fill MSG" is true, but also an oversimplification of the problem.

I contend that playing at MSG right now is preventing the program from taking the next step to winning.  In other words, our current agreement with MSG is doing us more harm than good.

Too many teams talk about how MSG is "comfortable" for them, and how it's a "home away from home."  The more we keep doing that, the comfortable it will be for opponents, especially when they're only playing there once or twice per year, they're going to give their best.  For our guys, it's probably old hat.

Maybe we overachieved last year, because we played everyone at CA?  No reason for any team to be insulted by not getting a game at MSG, and if they were upset about it, maybe we didn't get opposing teams best efforts night after night (or at least, they didn't kick it into an extra gear)?

Now, I don't want to do that, but I still think (as I've said before) that the best immediate option is to try and make UBS our full-time home, and hope to do what Seton Hall does at the Rock, and curtain off the upper bowl.  Even if you only draw 5K with that, sound reverberation would make the place seem more packed then it actually is.

Right now, WRT to MSG, we are in a position where less (or maybe none) is more.

 

 

[ADORAZ]

I really don't understand this. The Big East, ACC, and Big Ten all put a LOT of effort into hosting their tournaments at MSG. Our pathetic program actually has it as a home court and some fans don't want it?

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who lives much closer to MSG than CA, enjoys the MSG atmosphere/comfort far more, and also attends MSG games more frequently. CA is a pain for me to get to/from (takes hours), and also uncomfortable to attend. MSG is less than ten minutes away and is conveniently located for many people.

There's no way 4-5 MSG games each year (out of our 32+ game schedule) are holding us back, especially because we tend to win big games there when our team is actually good. This year we simply aren't good.

If we were to "temporarily" stop scheduling MSG games some years then it'd no longer be our home court and would significantly lower enthusiasm for any year in which we don't schedule MSG games (spoiler: it'd be most years). It'd send a terrible message to both MSG (we can't commit year to year) and also our fans ("don't expect us to be any good this year as we aren't scheduling MSG games... but please buy season tickets!").

That's not even to mention the huge recruiting advantage and TV partner advantage of having our games at MSG. How often has big Fox or CBS aired our CA games? I honestly can't remember, besides potentially last year due to COVID.

Anyway, just my 2 cents. If we drop MSG then I'd go to fewer games and also donate less. I'm only one person, but I'm sure there are many others like me.

 

[Dal975]

I agree.  MSG has always been an integral part of the SJU basketball experience as long as I can recall.  It's depressing to think of there being less MSG, not more, even if there was a more frequent substitute such as UBS.  You figure out a way to get better players, momentum builds, crowds increase, your're on the back page of the Post, NYC's team again, economic benefits for all.  It's easy to forget how powerful SJU's connection with the broader metro can be in this disappointing era, and I have no idea if it will ever be the same as it once was, but it seems crazy to me to want to move away from the garden. 

 

[NCJohnnie]

Granted I'm looking at this from far away, but imho stop playing several games a year in MSG and the team loses all relevancy with anyone but diehard SJU fans. I get that CA and perhaps UBS is more attractive to families and middle aged to semi-senior SJU fans who live in Queens or LI. But MSG is way more attractive to the average college basketball fans, seniors who don't want to drive especially at night and young fans who either don't have a car or want to have a few beers and not worry about driving. If we move too many games to CA or UBS we become Hofstra or Iona.
Doesn't mean we can't play a couple of games at UBS but it's not and never will be MSG.          

 

[RedStormNC]

It's been noted many times that the breakeven point at MSG is ~ 10K.,,,  anything less than that and SJU foots the bill.

Not sure what that equates to $ wise.... is is like $500K ($50 x 10K tickets)?   More ? Less ?  

Does anyone know if UBS is requiring similar $ guarantees or is it considerably cheaper than MSG?

 

[redstorm89]

The game at UBS arena was an outlier because it was the first bball event at the venue and St. John’s was playing a big time opponent. I am not opposed to having 1 game there but I bet next near if they played it will be not as many fans.  Some people were saying the same thing about the Barclays that “we should go back to our Brooklyn roots” but attendance was terrible. Nothing beats MSG. Team has to get better. That Pittsburgh game in lavin’s first year was full of red in the stands. 

 

[monte]

It's been noted many times that the breakeven point at MSG is ~ 10K.,,,  anything less than that and SJU foots the bill.

Not sure what that equates to $ wise.... is is like $500K ($50 x 10K tickets)?   More ? Less ?  

Does anyone know if UBS is requiring similar $ guarantees or is it considerably cheaper than MSG?

We can discuss all these things on the board, but ultimately the school needs to make some really tough decisions and identity who they want the basketball program to be, and what they need to do to get there. Right now it feels like we are just floundering. Lots of idle chatter, no real direction or game plan.

 

[RedStormNC]

 

 

[NCJohnnie]

RedStormNC wrote:

It's been noted many times that the breakeven point at MSG is ~ 10K.,,,  anything less than that and SJU foots the bill.

Not sure what that equates to $ wise.... is is like $500K ($50 x 10K tickets)?   More ? Less ?  

Does anyone know if UBS is requiring similar $ guarantees or is it considerably cheaper than MSG?

RSNC, I don't have any idea what those numbers are, but trust that Cragg, Shanley and company will take the long view realizing that MSG seats will fill up to and above the break even point if we win and just concentrate on winning while not giving up MSG brand. I really believe this year's attendance numbers are somewhat COVID skewed. Anecdotally, I was planning on coming up for BET, but I decided against it reason was  probably equally split between lingering COVID concerns and team having to play on Wednesday lol. 

 

[RedStormNC]

..  I always loved this quote from Jack Welch

“If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.”

Some here have said you can't run a non-profit, especially a mission driven uniiversity like a business, or a high tech start up..but no way around it...it's a business and the basketball program is even more of a business.  Imagine, Think steps ahead of the competition, not try to just get to par... getting to par will still keep us behind.  Make bold moves...communicate heavily along the way.   

 

[gregbodkin]

As a 25+ year season's ticket holder from Long Island I always loved going to games at the Garden. I was always excited about going in on the LIRR and enjoying the atmosphere at MSG. It was a totally different atmosphere than CA. I feel that having MSG for our home games intimidates some teams and motivates our team. It IS our house no matter what. I've witnessed some great, exciting wins for us and some disappointing losses at MSG, however the venue made it all the more exciting. We need MSG. It's our house and it is "The World's Most Famous Arena!".

 

[JohnnyFan]

MSG Renovation Rendition......./media/kunena/emoticons/cool.png

[attachment=2454]uconn.jpg[/attachment]

 

[beast of the east]

Granted I'm looking at this from far away, but imho stop playing several games a year in MSG and the team loses all relevancy with anyone but diehard SJU fans. I get that CA and perhaps UBS is more attractive to families and middle aged to semi-senior SJU fans who live in Queens or LI. But MSG is way more attractive to the average college basketball fans, seniors who don't want to drive especially at night and young fans who either don't have a car or want to have a few beers and not worry about driving. If we move too many games to CA or UBS we become Hofstra or Iona.
Doesn't mean we can't play a couple of games at UBS but it's not and never will be MSG.          

When not enough people came to the circus, the circus left town. 

In our case, should we reduce the MSG schedule now, especially since the predominant opinion here appears to be not to attend games until we win sufficiently, we could always expand the MSG schedule when sufficient interest warrants it.

 

[jackfro]

The circus left because of Cancel Culture. Are you advocating cancelling MSG and NYC in favor of bucolic Long Island? What a disaster that would be for the bb program and the University I have been going to Redmen games at the Garden for well over 50 years thru the good years and the bad years and will continue as long as I am breathing. Gave up my season tickets when the drive to the campus from the City became unbearable. I'm sure you willl come with up with some response castigating that decision. Please don't. Some of your posts are worthwhile by a lt of the posters here are tired of your proselytizing and shilling for the University

 

[monte]

Once we leave MSG we'll never come back. It'll be just another nail in our coffin. And let me just add, it'll tell me all that I need to know about the administration's future plans for our program. May as well move to the MAAC. 

 

[ManhattAn1]

I am a paying customer and I attend every game, I have had enough of attending MSG when there is 6,000 people in attendance and over 50 percent of those fans are from the opposing teams.

For those who are opposed to playing less games,  I hope you are buying tickets!

 

[GardenCity62]

Last weeks SJU vs Conn game only drawing some six thousand fans must have both MSG and SJU looking for answers.This game during Conn last stay in the big east was a guaranteed fourteen to fifteen thousand crowd. This was really an eye opener and probably has MSG thinking about scheduling SJU against anybody but a true blue blood.
The program is really at a terrible low and puts Mike Cragg in an almost impossible position trying to fund raise.

 

[IDRAFT]

I am a paying customer and I attend every game, I have had enough of attending MSG when there is 6,000 people in attendance and over 50 percent of those fans are from the opposing teams.

For those who are opposed to playing less games,  I hope you are buying tickets!

I attend all the games too, and I am with you a hundred percent. You want games at MSG - put your money where your mouth is. There are a lot of big talkers here with OUR money. 

Talk is cheap. 






 

 

[monte]

This was the Yankee attendance from 1970-1981. It's not a coincidence that many more fans attended games when the product on the field was a winner  
Like any other business, a bad product don't sell. 
  [attachment=2457]1E6BBF5F-E91A-4DCB-9326-4EEBF7305F7D.jpeg[/attachment]