Bucks 35th in 2009 Attendance

Photo courtesy the-ozone.net


I'm going against my word in making this a separate post but oh well. I feel this is shocking and needs attention drawn to.

Bucks 35th in 2009 average attendance

Relating to the schedule, games played, games played in cold weather, etc the NCAA released attendance figures for the 2009 season which you can see here and as you can see the Scarlet & Gray faithful packed Bill Davis Stadium better than any other northern program fanbase.

Unfortunately the feat comes in a way that is unlike Ohio State baseball. For the fifth consecutive season attendance has fell. It is something we have noticed and noted here, the crowds have increasingly become smaller and here is the proof:

Year Rank School Home games Total Average
2009 35. Ohio St. ................... 21 37,133 1,768
2008 32. Ohio St. ................... 19 35,405 1,863
2007 27. Ohio St. ................... 20 41,460 2,073
2006 26. Ohio St. ................... 18 40,677 2,260
2005 23. Ohio St. ................... 18 46,266 2,570

YIKES!

Attendance figures came be found here by the NCAA.

Though the picture above taken during the Michigan-Ohio State game shows a crowd of 3,219 on hand, that was far from the norm. Though the large crowd was treated to the no-hitter ironically.

Hopefully with a defending Big Ten champion team taking the field, plus a team with high expecations and of national notice, BDS will be packed to the mid-2000s level.

Bucks Hoping to Set School Record

The Ohio State athletics department is trying to set two national attendance records and two school attendance records at sporting events on the OSU campus this weekend. The first attempt will happen tonight at Bill Davis Stadium in the opening game of a series between the third-place Buckeyes and second-place Purdue Boilermakers.

The baseball attendance they are trying to top is 5,360 set in 2002 in a doubleheader against Minnesota. I have always questioned that attendance record. Back then, attendance figures were not as scientific. In 2003, the marketing department and ticket office tried to come up with better standards to determine actual attendance. I argue the crowds that attended the 2003 NCAA super regional games between Ohio State and then-Southwest Missouri State were larger, but those are listed right around 5,100.

Dispatch columnist Bob Hunter wrote in a column this morning he is rooting against the campaign because of the marketing department, which is trying "to squeeze a little glory out of bogus records."

At any rate it is a nice gesture to try and set the school attendance record. I wish the department, specifically marketing and promotions, put as much effort trying to fill the seats for every other home baseball game. My guess is this attempt to set all four records will fall short right out of the gate.

Go Bucks!