Sunday has to go away if they want it to be better in my opinion. Just too much travel and food for people, and people an extra night in hotels. Put that with the NCAA going on, internet, radio and you have a lot of people at home. Attendance also vary's on the teams that make it to the State tournament, and whether or not school districts go all in for their teams/kids.

For me I wished our state would embrace the fact that post season is the same for everyone. Everyone seeds, regions are split correctly/realigned about every 3 years based on school built/closing etc.

Also would like to see District runner ups eliminated when they lose. If you get beat in post season your season should be over period. That makes your regional a final 4 deal with all winners.

Would like to see all award that are given away KABC, etc during the Mr. Basketball Banquet instead of at tourney, makes Friday miserable

 

Seeding the state tournament won't work. That will open Pandora's Box when deciding how to seed teams and what poll to use. The KHSAA would end up having to create a committee and pay them. Then ticket prices rise, attendance goes down, people complain more and so on. Leave it with the blind draw.

 

I hate the idea of eliminating district runner-up from the region. I have seen it happen way too many times where the region finals is a rematch of the district finals. I also believe there have been some state champions that did not win their district. Leave that alone it isn't near as broken as other postseason methods. I live on the Kentucky-Tennessee border (Christian County) and have several friends who have kids that play for schools in Clarksville, TN. In Tennessee's postseason they can lose TWICE in the district tournament (semifinals and 3rd place game) and lose again in the region championship game and still make it to the state tournament. Kentucky has it right guys.

As I Went to KHSAA to look at attendance, it is even more compelling an issue to be dealt with. 2013 was the only year in the last 8 Sweet Sixteens that did not experience a significant decline in attendance. That is a trend outlier! 7 of 8 years in decline. In business that is a CRISIS. Wake-up KHSAA! You do not have the business talent and experience to attack this problem alone. You need non-school, and non-board members to help you. You need some cris management experts before it is too late.

Even if 5 coaches from 350 schools decided not to go, that's only 1750 people not attending. That's well short of 35,000. Realistically, the real number of coaches not attending because of Redbook is probably less than 1000. That's just a drop in the bucket.

 

Finish the equation sir. 1750 x 8 = 14,000 and that is a little more than a drop in the bucket. The original statement didn't say red book was the sole reason. They simply said it was a big reason for the drop in attendance. If you don't think it has made a major difference you are sorely mistaken.

Who cares about a redbook, many schools here have the booster club fund these trips. Is that legal to get 1500 check from the boosters and go to Bowling Green and party down.

 

I'll have to ask my buddies that coach but I think booster clubs have to follow red book laws too.

Just FYI, there are 276 basketball playing schools in Kentucky. Not sure where the 350 number is coming from.

Even if 5 coaches from 350 schools decided not to go, that's only 1750 people not attending. That's well short of 35,000. Realistically, the real number of coaches not attending because of Redbook is probably less than 1000. That's just a drop in the bucket.

 

True but back in the day the whole team would go for the tournament. thats about 20 people per team. Start doing the math and its a significant number, not the total cause though.

Sure they follow the red book, cash is hard to trace

Is the greatest high school basketball tournament dying, and leadership doesn't have the foresite to stop the hemorrhaging? It is all about the fan experience, and the current foremat is killing it. A loss of 30% attendance in three years is obviously problematic. What is done now is not working. Saturday restaurant and hotel stays are probably significantly off, no one staying for Sat. & Sun. games. KHSAA needs a crisis management team of consultants to conduct a strategic planning process to salvage it. The fan experience is on the decline and the present leadership has no clue how to stop it. Standing ,too, close to the billboard to read it.

 

All athletic events are dying, just a sign of the times.

Finish the equation sir. 1750 x 8 = 14,000 and that is a little more than a drop in the bucket. The original statement didn't say red book was the sole reason. They simply said it was a big reason for the drop in attendance. If you don't think it has made a major difference you are sorely mistaken.

 

That equation is assuming there are 350 schools that play basketball in KY (which I don't think there is), assuming each have 5 coaches (which they don't) and that every single one of them went to every game of the tournament (which also isn't likely). What I did was seriously overstate the numbers, to make my point. What do you think the real number is? Consider that many coaches and their staffs do still go. And also consider that at least more than a few coaches and their staffs never went, even before Redbook. So the finished equation is not only overstated, but making the wrong assumption that none of the coaches and staffs are still going. Has Redbook kept some coaches away and hurt attendance. Yes. But probably not nearly as much as you think.

No one has commented on my question about are you ok with kids being out of school for 4 days? even 3 like it is today? There is a huge # of your attendance right there. The kids dont come because they cant miss the school days.

 

How many of the teams and students stayed after they lost Wednesday? Thursday?

No one has commented on my question about are you ok with kids being out of school for 4 days? even 3 like it is today? There is a huge # of your attendance right there. The kids dont come because they cant miss the school days.

 

How many of the teams and students stayed after they lost Wednesday? Thursday?

 

Most school districts excuse absences for students attending those games if they can prove they went (ticket stub)

Sure they follow the red book, cash is hard to trace

 

If you're talking about booster clubs, how many booster clubs do you know of that are using piggy banks and operating cash only? Booster money is kept in a checking account and those statements still have to be turned in to the school to make sure there is no tampering. They have to account for every dollar and cent just like schools do. If they don't then no more booster club. Red book laws cut out all of the spending that didn't benefit the kids.

All athletic events are dying, just a sign of the times.

 

I think that is the biggest reason for the decline. People don't care about high school athletics as much as they used to. Students just don't go to games like they used to. It will only get worse and I dread the day that attendence gets so low that they move the boys to a smaller arena.

No one has commented on my question about are you ok with kids being out of school for 4 days? even 3 like it is today? There is a huge # of your attendance right there. The kids dont come because they cant miss the school days.

 

How many of the teams and students stayed after they lost Wednesday? Thursday?

 

Are you talking about participating teams? I'd imagine players from the sixteen teams are considered to be on a field trip and counted as present.

All athletic events are dying, just a sign of the times.

 

Not necessarily dying. It's more that people are busier, and more choices in terms of entertainment. I don't know many people in my circle of friends that can walk away for their job for several days to take in high school basketball games. And as much as people love high school sports, if they don't have an attachment to the game (went to one of the schools, have a kid or relative playing, their hometown school etc), people just aren't that interested in going.