Signs that the "Sweet 16" is Thriving or Declining

[Jumper_Dad]

And in 2019 you have the addition of the AA Tournament, more scheduling conflicts and more expenses for fans and their parents.

 

It's not like they wouldn't be playing games those weeks if there was no AA. Most teams would still have at least 4 or 5 games over those couple of weeks. Only a handful have the expense of actually traveling to the AA.

[Topper]

The first two rounds this year were incredible. There is nothing for kids to do between games. My 10 year old would go up top and shoot his basketball at the wall and play other kids. They use to have stuff to do in the Lex Center but no more.

[Tiger1]

Every athletic event is suffering these days because people don't have money. $20 is too much for tickets for a high school game.

 

The format is hurting the tournament too. Nobody is staying over Saturday night for a Sunday championship game because one reason is that the hotels raise the per night cost by 20-30%.

 

Go back to semi’s Saturday morning and championship game Saturday night.

[Sinbad 74]

This was back in 1965. We all got together got a cheap hotel room, filled it with about 10 of us, and partied like crazy when we were not at the games. We met student athletes from all over the state. If you had tickets to all sessions your school would excuse the absence from classes that week. Went to a party one night and traded my car with another student from Northern Kentucky with the agreement we would meet up Saturday and trade back. We almost did not get back together in time to trade back. Great times at the state tournament.

[JohnsonQ]

It is dying and the speed of decline is picking up.

Old people support the tourney. You should watch them go up and down the steps. Final words of a couple gentlemen in my row. See ya next year if we are both still alive.

It is too costly. Staying in one location has allowed Lexington to get snooty. If you stay downtown you must reserve rooms for all week. Parking is high, concessions are very high.

Embrace the ncaa. Show highlights, show games in the concourse, give scores. They only give UK scores. A lot of people are not UK fans.

Be polite to people. We had an usher tell someone he would have to leave if he kept watching the ncaa.

Provide programs.

Young people have already lost interest. I'm not sure you could give them free tickets and they would come. Cater to the old folks with cash.

[74devil]

Back in the day, you'd see a student bus pull up with the team bus. Do schools still do that? The last time OHS went, I don't believe they did.

[16thBBall Fan]

It I also true it is dying but I think the numbers will be up some from the past years because of Wednesday's attendance.

[plantmanky]

Time to move away from Rupp. No Kentucky kids play for Kentucky anymore, there's no allure to play at Rupp anymore.

[ColonelPops]

High school basketball is dying period. It isn’t like the old days.

 

 

This is pretty accurate.

[B-Ball-fan]

While I like that this option is available, because it's the one that I've conveniently used in recent years, and drawing attention to it perhaps is sorta chancing cutting my nose off to spite my face, but I have to believe that the inexpensive online streaming option has also played a big role in folks deciding to go this route that saves them a tons of bucks, and allows them to watch the games in real time, or archive form while they're working in the first and second round games of the NCAA tourney.

 

While I have in the past very much enjoyed attending the Sweet 16, it's so much easier and cheaper just to hang at home in my sweats, also watch the NCAA tourney on TV, cheaply fix my own meals, and nap or run errands between sessions.

 

My great memories of being there to some degree sustain me from having to yearly attend, and the huge difference in the price just make the decision almost a no brainer.

[BiggestFan]

Khsaa is turning a blind eye (in my opinion ) granted I went to girls state and not boys but I bought my tickets -sat behind lots of empty seats that were probably given away and never used-let people like me who actually go to the tournament and pay for their tickets have the better seats-no discount on tickets if you went to every session (at least not at B B &T arena )last time I went to boy's state hotel prices were high and they wanted a guaranteed stay from Wednesday night til Saturday night (4 nights)

 

I too like the old format better-championship game on Saturday night

[ColonelPops]

Attendance decreases are not limited to the Sweet 16. Regular season games are sparsely attended at a lot of schools and only decently attended at a handful. My observations, though, are limited to NKY.

 

Not sure about the rest of the state.

[atm10]

While I like that this option is available, because it's the one that I've conveniently used in recent years, and drawing attention to it perhaps is sorta chancing cutting my nose off to spite my face, but I have to believe that the inexpensive online streaming option has also played a big role in folks deciding to go this route that saves them a tons of bucks, and allows them to watch the games in real time, or archive form while they're working in the first and second round games of the NCAA tourney.

 

While I have in the past very much enjoyed attending the Sweet 16, it's so much easier and cheaper just to hang at home in my sweats, also watch the NCAA tourney on TV, cheaply fix my own meals, and nap or run errands between sessions.

 

My great memories of being there to some degree sustain me from having to yearly attend, and the huge difference in the price just make the decision almost a no brainer.

 

Count me in! Same thing I’ve done the last couple of years. $10 total to watch every game and be on the couch with NCAA on the TV, agreed is a no brainer.

[Mustang]

Very valid point about the average attendee getting old.

 

The folks walking up those steps are all getting old - probably been coming for decades.

 

I'm 70 myself. It is now a bit of a hassle to park, hike to the arena, sit through the games, socialize between games, and then repeat the process going the other way. I now find myself picking between the early session or late session to attend, but RARELY both. Simply too much hassle and energy depletion.

 

Much easier to go to the Red Mile and play the ponies, go back to the hotel, take a nap, and then go to the night session. My only double-session day was Thursday when Campbell County played at 12Noon and CovCath played at 8:30pm.

[TAC]

Count me in! Same thing I’ve done the last couple of years. $10 total to watch every game and be on the couch with NCAA on the TV, agreed is a no brainer.

Wonder if they will post viewership for the stream?