Comments from a Baylor fan

[chuckd4735]

I brought this up last year, but they could easily do a joint tournament at Sprint. You could sell both the Men's and Women's separately. The only problem would be hotels, but I'm not sure it would be a big enough issue to not do it.

Tuesday
AM: Women's Play-in (Session 1)
PM: Men's Play-in (Session 1)

Wednesday
Women's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Thursday
Men's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Friday
AM: Women's Semi Finals (Session 4)
PM: Men's Semi Finals (Session 4)

Saturday
AM: Women's Final (Session 5)
PM: Men's Final (Session 5)

 

[ajk4st8]

Women's basketball not being able to hold its own?? No way.

 

[laminak]

kind of sad that Tourney can't draw in Dallas as that location is beneficial to 6 of 10 teams including Texas, Oklahoma, and Baylor.

Men's is just the other way as it mainly benefits KU, ISU, KSU.

If not in KC, would OKC be a better choice? You'd be close to eight of the ten Big 12 members. (Would be good for non-KC years on weeks/weekends where the Thunder are on the road.)

 

[NWICY]

I brought this up last year, but they could easily do a joint tournament at Sprint. You could sell both the Men's and Women's separately. The only problem would be hotels, but I'm not sure it would be a big enough issue to not do it.

Tuesday
AM: Women's Play-in (Session 1)
PM: Men's Play-in (Session 1)

Wednesday
Women's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Thursday
Men's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Friday
AM: Women's Semi Finals (Session 4)
PM: Men's Semi Finals (Session 4)

Saturday
AM: Women's Final (Session 5)
PM: Men's Final (Session 5)

That would be a lot of hoops to watch but it would be fun.

 

[CyForPresident]

I brought this up last year, but they could easily do a joint tournament at Sprint. You could sell both the Men's and Women's separately. The only problem would be hotels, but I'm not sure it would be a big enough issue to not do it.

Tuesday
AM: Women's Play-in (Session 1)
PM: Men's Play-in (Session 1)

Wednesday
Women's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Thursday
Men's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Friday
AM: Women's Semi Finals (Session 4)
PM: Men's Semi Finals (Session 4)

Saturday
AM: Women's Final (Session 5)
PM: Men's Final (Session 5)

This would be awesome. And the men's tournament should NEVER leave KC.

 

[heitclone]

So either have very few fans or just admit that it is second class to the men's tourney and have way more fans?

Exactly, besides, isn't choosing to travel twice as far to attend the mens tourney kind of a slap in the face as well? Or playing in front of a completely empty arena? In your scenario at the least the couple is aware the women are playing, if the game were played a few states away they may not pay attention at all.

 

[CYlent Bob]

They split the tournament because a significant portion of the coaches and admins would rather be a financial failure while being the only game in town rather than make money while being slightly overshadowed by their mens teams.

My take? If you're so worried about being overshadowed by the men, you should probably refuse to practice and play your games in facilities you share with men. Get your "big donors" to pony up the cash and build your own arenas.

 

[heitclone]

I brought this up last year, but they could easily do a joint tournament at Sprint. You could sell both the Men's and Women's separately. The only problem would be hotels, but I'm not sure it would be a big enough issue to not do it.

Tuesday
AM: Women's Play-in (Session 1)
PM: Men's Play-in (Session 1)

Wednesday
Women's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Thursday
Men's Quarter Finals (Sessions 2 and 3)

Friday
AM: Women's Semi Finals (Session 4)
PM: Men's Semi Finals (Session 4)

Saturday
AM: Women's Final (Session 5)
PM: Men's Final (Session 5)

I like this but I think you could have the option to bundle the sessions for tickets. The Saturday champ games back to back would be great

 

[Erik4Cy]

Same is true of ISU headed down here.

There is no comparison between the ISU and Baylor fanbases when it comes to traveling to see their teams as a whole (which is what Arob was saying.) So stop defending Baylor.

Also agree it is a joke down there in Dallas. Both tourneys should be in KC unless the Big 12 decides ticket sales don't matter.

 

[isutoad]

Talked with a couple of big money folks from baylor. Think the tournament in Dallas is a joke. Say this is the last time they will come. Believe it should be in KC and a joint tournament. Interesting perspective to say the least.

I'm glad they were big money people.

 

[LindenCy]

I like this but I think you could have the option to bundle the sessions for tickets. The Saturday champ games back to back would be great

The Summit League in Sioux Falls does this. All session tickets gets you all men's and women's games.

 

[Erik4Cy]

I'm glad they were big money people.

I just assumed he was talking with these guys:

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Not sure if there is a link yet for 2014-15 attendance

Here is last year's top 6

1. Tennesse 11,038 this year 10,913
2. Iowa State 9,916 this year 9,289
3. Louisville 9,469 this year 9,515
4. Notre Dame 8,694 this year 8,835
5. UCONN 8,313 this year 8,930
6 Purdue 7,388 this year 6,279

 

[Three4Cy]

The only reason attendance was decent the last time in Dallas was because Brittney Griner was playing.

The B12 needs to realize it is idiotic to play the women's tourney in 20k seat arenas. It just looks pathetic on TV. The beauty of playing at Municipal Auditorium was the lower bowl was usually full so it looked like more people on TV.

 

[IAStubborn]

A link from a post last year:
http://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189118&p=4039111&viewfull=1#post4039111

“The satisfaction level is very high with Kansas City, there’s no question about that,â€￾ Bowlsby said. “The question athletic directors must answer is if they’re satisfied playing in the backyard of Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State every year.

“Having said that, I’ve heard nobody advocating a move for issues of fairness. But this is all part of the process.â€￾

So why bring it up Bowlsby....

 

[Tornado man]

What is better--being a second class tournament with higher attendance or first class with a lot lower attendance? The WBB tourney won't be more popular over the MBB. I'd hope the WBB teams would want higher attendance. As a fan, I like the access to see both of my teams, not just one or miss out.

Then why not just play men's-women's doubleheaders during the season? That would get "higher attendance" for the women too, if that's what matters. You'd have "access" to see both teams on the same night!
The answer is because this isn't high school any more; it's BCS conference athletics.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Then why not just play men's-women's doubleheaders during the season? That would get "higher attendance" for the women too, if that's what matters. You'd have "access" to see both teams on the same night!
The answer is because this isn't high school any more; it's BCS conference athletics.

This coming from the poster worried about hurt feelings over being in the same town as the men's tournament.

It's BCS athletics, not the 1950's.

 

[Buster28]

Municipal in KC obviously isn't the flashy, new arena that the league would like their conference tournaments played in. However, fans showed up for the games there. Who travels the best for WBB? It's Iowa State and Kansas State, especially when they're having decent seasons. When ISU has had outstanding seasons, Municipal was FULL. Now that Griner and Simms are gone from Baylor, even their fans aren't showing up anymore (including in Waco) they way they used to. Dallas has been a disaster for attendance when Baylor hasn't had its star players on the court. The women's tournament needs to come back to KC and let those men's tournament attendees who want to to go both, actually GO to both. Fans of the women's games will be there, regardless. It does nothing but hurt the WBB tournament to keep it in separate cities from the MBB's tourney.

 

[runbikeswim]

Well Tornado Man is right. The WBB coaches wanted to stand on their own. And Big 12 likes it for TV revenue.

Sometimes fans are the last considered in these situations.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

As I recall (and I could be wrong) it was a big push by Texas A&M coach Gary Blair to move the WBB Big 12 to Dallas. And then A&M left the conference. So while they never played in front of their "home" crowd the rest of us got stuck being there.

One of the best Big 12 tournaments I remember going to was a few years ago when both MBB and WBB were in Oklahoma City. Great weather, lots of good eat/drink places in easy walking distance, arenas across the street from each other. We had tickets for the women's tournament, but also went to a men's game.