The interest in the Big 4 is really low, there are still a ton of tickets for sale.
Why didn't the Big 4 Classic work?
- Thread starter ChrisMWilliams
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The interest in the Big 4 is really low, there are still a ton of tickets for sale.
This. Not only do you have to sit by them, you have to listen to them root against your team. One game a year being around hawk fans for MBB is enough. Offer UNI and Drake 2 for 1's and if they don't like it, oh well.
I have no doubt it's low after they announced they aren't doing it anymore.
But the only three years I could find where attendance was listed at cyclones.com are:
2013 -- 13,180
2017 -- 15,028
2018 -- 13,828
That's not bad.
So a double header with all 4 in state teams having less thans in attendance than a normal ISU homegame "isnt bad"?
I hear a lot about dealing with most of the fans cheering against us, but wouldn't EIU be dealing with the same thingm. The ISU fans would root against them as would either Drake or UNI depending on who they are playing.
I also don't buy that the location impedes ticket sales. WFA is 45 minutes from Hilton and 10 minutes from Knapp. Anyone that would attend a game there can get to the Well. I would assume the majority of fans at a game at Hilton are from the DSM metro, and likely a good percentage of fans at Carver as well.
The issue is cost and format. Nobody wants to drop that amount on a game against a mid major followed by another game between two schools that you hate.
I also don't buy that the location impedes ticket sales. WFA is 45 minutes from Hilton and 10 minutes from Knapp. Anyone that would attend a game there can get to the Well. I would assume the majority of fans at a game at Hilton are from the DSM metro, and likely a good percentage of fans at Carver as well.
The issue is cost and format. Nobody wants to drop that amount on a game against a mid major followed by another game between two schools that you hate.
They could have done so much more to make this a truly remarkable event. It seemed like the people producing it at the outset just didn't understand big venues. For instance, I remember them having a feature of the video board (a crummy, old, small one) that showed highlights from old rivalry games on the screen of an old-looking TV. At the time, I remember thinking, oh that would be so cool to see, but I can't because it was grainy video being shown on only a small portion of the crummy old video board. It might have worked great on somebody's Apple with them sitting right in front of it, but it didn't work in the stadium.
Oh, and I recall one year where they just turned off the stats on the video board because they couldn't get them right.
The venue doesn't really seem to be the reason for the problems. It was that the producers of the event just tried to make a cash grab with minimal effort given to the production.
If it weren't for a few of the fun things that HyVee did (towels, games at half-time), it wasn't much more than just a couple of games at a neutral court.
Oh, and I recall one year where they just turned off the stats on the video board because they couldn't get them right.
The venue doesn't really seem to be the reason for the problems. It was that the producers of the event just tried to make a cash grab with minimal effort given to the production.
If it weren't for a few of the fun things that HyVee did (towels, games at half-time), it wasn't much more than just a couple of games at a neutral court.
If it was interesting at all to play UNI or Drake, it could've been successful. Just having ISU and Iowa in the same building doesn't mean it's going to be an electric atmosphere. Then you throw in the MC22 coverage, and this event screamed small time from the start.
The thing sold out two years ago. Was down last year because the teams were all down. It will probably be down this year mainly because it is being killed.
I'm tired of people comparing a game at Hilton vs game at Wells Fargo. Of course it will feel different . IT IS NOT A HOME GAME!! It is more like the feel you get at a tournament (holiday or NCAA). Boy...sure would hate for the team to get any experience playing in that environment. (sarcasm)
Tired of the snowflakes that can't handle "people cheering against the Cyclones". Good grief. Again...have you ever gone to a tournament game? (obviously not)
Hilton season ticket holders always seemed negative on this. That might be understandable.
It was also better when held PRIOR to Iowa vs ISU game.
Bottomline: it didn't fail due to lack of interest. Iowa killed it.
I'm tired of people comparing a game at Hilton vs game at Wells Fargo. Of course it will feel different . IT IS NOT A HOME GAME!! It is more like the feel you get at a tournament (holiday or NCAA). Boy...sure would hate for the team to get any experience playing in that environment. (sarcasm)
Tired of the snowflakes that can't handle "people cheering against the Cyclones". Good grief. Again...have you ever gone to a tournament game? (obviously not)
Hilton season ticket holders always seemed negative on this. That might be understandable.
It was also better when held PRIOR to Iowa vs ISU game.
Bottomline: it didn't fail due to lack of interest. Iowa killed it.
Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!
**EDIT** Also wanted to mention that I get tired of having drunk Iowa fans giving me ****. Don't mind paying a regular ticket price at Hilton or Carver to hear the same ****, but I shouldn't have to pay extra for the privilege.
I’m curious for people that want to complain about Wells Fargo for basketball have you been to a non Big 4 Classic game? It isn’t a great spot but it isn’t bad. The Big 4 classic was just a horrible event though.
They should go back to Home/Home w/ UNI. I went to one of the last games in the Dome and it was a blast.
I wish they had made it a 4 team tourney. Two games held Friday, Two on Saturday
It’s not that people “can’t handle” (project much?) the Hawk fans at the event, it’s more of an annoyance for a game against Drake.
I can tolerate sitting near annoying KU fans in KC because those games actually mean something.
Selling out when there are four ******* teams there is not an accomplishment.
Let's quit with the fake news in analyzing this. Attendance was very good. That was not the problem :
2012 13,180 (HV1)
2013 14,512 (HV2)
2014 15,124 (HV3) "Soldout"
2015 15,424 (HV4) "Soldout"
2016
2017
I can't find 2016, but I recall that being sold out as well. I know last year dipped just a bit, but again, the teams were by and large down last year.
Quit saying this failed due to a lack of interest. Whining about it (and yes...here is plenty of that) isn't a lack of interest. Ticket sales is the best measure.
2012 13,180 (HV1)
2013 14,512 (HV2)
2014 15,124 (HV3) "Soldout"
2015 15,424 (HV4) "Soldout"
2016
2017
I can't find 2016, but I recall that being sold out as well. I know last year dipped just a bit, but again, the teams were by and large down last year.
Quit saying this failed due to a lack of interest. Whining about it (and yes...here is plenty of that) isn't a lack of interest. Ticket sales is the best measure.
I'm not even sure what that means. When an event is held at a venue, if all tickets are sold, it is successful (by most people's measures)>
Or it was 'up' because it was the outlier year where both teams were recently 'up'.
We already have those opportunities.
I've been to multiple tournament games.
Its pretty rare to have a situation where 3/4 of the arena is cheering against us.
And frankly, this game doesnt have the benefits an NCAA or Big 12 tournament game does.
Then how do you explain why tickets sales trended upwards and then sold out for 3 years straight?
