Attendance at High School Sports

[statewide]

I haven't heard what the attendance figures were for the 4A/3A tournament this year and how they compared to the year before and the year before. But wow, things are really dismal in Oregon:

http://highschoolsports.oregonlive.com/news/article/-8970623439418316012/poor-attendance-could-signal-more-changes-for-osaa-basketball-tournaments/


If attendance and interest in high school sports is gaged at all by the activity on this board, I guess we have our answer for the State of Washington also. Things are not good. Also read an article about the absolutely dismal numbers showing up for Oregon Womens Basketball. No wonder top talent in this state wants to head east where crowds are still crowded.


One thing, I listened to an interview with the head of the OSAA and it really does appear that there is much more of a partnership with the member schools. They lay out the situation as the governing body but really let the schools decide what they want and if it makes sense to go in that direction. Not exactly the same situation we have in Washington.
This post was edited on 3/19 3:07 PM by statewide

 

[HockSports]

I wouldn't be surprised if both Yakima SunDome and Tacoma Dome are abandoned in coming years for the state tourneys. Watching some of the highlight plays from other state basketball tournaments, I can see that many have already switched to venues such as D3 colleges and large high school gyms. Tacoma Dome is a very big venue.

 

[statewide]

I thought the crowds looked pretty good at Tacoma Dome for some of the games and for some they were just absent. Tacoma Dome is great only because you have Girls and Boys games at the same location at the same time. Otherwise, it is a terrible place as far as seating goes. The only decent seats are under the baskets and those fill up fast with those in the know. It is just too darn big and $10 a day for parking is a bit much. Who knows, I may end up going next year but might cut it down to picking just one day. That would probably be on Friday watching all the semi-final games.

 

[HockSports]

That's good. Attendance was pretty good at Yakima but still, the WIAA guys could (if run correctly) make more money off a slightly smaller location because they could house the same amount of people but don't have as much to pay for the arena. Given the reputation of the WIAA guys, I wouldn't be surprised if it changes in the near future. I hope I am wrong though. I tell ya, the 2A and 1A schools seem to have better followings than a lot of the bigger schools, though. I think it is because many of these are communities rather than more urban schools. Even some of the crowds from the 1B/2B games I saw in photos were outstanding.

I hope Yakima SunDome stays put but really, I feel like the Tacoma Dome was almost too big some years. I guess we will see what happens.

 

[richardlb]

attendance was down at the state wrestling tournament and the basketball tournaments. winning bracket games had good attendance but fans seemed to disappeared once there team lost in the 4a and 3a tournaments.
This post was edited on 3/20 6:44 PM by richardlb

 

[HockSports]

Wrestling has never really been able to garner many fans' attention. It doesn't quite have the appeal that basketball or football does (unfortunately. I think it can get quite intense). I think culture of students changing has resulted in lower levels of spirit in general. I am seeing less student support and enthusiasm at games. There are still really rowdy schools but many are dying down. Just the times I guess.

 

[statewide]

the one thing I can say about attendance in Washington, we are doing better than Oregon. And closing I wouldn't mind seeing a tournament at the Spokane Coliseum. Seems like it just the right size for high school.