Emails in on OSU attendance and Blake Griffin

The new emails are in, and the topics are OSU basketball attendance, Blake Griffin’s rough treatment and other assorted flavors.

Ron wrote, “Sometimes you write things about OSU that makes me think, ‘Damn, why did he have to write that?’ But I often agree with those things you write because your words are truthful. Recently, you wrote about attendance in GIA. You wrote about a truth I was aware of, but I was not talking about. I used to try and take the wife and kids to a game over Christmas break when the students are not in Stillwater. I did not go last year or this year because of ticket prices. I do not mind spending a hundred dollars to take the family but a hundred and a half seems a bit much. Today, it was in the paper that students tickets are being subsidized by our buddy Boone. Do you think it had anything to do with you writing the truth?”

Just call it the power of the pen.

D.C. wrote that OSU athletic director Mike Holder “said all the right things except that he was lowering student ticket prices. Students do create the atmosphere. They are the future season ticket holders (and donors). For the last six years I have had one or both of my daughters at OSU and for the first time neither one has a season ticket. It isn’t because they aren’t winning like they used to, OSU is our team and we support them through thick and thin. It is just too expensive. The son of family friend is going to the University of Tennessee and he said that 2008 was the first time students had to pay for football tickets. That is how you get 100,000 people to a game and get that home field advantage.”

I absolutely would drop the price of student tickets. It’s about $18-$20 per game. Drop that down to $5 a game, and Gallagher will be filled with students again.

Jason wrote, “I keep hearing that Gallagher-Iba is empty, and I have seen it in person and on TV. Why is it that the ticket prices are still outrageous? I have looked online at stubhub, ostate.com, etc. There are very few tickets available online, two here, four there. I would help pack that place, but not for 60 dollars in the nose bleeds. Can you help explain this to me?”

It’s a problem of economics. Very few organizations respond to changing dynamics by lowering prices, when that would often fix the problem. Here’s an example. When gas prices soared, and some businesses had to raise prices to just stay afloat, did they drop prices when gas prices fell dramatically? No. Not much at all, if at all. It’s just human nature to think that if you once got those prices, you can get them again. But fundamentally. OSU is going to have to lower ticket prices.”

Mason wrote, “After another big win for OSU that boosts their NCAA resume considerably, I can’t help but wonder why in the world you would choose to write about the low attendance at GIA. First of all, this makes about the third article your staff has written with the exact same topic and basically the same information. I’ve never thought very highly of The Oklahoman sports staff, but this article seems like it would fit better in the campus Daily O’ Collegian pages. I’m not saying that I disagree with all of your article. As an OSU student, the ticket prices are ridiculous. But I do take issue with your statement, ‘The Cowboys have lost their status as a basketball school.’ Only three years removed from the Sweet 16 and we are suddenly a non-factor? Are we just to forget about all the tradition our basketball program has? I guess we can pretend Hank Iba and Eddie Sutton never coached at OSU, since we aren’t a basketball school. Does this also mean OU wasn’t a football school in the ’90s because they had mediocre seasons for at least three years? I sincerely doubt you would write the same article about Sooner football. I know what I say won’t change anything, but I feel like this crap article should not go without some feedback, as I’m sure it already hasn’t.”

OSU is four years removed from the Sweet 16 – and four years removed from the NCAA Tournament. Basketball schools and football schools aren’t determined by championships. They are determined by fan bases. I argued for years that OSU was a basketball school and OU was not. No one needed to look any further than the attendance. Now OSU is half-filling Gallagher-Iba Arena. Basketball schools don’t have half-filled arenas.

Gene wrote, “You seem to rather enjoy playing down everything orange, as your ‘Good Ol’ Days Are Gone’ headline indicates your biased reporting. Yeah, the attendance is certainly down at Gallagher-Iba Arena, but need I remind you of the low attendance at the Lloyd Noble Arena just a very short time ago and I did not see this type reporting. Just try some level reporting for a change.

You have got to be kidding. We wrote incessantly about the lack of attendance at Lloyd Noble Center. How about trying some level reading for a change.

John wrote about OU’s basketball loss to Texas. “You know, when a team plays as well as OU did without the best player in the nation, it’s difficult to complain about a loss. Then again, when the opposing coach says the team strategy to win is to foul Griffin out of the game then the first play is a foul against Griffin on their home court, makes one wonder who has been talking to the officials! Basketball is looking more and more like a cage fight. Barnes’ strategy tonight was, if we can’t beat them at the game, then knock them out of the game. I really feel Barnes should be investigated for his comment and encouragement to play stickball rather than basketball. Berry, do we have hometown officiating as obvious as what I saw tonight and we just don’t see it because we are the home town? For a while, I was wondering if Texas would bring out boxing gloves if it appeared they could not pull off the upset. It’s hard to respect any coach who encourages injuring the opposing players to win. Reminds me of Bobby Knight. Blake has been the recipient of this type play in three games now. The Big 12 needs to initiate some means of protection before the opposition ruins his career.”