Spring Break
Attendance for A&M baseball games is poor despite success
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Sports
The No. 14 Texas A&M baseball team is 32-10 overall, 9-8 in Big 12 play, and won their first conference road series since 2004 a week ago. The Aggies are making a run for a strong finish in the Big 12 and are a possible top-seven seed in the playoffs.
This is the best team the Aggies have had on the field since their 1999 College World Series run. However, Olsen Field has only possessed an average attendance of 3,637, which is more than 1,400 less than the average attendance over the past five years.
In 2005 and 2006, dismal seasons compared to 2007, Olsen Field had larger average attendances at 5,882 and 4,477, respectively. Something just does not add up. Two teams that failed to qualify for the Big 12 tournament had larger audiences than the best Aggie baseball team in the past eight years.
This weekend's series against Oklahoma State was a step in the right direction with an average of 4,444 during the three games, but that's still less than half capacity against another top 25 team, not to mention the consistently empty right field bleachers.
More than half of the general admissions seats were empty throughout the weekend. Game two of the series was the largest attended game of the season with nearly 4,800, but general admissions seating still had a number of holes.
Sports are a product, and selling tickets is the business of the Athletic Department. The reasons behind the cut in attendance couldn't possibly be the decline in the quality of the product. Despite losing the Oklahoma State series 2-1, the Aggies still put an exciting brand of baseball on the field. Both losses came in the final innings of play.
Maybe the ticket prices are too high. Obviously the product quality has improved from 2006, so perhaps the price increase for all tickets was warranted. But there is no way the Athletic Department would have known that the product would improve at the beginning of the season, So, at this point, the games are worth the price.
What it comes down to is students not going to the games. The Athletic Department will not turn away someone at the gate, whether the student section is full or not.
The students broke a single game attendance record and also the highest single year total attendance for soccer in 2006. The students continued to pack Kyle Field, setting two of the top 10 school attendance records in 2006. The students set six of the top 10 school attendance records for both men's and women's basketball during the 2006-07 season.
All of those sports had games where standing room only was the last remaining option. It just does not make sense why the best Aggie baseball team in the past eight years has not been able to see Olsen Field at least half full, let alone see an attendance above 5,000.
The 12th Man is supposed to be the edge that all Aggie sports experience, the edge that spurs them on to victory, but the baseball team has not had that pleasure.
This is the best team the Aggies have had on the field since their 1999 College World Series run. However, Olsen Field has only possessed an average attendance of 3,637, which is more than 1,400 less than the average attendance over the past five years.
In 2005 and 2006, dismal seasons compared to 2007, Olsen Field had larger average attendances at 5,882 and 4,477, respectively. Something just does not add up. Two teams that failed to qualify for the Big 12 tournament had larger audiences than the best Aggie baseball team in the past eight years.
This weekend's series against Oklahoma State was a step in the right direction with an average of 4,444 during the three games, but that's still less than half capacity against another top 25 team, not to mention the consistently empty right field bleachers.
More than half of the general admissions seats were empty throughout the weekend. Game two of the series was the largest attended game of the season with nearly 4,800, but general admissions seating still had a number of holes.
Sports are a product, and selling tickets is the business of the Athletic Department. The reasons behind the cut in attendance couldn't possibly be the decline in the quality of the product. Despite losing the Oklahoma State series 2-1, the Aggies still put an exciting brand of baseball on the field. Both losses came in the final innings of play.
Maybe the ticket prices are too high. Obviously the product quality has improved from 2006, so perhaps the price increase for all tickets was warranted. But there is no way the Athletic Department would have known that the product would improve at the beginning of the season, So, at this point, the games are worth the price.
What it comes down to is students not going to the games. The Athletic Department will not turn away someone at the gate, whether the student section is full or not.
The students broke a single game attendance record and also the highest single year total attendance for soccer in 2006. The students continued to pack Kyle Field, setting two of the top 10 school attendance records in 2006. The students set six of the top 10 school attendance records for both men's and women's basketball during the 2006-07 season.
All of those sports had games where standing room only was the last remaining option. It just does not make sense why the best Aggie baseball team in the past eight years has not been able to see Olsen Field at least half full, let alone see an attendance above 5,000.
The 12th Man is supposed to be the edge that all Aggie sports experience, the edge that spurs them on to victory, but the baseball team has not had that pleasure.
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