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5. Ohio Bobcats - 5,599

The Ohio University Bobcats averaged 5,599 fans per home game in 2011, playing at the 13,080 seat Convocation Center located on the Ohio campus in Athens, Ohio. That was fifth best in Ohio, and 99th best in college basketball.


Athens Ohio is a very small town in SE Ohio.

There is nothing else to do in Athens so I'm not surprised

I know why this was posted (someone mentioning our attendence compared to UT's and each town's population) and all I can say is luckily for OU there is no real big team any where near Athens, so it has to help

Ohio is consistently a good team in the MAC. They have also won a pair of MAC Tournaments in the last few years including beating Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament two years ago. And most of all, they topically play a more exciting brand of basketball. They like to get out and run, have pretty good athletes, they can score, and they play well at home. Add it all up and it's why they usual lead the MAC in attendance. And it's not just the town folks who "have nothing else to do," the O-Zone is IMO the best student section in the MAC. BG used to have a fantastic one, now it is on life support and has been for years - mainly because BG is lacking the things listed above for OU.

BGSU33 wrote:Ohio is consistently a good team in the MAC. They have also won a pair of MAC Tournaments in the last few years including beating Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament two years ago. And most of all, they topically play a more exciting brand of basketball. They like to get out and run, have pretty good athletes, they can score, and they play well at home. Add it all up and it's why they usual lead the MAC in attendance. And it's not just the town folks who "have nothing else to do," the O-Zone is IMO the best student section in the MAC. BG used to have a fantastic one, now it is on life support and has been for years - mainly because BG is lacking the things listed above for OU.

The student section when I was there was ridiculous. How did that fall apart so quickly.

Salmon is the top export from Norway....

Flipper wrote:Salmon is the top export from Norway....

Mexicans are the top export from Mexico.

BGFalconfromCincy wrote:There is nothing else to do in Athens so I'm not surprised

I know why this was posted (someone mentioning our attendence compared to UT's and each town's population) and all I can say is luckily for OU there is no real big team any where near Athens, so it has to help

I grew up close to BG and went to OU. There is nothing to do in either town, so your excuse doesn't work.

The answer to your attendance woes is one you will not enjoy: OU students simply have more passion for their basketball squad. Yes, it helps that we've been pretty good for quite some time, but we have still not won the MAC (regular season) since Gary Trent was playing.

OU's attendance is even more impressive when you factor in that the students are gone the entire month of December. Most other schools are in session for at least part of the month.

A look at some recent attendance figures:

10,988 - 1/24/09 (Sat) - Bowling Green
10,094 - 1/14/06 (Sat) - Central Michigan
9,749 - 1/9/2011 (Sun) - Miami
8,630 - 3/1/11 (Wed) - Akron
8,022 - 1/15/11 (Sat) - Kent
7,044 - 2/24/10 (Wed) - Miami

Even when we're having an average season, they'll pull in ~4,000 for weeknight games. Weekend games are almost always above 7,000.

The reason we do so well? The student section. The OZone is great, and makes for an exciting atmosphere. I've been to games at Millet and Anderson. A few words I can come up with to describe the atmosphere at both: ghastly, hollow, lethargic.

The Stroh looks great, and I'm hoping to make it up there for the OU game. Fill it with a passionate student section, and you'll eventually see it in your attendance figures.

I recall going to a game in Athens when both teams were good (mid eighties). When I got to my seat about 10 minutes before game time. I found some hilljacker sitting there with his family of about 6 or seven strung out next to him. I said, "Sir, I think you are in my seat" He grabbed to railing in front of him with a choke hold grip and peered at me with fire in eyes and said:
"We have been here for over an hour AND WE AIN'T LEAVIN!!"

He scared me half way back to BG.

So not just the students comin' out to cheer the 'cats. There's fans in them there hills of SE Ohio.

Bless their hearts.

The Convocation Center brought in its largest crowd on February 28, 1970, when 14,102 fans were in attendance to watch the Bobcats men's basketball team defeat the Bowling Green Falcons 77-76. Ohio is consistently one of the attendance leaders in the Mid-American Conference and has the ability to draw good crowds, win or lose.

Tough to describe the difference between OU/Athens and BGSU/BG. I just don't think BG and BGSU have as good a relationship. Having visited a student down at OU years ago there seemed to be a different attitude between "town & gown" as I've heard it referred to in BG. They seemed more welcoming both directions with more student respect for locals and more respect for the students from businesses.

I always thought BG was friendly for the most part but there were those businesses and community members that you dealt with that didn't think the university was needed in BG. It was interesting doing some marketing for a Sports Mgt. project/class in BG. We were met with some strong feelings. I think attendance at events proves BGSU needs BG and some in the community don't realize how many stores, restraunts and services only exist because of the traffic the university provides.

When I hit campus in 79, the attitude from a lot of townies was "what should we do with the land when we finally get rid of the university?"

Ozcat wrote:
I grew up close to BG and went to OU. There is nothing to do in either town, so your excuse doesn't work.

The answer to your attendance woes is one you will not enjoy: OU students simply have more passion for their basketball squad. Yes, it helps that we've been pretty good for quite some time, but we have still not won the MAC (regular season) since Gary Trent was playing.

You're dead on. BGSU has a culture of apathy that's been past down for decades. It was numbing in the 80's when I was a student, and it's at least as bad now.

Flipper wrote:When I hit campus in 79, the attitude from a lot of townies was "what should we do with the land when we finally get rid of the university?"

And I don't think that has changed at all.

I worked for the city of BG as a temp employee during my years in school and the city government and university still don't really get along. I think the government's attitude is reflected in the eyes of the "townies" as well. I think an overwhelming majority of the "townies" feel no connection to the university, and in fact don't LIKE the university. Of course they don't realize/want to admit that the university is pretty much the only reason most of them have jobs in the town.

I don't know why, but the university has never embraced the community, and the community has never fully embraced the university. My family has always been an exception (I have only one other BG grad in my family), we've been going to basketball/football/hockey games for years. The overwhelming majority, doesn't embrace the university though.

Case in point....

http://www.sent-trib.com/opinions/to-th ... g#comments

Flipper wrote:Case in point....

http://www.sent-trib.com/opinions/to-th ... g#comments

Wow...could THAT ever be more on cue?


And the people asking for a chain restaurant in BG!? Ugh...one of the best things about BG is good local eateries and not the overabundance of chain bullshit that you get in Toledo.