Low attendance numbers further explored...

I guess I am a little puzzled as to why some didn't make a bigger deal out of this....
had it happened last year or the year before - it would have been the hot topic for weeks.

Bradley's exhibition at Renaissance Coliseum this season drew only 1800 while the first one last year - also held at Renaissance drew OVER 2500.
Bradley's first exhibition game at Carver Arena (part of season ticket package) had an official attendance of 6797, but in the PJS coverage the writer said he thought there were
no more than 4500 there.

Here are the attendance figures for the Carver Arena exhibitions in the past several seasons...

2010-2011 - there was none but there was a D-II opponent to start the season, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and that game drew 8014.

2009-2010 - Lewis - 7966

2008-2009 - Lewis 8100, and a 2nd exhibition at Carver - UW-Platteville - 8294

2007-2008 - Quincy - box score N/A

2006-2007 - Northwest Missouri State - 8093

..and so it goes....the attendance for every exhibition game ever held at Carver has been 8000 or so -- sometimes more....
So, isn't anyone at least a bit concerned about the Renaissance Coliseum exhibition drawing 30% fewer fans than other years? And the exhibition games at Carver drawing likewise around 30% or more fewer fans than the historical averages?
And haven't we also seen that game tickets for SEMO and other games are going slow?

And this comes at the very time Bradley is getting the most remarkably shining press and many, many fans are enthusiastic about the future and curious about the new players & coaches?
So -- why the low numbers? Could it just be that some who predicted this exact scenario were 100% right? That many fans - the ones who were faithful and loyal for years but who didn't spend time griping on message boards - that those fans are largely put off by all that has happened (call it fallout if you want)?
Of course we're gonna see the anti-BU crowd and anti-JL crowd reach way back and again try to drag out the coach that's now been departed more than eight months - and try to blame him.
Didn't we see a ton of anti-JL stuff in the past few days coming from the PJS?

Most of the best and most loyal Bradley fans are all still around -- I saw them Tuesday night -- and talked with many of them before and after the game.
BUT -- some were conspicuously missing -- some even, who I am told, did not even renew season tickets. (See the previous blog entry)

BUT -- this is a good young team despite the negative stuff many of the anti-BU people are spewing -- and they're fun to watch.
The attendance numbers will improve but it will probably take a decent run of wins to trigger it....
But again -- I think this simply proves there are DIFFERENT kinds of fans...
some who are intensely loyal and they are at every game regardless of the negativity. Others still need to be stroked....they need to see the team winning before they come. This is understandable -- all teams have fans like this. These are fans that are perhaps best described as semi-loyal and the team will have to win those fans back.
I think they will but it'll take some time.
Either way - there clearly IS a distinct difference - and NOT all fans are the same or are they equally as loyal. One can easily perceive the difference.
And the evidence of the fallout is also there - it would take a total ignoramus to deny it - but some of those exist also. ;)