Balcony seats $5 for IU’s seven remaining home games

  • 01/19/2009 1:36 pm in

In an effort to boost sagging attendance, Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass announced that balcony seats will be just $5 for the remainder of the home schedule:

Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass is hoping to attract more fans to come to Assembly Hall for the remainder of the 2009 men’s basketball season. Effective immediately, balcony tickets (subject to availability) will be on sale for the remainder of the season for $5 per game.

“Attendance at Assembly Hall, as it has been around the conference is a little down,” said Glass. “Because some of this is likely attributable to the challenging national economic situation, we want to make the games more affordable and otherwise more family friendly.”

“I love how hard our team plays and how hard Coach Crean coaches,” added Glass. “They never quit and I want to encourage Hoosier Nation not to quit on them. Fan support in Assembly Hall has been tremendous. We just want to encourage more people to be there.”

Among ideas that Glass hopes will catch on with the Hoosier faithful is an honorary game captain; allowing youngsters to shoot layups on Assembly hall’s hallowed hardwood following weekend home games; encouraging the crowd to be more engaged in and around the game; and resurrecting spirit signs for dorms, greek houses, and local businesses to hang up prior to home games.

While I admire Glass’s attempt to place warm bodies inside the droves of empty seats at Assembly Hall, I must whole heartedly disagree with his comment about the economy. Over the weekend, I attended the Louisville-Pittsburgh game and there was not an empty seat to be found and the concession lines were longer than ever. The same can be said at nearly ever other big-time program across the country. The fact is that the casual fan is not coming to IU games this season because the product is not what they have grown to expect.

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