Turnout low at two-sport event
By Bradley Hart
The Collegian
Hours before the Bulldog women’s
volleyball team took the court, dozens of fans cheered on another Fresno
State team in the Save Mart Center.
The arena’s Jumbotron was transformed into a big-screen TV for a
small but vocal group hoping to cheer the Fresno State football team to
victory in Oregon.
Among those in attendance was student Dan Randa, who said he liked watching
the game in the arena but expected a larger turnout.
“We thought a lot of people were going to be here,” Randa
said. “But no one’s here.”
Though the number of fans in attendance steadily increased over the course
of the afternoon it did not approach the number expected by organizers
until later in the evening.
At least one student attributed the low attendance to a lack of publicity.
“It was a good idea but they definitely needed to let people know
about it,” freshman Kuyler Crocker said.
With the football game ending minutes before the volleyball game was slated
to begin, those in attendance were treated to a virtually seamless transition
between the two sports.
Athletic department media relations assistant Roger Kirk said the event
was organized as part of an ongoing effort to increase attendance at volleyball
games, which has been lagging in recent seasons.
According to Kirk, turnout at games now ranks among the lowest in the
Western Athletic Conference. Kirk said last year’s game attracted
more than two thousand fans while this year’s was expected to draw
significantly fewer. Less than one thousand people ended up coming.
By tradition, the team plays one game at the Save Mart Center per season.
Officials have unveiled a series of promotions designed to increase game
attendance, including free ticket giveaways and a plan intended to get
younger students more involved in Fresno State sports.
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