How to get your coach fired

[Brian McCat]

http://ukfootball.bloginky.com/2012/11/07/actual-attendance-figures-for-uk-football/

Kentucky’s announced attendance figure of 44,902 for the Vanderbilt game raised some eyebrows at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday. I checked with UK officials about getting the actual scanned attendance figure for the game (each person who enters the venue has a ticket or pass scanned), but they said those numbers were unavailable at the time and had never been requested previously.
So we filed an Open Records Request to get the actual scanned attendance for games this season and last season. This season’s numbers are below, but Kentucky said it does not have the numbers available for the 2011 season.
I may do a longer piece this week about how attendance is figured at UK and throughout the country (there is no industry standard apparently), but I wanted to put the numbers out there as promised.

Game Announced Actual
Kent State 48,346 37,000
Western Kentucky 53,980 43,174
South Carolina 49,810 35,086
Miss State 49,498 29,927
Georgia 54,553 33,420
Vanderbilt 44,902 18,885

[Lexvol]

Originally Posted by Brian McCat

http://ukfootball.bloginky.com/2012/11/07/actual-attendance-figures-for-uk-football/

Kentucky’s announced attendance figure of 44,902 for the Vanderbilt game raised some eyebrows at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday. I checked with UK officials about getting the actual scanned attendance figure for the game (each person who enters the venue has a ticket or pass scanned), but they said those numbers were unavailable at the time and had never been requested previously.
So we filed an Open Records Request to get the actual scanned attendance for games this season and last season. This season’s numbers are below, but Kentucky said it does not have the numbers available for the 2011 season.
I may do a longer piece this week about how attendance is figured at UK and throughout the country (there is no industry standard apparently), but I wanted to put the numbers out there as promised.

Game Announced Actual
Kent State 48,346 37,000
Western Kentucky 53,980 43,174
South Carolina 49,810 35,086
Miss State 49,498 29,927
Georgia 54,553 33,420
Vanderbilt 44,902 18,885

I've got an idea that if UT fans knew the turnstile attendance in Neyland last week, they would be shocked. I don't know what it was, but after thinking about it my guess would be about 55-60k.

[Freak]

Originally Posted by Lexvol

I've got an idea that if UT fans knew the turnstile attendance in Neyland last week, they would be shocked. I don't know what it was, but after thinking about it my guess would be about 55-60k.

Hyams reported it was 61,000 according to UT officials.

[Lexvol]

Originally Posted by Freak

Hyams reported it was 61,000 according to UT officials.

...and that signals the end of eras.

[WallyBalls]

Yowch. 61k is absolute pitiful.

I'm guessing this week might hit 75-80k actual count, mainly because Mizzou claims they're travelling well. Might push 85-90k since the weather is supposed to be absolutely perfect...but I have my doubts.

[Lexvol]

Originally Posted by WallyBalls

Yowch. 61k is absolute pitiful.

I'm guessing this week might hit 75-80k actual count, mainly because Mizzou claims they're travelling well. Might push 85-90k since the weather is supposed to be absolutely perfect...but I have my doubts.

12o kick off doesn't help.

[WallyBalls]

Originally Posted by Lexvol

12o kick off doesn't help.

Certainly not. I know a few from out of town that probably won't fool with it simply because they have to get up early.

Playing so poorly sets of a nasty cycle that puts you on at noon.

I do like having a huge chunk of Saturday open after the game though.

Bright side and all that...

[BigSteve09]

god that's bad

how many can their arena hold? the vandy game probably rivals their average bball attendance.

anyway, Neyland is starting to look more and more barren as well. If we lose to Mizzou, that stadium will be EMPTY for the UK game.
-not much to be excited about
-angry about the product on the field
-no streak to keep up and be interested in

[TrueOrange]

So it turns out there were only about 18,885 people at the UK game

...yeesh

[TrueOrange]

Mr SEC - Only 18,885 Fans Showed Up For UK-VU Last Saturday; Think Rupp Would Ever Be Just 27% Full?

Outgoing coach Joker Phillips suggested earlier this week that he knew that his fate was sealed as Kentucky’s coach when he looked into the Commonwealth Stadium stands last week and saw more silver benches than people.* If you didn’t see the “crowd” for yourself, it was really more like a gathering than a crowd.

The fact that UK announced the attendance for the Wildcats’ game with Vanderbilt as 44,902 led The Lexington Herald-Leader to file an open records request in the hopes of learning exactly how many tickets were actually scanned — not sold, but scanned — upon people’s entry into the stadium.* The paper got the records.* And the real attendance on Saturday… was just 18,885.

Most spring games in the SEC draw more than 19,000 fans.* Many Texas high school games draw more than 19,000 fans.


The school provided the numbers for UK’s other home games this season as well.* The number of fans who actually had their tickets scanned at Commonwealth Stadium this season is as follows:

*

Kent State game — 37,000

Western Kentucky game — 43,174

South Carolina game — 35,086

Mississippi State game — 29,927

Georgia game — 33,420

Vanderbilt game — 18,885

*

UK’s listed capacity for the stadium is 67,492 but that number includes players, coaches, stadium personnel and others not included in the tickets-scanned numbers.* Still, these digits give us a clue as to how much money UK has been losing this year.

Through six homes games, UK could have sold 404,952 tickets this season.* The announced combined attendance for those games — meaning: tickets sold — was just 251,591.* So about 150,000 more tickets could have been sold.

The actual number of scanned tickets and passes equaled but 197,492.* About 200,000 more people could have attended Wildcat football games.* That’s a whole lotta concessions, merchandise, programs, and the like that went unsold as well.

Lose that kind of money and you have to make a coaching change.* Period.* So in that sense, Kentucky fans truly made their voices heard by not showing up to watch Phillips’ team this year.

Unfortunately, they also proved that UK has one of the least-supported football programs in the Southeastern Conference.* This fact always upsets Cat fans when it’s pointed out, but do you think — even in a terrible year — Rupp Arena’s actual attendance would ever drop to just 27% of capacity as was the case with the Cats’ football game against Vandy on Saturday?* No way.

[Brian McCat]

I disagree that UK is one of the least-supported programs. For years, people have filled Commonwealth to watch bad loss after bad loss. I think that this year, they just decided to do something about it.

[dukes_of_maggard]

I bet we support UK football more than LSU does its basketball team, who were in a final four several years ago.

[bleedorange0037]

Originally Posted by BigSteve09

god that's bad

how many can their arena hold? the vandy game probably rivals their average bball attendance.

anyway, Neyland is starting to look more and more barren as well. If we lose to Mizzou, that stadium will be EMPTY for the UK game.
-not much to be excited about
-angry about the product on the field
-no streak to keep up and be interested in

Actually that Vandy attendance would only fill Rupp to about 3/4 capacity. Rupp holds 23-24k IIRC, and that place is always packed for UK basketball.

[WallyBalls]

Originally Posted by Brian McCat

I disagree that UK is one of the least-supported programs. For years, people have filled Commonwealth to watch bad loss after bad loss. I think that this year, they just decided to do something about it.

I'd agree with that.

In the last few years they've had some empty seats, but pretty solid crowds considering some of the slop they've been treated to over the years. Its funny because I've heard him make the opposite point about Vandy attendance...even though their stadium is routinely filled with visiting fans.

Pennington always acts like attendance is ONLY tied to the success/failure of the team. In some cases (UT, UK, Auburn) that's probably 90% true this year. But he always fails to mention that just about every other D1 team, MLB, Nascar, and the NBA are having the same issues.