Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Nestled between the trees on Naismith Drive, Hoglund Ballpark never had a chance. Sitting in the shadow of Allen Fieldhouse, the home of the Kansas baseball team is arguably located in the worst spot on campus.
“We understand where it comes from, because, obviously, when you think of Kansas, you don’t think of a baseball school, you don’t think of a football school,” senior third baseman Zac Elgie said. “You think of, obviously, a basketball school.”
While Elgie did put some of the blame on the team’s subpar performance last season, he does have a point. The season starts this Friday for the Jayhawks, and odds are, only a handful are aware of it.
And there’s nothing wrong with Hoglund Park. The stadium recently had a $1.2 million turf upgrade. It holds 2,500 people, and every fan in the stadium feels like a part of the action with the close proximity of the seating to the field.
But it’s like scheduling a T-Pain concert next to a Jay-Z and Kanye West extravaganza. Who wouldn’t choose the latter?
In 2011, Kansas did not finish in the top 44 in average attendance, and that’s as far as schools are ranked. The Jayhawks averaged 1,105 people for home games last season, leaving them just below the last school that made the rankings, South Alabama, which averaged 1,214 people per game.
And while the young team struggled last season, there was never a true feeling of support from the University’s students and alumni.
“It’s more along the lines of ‘Well, our parents are here and that’s about it,’” Elgie said.
In the middle of the season, Kansas played No. 4 Texas, in Hoglund Ballpark. The team had been playing well of late, sitting one game over .500 on the season and in conference play. Heck, if the series had gone well, the team would have been in a position to make the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, on a Thursday game at 6 p.m., 904 people showed up to cheer on the Jayhawks. And that number is inflated, as season ticket holders are automatically counted into the attendance figures.
But baseball is a sport that has deep roots in this country’s history, often symbolizing hope or change. It’s Like in “Field of Dreams” when James Earl Jones boasts, “People will come.”
Except, for Kansas baseball, people will not come. And those silver bleachers will sit uncovered far too often, as long as the program sits below the legendary building and program that engulfs this campus.
“At Texas A&M last year, there were five or six thousand fans and it’s crazy,” Elgie said. “There are people who heckle you left and right, but it’s fun and that’s the way the game is supposed to be played, that’s what you live for, and it’d be nice if we had fans come give the other teams crap every once in a while.”
— Edited by Katie James
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Comments
Vernon: Poor attendance plagues baseball team
Enjoyed the article... About time people start thinking about baseball again.
I do think that attendance will increase if a winning product is actually placed on the field which was evident in 2009 when they went 25-3 at Hougland. But the one beef I have is rather not with the team itself but the athletic department in general. The University of Kansas athletic department virtually puts NO money into the program in comparison to the other Big 12 baseball schools and it's rather laughable to look at the difference. If the university itself isn't going to care about the success of the baseball program (as it's not a revenue making sport) then don't expect students or alumni to attend games anytime soon and deservedly so.
I do think you picked an outlier for that Thursday night Texas game at home though as it was a holiday weekend and the weather was very poor (real cold with rain). But I enjoyed the 12th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft in Taylor Jungmann completely dominating the Jayhawks by throwing a 1 hitter in his 8 innings of work.
Vernon: Poor attendance plagues baseball team
1) The turf is atrocious. Baseball is meant to be played on a natural surface--both grass and dirt. KU Athletic Dept. should have saved the $1.2 mil and spent it more wisely.
2) The weather is also bad. Is there a reason the season has to be so heavily concentrated in February and March? The reason why sunbelt schools do so well is solely because of weather. The average high temp in Austin, TX in March is 72. The average high temp in Gainsville, FL in March is 75. Lawrence's average high in March? 57. If the games are in the evening, you can expect temps dropping into the 30s. Tough to get recruits and fans in this climate.
3) There is nowhere to tailgate or drink. If you want attendance, particularly from rowdy college kids, you need this factor. Allow the rec center's parking lot to serve as a tailgate area for college kids, have Bud Light and/or some other beer/alcohol companies sponsor a tailgate event, and this might draw more people.
4) Have a student area at Hoglund. Once the beer gets them in, establish the game as a fun atmosphere where students can act like they might at a football game.
Vernon: Poor attendance plagues baseball team
^^
Why I agree with you that baseball should be played on a natural surface.. The KU Athletic Dept. is saving a ton of money now and into the future through efficient maintenance costs provided by going to the artificial turf. This also allows the team to improve in the winter months of the year (which you mention Lawrence, Kansas has a lot of) as accessibility of field-use is much easier. A lot of schools including the University of Texas and Texas Tech have also transformed their fields to artificial turf recently.
I think Price has also shaped his schedule this year to the possibility of poor weather in the months of February and March as they only have 4 home games before the month of April.. Might I add that their non-conference schedule opponents are actually laughable... Looks like Price just made it in hopes of actually keeping his job in the future..
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