grizzlyjournal said:WILDCATFAN said:EverettGriz said:Soooooo, from an applicability standpoint, you might as well have been asking why the moon isn't made of cheese.
And I can presume we all agree based on your numbers that this conference is an effing joke.
Yes, outside of Weber this conference's attendance number's are a joke.
I think I'm going to jump into this debate, for better or worse... mainly because I've followed Everett's arguments over the years (most of the arguments with which I agree). I'm not much of a trash talker, so my arguments are not meant as slams (for the record: I've followed Big Sky basketball since its inception and have a high regard for Weber State hoops).
Arguments for/against fan support of school teams MUST be universally considered in any argument. While Weber State men's basketball has the best fan support in the Big Sky by a margin... things change dramatically from there. Fan support for Montana sports -- in raw statistical numbers and in support per citizen averages (school/community etc.) are darn good. Hence, Everett has a pretty solid argument overall. Let's look at some basics:
Men’s Basketball
1. Weber State 59,993 6,666 - 9
2. Montana 41,020 3,729 - 11
3. Montana State 33,487 2,392 - 14
4. North Dakota 20,469 1,861 - 11
5. Southern Utah 20,215 2,022 - 10
6. Eastern Washington 17,876 1,375 - 13
7. Idaho 11,723 977 - 12
8. Idaho State 9,735 1,391 - 7
9. Northern Colorado 9,744 1,083 - 9
10. Northern Arizona 8,804 880 - 10
11. Sacramento State 7,576 756 - 10
12. Portland State 5,511 501 - 11
YEP, Weber State ranks far ahead of the Big Sky. But what about women's basketball?
Big Sky Women’s Basketball Attendance -- 2016-17
1. Montana 34,071 -- 2621
2. North Dakota 19,935 -- 1661
3. Montana State 15,111 -- 1511
4. Weber State 12,217 -- 1018
5. Northern Colorado 12,037 -- 1003
6. Eastern Washington 10,106 -- 856
7. Idaho State 9,619 -- 874
8. Southern Utah 6,751 -- 614
9. Northern Arizona 4,075 -- 370
10. Sacramento State 4,699 -- 492
11. Idaho 3,865 -- 483
12. Portland State 1,874 -- 234
So far this season the results show Montana's averages -- despite its low standing in the Big Sky -- well ahead of every other school in the Big Sky. WHAT IF we combined the averages for women's and men's basketball?
Big Sky Conference 2016-17-- ALL BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE
1. Montana 75,091
2. Weber State 72,210
3. Montana State 45,598
4. North Dakota 40,404
5. Eastern Washington 27,982
6. Southern Utah 26,966
7. Northern Colorado 21,781
8. Idaho 15,588
9. Idaho State 13,600
10. Northern Arizona 12,879
11. Sacramento State 12,275
12. Portland State 7,385
So, am I manipulating statistics unfairly to Montana's advantage? Well, what it shows is that the UM and the city of Missoula support its two basketball teams far better than most other teams in the Big Sky, with Weber State a close second. However, the argument should NOT stop there, if we're comparing how schools and communities support their teams. We could add attendance figures for soccer, women's basketball and softball and I'll bet (couldn't find accurate attendance figures) that Montana would surge even farther ahead of the remainder of the Big Sky (average per. game attendance for UM soccer was 359 per game compared to WSU's 260). I heard, at one point, that UM volleyball attendance was over 400 per game.
Of course, we haven't thrown-in average football attendance figures.
What these stats prove is that the University of Montana -- despite having one of the lowest student enrollments in the Big Sky -- receives overwhelming fan support when compared to the rest of the Big Sky. I also believe that UM, if it joined the Mountain West for instance (I know... a long shot at best) would compete pretty well, on average, in men's and women's basketball. I'm not certain about football. A lot of wild conjecture, but not on one point: Everett has made a strong argument for Montana to consider a move out of the Big Sky over the years. Or, more realistically, the Big Sky Conference should probably look at some form of restructuring in the near future... one that recognizes travel schedule, facilities, fan support, competitiveness. That's my argument.
great post