Winning Basketball Helps Fill Area Gyms
Success on the Court Means Competition for Fans

By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 5, 2006

The phones inside the Georgetown ticket office started ringing the Monday following the Hoyas' thrilling upset of undefeated Duke. They've rarely stopped in the two weeks since.

"Everyone was all of a sudden interested," said Kim Frank, the director of marketing and ticket operations for the Georgetown athletic department. "Everything's been nonstop since."

In this crowded urban market, men's college basketball teams compete for fans not only against each other, but against the Wizards and Capitals, and even a vibrant high school basketball scene. But nothing draws fans like success, as the 17th-ranked Hoyas -- along with No. 10 George Washington and George Mason -- are finding out this season. All three teams are enjoying success on the court, and that is being reflected in the stands.

"No question there are many options," said Bob Zurfluh, an assistant athletic director (marketing and promotions) at George Washington. "Your thirst for basketball can be resolved in a lot of different ways."

In its fourth season at Comcast Center, Maryland continues to set the standard in the area, attendance-wise, but the Terps are far from alone in their popularity. Consider last Saturday: Georgetown played at noon, and George Washington, George Mason and American all tipped off at 2 p.m. Georgetown drew 12,016 fans, its second-largest crowd of the season, to MCI Center. George Washington (sellout of 5,000), George Mason (6,627) and American (1,863) each played before their biggest crowds of the season. And all four home teams won.

"That just goes to show you that this is a very strong college basketball, or basketball, market," Zurfluh said. "But with all these programs -- pro, college, high school -- you really need that extra ink to get on people's radar screens. There's so much going on in this area, it's difficult to separate yourself unless you do have that exposure."

The Colonials, who have the area's best record (17-1) and highest ranking (10th), certainly don't suffer from a lack of exposure. But it's only been in the last three weeks that attendance at Smith Center has picked up. The Colonials are averaging 4,200 fans over the past three games, nearly 1,500 more than they were during the first seven games of the season.

Attendance lagged during the Colonials' nonconference schedule -- which featured opponents such as Kennesaw State and Florida International -- and the school's winter break. GW expects to draw anywhere from 1,600 to 2,000 students per game, which means that when the students aren't on campus, attendance suffers.

"We need to do more marketing during the times when the students are on holiday," Zurfluh said. Now that the students are back, Zurfluh expects Smith Center to be close to capacity for the rest of the season.

George Mason (16-5) entered the weekend tied for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association and is making a case for an at-large NCAA tournament berth, but the Patriots labor in the shadows of their nationally-ranked neighbors.

"That does create a bit of a challenge," said Andy Ruge, an associate athletic director of marketing and external affairs at George Mason. "But just think about how many people watch college basketball in this area -- that's just awesome. When you put on a good product, people are going to come. I think that's why we did so well [last Saturday]. We're not ranked in the top 25, but people heard we're a good team."

The Patriots are averaging 600 more fans than they were at this point a year ago, and they still have some of their biggest draws -- a homecoming game against Towson and a game against James Madison -- left on their schedule. The athletic department has set an attendance goal of 5,000 fans per game, which would place it among the top 100 schools nationally.

"Our market is Northern Virginia," George Mason Athletic Director Tom O'Connor said. "We want to be Northern Virginia's team."

Georgetown, like other area schools, targets its alumni. But the Hoyas -- who play in what is considered by many to be the best conference in the country, the Big East -- also want to attract the regular sports fan. Georgetown has been more aggressive in its advertising, using signs on buses for the first time, and has offered different kinds of discounts to get fans into the building with the hope that they'll return.

"This is a basketball town. Our prices aren't that outrageous," Frank said. "We wanted to try to get the sports fan in the D.C. area that was sitting there thinking, 'Where do I go?' We have $15 tickets in the lower level that you can buy."

The Hoyas, in some ways, face the biggest challenge: Not only does Georgetown have a smaller undergraduate population (6,100) than George Washington or George Mason, but it is also the only area team that does not play on campus. Instead, the Hoyas play nearly all of their home games at MCI Center, a 20,000-seat NBA arena.

Georgetown has sold out MCI Center only twice since moving there in 1997, both times against top-ranked Duke (in 2004 and 2006). The Hoyas have never averaged enough fans to fill even the roughly 12,000 seats in the lower bowl. They are averaging 9,000 fans at MCI Center this season, which is nearly 1,100 more than at this point last year.

The upper deck of the arena was closed last season, a move designed to keep the fans together and create a louder environment closer to the court. Last week, they had to open the upper deck against Cincinnati because of the number of walk-up tickets sold. It will be open for today's game against No. 9 Pittsburgh, as well as for games against No. 11 West Virginia (Feb. 12) and Syracuse (Feb. 25).

Frank credits Hoya Blue, a student spirit organization, with helping to change the formerly sterile atmosphere inside MCI Center. More students are coming to the games, which makes for a more raucous atmosphere and a better experience for everyone at the game.

"Fans in general go off the student section," said Frank, who speaks almost daily with junior Kurt Muhlbauer, the president of Hoya Blue.

Students at Georgetown -- unlike those at George Mason and George Washington, who just have to flash their student IDs to gain entrance to a game -- have to buy tickets to games, and the school provides free buses from campus to the arena.

Muhlbauer, along with fellow Hoya Blue board members Stephen Medlock and Thomas Ryan, spearheaded a season ticket drive that began back in August, when they specifically went after newly arrived freshmen. They continued to sell tickets throughout the fall.

As a result, more than 1,000 student season tickets were sold before the season even began -- easily the highest total since the team moved to MCI Center. The student section, which is located behind each basket, is entirely sold out for today's game, just as it was for Duke and Cincinnati.

The win over Duke -- which set off a frenzied, floor-storming celebration by the students -- changed everything.

"I told the guys as we set up for the Duke game, 'If we win this one, it makes our job easier,' " Ryan said. "We won't have to do anything. But of course we will."

Hoya Blue still sends e-mails to the 1,030 students on its list to let them know about upcoming games. Coach John Thompson III e-mailed the students following the Duke game to thank them for their support, but also to remind them that their presence was needed the following week against Cincinnati. Frank is figuring out ways to convince young alumni to buy tickets for the St. John's game on Feb. 9, which starts at 9 p.m.

"Winning is the bottom line, and when you're winning, you have to capitalize off of it," Frank said. "Make it fun with the winning, and give people a reason to come back. Even if we lose, when we lose, I don't think it's going to kill the excitement."