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No fans and plenty of empty seats
Before last Saturday's Wolf Pack football and homecoming at Mackay Stadium, many of the seats remained unclaimed, even 15 minutes before game time.
As the game progressed, more fans trickled in, not the hordes of Pack fans who would normally have stormed the gates 10 years ago.
Attendance began to decline eight years ago and reached epidemic status last year.
This year attendance needs resuscitation.
When the homecoming attendance of 11,584 fans was announced, a small gasp reverberated in the press box.
Sad, isn't it? Less than 12,000 fans attended a homecoming game on a picturesque October afternoon, the one special event where the mighty Silver and Blue alums return by the carloads to Reno to renew old acquaintances, knock back a few beers and then attend the game.
Except for the UNLV game last month, attendance has hovered in the low to mid teens. Heck, more than 14,000 rabid fans attend a high school football game in Plano, Tex., on a Friday night.
The scene during Saturday's Nevada-Idaho game does not speak well for the northern Nevada community. Any sports writer in the press box could have catapulted a boulder to the east bleachers and would have had a 75 percent chance of NOT hitting a fan.
Coach Chris Ault had two thoughts about the attendance. The first one could be read on his forehead and through facial expressions. The other came in words.
"Playing consistent football at home. Taking care of number one and that is winning at Mackay Stadium," he said.
Ault said the program began to lose its hard-core fan base in the late 1990s when the Pack began to experience some losing seasons. Attendance woes have continued to plague Mackay in this millennium because the Wolf Pack has not had a winning season.
Yes, my devoted fans, our fairweather fans have flown the coop and cannot be found. But that's typical, and Ault should know it.
Northern Nevada fans have a reputation for not supporting college, semi-pro or professional sports teams in the Truckee Meadows.
When a program begins to win, then all the "new fans" jump on the band wagon.
Want proof? This scenario has played out twice in two years with the Wolf Pack basketball program.
Remember last year when the crowd in December averaged 7,000? When it appeared the Pack could win the WAC, then Lawlor Events Center became inundated with 10,000 - sometimes 11,000 fans.
That doesn't always happen.
The womens' volleyball program wins regularly and has advanced to the NCAA playoffs every year for the past four.
Yet, the team is lucky to see 500 people cheering for them in the old gym.
Now, back to Saturday's game at Mackay ...
The Pack is undefeated and so is the team's next opponent, Louisiana Tech.
It sure would be nice to see some of those long lost fans attend the game. The university's athletic department could give you directions in case you forgot how to navigate North Virginia Street.
Then, after the game, our fans could take a short walk to see volleyball.
We'll see you for post-homecoming Saturday. Perhaps, that's the new trend in Pack support.
Steve Ranson can be contacted at sranson@lahontanvalleynws.com
Before last Saturday's Wolf Pack football and homecoming at Mackay Stadium, many of the seats remained unclaimed, even 15 minutes before game time.
As the game progressed, more fans trickled in, not the hordes of Pack fans who would normally have stormed the gates 10 years ago.
Attendance began to decline eight years ago and reached epidemic status last year.
This year attendance needs resuscitation.
When the homecoming attendance of 11,584 fans was announced, a small gasp reverberated in the press box.
Sad, isn't it? Less than 12,000 fans attended a homecoming game on a picturesque October afternoon, the one special event where the mighty Silver and Blue alums return by the carloads to Reno to renew old acquaintances, knock back a few beers and then attend the game.
Except for the UNLV game last month, attendance has hovered in the low to mid teens. Heck, more than 14,000 rabid fans attend a high school football game in Plano, Tex., on a Friday night.
The scene during Saturday's Nevada-Idaho game does not speak well for the northern Nevada community. Any sports writer in the press box could have catapulted a boulder to the east bleachers and would have had a 75 percent chance of NOT hitting a fan.
Coach Chris Ault had two thoughts about the attendance. The first one could be read on his forehead and through facial expressions. The other came in words.
"Playing consistent football at home. Taking care of number one and that is winning at Mackay Stadium," he said.
Ault said the program began to lose its hard-core fan base in the late 1990s when the Pack began to experience some losing seasons. Attendance woes have continued to plague Mackay in this millennium because the Wolf Pack has not had a winning season.
Yes, my devoted fans, our fairweather fans have flown the coop and cannot be found. But that's typical, and Ault should know it.
Northern Nevada fans have a reputation for not supporting college, semi-pro or professional sports teams in the Truckee Meadows.
When a program begins to win, then all the "new fans" jump on the band wagon.
Want proof? This scenario has played out twice in two years with the Wolf Pack basketball program.
Remember last year when the crowd in December averaged 7,000? When it appeared the Pack could win the WAC, then Lawlor Events Center became inundated with 10,000 - sometimes 11,000 fans.
That doesn't always happen.
The womens' volleyball program wins regularly and has advanced to the NCAA playoffs every year for the past four.
Yet, the team is lucky to see 500 people cheering for them in the old gym.
Now, back to Saturday's game at Mackay ...
The Pack is undefeated and so is the team's next opponent, Louisiana Tech.
It sure would be nice to see some of those long lost fans attend the game. The university's athletic department could give you directions in case you forgot how to navigate North Virginia Street.
Then, after the game, our fans could take a short walk to see volleyball.
We'll see you for post-homecoming Saturday. Perhaps, that's the new trend in Pack support.
Steve Ranson can be contacted at sranson@lahontanvalleynws.com
