_ .r w 1 0 W Thursday, November 11, 1999 -Tipoff 4B - The Michigan Daily - Tipoff'99 - Thursday, November 11, 1999 Edited and managed by students atth e University of Michigan UMig A~t a Dafi HEATHER KAMINS Editor in Chief JEFFREY KOSSEFF DAVID WALLACE Editorial Page Editors Coach:J ena e D'Crispin brothers main act for Nitta 420 Maynard Ann Arbor, MI Street 48109 Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All of her articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily Last season: 5-11 Big Ten (T-9th), 13-14 overall Key returners: Sr. F Jarrett Stephens, Jr. G Titus Ivory,;Jr. G Joe Crispin, Jr. F Gyasi Cline-Heard mag ine the Wolverine and Spartan basketball teams going down to the wire in a close game. The building rocks and sways as cheers reverberate off the walls. Studentssit so close to the action their chants and cheers pound the opposing players' ears. They're almost on the court, and maybe they have the power of a sixth man. Now think where they're playing. The Breslin Center in East Lansing? Probably. But with a few seating changes, Crisler Arena could provide the same winning atmosphere. It certainly doesn't now. On the short list of worst college sports venues, Crisler Arena ranks near the top. Seats keep fans too far away from the court - especially behind the baskets. Shallow terracing lets would-be crowd noise drift to the darkened rafters high above the court. Until a recent whitewashing of the inside walls, Crisler used natural cement hues to off- set the upper bowl's vomit-yellow ring of chairs. Perhaps these problems went unnoticed because Crisler's dim lighting scheme fits more with a playhouse than a college basketball arena. But how does anyone know this is a collegiate sports arena? College stu- dents certainly play the game on the court, but where are they in the stands? On television, the students appear to surround the court, but this is simply an illusion the Michigan Athletic Ticket office creates. This season, the 944 stu- dent season ticket holders sit in the three sections behind Michigan's bench: two. three and 59. Instead of the more desirable center court, a majority of these seats fall behind the Michigan The sixth man Students call flagrant foul on Crisler seating bench and extend upward toward the upper bowl. Even when ticket sales were 'booming, much of the student seating extended back from the action rather than across the length of the court. This is Crisler Arena's greatest problem. Students shouldsit along most of the court - they provide the greatest excitement in any arena. Just ask the players. "A couple of years ago we only had like 150 students (around the court), but they expanded it to almost 1,000. You can barely even hear yourself talking," said Michigan State University senior forward Morris Peterson. "I think it was great. It was like a sixth man for us." At Big Ten media day on Oct. 31, many of the conference's marquis play- ers echoed Peterson's sentiment. Having students surround the court, they say, impacts the game while creating a fun atmosphere. "Nothing to take away from the alumni, because I love them, but they just sit there. They'll clap and they'll get excited, but it's not the same as when you've got students students standing on the sides," Penn State University guard Joe Crispin said. "Students want to go to games and get crazy." But the student seating issue goes deeper than college students "getting crazy." Students deserve to sit nearest their peers on the court. Michigan prides itself on academic and athletic armony. Why should the Athletic Department indirectly bar current stu- dents from best supporting current stu- dent athletes? Crisler Arena can and must physical- ly change to improve student seating. Giving priority to current students will create a deservedly entertaining atmos- phere for fans and a supportive and spir- ited environment for the team. At the moment, sections two, three, six, nine, 26, 29, 32, 33, 36, 39, 40, 56 and 59 contain seven rows of retractable seating flanking either sideline of the court. Athletic officials must work to place student seating in each of these areas. Of course, there are certain prob- lems that must be addressed. First, the administration must stand up to and relocate alumni season ticket holders. Second, students tend to stand during the game, obstructing the view for many fans. On the latter point, Crisler Arena's structure facilitates a change. General admission bleachers, purposely set lower than the current arrangement, should replace the retractable seats and conquer the problem of obstructed views. Much like Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium, students could then stand wherever they want in the bleacher section without affecting other fans' views. Crisler's current design already provides cement parti- tions separating these sections from assigned seating. On the former, only the Athletic Department can choose to face moving alumni further from the court. Penn State University recently dealt with the same problem: When the Nittany Lions moved to their new facility in 1995, stu- dents initially occupied the best seating. But their tendency to stand outraged alumni, and the following season stu- dents found themselves moved to the corners. But recently, Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley success- fully lobbied to return students to the best seats. Upset alumni received seat- ing on the floor in front of the student section, at no additional cost. Strong voices within the Athletic Department can make changes to benefit students while keeping alumni satisfied. Similar plans gaiving the best seating to students have been executed, though not often. "We're one of the few arenas where students have the lower, lower bowl around the wholetcourt," Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo said. "Most of the coaches I've talked to would like to see it get that way in their arena. "I foveour administrationa lot cred- it for having the courage to stand up for the students rather than for the money, because that's about what it amounts to." University students should demand the same courage from the Athletic Department. That's the first step in putting the words "collegiate" and "bas- ketball" back together. Losses:, 3 G Dan Earl, C Calvin Booth (41,5 per- cent of offense) If any college basketball team knows a way to fuel up for the season, it's the Nittany Lions. Penn State opened its exhibition season against Marathon Oil this past Tuesday, but coach Jerry Dunn's squad will be hard-pressed not to run out of gas when the Big Ten season rolls around. The Lions' have enough big men on campus to closely resemble a basketball roster, in 6-10 Marcus Banta and 7-0 Scott Witkowsky, but they lost 41.5 per- cent of last year's scoring punch in guard Dan Earl and center Calvin Booth. Penn State also lost guard Greg Grays, who transferred to Detroit. "I don't think this is a year where we should set low expectations," said Dunn, always the optimist. "We're a more ath- letic team than we've been in a while, so we're going to take advantage of that and do things that should give us easier bas- kets." To Dunn's credit, powerful forward Jarrett Stephens from Ferndale will roar again in Happy Valley this season. Stephens redshirted last year after scor- ing 13.9 points and grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game as a junior, when Penn State went to the NIT champi- onship game. Joe Crispin is the other Nittany Lion who has proven he can score. The sopho- more guard hit for 14.3 points per game last season and became the first Penn State player in a decade to score 25 points in consecutive games, splitting the backcourt with All-Big Ten guard Dan Earl. Bringing the ball up the court this year i re! dr ftc Non-conference tests: Clemson Dec. 1, at Temple Dec. 22 Make or break: Where will Penn State go without a clear-cut leader like the ones the Nittany Lions have had in the past, like Dan Earl, Calvin Booth and Pete Lisicky? USED: DESKS " CHAIRS COMPUTERS 1 *!m Electronic Goodies * Lab Equipment Cabinets " Refrigerators * And More Plymouth Rd. | cL.. Monday Tues.-Thur. Friday Noon-S:SSpm Noon-3:55pm 7:30-Il :3Oam t~ N C 0 I0El Baxter 764-2470 'I Ce~0 I f you attend a men's basketball game, you can expect Crisler Arena to have a significant number of empty seats. The average ticket sale rate is 76 per- cent per game, but attendance is much lower because manyaticketholders don't show up. This is pathetic for a school with 12 Big Ten basketball champi- onships. To increase game attendance, the Athletic Department must focus on the core of the University community- the students. Byoffering free tickets to every student on a first-come, first- serve basis, the Athletic Department would spark interest in a sport that receives inadequate student attention. Michigan is 10th in the Big Ten in bas- ketball attendance per game. This is the same school that has the largest football stadium in the country - one that sells out every game. As of press time, only 944 students applied for basketball tickets -- a far cry from the 6,000-plus student appli- cants in the heyday of the Fab Five. Even the 1997-98 season had 2,200 student tick- et applicants. Granted, the basketball program has changed. The Ed Martin booster scandal tainted the public perception of the bas- ketball program, with scandalous head- lines dominating local sports sections. Anddthe basketball team's perfor- mance doesn't compare to the Fab Five's near-perfect record. Last year's record was 12-19. At best, the team's situation to date has been mediocre. But there'sogreat potential. Brian Ellerbe replaced Steve Fisher, who was coach throughout many of the alleged Drop the charges Free student tickets would spark interest scandalous incidents. Our basketball team has new leadership with his first recruiting class - a group of five out- standing freshmen. This could recreate the basketball game as a center of cam- pus social life. The first step the Athletic Department should take in this recreation is offering free basketball tickets to students. The $100 charge for student tickets is an unnecessary obstacle. It discourages students from becoming interested in basketball. Current students weren't around for the Fab Five - Ed Martin is one of the only basketball-related names they've heard. For most students, $100 is tough to scrape together, so why should they spend it on basketball tick- ets? Looking at the other side of the bal- ance sheet, the ticket charge doesn't matter much to the Athletic Department's financial well-being. This year, it-will collect $94,400 from stu- dent season ticket fees. That's peanuts to a department with a budget of about $50 million. Student involvement is far more important than a paltry amount of money. The department would reap some financial benefits from the increased amount of attendees. The highly-priced concession sales would surely rise, along with attendance. Students already a the University tens of thousands o fdollars in tuition and Housing fees. While their tuition doesn't go to the Athletic Department, why should they have to pay to see their classmates play basketball? Given cur- rent attendance rates, the Athletic Department simply cannot justify the student charge. Student attendance could help the team improve its performance. There are few things that improve a team's spirit more than an arena filled with screaming fans. And few fans are more enthusiastic than students. Imagine what would happen to the football team if they played in a half-empty and quiet Big House. Basketball games are scheduled throughout the week, making it difficult for students to block out timetto attend every game. Transportation is scarce after the night games -- most buses have already stopped running. Season tickets often seem like a waste of money. If a student only attends seven games, she's spent about $14 a game. If the University dropped the ticket charge, students wouldn't be as concerned about attend- ing every game. Other universities provide free stu- dent tickets, and their basketball pro- grams haven't collapsed. Duke University, which has one of the best basketball programs in the country, doesn't charge it'sstudents to attend basketball games. There's been excess demand for tickets, with students wait- ing in line for days. We would welcome that problem. We can't picture someone waiting three minutes, let alone three days, to pay $100 for Michigan basketball tickets. If the free tickets created excess demand, there would be many ways to handle it. Students could give priority to the games they'd like 'to attend most, and class ranking would decide who received tickets to the most demanded games. But excess demand isn't a big con- cern right now. The Athletic Department should concentrate on lack of student demand. The Michigan basketball pro- gram is a student sport. The key word is "student." When only 944 .students out of more than 37,000 buy tickets to bas- ketball games, we begin to question the importance of basketball to the student body. To reclaim its identity as a student sport, the basketball program must do all it can to attract students. Increased student attendance is the best way to motivate the basketball team. Basketball could once again be a focal point of campus life: Dropping the charges would be one of the most effective ways to bring students into the House that Cazzie Built. IV ENTERTAINMENT ~ 11101 Singers Singer/Dancers Musicians DJ.s PEANUTSTM Costume Characters KalaazoMichia Wednesd aNoveber 17,19 W ystern MgnUvest Dalon entr Lbb Auditions: 3:00- 5:30 p.m. Ann Arbor, Michigan n Ur ivsiy ofMchiga The Michigan Union- Audtins2.Welker Room Ain2 - -p Lansing, Michigan Friday, November 19,1999 MichiganStateUniversity Kellogg Hotel &Conference .tCenterAuditorium Auditions:630 - 8:30p.m. POSITIONS ALSO AVAILABLE Costume Shop Personnel Technicians Assistant Choreographer Call (419) 627-2390 for further information For additional sites or information contact Cedar Point Uve Entertainment P.O. Box 5006 Sandusky, OH 44871-5006 (419) 627-2390 www.cedarpoint.com Men's & women's Natural by Havana Joe. WarFunctional! 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