Yi 'A fw, ;i AOL 0 0 0 6B - The Michigan Daily T-poff'99 - Thursday, November 11, 1999 The ticket problem - by the numbers Here are the sales for Michigan men's basket- ball student season ticket sales.:The data include overall ticket applicants, season and split-season packages sold.* Year Qverai Sason Split* 1992-93 4,542 1,678 2,870 1993-94 4,267 1,999 2,268 1994-95 3,905 2,455 1,450 1995-96 3,830 2,404 1,426 1996-97 2,796 2,796 0 1997-98 2,200 2,200 0 1998-99 712 712 0 1999-00 944 944 0 Seven Big Ten schools have a higher average atten- dance per game than Crisler has capacity (13,562). Here are the top Big Ten schools * in attendance for the 1998- 99 season. It has been called the tomb or a fine place for alumni to take a nap. Students are nonexistent, while football and hockey remain sold out. Left with a mess, Michigan can only hope to ... Just markets i By MARK FRANcEscuTTIE DAILY SPORTS WRITER School 1: Ohio State 2. Wisconsin 3. Indiana 4. Minnesota 5. Michigan St. 6. Iowa 7. Purdue 8. Illinois 9. Michigan' AttJgame 17,223 15,770 15,328 14,709 14,591 14,173 14,123 13,173 11,139 * 3,100 total student tickets are available for each game. **Split season gives students a half-year ticket package. DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS WANTED WE'RE LOOKING FOR AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO WANT TO TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES! * $25 FOR EVERY PHOTO THAT IS ACCEPTED AND OTHER GREAT INCENTIVES U DIGITAL CAMERA PROVIDED FOR NON-OWNERS FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ANNA AT (734) 395-9905 OR VIA EMAIL TO ANNA( LIGHTSURF.COM. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Easy Money $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Looking for some extra T Spending cash? > Work in a relaxed environment > A campus job so close it can't be more convenient! > Flexible schedules around your classes $7 per hour to start Plus Nightly Bonuses N T J O MICHIGAN TELEFUND 0 611 Church, 4th Floor 0 998-7420 Call for more info, Stop in fill out an application or Apply online! www.telefund.umich.edu $$$$$$$$$$$$$$,$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ At the beginning of the of the 90's, Michigan basketball was at its ighest peak. Coming off a national championship and into the Fab Five era it seemed like nothing could knock down the Maize and Blue from prominence. But, like Microsoft and Windows, Michigan couldn't hold on to its monop- oly forever. Rumors of the Wolverines swimming near violations burst out. And suddenly corruption and Ed Martin replaced black socks and baggy shorts in Michigan's basketball vocabulary. Recruiting suffered, as opposing coaches told high schoolers about the leper named "Michigan." The quality of basketball fell, drooping to a dismal 12- 19 record last season. And fans, espe- cially students, disappeared from Crisler Arena's seats. But as Michigan fell down into a val- ley, Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe looked up the hill for a way out. First, Ellerbe and his assistants did their part, bringing in a top-ranked recruiting class this season. With the product on the floor likely to improve, the only thing left is to bring back the fans that once rocked Crisler. And thanks to help from the market- ing section of the Michigan Athletic Department, the program is trying its best to increase student presence. THE TARGET: STUDENTS One of the biggest stereotypes of Crisler Arena has been its overwhelm- ing alumni presence. Students often trade jokes on how the alumni some- times sleep during games. Nevertheless, older Michigan fans don't provide near- ly the noise that rowdy students do. But the students line only three sec- tions in the arena, conveniently placed right where the tube-watching audience sees a student crowd going nuts. And even that group has slouched in recent years. The downfall is apparent, as student ticket sales show a sharp decline. Since the 1992-93 season, Michigan has dedicated 3,100 seats to students. More than 4,500 students applied for tickets that year, but the numbers have declined since - reaching only a dismal 712 last season. ATMOSPHERE IS KEY Critically acclaimed as the one of the best college sports atmospheres in the country, Yost Ice Arena doesn't look like anything special. The 75-year old building doesn't have flashy luxury boxes, comfortable seats or even a good furnace. But it does have the magic potion in creating a fan- friendly environment - great atmos- phere. Students line the entire bench-side portion of the arena, the band is loud and the fans are crazy. Hockey doesn't play the starring role at games - the fans do. Students come to yell "sieve" at the goalie, swear at a penalized opponent and cheer for a dancing band director. It's fun, it's exciting and one doesn't need to know their offsides from their hooking to understand what makes Yost so great. Then there's Crisler. And while bas- ketball soars over college hockey in tele- vision ratings and national popularity, Crisler falls behind in the student recog- nition department. Ellerbe knew he needed an answer. "Students are vital to our team's suc- cess," Ellerbe said. "We want the stu- dents to have a good time." Ellerbe and Michigan marketing director Tom Brooks, who was hired in July 1998, laid out a battle plan to bring the students back to Crisler. "We want to give students an identi- ty," Brooks said. "It's all about creating an atmosphere." FINDING THE STUDENTS' RAGE Brooks found an answer by borrow- ing an idea from many of Michigan's rivals, including his former employer - Georgia Tech. Creating a student cheering section was an easy decision after seeing stu- dent fan groups like the Cameron Crazies and the Izzone fill up their are- nas with a sound that could engulf oppo- nents. So this past January, the marketing department ordered 500 yellow T-shirts with "Maize Rage" printed on them, gave them to the small, but faithful, stu- dent crowd and watched the results. Students seemed pumped, and the noise level at Crisler became louder than usual. The splash of yellow made Crisler's usual darkness just a little bit brighter. "If Crisler was known as a place to go wild and have all this fun, I would buy more tickets," LSA senior Nick Katopol said. To make it that wild place and attract the casual student fan, the marketing department increased the Maize Rage influence this season by giving a free T- shirt to all student season-ticket holders. THE MARKETING MIRACLE Brooks knows that gimmicks win See CRISLER, Next page 9 1 1 AN ER/C GRILL & TAVERN- 30 Tap Beers Lunch $5-$9 Celebra te Victories! 80 Bottle Beers Entrees $7-$15 Satellite T.V. All Games 15 Mins. or Free Lunch Mon.-Fri. 11-3PM Carry Out Available I j Open everyday at 11:00AM Mon.-Thurs. until 12:00AM p Fri.-Sat. until 1:00AM s Sunday until 11:00PM 996-0996 1-94 at State Street Next to Briarwood Mall gold bond QUALITY DRY CLEANING & SHIRT SERVICE 332 Maynard (Across from Nickels Arcade) 668-6335 - - - -- ------~- ~ ~~--~----~~ ~ ~~ ~ - Bennigan' $5 Off Any 2 Entrees Not valid with any other offer. Expires 12/31/99 tmd