CraSch |
10-24-2018 09:37 AM |
Almost anyone can draw a ton of fans when they are doing well. The real test of fan support is when things aren't going well. Dayton still averaged just under 10K a couple of times in the lean years of the 1990's. So even when only winning 4 games, Dayton still drew almost 10k. The question is, where are all the Pitt fans after a few years of struggle? Most are impersonating empty seats. Why? Many factors, such as city dynamic, Pitt sports being #4 in the city (behind Stillerz, Penguins, Pirates), etc. But they do exist when they are winning.
With that said, if Duquesne somehow suddenly became nationally relevant and it lasted a few years, I believe they would be able to sell out a 5K arena, no matter what the city dynamic is, because many fans are bandwagon jumpers and leap on when they see a winner. Duquesne's issue is, can they overcome all their issues, from being number 6 (at best, maybe even lower, but behind Stillerz, Penguins, Pirates, Panther basketball, Panther football) in their city, being the number 2 school, etc. I don't see it happening, but if somehow they did, the fans would start appearing. It's human nature to follow the winners. Dayton fans are somewhat unique in their loyalty no matter how the program is doing....of course, we want/expect greatness, but we stay loyal through the downtimes, most fans and fanbases do not.
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