patmc16
11-21-2004, 12:27 AM
Kentucky Colonels 112 - Motown Jammers 95
Well, I made it to the U of M - Dearborn field house for the Jammers inaugural game tonight. I was only half expecting them to actually play. I arrived 10 minutes before game time to a parking lot with about 50 cars in it. I still wasn't holding out much hope. Only later did I find out that the UMD hockey team had a game on the other side of the field house tonight against Iowa State and many of the cars were there for them. They did play the game. I took several pictures to document the event.
THE CROWD:
I sat on one side the first half and the other the second, so I have pictures of the entire crowd. The seating was all general admission. In the picture of the bench side seats, which I took halfway through the second quarter, I count 80 fans. In the other side picture, which I took halfway through the 3rd quarter, I count 92 fans. Then, of course, there is me on the opposite side in both pictures. That gives a grand total of 173 paying customers. Figure a few were roaming around or in the bathroom or something and I will say there were almost 200 total. I would expect the first game of the season to have higher than average attendance. If that is true, they are in real trouble already. I'm surprised that many showed, without the team being marketed at all. My prediction was 100 - 150.
THE VENUE:
I had never been to the UMD Field House before. Sadly, it is not even close to a venue that a "professional" team should call home. The Detroit Dogs played in Cobo Arena their first season. Cobo was the home of the Pistons for many years until the Pontiac Silverdome was built. I have seen far nicer high school gyms. The seating was all pull out bleachers, no actuals seats. The "seats" were indicated with black magic marker lines drawn on the board. I would estimate the capacity at a little under 1,000. There is no end seating at all, just a large curtain at each end to section off that side of the fieldhouse. The floor appears to be painted concrete. I know for sure it wasn't wood. The concessions (1 window) were in the hall between the basketball game and the hockey game on the other side, which leads me to believe it wasn't run by the team. Maybe they get a percentage???? There was a folding table set up to sell souvenirs which they originally announced were hats and t-shirts. Turns out there were no hats. They revised the announcement later in the game. One thing that really bothered me was that they didn't play the National Anthem before the game, unless they played it more than 10 minutes before the start.
THE GAME:
Once I knew that there would be a game, I had hoped it would be good. What it was, was 48 minutes of the sloppiest basketball I have ever seen. There was one technical goof. At one point, early in the game, the shot clock buzzer went off maybe 10 seconds after Kentucky took possession. Someone, either on the bench or a ref (I'm not sure which) yelled "keep going." The players were confused and it resulted in a Kentucky turnover. Through the rest of the game there was an assortment of missed passes, kicked balls, missed shots and general bad basketball that you might expect from 2 teams that were thown together in the last week or so. Neither team had much of an inside game. There were a ton of 3 point attempts. Some went in, which is why the score was as high as it was. I spoke briefly to one of the assistant coaches after the game (at least I think he was and asst coach as he was on the bench during the game). He asked me how I liked the game. I said it was "OK". He said "we could have played better." I didn't have the heart to agree with him to his face. I also asked him when there would be a website so I could get a schedule, without weeding through the one on the league site. He said there "would be one soon." Funny, that's what they said about 2 months ago.
All in all, it was better than I expected but not as good as I had hoped. I give them credit for actually taking the floor but, if all they can draw is 200 to their inaugural game, what will the crowds be like in the future? The asst. coach asked me if I'd be back tomorrow. I told him I couldn't make it. He looked dissapointed. When the crowd is that small, I guess every person counts.
Sadly, I don't see this franchise making it through the season. I hope I am wrong, but I really don't think I am.
Well, I made it to the U of M - Dearborn field house for the Jammers inaugural game tonight. I was only half expecting them to actually play. I arrived 10 minutes before game time to a parking lot with about 50 cars in it. I still wasn't holding out much hope. Only later did I find out that the UMD hockey team had a game on the other side of the field house tonight against Iowa State and many of the cars were there for them. They did play the game. I took several pictures to document the event.
THE CROWD:
I sat on one side the first half and the other the second, so I have pictures of the entire crowd. The seating was all general admission. In the picture of the bench side seats, which I took halfway through the second quarter, I count 80 fans. In the other side picture, which I took halfway through the 3rd quarter, I count 92 fans. Then, of course, there is me on the opposite side in both pictures. That gives a grand total of 173 paying customers. Figure a few were roaming around or in the bathroom or something and I will say there were almost 200 total. I would expect the first game of the season to have higher than average attendance. If that is true, they are in real trouble already. I'm surprised that many showed, without the team being marketed at all. My prediction was 100 - 150.
THE VENUE:
I had never been to the UMD Field House before. Sadly, it is not even close to a venue that a "professional" team should call home. The Detroit Dogs played in Cobo Arena their first season. Cobo was the home of the Pistons for many years until the Pontiac Silverdome was built. I have seen far nicer high school gyms. The seating was all pull out bleachers, no actuals seats. The "seats" were indicated with black magic marker lines drawn on the board. I would estimate the capacity at a little under 1,000. There is no end seating at all, just a large curtain at each end to section off that side of the fieldhouse. The floor appears to be painted concrete. I know for sure it wasn't wood. The concessions (1 window) were in the hall between the basketball game and the hockey game on the other side, which leads me to believe it wasn't run by the team. Maybe they get a percentage???? There was a folding table set up to sell souvenirs which they originally announced were hats and t-shirts. Turns out there were no hats. They revised the announcement later in the game. One thing that really bothered me was that they didn't play the National Anthem before the game, unless they played it more than 10 minutes before the start.
THE GAME:
Once I knew that there would be a game, I had hoped it would be good. What it was, was 48 minutes of the sloppiest basketball I have ever seen. There was one technical goof. At one point, early in the game, the shot clock buzzer went off maybe 10 seconds after Kentucky took possession. Someone, either on the bench or a ref (I'm not sure which) yelled "keep going." The players were confused and it resulted in a Kentucky turnover. Through the rest of the game there was an assortment of missed passes, kicked balls, missed shots and general bad basketball that you might expect from 2 teams that were thown together in the last week or so. Neither team had much of an inside game. There were a ton of 3 point attempts. Some went in, which is why the score was as high as it was. I spoke briefly to one of the assistant coaches after the game (at least I think he was and asst coach as he was on the bench during the game). He asked me how I liked the game. I said it was "OK". He said "we could have played better." I didn't have the heart to agree with him to his face. I also asked him when there would be a website so I could get a schedule, without weeding through the one on the league site. He said there "would be one soon." Funny, that's what they said about 2 months ago.
All in all, it was better than I expected but not as good as I had hoped. I give them credit for actually taking the floor but, if all they can draw is 200 to their inaugural game, what will the crowds be like in the future? The asst. coach asked me if I'd be back tomorrow. I told him I couldn't make it. He looked dissapointed. When the crowd is that small, I guess every person counts.
Sadly, I don't see this franchise making it through the season. I hope I am wrong, but I really don't think I am.