Blog - On One Hand Business... On the Other Hand Sports

Fans Find Better Things to Do than Watch Buffs Football

December 3, 2013November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

The primary goal of all Division I football teams is to put fannies in the seats and make donors want to contribute to the university.

The best way to accomplish this is to produce a winning team. The hard cold facts are that half the teams that play every Saturday are losers. Fans don’t support losing programs and Buffs football fans have found better things to do on Saturday afternoons than support the black and gold.

The Buffs finished the 2004 and 2005 seasons with 7-5 records. In 2004 they were 4-4 in the Big 12 and in 2005 they were 5-3. Oklahoma beat them 42-3 in the 2004 Big 12 Championships and Texas thumped them 70-3 the following year.

Many viewed these drubbings in the championships as a sign that CU was not capable of participating in the D1 football arms race without a sugar daddy. The CU administration viewed the losses differently. They used them as justification for hiring a new coach.

The Buffs football team has not had a winning season since 2005. Since then, they have had a 29-67 record, i.e. they have won only 30% of their games.

In 2011, the University of Colorado made a decision to move to the PAC 12 conference. Unfortunately the switch to a tougher conference did not positively impact the Buff’s performance on the field.

Their conference record for the past three seasons follows:

2011

2-7 conference record
Home win over Arizona and a road win against Utah.

2012

1-8 conference record
Road win over Washington State

2013

1-8 conference record.
Home win over California.

The points for/against Buffs football for the past three seasons follow:

2011

5 home games 127 points for 183 points against
4 away games 51 points for 193 points against
9 total games 178 points for 376 points against
For every point scored by the Buffs, the opponents scored 2.11 points

2012

5 home games 69 points for 221 points against
4 away games 86 points for 210 points against
9 total games 155 points for 431 points against
For every point scored by the Buffs, the opponents scored 2.78 points

2013

4 home games 106 points for 172 points against
5 away games 77 points for 226 points against
9 total games 183 points for 398 points against
For every point scored by the Buffs, the opponents scored 2.11 points

Most Buffs football fans supported CU’s move to the PAC 12, they are less supportive of the product being rolled out at Folsom Field. In the past three years, the Buffs have won 2 of 14 home games and been outscored 2 to 1.

The Buffs conference home attendance for the past three seasons follows:

2011

The Buffs were 1-4 at home in conference play.

9/10 49,532 California
10/1 51,928 Washington State
10/22 52,123 Oregon
11/4 50,083 Southern California
11/22 48,111 Arizona.

Average conference home attendance 50,355.

2012
The Buffs were 0-5 at home in conference play.

9/29 46,893 UCLA
10/11 45,161 Arizona State
10/27 44,138 Stanford
11/17 43,148 Washington
11/23 46,052 Utah.

Average conference home attendance 45,078.

2013
The Buffs were 1-3 at home in conference play.

10/5 45,944 Oregon
10/26 38,679 Arizona
11/16 38,252 California
11/23 36,005 Southern California.

Average conference home attendance 39,720.

Hopefully, the most recent change in coaches bodes well for the Buffs football program!

Lady Buffs Volleyball Makes Headway with Mix of In-State and Out-of-State Players

November 30, 2013June 30, 2014 horvath Leave a comment

The 2013 Lady Buffs Volleyball team posted its first winning season since 2006, by winning 17 matches and losing 13. In conference play, they were only 9-11; however, one of those wins included an upset of Washington, the eventual conference champion.

In 2006 the team was 17-12 overall and 12-8 in the Big 12 Conference. That year they were the only blemish on Nebraska’s record. The Cornhuskers were both Conference and National Champions.

The 2006 Lady Buffs featured a mix of talented out-of-staters (Alex Buth, Lauren Schaefer, Callie Webster, Ashley VenHorst, Austin Zimmerman, and Mallori Gibson) and Colorado residents:

Kaitlyn Burkett – Colorado Springs
Lara Bossow – Vail
Kristin Karlik – Colorado Springs
Amber Nu’u – Aurora
Ashley Nu’u – Aurora
Amber Sutherland – Glenwood Springs.
Nicole Edelman sets Nikki Lindow.

The team closed out the season with a loss to the Washington Huskies in the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament.

There have been six very long years for Buff fans and players between 2007 and 2012. Overall, they won 29.9% of their matches, 52-122. Their conference record was abysmal, 18-104; they won 14.8% of their matches.

Major contributors to the 2013 Lady Buffs team also included a mix of out-of-state players (Kerra Schroeder, Elysse Richardson, Alexis Austin, Joslyn Hayes, and Neira Ortiz Ruiz) and top Colorado players:

Emily Alexis – Brighton
Jessica Aschenbrenner – Denver
Nicole Edelman – Boulder
Kelsey English – Colorado Springs
Nikki Lindow – Erie
Cierra Simpson – Colorado Springs
Taylor Simpson – Colorado Springs

It is great to see a Colorado D1 program have success on and off the court, but it is even more special when it includes so many in-state players. Go Lady Buffs Volleyball!

Age Breakdown of Sports Participants

November 21, 2013November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

Recreation departments, sports manufacturers and retailers, coaching and trade associations, and athletic departments are interested in the age breakdown of sports participants. This information helps them develop customized equipment, services, programs, and coaching techniques to the sports participants in each age group. As well, age breakdown information provides valuable marketing insight that is used to promote goods, services, and the various sports.

The U.S. Statistical Abstract publishes sports participation levels by age groups using National Sporting Goods Association data. The 2012 publication provides 2009 NSGA information.

Key findings from the data show:

Soccer, baseball, basketball, and volleyball are predominantly youth sports.
Swimmers are split between two groups. Almost 42% are under 25 and about 45% are in the 25 to 54 age category.
Almost 57% of tennis players are in the 25 to 54 age group. A small percentage of tennis players are over the age of 55.
The breakdown of alpine skiers is similar to tennis; however, there are a higher percentage of older skiers than tennis players.
The sports of aerobic exercising, yoga, exercising with equipment, golf, and exercise walking have the highest percentage of older participants and the lowest percentage of youth participants. For each of these sports the percentage of participants in the 25 to 54 age category is between 54% and 65%.

sports participants

Sports Participation Rates by Gender

November 16, 2013November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

From a business perspective it is important to understand the breakdown of sports participation rates by gender. This information can be used for everything from developing equipment and coaching techniques that are gender specific to marketing goods and services to the players and teams.

The U.S. Statistical Abstract publishes sports participation rates by gender using National Sporting Goods Association data. The 2012 publication provides 2009 NSGA information.

Overall, the split between participants in all sports and leisure activities measured by NSGA is 49.1% male and 50.9% female. This is similar to the gender breakdown for the U.S. population.

The data shows the following sports have a higher percentage of male participants:

Baseball
Golf
Basketball
Alpine skiing
Soccer
Tennis.

On the other hand, the following sports have a higher percentage of female participants:

Exercising with equipment
Swimming
Volleyball
Exercise walking
Aerobic exercising
Yoga.

More current information will be available in the 2013 Statistical Abstract or it can be purchased from NSGA; however, variances from the 2009 data are likely to be minimal.

Volleyball No Longer a Sport for Less Athletic and Older Men

November 9, 2013July 6, 2014 horvath Leave a comment

In 1895 William Morgan invented the sport of volleyball to provide the less athletic and older male members of the YMCA with a sport that required a lower level of athleticism and effort. His intent was to give them an opportunity to participate in an activity that wasn’t as rough and rigorous as basketball. In his initial demonstration of the sport, Morgan played on a 6’6″ net with 5 players on each team.

In 1900, Spalding produced the first ball specific to the sport. Twenty years later the 3-hit and back row attack rules were put in place. Volleyball was first played as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo summer games in 1964. Since then the popularity of the sport has increased dramatically because of Title IX, which was passed in 1972. Today about 23% of adolescent girls play volleyball on an organized team.

Data produced by the National Sporting Goods Association shows that about 60% of the players are women and the majority of participants are younger players. When a comparison is made between the age categories for volleyball and all sports and leisure activities, it is evident volleyball participation drops off when players reaches their 30s.

In fact, 41.8% of players are between the ages of 7 and 17 and another 18.4% are between 18 and 24. Combined, slightly more than 60% of players are under the age of 25. At the other end of the spectrum only 4.3% of all volleyball players are 55 years or older.

The remainder, 35.5%, are between the ages of 25 and 54 years.

If William Morgan was alive today, he probably wouldn’t recognize the sport he invented and the demographics of its participants, but given the sport’s popularity and its original intent, that is probably a good thing.
volleyball

Is Tennis Really a Lifetime Sport?

November 3, 2013November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

For many years the tennis industry has marketed itself as a lifetime sport.

Data produced by the National Sporting Goods Association shows that about 28% of tennis players are juniors, 7 to 17 years in age.

Many stop playing when they graduate from high school or college and enter the workforce. Only about 9.0% of tennis players are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Once they become more settled they again pick up their racquets or start playing for the first time. Almost 57% of the players are between the ages of 25 and 54.

Only 7.0% of players are 55 years old or greater.

When a comparison is made between the age categories for tennis and all sports and leisure activities, it is apparent that tennis is not a lifetime sport. Essentially, fewer players participate when they reach their 50s.

Is tennis a lifetime sport? It is a great sport and it can be played long after a person graduates from high school or college. Given the data, it may be a stretch to call it a lifetime sport .

Beaver Fever?

October 28, 2013July 6, 2014 horvath Leave a comment

Members of Beaver Nation (Oregon State University) have an opportunity to purchase stylish wooden signs for display in their garages, man caves, and closets that say, “Beaver Fev beaver fever er”. (This is not to be confused with signs that say Beiber Fever in recognition of the teen heartthrob).

The “Beaver Fever” sign is reminiscent of the bumper stickers once prominently displayed on the backsides of Corvallis vehicles proclaiming, “I’ve got Beaver Fever.”

There are many reasons to vociferously support the Oregon State University Beavers, but some think it is odd to display a sign or bumper sticker touting a parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Giardia lamblia. Beaver Fever is the popular terminology for that disease.

On second thought, the pennant sporting Benny the Beaver might look better hanging on the wall!

Go Beavs!

Bowl Not Likely for CU Buffs!

October 23, 2013November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

Spin makes a bowling ball travel into the pocket for a strike, it makes a tennis serve curve into the court for an ace, and it allows media writers and sports information directors to say nice things when the home town team is losing.

Such was the case in Boulder this past weekend after the 3-3 CU Buffs downed Charleston Southern. The media reported, “3 more wins and the Buffs go bowling.”

The optimism was refreshing but, such foolishness belonged on the comics page.

Last year there was a chasm between the Buffs and their PAC-12 opponents. A year later the Golden Buffs have shown signs of improvement, but they still aren’t ready for Prime Time in the PAC 12.

Realistically, a respectable showing in the last six games will be great and a win against a solid PAC-12 team would be a major step forward. A road win would be stellar! Three wins are out of the picture. The Punch Bowl is the only bowl Chip and his football Buffs will see this season.

More importantly, the improving CU Buffs have not increased the number of fannies in the seats. After all, the financial bottom line is the most important part of major collegiate football programs. Go Buffs!

CU Buffs

Lady Buffs Volleyball Deserves Better Attendance!

October 17, 2013December 31, 2014 horvath Leave a comment

Historically, University of Colorado Lady Buffs volleyball fans have been spoiled. The lady spikers have been a member of the Big 8, Big 12, and PAC -12, arguably the best volleyball conferences in the country.

Most years the Buffs have fielded a competitive team, on occasion they have upended nationally ranked teams, and they have infrequently paid a visit to the NCAA championships.

Given the competitiveness of the program it seems only logical that attendance at home matches would be strong. Unfortunately, Boulder is a town that loves sports, but in the case of volleyball, the locals would rather play it than watch it.

A total of only 12,261 people attended all 10 home PAC-12 games during the 2012 season. By comparison, the record number of people to attend a single men’s basketball game is 11,363. The individual game attendance for 2012 was:

415 Utah
704 California
757 Washington State
712 Washington
3,117 Arizona State
2,851 Arizona
701 Oregon
607 Oregon State
1,257 UCLA
1,140 USC

In 2012, CU was 4-16 in PAC-12 play; however, they were very competitive at home, winning 4 of the 10 matches in the Foam Dome, aka the Coors Event Center.

Average attendance was 1,226 spectators per home PAC 12 game, including two extremely popular promotional nights (In the photo below players hand out goodies to fairies and princesses prior to a Halloween promotional game). Without the promotional nights average attendance was 787 people.

There are still plenty of opportunities in the 2013 season to watch the Buff spikers compete against the best teams in the country. Go Lady Buffs Volleyball!

Another Financially Draining Season for the CU Buffs

October 13, 2013November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

The CU Buffs natives are restless.

This past Saturday, the following conversation was heard between two University of Colorado football fans at the Flatirons Mall.

The first fan looked at his cell phone and said “I just received an update of the score for the game between Arizona State and CU. The Buffs are only down 47-6 at half.”

The second fan quipped “The Sun Devils will be starting the second string cheerleaders in the second half.”

To which the first fan responded, “It sounds like the second string cheerleaders might have started the game for ASU. Didn’t you hear me say that CU scored 6 points in the second quarter?”

It is going to be another long and financially draining football season for CU Athletics.