Ozone needs a spiritual revival. All it takes is a few great leaders.

Are there any current students on this board? Even 1?

Max count today in the "zone" 31 and I'm pretty sure two of those were a newly elected city councilman and his kid.

My wife and I were there for the opening game.
Figured the O-zone would be packed.

Nope,empty.

Thank goodness the 110 was there to make some noise.

Athletic department needs to do something about this quick. No students in 13,000 seat arena is about as bad a look as you can get. Need to get ‘em back in January.

I Agree. Athletics Dept FAIL!

It's just not the students - We have the same distractions as other institutions (and/or LESS here in rural Appalachia with 20K enrollment). Butts in seats is Athletics Dept MARKETING employees JOB!

All the Athletic Dept apparently knows how to do is put up Barriers all 'round the Convo (and some one is gettin' PAID for that).

Exactly. All of us on this board regularly attended most every game when we were students. If we don't have even 50 students in the current student base, how will we maintain a strong fan base while us old alumni die off? It's very scary.

It isn't just Ohio though. It is a huge problem facing college basketball (and really all sports). Remember the Cameron Crazies? Students used to have to camp out for weeks to get tickets. Now, although they still have some great leaders and an involved core, hundreds of seats sit empty.

I'm trying hard not to judge how these kids spend their free time, all I'm saying is it really makes me sad. I agree that the Athletics Dept can do more, but it isn't like they are doing less than they have in the past. They may be able to gimmick their way to a few hundred students showing up for tacos or something but the root of the problem is they just don't give a crap.

Are students still able to get in just by showing their ID?

You make a good point. I rarely missed a game, and now I'm willing to drive halfway across the state for a game 10-12 times a season (or more). I don't know what the best answers are, but the folks in ticketing and marketing inside The Convo should be asking questions on how to improve the situation.

Were it me, I'd start by wiping the slate clean of everything they do now, and ask people what they like and what gets them in the building. Send the end of season surveys right now. Get into the dining halls, and the businesses uptown that support Ohio Athletics today. I was in Jackie O's yesterday at 11:15am for lunch and beverages. Only 1 of the 3 people behind the bar even knew there was a game. I don't blame them if basketball isn't their thing, but it would seem to make sense that places that openly support Ohio Athletics are adorned with game schedules, etc.

Basketball is different than football, but there's no reason a basketball culture can't be embraced and supported like football is if the folks running the show make it happen.

The next and basic things I would do after asking questions:

1) Put some lights on the damn building. It's ridiculously dark for night games.

2) Put up some signage more than a 6 or 8 foot banner that might tell people when there are future games at The Convo. Not just men's basketball games, but the ladies, wrestling, volleyball as well.

3) Revisit the polices being used for security. Simply put, it's not fan friendly, and it's over kill. I'm fine with doing things for safety, but no one can argue against the fact that it's overkill, and no one can toot the safety horn loudly if the building is so dark during night games that I can't read signage until I'm ten feet away.

These are Basic things that frankly have been brought up in this forum before.

I don't think it's as easy as offering free stuff. Too many times, on giveaway days, as I'm walking in I am watching students with the free item or food walking out of the Convo before the game starts. They come, they get the free stuff, they leave.

I will never get used to college kids not going to football and basketball games. At OHIO or elsewhere. I assume that officially makes me an old fogey....

Agree ... I've been saying all of this for a few years. The Convo is no longer an intimidating place to play.

I sat next to an Iona assistant coach when I was flying back from LaGuardia a few weeks ago as they were flying to Ohio to face Bobcats. We talked a while .... and he was asking about the arena/fan support/etc.

I told him (sadly) that it shouldn't too great of an environment ... the students basically no-show and the arena is so cavernous that even when 6k show up ... it feels totally empty .... even though 6k would basically fill another MAC arena.

But back to the OZone ... it is a farce. I hated when they moved the 110 in there ... I liked it better when they were behind the basket ... but I understood the move. They needed to at least give the look that OZone had people in it.

The marketing for basketball/football/athletics in general is .... to put it bluntly ... bad.

There is no "buzz" when Ohio has football or basketball game uptown anymore. I was down there for Toledo football game ... should've been the biggest home game in years .... and it was a like a funeral procession to the stadium. I went from Jackie O's to Pub to Pigskin to Cats Eye and not one place had any sort of energy for the game. Was kind of sad. And then when you walked into the stadium you got a JV Thursday night feel. Truly depressing.

It's an epidemic in college sports ... especially at Ohio's level. Kids just don't look at athletics like "us old folks did when we were in college"

I don't have the answers ... but I will say the atmosphere at the Convo for a game rivals that of going to a movie at the Athena on a Monday night. It's brutal.

Totally agree on the darkness of the Convo from the outside ... you literally can't even tell it's there let alone know there is a game going on that night. Silly.

There has to be something that an entice the students to show up. Isn't that something they study in these sports marketing classes? I'd assume staying current on reaching fans is pretty big part of that, right?

I've said for years they need to cover the upper seats in the Convo with tarps. Force folks to move down and create a more intimate environment. You can take the tarps off for the big weekend games (Dads/Sibs wknd)

I think getting a facelift inside with a new scoreboard (hopefully ribbons around the arena) would help with the environment. Throw a couple coats of paint on the old girl and give her some life in the concourses. That grey/white paint scheme is old and boring ... just zero life to it.

I think what's also killed the interest level among young fans (college aged) ... is the ESPN-ization of college sports. If you aren't talked about on SportsCenter or ESPN ... it's almost like you're non-existent. Many of these kids grew up not hearing about Ohio basketball/football ... and they rarely hear anything about it because you just get Alabama, Ohio State, Duke, Kansas and all this big school crap crammed down your throat from every angle whether it be TV or Twitter or anything.

So when they get to Ohio U, they're more apt to sit home and watch Kansas v Arizona State on TV than walk down the street to see Ohio/WKU in person.

Sucks ... but I do think it plays a role. Media is sooo accessible now and those big networks just suck from the power team/conference teet so much ... it's hard for the "little guy" to get any exposure ... with the exception of the courtesy weeknight MACtion football games that serve as a backdrop to talk about the "real football" that will be on their network later in the week.

Follow the money. Simple as that in regards to the coverage.

In summation (as I've babbled long enough) ... I'm not sure of the fix ... whether it's quick or not ... but the status quo ain't workin' and I think it's time for them to start trying any and every option to change it up.