Cue the youngsters saying "what the heck else do the have to do out there?"

As I mentioned elsewhere, the MAC has laid an egg the past 3 years too... 5,278 in 2014, 5,266 last year and 6,719 last night. Looks like most between 2009-13 were between 8,900 and 12,500.

I really would like to see what attendance has been trending at each of the MAC schools' home games the last few years. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's down. One month ago, we played at Buffalo. 2700 in attendance. Is it any wonder attendance for their championship game in Cleveland was, ahem, pretty light? Yes, Akron is only a 45 min drive away. But Akron proper doesn't support the university sports teams, generally speaking. Akron is as close to a consistent league power as there is right now, and we had a fun team to watch. Attendance at our game in Akron wasn't much more than 4,000

Cleveland sports fans without a tie to a MAC school could care less about this tournament, and sadly, that would be the case wherever you put it. And timing is getting worse, too, as this was the weekend for regional HS action as well.

The attendance is simply a reflection of the MAC and its schools. There is absolutely zero buzz about MAC basketball. Honestly, if I lived in Cleveland, I probably would not have made the effort to see Akron v. Buffalo.

What would help? A school that is a an effing juggernaut, with a 27-3 record with a player that's gotten a write-up in Sports Illustrated or USA Today. Something that would get people, even some casual basketball fans, talking. People knew about the "Shaq of the MAC" outside the midwest. Right now, there's nobody close to that type of talent, with a cool nickname, to generate any interest in this league. Cynical me, even if there were, he'd probably transfer to Michigan State.

The only way you'll get that is if they start counting butts in seats. It's all about tickets sold now regardless of the price. There is so much "noise" out there that nothing is all that important anymore unless it's a one off - ie., Springsteen near your town which you can't see on TV or a device.

Disagree. mainly because Columbus wouldn't embrace MAC basketball. It's big ten country. Maybe there is more Ohio alums in CBus but the same thing would've happened when OU gets bounced before the final anyways. You are catering to Ohio U and no one else. Columbus is not a good place for the MAC. Cleveland is more central for everyone. If Kent played Akron we wouldn't be complaining about attendance, or even if our bobcats were in the final. It's all about match ups.

In a totally different t statement the Garfield vs St Ignatius game up the road at the Wolstein Center had a higher attendance Saturday night then the Mac championship. Four buzzer beaters and two over times.

NO OHIO, NO BUTTZ IN SEATZ.

I'm pretty much talking about the title game...isn't that the main concern..mainly what people are posting about ?

Regional Finals at the Convo saw a higher attendance than the MAC Final as well

The tournament left Buckeyeville specifically due to poor attendance. Your post has no basis in reality.

The games in Columbus were played in Battelle Hall, which only has a capacity of 6,800. As I recall, almost twice that was the attendance for the Ohio-Akron and Akron-KSU match ups from 2010-2013. The MAC Tournament in Cleveland has historically drawn more fans than Columbus/Battelle Hall has.

Perhaps things have changed the past decade or two but when I was on campus (during the Snoopy/Jamerson/Geter years) it seemed the majority of folks were from NE ohio. Central 2nd. I'd guess my Southwest area was a distant third.

I like CLE infinitely better than C-bus. I find downtown delightful and the hotels plentiful and more than adequate. And you KNOW I'm making the side trek to A Christmas Story House before heading over to GLBC.

I say keep it at the Q, I'll be there next year Thu-Fri-Sat, MAC hoops is tremendous.

Another post with zero basis in reality. Not to mention essentially pointless, as Cleveland is booked through 2023 as a host. But I'll bite.

Attendance at this tournament has nothing to do with demographics. Columbus, like Detroit and Toledo, has tried and failed as a host for this tournament. That poor attendance came in a time before every game what on cable and/or streaming and in an era when the MAC regularly featured NBA talent.

As for the number of MAC alumni in each respective city, almost all Akron and Kent State grads stay in Northeast Ohio, and all the other Ohio MAC schools are well represented here. There are far more MAC alumni in and near Cleveland than Columbus. And since you are a demographic expert, perhaps you can explain how moving the tournament from the 18th largest TV market to the 31st largest would be a good thing. Does one have to be a professional demographer to see that the Columbus CSA has 1.2 million fewer people than Cleveland's?