Between a hanging scoreboard, the quality of the pretzels at the snack bar, and numerous other topics, I know we have all had different opinions on the Convo and how it needs/doesn't need improvements, upgrades etc.

That being said, after reading this list, I have a whole new level of appreciation for our venerable edifice after seeing this list of what some of our fellow D1 programs call home for hoops:

http://mysportsblognews.blogspot.com/2015/09/12-smallest-...

I'm sure some on here went to high schools with better venues.

Eastern Michigan attendance...isn't that an oxymoron?

Couldn't resist.

I did see 2 hanging scoreboards in those photos of the smallest gyms...

Also, don't expect High Point to be on that list much longer. They are spending like $2 billion dollars over a 10 year period. The place looks like club med.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2537212/Is-best-u...

$2 billion????????? Damn.

How about hanging scoreboards? Do they care about them?

I am fine with the COnvo. Start winning at a high level and increase expectations. Big time program, big time arena. I have given that a lot of thought over the years and realize we have the COnvo for many purposes not just basketball. It would make sense to do removable vinyl covers for seats. NOt sure I like the curtain thing they do at some arenas. Having a 4 to 6 k box like they are building now makes getting a seat hard and does not appeal to me much. We have a great facility that does appeal to athletes on official visits during football season. Walking in there as a recruit is special...something only a few places in our geography have...and very few in our sphere as a MAC or mid major. I think the only ones who are worried about it looking empty are the fans who are critical of it looking empty. Recruits and their fams notsomuch

No MAC program? Heck G Town still plays some games on campus and there are a bunch of empty seats in the big arenas PRovidence, G Town, and teams that play in MSG, Philly, DC, Indy, Chicago play in...

It's way too big. Ohio has had that capacity with the Convo since 1968 and has never needed it for any of the nearly 50 seasons of basketball played in it. Yes, there have been some "games" it was needed, but not any season. I know it's not going to happen and I'm not suggesting to do it, but if you took out 5,000 seats and there'd still be more than enough seating and it wouldn't look like Ohio's playing in an arena where no cares. Because they do.

Ideally it would be great to take about 2500 seats out and replace the space with boxes. Dont see it happening though.

I'm with Bornacatfan and Ohio does have the demographics to support the Convo. If Ohio can almost routinely draw 20,000 plus for Saturday afternoon football games, it has the ability to draw 13,000 for basketball games.

The Convo was built at the height of the baby boom when Ohio University and many other campuses were growing exponentially. I can't remember the exact story but some of the powers that be envisioned Ohio joining a big time conference in the years to come, for some reason I am going to say these powers that be had connections to the ACC.

The Convo's purpose wasn't entirely athletic, commencements were getting larger as well. By the late 1960s bands were beginning to book huge concert venues. In the early days Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead came to Athens, and while some of the stories that circulated about them walking uptown to hang out may have been somewhat apocryphal, they were essentially true. (I think the Convo wasn't quite done for the Dead, so they played Mem Aud, but I could be wrong. While we are at it, they picture of Led Zeppelin opening up for Jose Feliciano must have been something to behold. I am told the contrast in audiences was striking to say the least) Also, in the 1970s band such as Boston, Styx etc sold out the Convo. During my freshman year in early 1983 I saw an acoustic sold out Neil Young show at the Convo. Music became more decentralized and hard to find band that would fill the Convo or want to come out of their way to Athens.

The Convo is a great recruting tool, but we all know they wouldn't build the Convo today. While society's love for sports continues, it in many ways is more social than it use to be. It is a place to meet and hang our for students and alumni. Families (including my own) have lots of kids activities which makes it harder to get to the Convo than it was in our single days, or if your kids are older, or out of the house. However like Pedan with football, it all comes down to winning. If you consistently win they will come. One only has to look at places which don't have big population centers like Wake Forest, WVU, Oregon State etc. It can be done, but the era of big stadiums and arenas are over.

If we only had 6 basketball home games per year like football and they fell on Saturdays then we could sell them out. Otherwise we will remain close to where we are attendance wise which is good but still only half full most of the time. Not sure much we can do at this point. The Cleveland Indians recently ripped a bunch of seats out and repurposed the sections into bar/food/group ticket areas. Ideally I would love to see Mckinney's idea to do loges for vip/groups in the upper deck areas, but I doubt it would be cost effective or practical for us to rip out seats at this point. Curtains or tarps or some MSG style lighting are probably the most likely solutions.

I've said this before and I'll repeat... do any of you have any idea how large, heavy, and expensive a curtain for the upper level would be? plus the machines to raise and lower? Where is the cutoff? we don't have an upper concourse to make a natural barrier. We could probably buy four scoreboards for the cost of curtaining off the top 15-20 rows.