The concern I had with the Bobcat Black seat from the start was that it would hurt our home court atmosphere. Having the students on the court is about more than giving students a good seat... The O Zone being right on the court creates a huge homecourt advantage and equally important it creates the feeling of a high-major atmosphere.
 

That high-major feel to the Convo is everything. I know that many on this board (including myself) really got "hooked" by Ohio Athletics because of the feel games in the Convo have.
 

The black seats being there moves the cheerleaders which has absolutely made it more difficult for them to consistently start cheers. However, that is just something that is going to take time to improve. There have still been some "high major atmosphere" games even with the Black Seats (Akron and Toledo)
 

Also controversial was the move of the 110 into the O Zone from the end zone... That combined with the black seats has really worked well. With less seats in the bleachers along with increased student interest, the O Zone has basically become the entire lower bowl on that side down from press row. That is great. If the O Zone can coordinate with the 110 better, it has the potential to be louder than ever even with the black seats replacing the cheerleaders.