Where are all the Fans?
Branden Nall - Eau Claire, WI The bleachers 1/3 full is about the average attendance since high school basketball started about 3 weeks ago. Spending quite a bit of time behind the camera as a photographer offers a variety of opportunities to experience several gyms and several regions. The one thing that has been evident about the dozen gym visits I have made so far - lack of butts in seats. The games have primarily been really good! Competition. Come-backs. Stand-out players and then your typical game play. 15 years ago - heck, 5 years ago, regular season still had a decent spectator draw. The excitement of 'tonight's game' was something that people looked forward to during their busy work day. Whether watching their own kids, or just getting bleaching butt because they enjoyed the sport. What happened? Let me speculate - technology? Parenting? Everybody wins? Refs? People having multiple jobs? 300 other extracurricular options? Coaching? Price? E-games? Tale