THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502110217
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
If seeing is believing, most people who have attended Old Dominion men's basketball games this season would not believe an average of more than 6,000 people watch the Monarchs at the 10,232-seat Scope.
Old Dominion's announced average attendance at Scope through nine games is 6,450. But the turnstile count - the actual number of people in the building, according to officials at Scope - is dramatically lower. Thirty-six percent lower, to be exact.
The turnstiles say the Monarchs average 4,131 at home games, or an average of 2,319 fewer than the announced attendance. Old Dominion athletic director Jim Jarrett disputes the turnstile number.
``They don't always add them up right,'' Jarrett said. ``I'd argue with that number.''
Some of them are easy to argue with. The turnstile count for the North Carolina game in December was 9,000, or 1,239 less than the announced crowd.
``I rest my case with the North Carolina game,'' Jarrett said. ``I'm not Columbo and I haven't gone down there and investigated, but pragmatically I can look at some of those numbers and know they're wrong. If one's wrong, all of them can be wrong.''
Another one that may be wrong is a turnstile count of 8,344 for last year's Virginia game, another sellout that appeared to be a packed house.
But it's just as easy to pick examples of games this season in which Scope seemed less than half-full, and the announced crowd exceeded 6,000.
John Rhamstine, the assistant director of Norfolk civic facilities, said Scope stands by the figures and has no reason to turn in inaccurate ones. He said turnstile counts are justified with ticket stubs.
``We feel the turnstile counts are extremely accurate,'' Rhamstine said.
Jarrett doesn't dispute ODU has a significant number of no-shows, regardless of what that number is. He said some are complimentary tickets to organizations like the Boys and Girls clubs that go unused, group packages and individuals who don't come for a variety of reasons.
``There are too many no-shows and we need to work to convince our people to come to those games,'' Jarrett said.
ODU ticket manager John Jackowski comes up with a final attendance figure by adding the total number of season tickets sold, single-game tickets sold, student tickets distributed and complimentary tickets.
``That's what everyone else in the area is doing, and I suspect on a cold night in May the Tides are going to have some no-shows,'' Jarrett said.
Jackowski said ODU sold just under 3,100 season tickets this season and that, on average, 1,300 students present their identification card to pick up a free ticket. He said fewer than 100 complimentary tickets per game are given out.
``If a ticket goes out this door, we count it in our attendance,'' Jackowski said.
Jarrett said that's a common practice in college athletics. Officials at both the NCAA and the Colonial Athletic Association, in which ODU competes, said there is no standard policy for reporting attendance.
``I don't think we've ever tried to deceive anybody,'' Jackowski said. ``We've said we announce tickets out, not turnstile. What's frustrating to me is I can sell you the tickets, but I can't physically go to your house and bring you to the game.''
Jarrett said ODU season ticket sales, attendance and program interest has increased steadily in recent years. Both turnstile and attendance figures bear that out. But there have been games this season where the fans were sparse at Scope.
``I've always been disappointed with attendance at Scope,'' longtime booster Bryan Dingus said. ``I'm happy with what the athletic department is saying that season tickets sales are increasing, but I'm not seeing it. The ticket sales may be there, but the bodies aren't.'' MEMO: GO FIGURE
The difference between the announced attendance and the turnstile
count at Old Dominion basketball games at Scope this season:
Game Announced T'stile Diff.
Towson St. 3,925 2,166 1,759
S. Carolina 5,165 3,381 1,784
New Hamp. 4,967 2,565 2,402
Wyoming 6,036 3,353 2,683
UNC 10,239 9,000 1,239
UNC Wilm. 6,685 3,922 2,763
J. Madison 8,750 5,863 2,887
E. Carolina 6,953 3,964 2,989
Richmond 5,334 2,967 2,367
Average 6,450 4,131 2,319 by CNB