THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502110229
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
When television announcer Sam Smith was handed the attendance figure for Norfolk State's game against Elizabeth City State on Jan. 21, he read the number - 7,148 - then took a look around Echols Arena, capacity 7,600, and exclaimed:
``And where are they?''
As at many schools, announced attendance at Norfolk State and the actual number of patrons in the seats are sometimes two different things.
The Spartans' announced attendance figure is based on turnstile count plus season tickets, complimentary tickets and ``invitations and what have you from the P.R. (public relations) department'' according to NSU ticket manager Orville Harris.
Norfolk State has about 150 season ticket holders, Harris said. NSU sports information director John Holley said the school has a pass list of 336. Harris said he did not know the number of ``invitations'' per game.
Solomon Addico, director of Auxiliary Enterprises, said ticket personnel give a figure to Holley, based on the guidelines above. Using that system, average attendance at Norfolk State is 4,788 per game.
The Spartans for many years have had one of the largest followings in Division II. Fans stood in the balcony for the Spartans' games with Virginia Union and Virginia State this year. Tonight's game at Hampton will also likely draw a large crowd.
It is games against some of the CIAA's lower draws, however, when there appears to be a dramatic difference between the announced figure and the number in attendance. Wednesday against St. Paul's, for example, the attendance was given at 2,843, when there appeared to be fewer than 1,500 on hand.
Asked about those differences, Addico said everyone who buys a ticket does not attend. by CNB