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Perfect Storm Crushed TU
Published: 11/16/2009 8:20 AM
Last Modified: 11/16/2009 8:20 AM

The crowd at Tulsa's Sunday night game with East Carolina was far closer to 1,700 than the announced crowd of 17,453.
There are a number of reasons why TU's footall attendance has fallen off the edge of the earth in recent weeks. It all adds up to a perfect storm that put an empty Chapman Stadium on national television on Sunday night.
All of the advantages of being on national television are the reasons why schools like Tulsa will play on any day and at any time.
But, there is a down side, too.
Tulsa is suffering through one of its worst seasons in the last seven years. Fans, spoiled by success in Conference USA, won't get excited to go out to a game for a team that is struggling to get to .500 on the year. TU, 4-6, lost its fifth straight game on Sunday night.
In addition, Sunday night is a bad night to attract football fans in Tulsa. It is church night. And, folks have to be at work on Monday morning.
Finally, add in horrible weather. It was cold and wet.
Put all of those factors together and that's when you get a crowd that resembles a Rogers-Edison high school game.
TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham needs to think long and hard before he accepts any more late-season, off-day games just to get on national television.
What can be an advantage can turn into an ugly, late-season game played in a virtually empty stadiuim.



Reader Comments 3 Total

Arbythree (3 years ago)
Well said John.
GoFigure (3 years ago)
It's not just the weather or the Sunday night scheduling, or the fact that people have to get up and work on Sunday. It's just got to be the worst fourth quarter effort by a quarterback I've ever seen. Come on, the guy gives the pirates three turnovers in less than four minutes and they return each one for a touchdown?? He three interceptions and fumbled twice leading to four touchdowns for the visiting Pirates. It was like Christmas for them in the fourth quarter I'm sure. The TU defense played hard in this one. Kept giving the inept offense a chance to win or tie. Leaving that quarterback in was just wrong. What's this coach thinking. It's sad to watch on TV and who would want to be there???? Malsalns' gone now, and it's looking like the old Keith Burns show all over again to me!!!
Lance-a-lot (3 years ago)
Don't forget the Colts and Pats were the Sunday night game on NBC. Attendance killer for TU. Fortunately, it also served as a ratings killer so not many people saw the empty stadium and ugly football.
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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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