Is The Stadium Half Full Or Half Empty?

[Halfmiler2]

The 1984 Olympic Games were not so good for spectators either.

One of Peter Uberroth's little tricks was that to by a "season's ticket" required a bout a 50% premium over buying tickets for each day, knowing of course, that non-locals making the trip would not want to risk being shut out in the lottery.

To make matters worse, there were three price levels for the tickets but the organizers refused to designate ahead what seats were assigned to what price level. Like most folks, I could not afford the expensive level, and expected the cheap price level would be crummy seats. So I ordered the middle price level apparently like almost everyone else. So the organizers simply assigned almost all the seats in the stadium to the middle price level after the fact. I ended up with bench seats at the beginning of the back straight in the 76th row of 90 rows. Across the aisle from me were the beginning of the individual seats.

Can you imagine if an MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL team tried to do the above and get away with it. The state's Attorney General would be all over them for deceptive marketing.

[kling]

Thanks for starting the new thread gh!

I guess, as a FIELD and track fan I hate being stuck in one seat. I also hate to see any throw not contested in the infield.

Best one day meets on American soil: Pepsi at UCLA in the early 80s perhaps? At one time a great venue for all events, in ways better than Eugene. I agree with Gary about the LA Coliseum, though some elders recall the US/USSR dual meets there as some of the best one day meets ever.

[bad hammy]

Definitely half empty.

First off, most T&F venues I’ve been to have bench seats. Very uncomfortable to sit packed in like sardines in these things. Much preferred to be able to put my feet on the bench in front to me, lean back on the one behind, and spread my stuff around.

Second, I love the ability to move around to either see events up close that I have some interest in, or avoid unpleasantness, such as loud, obnoxious fans or loud, obnoxious loudspeakers. If I had been glued to my assigned seat at the 2004 Oly Trials I would have missed Walter Davis’s foot drag. Instead, I was right on top of it (although as quick as it went I thought it was a hand drag). And, my assigned seat was directly under one of the (way too loud) loudspeakers. Being able to move just half a section in one direction or another made a huge difference. Also, this way I got to talk with quite a variety of other fans for periods of time while watching the meet. The only day I was jammed into my assigned seat was the last one. Great day of track, but very uncomfortable.

Garry mentioned the ‘problem’ of the 1984 Oly Trial at the LA Coliseum. My take was completely different. In 1984 I had tickets right on the finish line for the OT (my first). So did everyone else who bought tickets, it seems. There was a crowd of thousands right on the finish line, and a million empty seats everywhere else in the LA Coliseum. My cousin and I sat in our assigned seats for the morning session of day one only, and sometimes had entire sections to ourselves for the rest of the meet. We loved it. Very relaxing, and it was an outstanding meet.

[dukehjsteve]

How do you fans out there like our local stadium here in Indianapolis ? I personally think it is very good.

[bad hammy]

Your wish.....

Oooo, the power! Thanks!!

Edit: although tafnut's post above looks a bit out of place!

[gh]

Your wish.....

[bad hammy]

Any chance the mods can cut the recent stuff in this post about the filled/unfilled stadium issues and put it in its own thread? It is a great question and I have a bit to say on it, but I'd hate for all this good stuff to be buried in this rather unpleasant thread.

[kuha]

"Get the fans as close to the track as is physically possible. Bislet does this right."

Absolutely. Eugene may well have this atmosphere, but nothing can beat a great meet in an intimate stadium like Oslo...

[Daisy]

My most dreadful experience was the '96 Olympics--the stadium was simply too huge to allow anyone to see ANY action with any clarity at all (and way back then, I could actually see...).

I remember that all i ever saw of the Lewis jumps were the flash lights from the stands on the back stretch. I wonder if anyone actually got a decent picture? I bet they were all blurred micro dots of lewis. Why wouldn't they just watch the event and burn it into their memory?

Track is best in stadiums of about 15-25,000 seats--big enough that there's a real energy and "roar" but small enough that everyone is reasonably close to the action. For example: Zurich, Oslo, Stockholm, Lausanne, and so forth are ideal. Nearly too big: Brussels. A good deal too big: Rome, Paris, etc.

I absolutely hate any stadium (Crystal Palace, for ex.) with the jump pits between the track and the stands--that means that lane 8 is even that much further from the spectators...

I agree. Get the fans as close to the track as is physically possible. Bislet does this right.

[kuha]

A runaway winner for most depressing meet ever attended has to be the '84 Olympic Trials in the LA Coliseum. Even with 20,000 people in there it was deadly quiet most of the time and had absolutely no sense of excitement or meaning. When the crowd was half that (which as I recall, was most of the time), it was positively funereal.

Of course, with the track (and infield moreso) being so far from the stands, being able to sit "wherever you wanted" wasn't much of a first-prize.

As I've stated too many times in the past, I think giant stadiums (stadia?) are pure death, no matter how important the meet (well, more or less). My most dreadful experience was the '96 Olympics--the stadium was simply too huge to allow anyone to see ANY action with any clarity at all (and way back then, I could actually see...). Track is best in stadiums of about 15-25,000 seats--big enough that there's a real energy and "roar" but small enough that everyone is reasonably close to the action. For example: Zurich, Oslo, Stockholm, Lausanne, and so forth are ideal. Nearly too big: Brussels. A good deal too big: Rome, Paris, etc.

I absolutely hate any stadium (Crystal Palace, for ex.) with the jump pits between the track and the stands--that means that lane 8 is even that much further from the spectators...

[tafnut]

There appears to be a clique on this forum who get their knickers in a twist if anybody disagrees with the "cool kids".

And I'm betting you think *I* am a 'cool kid', because I post so much, when in actuality, I have been the TARGET probably more than ANYONE else (perhaps again because I post so much). I agree that Texas is probably reaping what Brutal sowed (and his 'attitude' was much worse than Epelle's), and I agree that we are making too much of all of this, but the idea that the 'clique' you identify is anything more than a group of people who are primarily interested in the CIVILITY of this board is ludicrous. I'm sure many people here PM and/or e-mail each other off-board, (I know I have), but the people I talk to just want the board to be a welcoming, fun place to hang out. My only defense of EPelle (who, of course, I've never met), is that he is reacting to unwelcoming posts from Brutal. I'm trying to take Texas as a new entity, so I join all of us in wishing for the best for each other. gh's reply to Bethamy might seem 'unwelcoming' also, but we all recognize he DOES want this to be a productive site, and we see his post as encouraging dialogue.

I wish I were in the 'cool kids' clique; it might be my only shot in this lifetime to be 'cool'! :-)

[gh]

A runaway winner for most depressing meet ever attended has to be the '84 Olympic Trials in the LA Coliseum. Even with 20,000 people in there it was deadly quiet most of the time and had absolutely no sense of excitement or meaning. When the crowd was half that (which as I recall, was most of the time), it was positively funereal.

Of course, with the track (and infield moreso) being so far from the stands, being able to sit "wherever you wanted" wasn't much of a first-prize.

[bekeselassie]

Personal Perference Question:

Would people here rather see an all day/one day meet in a setting like Hayward Field with a full house; or at an almost empty large venue (like the LA Coliseum, with say 15k in attendance)?

I personally would prefer the second, as it usually would allow me to either sit in my assigned seat near the finish line, or move around the stadium to watch field events more closely,

What has been your best "spectator" experience at a one day meet? The California State High School Championships, for example, are always a big draw. Which venue makes for the best overall meet?

As an athlete I always preferred having a decent sized audience. Got the adrenaline pumping more and forced me to focus on the task at hand. But as a spectator, believe it or not, I'd prefer the freedom of having a smaller crowd on hand. Easier to move around, find the shady spots, get to the concessions, etc.

[kling]

Personal Perference Question:

Would people here rather see an all day/one day meet in a setting like Hayward Field with a full house; or at an almost empty large venue (like the LA Coliseum, with say 15k in attendance)?

I personally would prefer the second, as it usually would allow me to either sit in my assigned seat near the finish line, or move around the stadium to watch field events more closely,

What has been your best "spectator" experience at a one day meet? The California State High School Championships, for example, are always a big draw. Which venue makes for the best overall meet?