January 20, 2022

KU's sellout record will end soon (and why that's OK!)

The number of consecutive sellouts at Allen Fieldhouse is one of the most cherished statistics in the program. At the top of the year, that number sat at 324, according to the Kansas City Star; presuming that the last two games sold out (which is maybe a big assumption, I’ll get to that shortly), the record is 326 consecutive games. It’s impressive, cited widely by KU Athletics as proof that KU fans are the best and wildest in the country, and sustained an element that has made Allen Fieldhouse the undisputed temple in the sport.

However, filling up the building has been tough lately, thanks to the ongoing presence of COVID-19. Tickets for the upcoming OSU and Texas Tech home games are available for $10. Recently, I received the following message in my inbox:

I’m sure Kansas is appreciative to their anonymous donor, who definitely isn’t using this donation as a valuable tax write-off. In the end, the streak is preserved, and did you know we love streaks around here?

But how long can this go on, and at what point does it become an unnecessary charade that dilutes what Kansas basketball is?

COVID has changed everything about our lives in a way we won’t be able to fully grapple with for years, if ever. Priorities have shifted, and that’s just a fact—I can’t blame commuting fans who now question if a six-hour round trip for a home tilt against Pitt State is worth their time when 4K TVs exist, mandatory Williams Fund donations be damned1.

But when it comes to attracting attendees who already live on campus, the KUAD has no one to blame but themselves. In 2014, KU took 120 prime (section U!) seats away from students because the student senate protested against a (bullshit) student sports fee that netted the department over $1 million, and campaigned for a $20 overall reduction to the base student ticket package. In 2017, KUAD “reallocated” 420 more seats in Section 19, which is behind section U.

While the department revealed some positives about the change (reserving 20 seats for Pell Grant students, wow thank you!!!!!), it was not exactly an optics victory. KU drew a line in the sand. They retaliated against the students. What had seemed unimaginable, once upon a time, became inevitable; filling up the ol’ barn was no longer a given.

And maybe it no longer should be.

It’s probably true less students are showing up; in my day, camping was at least a commitment of a half-day before the game. These days, we’ve got so much stuff competing for our attention, both enjoyably and corrosively so. Have you guys played Halo Infinite? There’s a lot of ways to entertain yourselves these days. The appeal of Kansas basketball has not dimmed through these crimson and blue lenses. But modern times demand a new perspective on the attendance streak.

The KUAD needs to find ways to celebrate the streak, when it ends, and not treat it as an obligation they have to scramble to fulfill for the rest of the season. There’s nothing to mourn for here, really. It’s been a weird, uneven year, but is there any aspect of life you couldn’t say that about right now? A worldwide pandemic is still raging, and it feels harder and harder to defend the idea that the sports simply must go on. We have to take care of each other. And while Allen Fieldhouse has tried to roll with the punches—including a confusing “yellow card” system for mask-abstainers at games—there’s only so much that can be done.

A reality check is necessary if KU basketball is to grow the brand; let’s all daydream about our best days at AFH, and look towards a future that doesn’t depend on the worst seats in the building having butts in them. Allen Fieldhouse isn’t going. anywhere. Let’s not act like it’s dead when the sellout streak inevitably ends.

Oklahoma, where the winds yada yada yada

Reader, I have a confession. I did not watch the second half of the OU road game live; my neighborhood pickup game is on Tuesday nights, and I observe a strict playing > watching ideology as I continue my 35-year homestand against our mutual rival… time itself. I am old now, and the buckets do not come easily.

Anyhow! I did end up watching back through the second half, and outside of scoring droughts that amounted to basically an hour of TV time, it was a good win against a plucky-looking OU. Take that, Groves brothers! A fine effort but you’re 0-2 against the Crimson and Blue. Is Kansas the only blue blood team that has so many sub mid-major villains? It can’t be, but I like to think it is.

What the game provided, without any doubt, is the year’s greatest Jayhawk GIF, featuring some unfortunate OU frat dogs jawing with Christian Braun right before he buried the game-winning basket.

It’s perfect. KSU next!