Fairfield’s sports games have a great atmosphere and help create lasting memories as students at a Division I school. While we have stellar sports teams, the attendance at the games lacks significantly. After Deon Perry’s near-impossible 70-foot basketball shot at the men’s game against Marist, the basketball team has been seeing numbers they have not witnessed in some time. I attended the Marist v. Fairfield game and did notice quite the turnout, but the game following it, Sacred Heart v. Fairfield, sold out with over 1000 students present. This does not happen often. As someone who regularly attends home basketball games here at Fairfield, I was shocked. Senior Giuliana Pettinato, “went to the Fairfield vs. SHU game because they are rivals and I knew it would be an exciting game with a lot of student energy in the arena.” As a student interested in all the sports that Fairfield has to offer, I reflected and asked a few students how they believe we can continue to keep up attendance.
Basketball fan and first-year, Maeve Cronin, said that “the Fairfield basketball games have so much school spirit; I think they should market towards students in person when they want to increase the attendance for their games.” Maeve went on to say, “If someone comes up to me and tells me to attend a game, I’m more likely to do it than through email or Instagram.” I can’t help but agree with Maeve’s point of view to use in-person tactics to allure students to come to more games, having a student section at every one.
It is obvious that Fairfield values our basketball program due to their success in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Their marketing widely ranges to locals of Fairfield, children, and alumni, but students struggle to be enticed to come to games. The men’s and women’s teams use fun jumbotron animations such as the Lil’ Stags cam to highlight the enthralled kids that are present and ensure they have a good time. With more effort put into Fairfield students’ attendance with events such as a white-out game, red-out, or discounted food or drinks, more students might be inclined to attend not only basketball games, but other sports as a social gathering with friends.
Fairfield University’s official Instagram account focuses heavily on the team, sharing many pictures in the feed from basketball games in the Leo D. Mahoney arena. I believe the key to bringing attention and hype to other sports is to add a dress code for specially themed games, do meet and greets with the team, place more signs around campus and then watch the crowds come in!
While basketball still struggles to keep up student attendance for many home games, there are some things they are doing better than other teams to pull Stags in. Dylan Lounsbury, a first-year, said “In-person marketing is key and the basketball team has that down. Person-to-person contact and giving students QR codes to purchase tickets are both great tactics they use to make attendance almost non-negotiable.” He had a similar point of view to Cronin, sharing that personal interaction can make students feel more connected with the game and feel the necessity to go. If other teams decided to use more interpersonal contact with students, I believe there would be more attendance at their sports games, like we’ve seen basketball achieve just recently.
Implementing innovative marketing strategies and tactics can significantly boost attention and attendance at Fairfield sports events, encouraging a stronger sense of community and school spirit. Increased student presence not only magnifies the game-day atmosphere but also creates lasting memories as they witness unforgettable, game-winning moments together.
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