Barons Update

[White Peacock]

With six games remaining in the regular season, the Barons have not only clinched a playoff spot, but are the champions of their division and are still at the top of the Western Conference (and #2 in the league overall). It should be an exciting playoffs season!

Barons at NewsOK

[White Peacock]

Fantastic game last night! Barons beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-0, making it that much more likely they'll finish the regular season winning the conference title, in addition to the division title they've already secured.

[jedicurt]

two games this weekend at the COX Center!!! if you haven't made it out to see them yet, i would highly recommend it!

[White Peacock]

It's official; the Barons are the #1 seed in the Western Conference going into the playoffs!

[White Peacock]

Barons spank Houston in game 1, round 1, by a score of 5-0.

[jedicurt]

I hope a bunch of people are going to try and go to the game on sunday... good grief you can get $10 tickets for the whole upper bowl... i've bought tickets for a bunch of my friends just to guilt them into coming since i already paid for them to go

[betts]

I hope a bunch of people are going to try and go to the game on sunday... good grief you can get $10 tickets for the whole upper bowl... i've bought tickets for a bunch of my friends just to guilt them into coming since i already paid for them to go

I think I will do the same thing. It would be pretty outrageous to have a team in the playoffs and not go support them.

[jedicurt]

well... good bye barons the moment they are able to leave.... 2,859 people for the first playoff game of a conference leading team... when this team is taken away from us in a few years (and i know believe it WILL happen no matter how much i hope it won't) at least we will all know why

[Fantastic]

well... good bye barons the moment they are able to leave.... 2,859 people for the first playoff game of a conference leading team... when this team is taken away from us in a few years (and i know believe it WILL happen no matter how much i hope it won't) at least we will all know why

Yep. My wife and I were there. We had a great time, but commented on how sad it was that so few people were there. I would not be suprised to see a six or seven year hockey drought in this city before a "triumphant" return to the CHL.

[Dave Cook]

It was even a free t-shirt night. Too bad more people weren't there. We were only 15,000 fans shy of a total 'white out'.

[BoulderSooner]

well... good bye barons the moment they are able to leave.... 2,859 people for the first playoff game of a conference leading team... when this team is taken away from us in a few years (and i know believe it WILL happen no matter how much i hope it won't) at least we will all know why

minor league playoffs (in all minor league sports) often have worse attendance that the regular season ..

[kevinpate]

It was even a free t-shirt night. Too bad more people weren't there. We were only 15,000 fans shy of a total 'white out'.

Maybe they should give away the tickets and sell the t-shirts? Had thought about driving up, but Mr. CPAP had other ideas for me late yesterday afternoon. So it dinna happen. On the bright side, it was a really great nap.

[dankrutka]

well... good bye barons the moment they are able to leave.... 2,859 people for the first playoff game of a conference leading team...

This team has been as good as gone since day 1. No one has ever cared.

[Richard at Remax]

I will be attending the game tomorrow night instead of the thunder game. Have no interest watching the terrible kings again

[Fantastic]

minor league playoffs (in all minor league sports) often have worse attendance that the regular season ..

This is true, but the Barons attendance in the regular season has been just as bad. They had one of the worst averages in the league this season. It's sad, really.

[White Peacock]

This is true, but the Barons attendance in the regular season has been just as bad. They had one of the worst averages in the league this season. It's sad, really.

Particularly since they've got some of the best talent in the league. But a league is a business, and this can't be very profitable for Edmonton or for Prodigal, so I'm not very confident they'll have a long tenure here in OKC. As a real hockey fan, **** like this really bothers me. It'll be a huge blow if they skip town.

[king183]

Particularly since they've got some of the best talent in the league. But a league is a business, and this can't be very profitable for Edmonton or for Prodigal, so I'm not very confident they'll have a long tenure here in OKC. As a real hockey fan, **** like this really bothers me. It'll be a huge blow if they skip town.

I think there are a few easily-fixable reasons for attendance being so low and some not-so-fixable.

1) Prodigal has done a terrible job advertising this team. I'm surprised how few people know we have an AHL team. Everyone knows about the RedHawks and the Thunder, but for some reason, outside of sports fanatics, few know we have the Barrons. Further, the team is buried away in Cox. I know that's the only place they can be right now, but it hurts with advertising the team. No one looks at Cox and thinks, "That's the home of the Barrons" or even "that where the Barrons play." It's almost as if AHL if an underground sport that only those in the know get to go to.

2) I went to a couple games last season (or maybe the season before) and was surprised at the ticket prices. I don't know what they are, but for a lower level ticket, it was ridiculous (at least to me--and I'm a Thunder Season Ticket Member). It was even more absurd when you buy the $10 ticket, get in the arena and see it empty in the lower level. If they haven't already, they need to adjust ticket prices to meet the reality of demand. If I was running the front office, I'd make every ticket $10, except for maybe the first three center rows, and simply have general admission.

3) People don't know where to buy tickets. Of course, thinking people or Barrons fans know to go online or they know exactly where the Box Office is. But for a large group of people who randomly decide to go to a Barrons game on Friday night or whenever, they don't know where to go to get the tickets. This relates to the problem with the team being hidden away in Cox. Even if you aren't a big sports or Thunder fan, if you randomly decide to go to a game for a night of entertainment, you know exactly where to go to get a Thunder ticket. The Barrons need a central, highly visible box office. Reduce all barriers, physical and psychological, to attending the game.

4) Not many people know the rules of hockey and don't understand what is going on out there, except that a bunch of guys are skating around trying to hit the puck in the goal. Like baseball, that can be really boring until you actually understand the rules, positions, and strategy going into each play.

5) They're competing with the Thunder since the schedules overlap. That's self-explanatory.

6) The Cox arena sucks. It's just terrible and gross.

[betts]

I agree with everything king183 said. I like hockey, but I need a reminder to attend, since my interest is more casual than a fan's. I saw an ad today for tonight's game on the online newsok site and it's the first one I remember seeing. Of course there's a Thunder game tonight and I'm a season ticket holder, or I would definitely go to the Baron's game. What happened to all the Blazers fans? Were they so turned off by losing their team that they won't support the Barons? That's just cutting off your nose to spite your face if you're a hockey fan, IMO.

[jedicurt]

the blazers "fans" aren't going cause the Barons aren't giving out some 3,000 free tickets per game. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people i remember seeing from the blazers games that are at the barons games, and they are the people who even get together for the watch parties and such... but most of the blazers "fans" were free event to go to fans

[jedicurt]

I just read this and thought it was very interesting as well

http://www.coppernblue.com/2012/4/24...n-tv-cox-cable

[betts]

Interesting. And I agree that it would help create new fans for the team. I didn't realize that so many of the attendees at Blazers' games were doing so for free. Next year I think I'll try harder to support the Barons and get my friends to do the same. And, if there are playoff games that don't conflict with Thunder playoff games, it seems crazy not to attend. I'm all for supporting excellence in hometown sports.

[Richard at Remax]

I agree about the ticket prices. it should be $15-20 first two rows. then go down a few bucks every few rows as you go up. I paid 36 (after fees) for a ticket a few months ago and saw so many people just move down from the upper levels. It will probabaly happen tonight. What they need to ask themselves is would they rather have one empty $40 seat or four full $10 seats and those four people spend money on concessions. Or maybe a buy one get one free night. JUst to get people in the building to spend on concessions and merchandise as well.

[White Peacock]

That was an interesting article; thanks for the link. Obviously the team is approaching situation critical, so they'd better heed all the good advice they can get. Televising games would be a major step forward, and could help to save the team.

To be fair, I see Barons commercials on TV pretty often, and I don't even watch TV that much, so advertising saturation has improved vastly this season. There are billboards at several spots all over the city. So the advertising is there, it just seems that people don't have a context in which to place those adverts.

Dropping ticket prices would be a great idea, for sure. As stated, even the seemingly affordable tickets become less attractive once the additional charges are added. They could at least make it a pay-as-shown situation at the box office, even if they can't do so for tickets ordered online and mailed out.

The Oilers own the Barons, but they're managed by Prodigal, and I think Prodigal is really dropping the ball (puck?). Funk Jr. should take a few cues from his ol' papa. Maybe not in giving away thousands of tickets per game, but in making Barons fandom seem less elite and more down to earth and accessible.

[jedicurt]

1922 for attendance tonight... but atleast a win, hopefully next series will see an increase in attendance if there isn't a conflicting Thunder game

[Fantastic]

1922? Wow... Thunder game or not, that is embarrassing. I love hockey, I grew up playing it. I loved the Blazers, and I love the Barons. So seeing these numbers makes me very sad. many people want to go to Thunder games but can't because the arena is always sold out. I think that could be used as a marketing tool. Make people realize that they have options. And regardless of what people say, Barons tickets are FAR from outrageous. Sure there are no $10 seats, but it also only costs 30 something to sit up front. Pretty reasonable if you ask me. I don't think lowering the prices would make much difference. The organization simply needs to reach out more. Billboards obviously aren't enough. The fact is, playoff or not, 1922 is getting close to Bricktown Brawlers territory (averaged 1,500 last year). Very embarrassing.