EM fan turnout dropped significantly for all classes Fuel, oil prices cited as likely top factor, weather 2nd

The 2008 Eastern Maine high school basketball basketball tournament provided plenty of memories for players and fans – but it took a big hit at the gate as venues in both Bangor and Augusta experienced a significant drop in fan turnout.

Cumulative attendance for the Eastern B, C and D tournament in Bangor was off 6,626 from a year ago, from 39,203 in 2007 to 32,577 in 2008. Those statistics cover 21 sessions, or through the regional championship games, with an average drop per session of 315.6 fans.

Turnout for the Eastern A tournament at the Augusta Civic Center fell 3,965, from 14,983 in 2007 to 11,018 in 2008. That reflects an average drop of 495.6 fans per each of the eight Eastern A sessions, including single-game sessions for the boys and girls finals.

“I think the weather had an impact, but I think overall the economy was the biggest factor this year,” said Maine Principals’ Association executive director Dick Durost. “One thing we heard throughout the week was that the price of gas to get to the tournament and the cost of heating oil at home left people with having less discretionary funds to get to the games.”

Other factors that play into attendance from year to year, according to Durost, are the tournament success of particular schools with larger fan bases, as well as individual game matchups during the course of tourney week.

The other two divisions that played in Augusta, Western C and D, had mixed results, according to statistics supplied by tournament director Mike Burnham of Monmouth Academy.

Western C attendance was up slightly, from 10,443 in 2007 to 10,787 in 2008. Western D was down from 5,992 in 2007 to 5,368 in 2008. Overall attendance for the three classes at Augusta was 26,472.

Durost had not received final attendance statistics for the Western A and Western B tournament held in Portland as of Tuesday morning, but he estimated the numbers there “may end up a little higher.”

Of the Eastern Maine tournaments held at the Bangor Auditorium, Class C had the highest paid attendance at 12,027. That compared with 11,267 for Class B and 9,283 for Class D.

All three classes had lower attendances than a year earlier. Class D experienced the most significant drop, down 3,190 from last year’s 12,473. Class B numbers fell by 2,003 from 13,270 in 2007, while Class C lost 1,433 from 13,460 a year ago.

This year’s Eastern B-C-D tournament boasted four sessions of at least 2,000 fans, down from seven 2,000-plus sessions each of the last two years. The best-attended session was the 2,598 that watched the Class B boys and girls finals on Feb. 23, followed by the 2,291 that watched the Class B boys semifinals on Wednesday afternoon of tournament week.

The smallest crowd at Bangor was 906 for a Class B girls quarterfinal session on the first Saturday afternoon of tournament week. That was one of two crowds of less than 1,000 at Bangor, along with 996 for a Class D girls quarterfinal session on Monday evening.

The basketball tournament is one of the few interscholastic activities sponsored by the MPA that typically turns a profit, with those profits used to subsidize a variety of other activities throughout the year. A downturn in basketball tournament attendance will have an effect on that bottom line, but Durost said his organization typically looks at each year as part of a five-year cycle rather than react on a year-to-year basis to income fluctuations.

TOURNEY ATTENDANCE

At Bangor Auditorium

Eastern Maine Classes B, C, D

2008: 32,577; 2007: 39,203; 2006: 39,945; 2005: 37,266

At Augusta Civic Center

Eastern Maine Class A

2008: 11,018; 2007: 14,983; 2006: 16,202

Western Maine Class C

2008: 10,787 ; 2007: 10,443 ; 2006: 10,874

Western Maine Class D

2008: 5,368 ; 2007: 5,992 ; 2006: 6,261