Decline in fan attendance at UK basketball games

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- Solid Blue fans were hyped up after a big win against a ranked Mississippi State squad.

But the crowd inside Rupp Arena didn’t live up to recent major match-ups.

According to the NCAA, Kentucky led the nation in fan attendance in 2017, with a crowd average of over 23-thousand people per game.

Guy Ramsey with UK Athletics says there’s many factors contributing to the decline, including competition. “There are just a lot more entertainment options right now. The first one being, sitting at home and watching the game on your TV. It’s an easy option and we understand that.”

According to NCAA records, since 2009 UK averaged more than 22,000 fans a game each season, including a year when the team did not make the NCAA tournament.

The average attendance dropped below 22,000 in 2018, and since SEC play started this year, the team has yet to have an SEC game exceed 23,000 fans.

UK sophomore Jack Singleton says he’s been to one game this year, and does not find the decline surprising.

Singleton says that “as a student, I can totally see how that happens, you know, I find that a lot of the basketball games I can’t go to because I’ve got different tests, exams, homework to study for. ”