Cyclone athletes train strenuously for game time, and behind the scenes many people work hard to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Iowa State Athletic Director Gene Smith said directing all of ISU’s 20 sports is like running a business. And one of the main factors in the sporting business is attendance.

The determining factor in attendance, he said, can be translated into the question, “Why would people buy your product?”

Ranking of sports’ teams is an important factor that impacts attendance.

“When our volleyball team made the NCAA tournament two years ago, the attendance really showed it,” Smith said. “People wanted to see this great team in action.”

Volleyball Coach Jackie Nunez said to get people to attend games they need to win.

“Having players who play their hearts out really drives attendance,” she said. “People need to enjoy what they’re seeing.”

Smith said performance of an individual, such as Troy Davis, or the team’s performance has a direct impact on attendance.

Research shows that this trend seems to hold true when there is an increase in ability, but not when there’s a decrease in performance.

In 1994, the ISU football team was 0-10, but season attendance was higher than both the previous and following years.

Last year, in 1996, the team had a 2-9 record, and average attendance rose to 45,325.

During the only two seasons (1986 and 1989) in the past 11 years in which the football team had a winning record, average season attendance was lower than usual. Overall, most fans appear to be loyal to their team, despite a bad season.

This proves there must be other factors related to attendance besides performance.

Smith listed the atmosphere, seating, music, cheerleaders, concessions, prices, timing, facilities and restrooms as other factors which contribute to attendance numbers. `Each of these factors has its own complexities.

For instance, performance of athletes is related to the team’s recruiting program, which is affected by the team’s reputation, previous records and rankings.

The NCAA determines the number of scholarships allowed to be given in each sport which effects recruiting, and Smith said the quality of recruiting is related to the amount of money put into the process.

The time when games are scheduled also affects attendance numbers.

“It’s hard to get people to come on the weekend nights when they’ve got parties to go to, they’re going home for the weekend, or whatever else,” Nunez said.

Money is the overall driving force behind attendance.

An increase in funding for a sport by the athletic department is directly related to a rise in attendance, Smith said.

Student fees, university support, ticket sales [particularly for football and basketball] and donations to the Cy Club are the main avenues of funding for these sports.

Each sport also has its own marketing plan which is responsible for the schedule cards, posters, display advertisementss and the sports information department. Nunez said contests and events, like the upcoming basketball shoot-out on Saturday, help to make marketing fun.

On the legal side of things, Title 9 requires the university to make sure the ratio of males and females participating in sports are equal to or better than the ratio of males and females enrolled in the university. ISU has 15 women’s sports and 13 men’s sports. The media is another determining factor with attendance. When and how much local newspapers cover a sport affects who comes to the games.

Men’s Cross Country Coach Kevin Bourke said the local papers do a good job of covering their events the day before the meet and the day after.

“However, a lot of times this is too late for people to plan ahead to attend,” he said. “We need to get the word out earlier.”

The popularity of a sport helps because it usually means more people understand the way the game is played.

Almost everyone understands football and basketball because they’re such a big part of our society, Nunez said.

“People have been exposed to football and basketball all of their life because of TV and our culture,” she said. “It’s always more fun if you know what you’re watching.”