URI Men's Basketball Home Attendance Plummets by 25% Under Miller

URI Men's Basketball Home Attendance Plummets by 25% Under Miller

URI Men's Basketball Attendance Plummets 

In March of 2022, the University of Rhode Island announced Archie Miller as the head coach of the men's basketball program.

Since then, the attendance at the Ryan Center for men’s basketball has dropped dramatically.

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Attendance in 2022-2023 was mediocre at 5,158 per home game in Miller's first year.

Things have plummeted since then.

This past season, the Rams averaged just 3,849 per home game. A decline of 25% from his first season.

The Miller hire was supposed to resurrect the Rhode Island program after three years under David Cox had fallen on what was then perceived to be hard times. 

 

 

Decline in Attendance Means a Decline in Revenue

The fan base has fallen and fallen.

For most games this season, the Ryan Center was less than half full. The per-game average of 3,849 is 48% of the Ryan Center’s 8,000-seat capacity for basketball.   

The reported attendance of 61,586 for the 2025/26 men’s season is inflated because it includes “Doubleheader” figures, where a single ticket allows entry to both the men's and women's games when they are played at home on the same day. 

The URI men averaged 3,849 per game, and the Athletic Department reported 6,391 attendance for the February 28th “Doubleheader” game against St. Joseph's. The 6,391 is the highest attendance figure reported all year. It far surpasses the 5,331 reported for the February 17th St. Louis game, which unquestionably had the most people in the seats for any home game this year.

 

Falling Attendance - Less Concessions and Less Marketing Dollars

A study of NCAA fans' behavior found that 88% of fans attending buy concessions, and "on average, fans report spending $79 per game on concessions. Nearly all fans who eat report making at least one trip to the concession stand, and 69% make two or more trips, each game."

This study was conducted by Mashgin, a sports marketing firm.

 

Impact on Athletic Department Budget

When asked if the 16,000 drop in attendance from last year would impact the Athletic Department budget, Miles said, “Yes. We project revenue as far as ticket sales go at the beginning of the year and manage our budget within that. So, there will be an impact. But we’re managing it with projections and adjustments as we go.”

With the exception of court-side seats, men's basketball tickets range from $58 to $19. 

Combined URI is down dramatically on ticket revenue and concessions revenue, and ultimately will lose in arena marketing dollars. Dunkin' won't pay the same sponsorship dollars for 25% less in the stands.

 

Adding Insult to Injury

Miller's contract allows him to receive massive payments from ticket sales even as ticket sales decline. Miller's contract provides: 

In each of the first two Contract Years, the Coach shall receive, in addition to his Base Salary, the sum of $750,000.00 (Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand and no/100 Dollars) as a guaranteed portion of the gate receipts for all home games administered by the University’s Athletic Department. In the third, fourth, and fifth Contract Years, the Coach shall receive, in addition to his Base Salary, the sum of $1,000,000.00 (One Million and no/100 Dollars) as a guaranteed portion of the gate receipts for all home games administered by the University’s Athletic Department.

Said amounts shall be paid in equal installments on the pay date closest to but not after July 15, October 15, January 15, and April 15 of each Contract Year (for purposes of this Section 3.2.1, the “Payment Schedule”). The first such payment shall be on the pay date closest to but not after July 15, 2022. If consistent with University policies and procedures, this Payment Schedule may be modified by future written agreement between the parties. READ THE FULL CONTRACT HERE

 

Students Absent

Additionally, students are not attending games. Except for the St. Louis game, which featured a “Pink Out” promotion in support of breast cancer awareness, the student seating section has been virtually empty.

February 14th was a cool and sunny Saturday afternoon, and the Rams were taking on Fordham. It was an important and winnable conference game. There were not more than 50 students in the student seating section.

During the semester break, when students are away, the Athletic Department runs a “Be a Student” promotion, offering student seating to the general public for $10 per ticket.

 

Why Is Attendance Down?

When asked about the poor attendance, Interim Athletic Director Brittney Miles said, “I think there are a number of factors. I think certainly the transient nature of rosters and having different players every year is one element because it’s a lot of fun to get to come watch college athletics when you get to know the players and see them develop over time.”

She continued by saying, “I also think the media accessibility we have with all of our games being broadcast on ESPN + or other cable networks is a factor. It can be comfortable to watch games from home.”

Miles also explained there was no home game against PC this year, which is always a sellout. Further, in the past, there was an annual home game against UMass, which was well attended, but UMass has left the A-10. She disclosed that there are conversations underway to schedule non-conference games with UMass.

 

Losing Home Court Advantage

The Ryan Center is designed to keep fans close to the action. Unlike other arenas where the first tier of seating sweeps way back, the Ryan Center has only 22 rows in the first level, allowing the upper tier to jut out closer to the court. This design, along with the absence of the traditional four-sided scoreboard hanging down from the center of the ceiling, thus opening up sightlines across the building, makes the arena look larger than its 8,000-seat capacity for basketball. The design is such that no seat is farther than 74 feet from the court.

The student section is behind the basket on the north side of the court. This is the basket where the visiting team shoots in the second half. Like many schools, URI wants the visitors shooting directly into the wildness and distractions of the student section as the game winds down. It’s part of the home court advantage.

 

Rhody Ruckus nowhere to be found

URI provides 1,000 free tickets for students each game, whose cost is covered by the required “Student Activity” fee each student pays each semester. The Athletic Department further encourages students to attend through Rhody Ruckus, the official student-fan organization of Rhode Island Athletics. Its goal is to promote interest in and attendance at URI athletic events. Student members get pre-sale access to tickets and a special entrance to the Ryan Center.

Rallying behind their theme, “Bring the Ruckus”, during past years, the Ruckus have been a loud and enthusiastic presence at basketball games. This season, they are nowhere to be found.

 

Marketing Promotions

The Athletic Department has aggressively marketed games, running numerous promotions, including $2 Beer Night, Bring a Friend for Free, Family Zone, Food Drive - free ticket, Toy Drive – free ticket, Young Alumni ticket Package, and many more.

The most successful promotion is always the Pink Out – Breast Cancer Awareness event. This year, it was scheduled for the February 17th game against the #18-ranked Saint Louis Billikens. Leading up to that game, the Athletic Department focused on URI's sororities. Breast cancer is such a pervasive disease that it has affected most families. It was a cause-driven appeal, not a support the basketball team approach. The sororities responded in force, and where the women go, the men will follow. For the first time all year, the student section was packed with all 1,000 student tickets distributed.

Even though the non-student seats were only half full, the strong student presence brought energy and excitement to the arena that had been lacking all year.  

The Rams played an inspired game, upsetting St. Louis 81-72. In a scene not seen at the Ryan Center in some time, when the game ended, the students stormed the court and mobbed the players in celebration.

 

Players Respond to Fan Support

Myles Corey, who hit 6 free throws down the stretch to ice the game, finishing 11-11 from the line, was asked after the game what it meant to have the students there. He responded, “Energy. There was energy in the building. You had a sense of it when the students got into the building, and it carried through the whole game from start to finish.”

When asked if players could feel the energy, Corey said, “100%. Home court advantage is a real thing. When you have students there, it is important.”

Jonah Hinton, who was 9-15 on three-point shots, responded with a big smile on his face, saying, “It was crazy. That was the best game of the year in terms of atmosphere.”

 

 

Coach Miller on Fan Support

Coach Archie Miller began his remarks at the post-game press conference by saying, “We don’t win the game without our crowd. It was a college basketball environment in there tonight. Our students, no doubt about it, created a vibe from the jump ball. It was such a help. Our fans, in general, played a huge role in tonight’s game. In particular, our students.”

Miller continued, “That edge, that adrenaline rush, means so much to our players. So we are appreciative of it.”

Combined, the Rams are 25- 47 in the A-10 over four years with Miller. He is 55-70 overall at Rhode Island.

 

Winning Programs Bring Fans

The single biggest factor in getting fans in the seats and students in the Ryan Center is winning.  A winning team creates a strong sense of a shared identity and social connection. When the team you root for wins a game, its fans say, “We won.” A winning program will overcome the disconnection created by the transient rosters. Winning programs don’t need a $2 beer night as they fill the stands without it.