Why so many empty seats? Kentucky fans weigh in on why Rupp crowds are shrinking.

Jim Spears had an epiphany when Kentucky played Louisville in Rupp Arena during the 2019-20 season. This a-ha moment came when he saw rows of empty seats in the upper arena below the American flag.

“I looked at that and I thought that’s a telling sign about the future,” the UK fan said last week.

The current UK season confirms Spears’ intuition. As has been previously reported, there have been a noticeable number of empty seats at Kentucky home games this season.

UK Coach John Calipari has attributed the no-shows primarily to the coronavirus. Spears isn’t so sure. “It’s too strong a fan base,” he said.

But Spears does see a COVID effect. The limited attendance during the 2020-21 season gave fans a chance to reconsider whether or not to go to games, he said.

“That actually gave me a full calendar year to really think about: am I going to give these tickets up?” Spears said. “And my decision never wavered.

“And I’m going to tell you where this started for me. There are times I feel one-and-done fatigue. For two years, I couldn’t figure out which Harrison was which. And I didn’t take the time to because I knew they were going to be gone.”

Andrew Harrison was UK’s point guard in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Twin brother Aaron Harrison was the shooting guard those seasons.

Spears, who lives in Danville, also cited the absence of marquee home opponents as a factor.

“It is just too many games that are inconsequential,” he said. “You feel like every third day you’re interrupting your evening because you feel you’ve got to go over there. You’ve got to drive to Rupp. You’ve got to park. You’ve got to pay for it all. All that rigmarole to go in and watch Robert Morris or Mount St. Mary’s.

“No disrespect to those teams, truly. But it just got to a point you go enough is enough.”

Spears, 69, knows about scheduling. He was athletics director at Boyle County High School from 2001 to 2010. Before that, he coached middle school football and high school track and field.

He understands that coaches want what Calipari has called “tune-up games.” He said he has “a world of respect” for the Kentucky coach.

But, as a fan and ticket holder, “you always said, well, next week maybe Indiana or Kansas is coming to town,” Spears said. “You always had something to look forward to. But not anymore.”

Spears gave up his tickets, which he inherited from his father about a decade ago. “My wife and I are looking forward to taking winter cruises just because of the money we can save,” he said.

Kentucky is not unique in having empty seats at home games this season. So have Duke and North Carolina.

Kansas has announced 321 consecutive sellouts dating back to the second game of the 2001-02 season, but there are a smattering of empty seats for games in Allen Fieldhouse.

In talking with UK fans before the game against Albany, COVID-related reasons were cited when asked about empty seats.

“I think the whole thing is making people wear masks,” said Lisa Smith, a 1998 UK graduate who came to the game from Raleigh, N.C.

Mike Ryan mentioned how Friday games conflict with high school football.

Calipari had mentioned ongoing construction near Rupp Arena and traffic as a factor. But Jeff and Theresa Harrison said they entered Rupp Arena without any problem.

Jeff Harrison also had no problem with the caliber of the competition. “I like to watch Kentucky not playing marquee opponents,” he said. “You see a little more of the athleticism.”

Ryan agreed, saying “the SEC is hard enough.”

Will Bolton, who lives in Frankfort, wants to see capacity crowds again.

“I believe this year we’ll win the national championship,” he said, adding that toward that end it will be important for UK fans to fill the seats in Tampa for the Southeastern Conference Tournament and in New Orleans for the Final Four.

Bolton suggested another epiphany could come on Dec. 22.

“Let’s get our act together,” he said. “If we can bring people in for the Louisville game, that would really change it all.”

Movie time

When speaking with reporters after Kentucky beat Albany, Kellan Grady wore a shirt bearing the likeness of actor Marlon Brando.

He said that “The Godfather” was one of his favorite movies. He also gave a thumbs up to “Goodfellas” and “American Gangster.”

Of a mafia theme in movies, Grady said, “it fascinates me.”

Business decision

Kellan Grady came to Kentucky after having received a sociology degree from Davidson.

He is pursuing a postgraduate degree in business at UK.

When asked why he chose that degree goal, Grady pointed out that it is not unusual for business opportunities to arise once playing careers end.

“I thought it’d behoove me to have some type of knowledge in that field beyond common everyday knowledge,” he said. “And it’s different from what I studied at Davidson.”

Who’s next?

Wth the Sacramento Kings firing Luke Walton as coach, the website SportsBetting.ag listed odds on the next NBA coach to be fired.

The shortest odds involved two coaches with UK connections.

The website listed former UK player and later assistant coach Dwane Casey as a 2-1 favorite to be the most likely next coach to be fired. Casey coaches the Detroit Pistons, who had a 4-14 record going into this weekend.

The next shortest odds on a firing was Los Angeles Lakers Coach Frank Vogel, a former UK manager. The website listed the odds of his firing at 3-1. The Lakers had a 10-10 record going into this weekend.

Socially active

Earlier in his career, Albany Coach Dwayne Killings was an assistant coach at Marquette.

While there, he founded Coaches for Action, a group of 21 minority assistant basketball coaches in the Big East Conference. Coaches for Action called for the conference schools to address social injustice.

Condolences

To friends and family of Cecil Hurt. The longtime sports columnist for The Tuscaloosa News died Tuesday at age 62 from complications from pneumonia.

Hurt, who joined The Tuscaloosa News in 1982, was synonymous with Alabama athletics.

“Cecil Hurt was a good friend and one of the best sportswriters I have ever had the privilege of working with … ,” Alabama football coach Nick Saban said in a statement. “He was a man of integrity and a fair-minded journalist with wit, wisdom and an ability to paint a picture with his words that few have possessed.”

I considered Hurt a Renaissance man in the sportswriting profession. For instance, he brought books to read during timeouts and other idle times at SEC tournaments.

In 2011 he brought two books to the SEC Tournament in Atlanta. He had started one: “Was the Man a Genius: Talks with Andy Kaufman,” by Julie Hecht. And if he finished it before the tournament ended, he would pick up: “Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate over Science and Religion,” by University of Georgia professor Edward Larson.

Hurt was born in Tuscaloosa and grew up in Huntsville. He was a 1981 graduate of the University of Alabama. He will be missed.

A memorial fund has been set up in Hurt’s name with proceeds going to support students at the University of Alabama. Donations can be made at https://give.ua.edu/cecil or by calling Alabama’s Office of Advancement Services at (205) 348-5370.

Happy birthday

To Reid Travis. He turned 26 on Thursday. … To Steve Lochmueller. He turned 69 on Thursday. … To Shawn Kemp. He turned 52 on Friday. … To LSU Coach Will Wade. He turned 39 on Friday. … To Oscar Tshiebwe. He turned 22 on Saturday. … To Brandon Boston. He turns 20 on Sunday (today). … To Larry Johnson. He turns 67 on Sunday (today). … To Julius Randle. He turns 27 on Monday. … To Nick Richards. He turns 24 on Monday. … To Jamal Mashburn. He turns 49 on Monday. … To former UK assistant Joel Justus. He turns 40 on Monday. … To former Tennessee standout Grant Williams. He turns 23 on Tuesday. … To former UK coach Joe B. Hall. He turns 93 on Tuesday.

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