Disappointed in the attendance tonight, about 250 to 300, usually 800 to 1,000.

Attendance was probably about 300 but I respectfully disagree that recent years had been 800-1000.
Attendance at Welcome Back and end of season banquet had been declining. The tone of tonight's Dinner was very upbeat, starting with Sophia Young as MC. Each player spoke to the crowd. They are obviously excited about the season, have high expectations and love their teammates. They are being encouraged to interact with fans and there seems to be more of a relaxed enthusiasm than I recall in recent years. Each of the players expressed her appreciation for being at Baylor. Coach Nicki covered a lot of subjects and embraces the label of favorites to win the Big 12 again. She said we will see the best version of Queen Egbo this year.

DFW Bill said:

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Disappointed in the attendance tonight, about 250 to 300, usually 800 to 1,000.

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Yeah but how about that leather strap chicken. My goodness it must have been cooked at 3 o'clock, well done at that. I got tickled at an old man setting at another table trying to chomp down on it pull a bite off of it. He must have had false teeth because he was some kind of struggling. I started to point him out to you Bill so you could get a good laugh but mercy we were all struggling with it.

As far as the crowd, yes it was extremely sparse compared to years gone by. I sure hope this is not an indication of how the crowds will be at the games. These good girls, especially the seniors deserve to have some good support as they play for the last time upon this stage.

The coach gave a very impressive speech. And the girls did a good job of circulating around and speaking to the fans. I got the chance to speak to Jaden Owens as we were leaving and I said, "Hey girl you are looking really good in practice". I never got such a heartfelt thank you.

Isn't it amazing that 2 of these girls are elected as preseason all Big 12. One is the new comer of the year. That means we have at least 3 of the top 6 players in this league. And Asberry has received honorable mention. Nobody will have as strong of a starting 5 as Baylor. As Scoutbear said tonight, "We've got the horses". We just can't afford any injuries.

Nicki never left the front of the seating area only talking to a few people, great talker, nice person, first big test is November 11th, National Signing Day (NLI).

DFW Bill said:

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Nicki never left the front of the seating area only talking to a few people, great talker, nice person, first big test is November 11th, National Signing Day (NLI).

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Hey Bill - didn't see you last night. Would have said hello. I was actually surprised at the attendance, but in a different way. There were more people than I expected. I thought it was a decent crowd considering the circumstances. I heard last night that season tickets are down by half as of now. I'm surprised so many walked away from this great group of players we have.

Get to the games and support our girls! Buy season tickets! If there was ever a time that this legendary program needed its fans, it is now! These girls deserve our support. We will be fine.

Now as for that chicken...go back to the pot luck supper format.

Susancr said:

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We did not attend the Welcome Back supper because of Covid concerns. We are vaccinated but still very careful. The pictures I see indicate we made a good decision. Baylor is apparently not taking any precautions for indoor events. We are rethinking attending the games….and we have season tickets. I believe proof of vaccination should be required for indoor events.

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What Baylor did different last night then the normal Welcome Back supper was put only 8 people to a table instead of 10, and didn't have food lines/pot luck. Everyone had a box of chicken at the table.

Agree with Scout Bear - NOW is the time to support your Women's BB team! I'm sure there will be plenty of empty seats that you can move to that don't put you in direct contact with others. Wear a good mask while walking around. There's always a way to do it.

geewago said:

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As far as the crowd, yes it was extremely sparse compared to years gone by. I sure hope this is not an indication of how the crowds will be at the games. These good girls, especially the seniors deserve to have some good support as they play for the last time upon this stage.

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I'd like to comment on this.

In a way, Mulkey was brilliant to get out when she did. Attendance at WBB games has been declining steadily ever since the Griner/Sims years. (The 2019-2020 season saw a slight uptick, likely due to the 2019 Natty.) This is the case for most major programs, and most DI NCAA programs in general.

Attendance this year will be sparse. Partially because of a new, unproven coach, partially because our fan base is real old, and partially because of COVID fears/lingering anxiety, but mostly because this has been the general trend for years now. The Mulkey-ites will blame it on Collen. Others will blame it on "Mulkey abandoning us." But in reality, it's just what it is and what always was going to be.

The important thing is that those of us who are still hanging in there hang in there with more enthusiasm and loyalty.