Once a National Powerhouse, Texas Athletics Turns to Gimmicks Over Talent By: Kayla Jacob

Winners must know they cannot be winners all the time.

As college athletics has become more competitive both on the field and commercially, powerhouses such as the University of Texas at Austin are under pressure to keep fans in the stands even when teams are lacking on the scoreboard.

And that applies to both men and women’s athletics.

“When I was playing, I happened to be blessed enough to be in the era (at UT) where everything was good,” said Cat Osterman, a UT Sports Hall of Fame and All-American softball pitcher. “So you didn’t really have to promote as much as you promoted or work now. Because everyone was winning.”

Osterman played at UT from 2002 to 2006 and took a break in 2004 to participate in the Olympics. During that time, UT was playing in championships left and right. Almost every team was a perennial powerhouse and every team was making it into the Top 10.

In 2001 the baseball team won the College World Series and women’s softball went to three College World Series. In 2003 both men’s and women’s basketball teams make it to the Final Four. Jeritt Elliot, now the women’s volleyball head coach, was just hired and every year they were getting a step further. In 2005 Texas football won its first ever Rose Bowl.

“While I was there,” Osterman said, “Everyone was succeeding and, of course, your fans and your city feed off of success.”

Now, at the end of the fall 2019 football season, Texas football is unranked. Leaving fans disappointed after a successful ranked 2018 season and a Sugar Bowl win against University of Georgia.

To keep fans interested universities must turn to other avenues to draw fans in. Osterman spoke about Texas’ athletic director, Chris Del Conte and his creation of a new gameday experience at UT.

“I think Del Conte has done a great job at trying to revitalize what it means to be a Longhorn fan and kind of not have the up and down years simply based on athletic success, ” Osterman said.

Since being hired in 2017 Del Conte has hired new coaches, implemented Bevo Boulevard, started renovations on Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium and most recently, pushed the ground breaking for a new basketball arena, the Moody Center.

Del Conte entices Longhorn fans with gimmicks, action packed game days and new facilities to make up for the undesirability of sitting on the bleachers of a losing team. In

his desire to amp up football game days at UT, Del Conte created the game day celebration Bevo Boulevard, in Fall 2018, according to Texas Athletics.

The new game day attraction was created on San Jacinto Boulevard, where fans can kick off the day watching a street parade led by UT’s live mascot, Bevo XV. Fans can also enjoy games, local food trucks and live entertainment.

When asked what a 2019 football game day looked like, Alexa Klyap, a UT sophomore, mentioned that game days are jam-packed with excitement.

“It’s just funny how much it's not just about watching football, now there’s fighter jets, skydivers and carnival games on Bevo Boulevard,” Klyap said. “It’s just cool to be a part of that.”

Osterman mentioned the opposite.

“Our game day experiences were so different,” Osterman said. “If you put someone from now [to] back then, they would think it’s pretty bare bones. You just kinda went to games, watched games.”

According to the Texas Sports website, part of Del Conte’s plan is the new Moody Center. Set to open in 2022 the center will replace the Frank J. Erwin Center and be home to the men’s and women’s basketball teams and host other events on campus.

This past Tuesday the over $300 million project broke ground and the event was commemorated by the men’s basketball game versus the University of Alabama Birmingham. The last time men’s basketball made it to the Final Four was in 2003.

Anna Pulis, a UT sophomore and member of the university dance squad Texas Pom, has danced at numerous men’s and women’s basketball games and said that the audience is always hugely invested in the performance of the players. However, there has been a difference in attendance numbers. In comparison, women's basketball has made the Final Four more times than the men yet the attendance at their games is still lower.

“I have noticed the amount of fans differs based on the team playing,” Pulis said. “At men’s games, the arena is louder, more full and highly energetic. At women’s, the smaller amount of fans that attend seem more focused on the logistics of the game rather than the experience itself.”

Times have changed. Osterman said she felt all sports were celebrated equally in the early 2000s, and they were being promoted but not to the extent that they are today.

“I think sometimes people forget, sure it’s a basketball arena, but it’s for both men and women not just one,” Osterman said. “Everyone usually points to ‘Oh, the men get this.’”

Osterman thinks the discrepancy could be that female athletes are receiving less press than their male counterparts, in a time where press is so crucial to drawing attention.

“We were in regionals and I had thrown a no hitter and a perfect game back to back,” Osterman said. “My catcher and I and some other friends walked into the baseball game and the baseball fans stood up and gave us a standing ovation.”

You don’t hear about stories like this happening today.

When asked what drew her to UT, Osterman mentioned that not only was the success of the softball program important but the overall success of the athletics programs as well. Osterman said that during her time at UT, baseball and softball were both highly successful programs and people took notice to both teams. She didn’t have to do anything different to help shed light on women’s sports.

“I never really felt like we were being overshadowed, to be honest,” said Osterman, “ I know the fans took notice.”

Keeping fans in the stands long enough to experience the sting of losses, as well as the joys of wins, remains a challenge in competitive collegiate athletics. Even UT’s.

Osterman speaks of a special time in UT’s storied athletic history. But she also recognizes winners are sometimes losers, too. Keeping Longhorn fans engaged with more than points on a scoreboard is not just a punt or a free-throw.

“(Del Conte) has done a great job,” Osterman said. “At the same time, he took over at a time when our fandom started to drop so he just had to do something to revitalize and keep people wanting to come, regardless of wins and losses.”