Dana Altman opens up on lack of fan support at games

Dana Altman didn’t sugarcoat his feelings about the paltry attendance for Oregon’s win over UC Riverside on Wednesday, but he was reticent to just blame fans for not showing up. Mostly, he seemed to want to find a solution to the problem of a dead arena.

Unfortunately for Altman, the root cause isn’t entirely certain, though there’s a number of factors. Injuries have slowed down the Ducks and Oregon is 6-5 at this point in the season. The game on Wednesday came during winter break, meaning students weren’t on campus. Altman himself noted he’s not much of a rah-rah guy or a draw himself.

“You know, our guys are battling. Our records not what we want it to be. I’ve been here a long time, they’re tired of me. So, I don’t know what the factors are. Now, I am not the most inspiring guy, so I do understand that. But, I gotta worry about my team. I want them to do good,” Altman said.

The reported attendance at Matthew Knight Arena — which has a listed capacity of 12,364 — was 4738. It’s not uncommon for mid-December games to be lesser-attended and, given all the factors facing Oregon right now, a dip isn’t surprising. But a third-full arena is hard to overlook.

Now, Altman isn’t about to make it his mission to get more fans in seats as he’s got plenty of concerns that are more pressing. But he isn’t oblivious to the empty arena and seems set on doing his part to get the Ducks playing better so the Oregon fans will show out.

“No, again, appreciate the 4700 that came. I appreciate the people who support us and stay with us,” Altman said. “And I know our record is not what it should be or what we want it to be.”