Is Race the Reason for a Drop in UConn Attendance?

Mike DiMauro of TheDay.com thinks so:

I'm going to get in trouble for this. But then, no more trouble than a few years ago when I wrote it the first time. The single biggest reason this state has lost its passion for the UConn women is because the team isn't as white as it used to be. UConn fans, who are generally whiter than most country club members, preferred the days when Sue, Shea, Svet, Jen, Rebecca, Diana and Kara were vanquishing the heathens.

This doesn't say they didn't love Asjha, Nykesha and Renee.

Just not as much.

Ow. I don't know what to think about that. The argument was that the downturn in the economy couldn't be blamed, since fans seemed to find the money to attend "...the Yankees, Red Sox, Celtics, Cavaliers, Giants, Patriots, Kentucky basketball, Florida football, Texas football, Kansas basketball and on and on and on," according to DiMauro.

However, sports attendance has really taken a hit across the board in the United States . Baseball, basketball, hockey, NASCAR are all suffering. The Courant.com has their own set of comments about the issue. Most of the commenters expressed dissatisfaction with the increasing cost of attending games, the level of competition that Connecticut plays in the off-season, and the university's indifference to its long-time ticket holders.

I'm not saying that race might not be a part of it. I just don't see it as driving the engine.