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Topic:  College Basketball Attendance Woes

Topic:  College Basketball Attendance Woes
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giacomo
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  Message Not Read  College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 9:57:36 AM 
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/12/17/pitt-p...

The article talks about the flagging attendance at Pitt games in the last few years. They used to sell out all the time. Then talks about the whole of college hoops being down.
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OhioCatFan
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 10:15:46 AM 
giacomo wrote:
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/12/17/pitt-p...

The article talks about the flagging attendance at Pitt games in the last few years. They used to sell out all the time. Then talks about the whole of college hoops being down.


For a minute I thought I was on the BA football forum. There has been talk there about flagging NFL attendance and earlier there was a thread dealing with declining CFB attendance. Perhaps, there is fan fatigue in the sports world in general. In part I think that this may be due to the over-saturation we now have with sports of all kinds on the many sports channels on our TVs and on the interwebs (as one old army grunt likes to put it).

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

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Alan Swank
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Location: Athens, OH
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 10:16:05 AM 
Interesting comment from the article. "TV" seems to be a double edged sword.

Attendance has been down across college basketball as a whole, making it far from a Pitt-specific trend. With greater accessibility to games broadcast online and on TV, along with the increased prevalence of high-definition television, 1,010,000 fewer people attended Division I games last season than they did in the 2007-08 season, amounting to an average of 581 fewer people per game, according to NCAA attendance reports.
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cbus cat fan
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 10:22:02 AM 
There are many options and where sports was the prime driver for social interaction, there are now many. Sports was the community builder, whether in cities or small towns. Now it seems, unless your team is winning attendance really suffers.

Some of us are old enough to remember the 1970s Ohio high school basketball tournament. I was in grade school and fascinated by the dozens of local radio stations banners that were draped over their respective broadcasting tables at St. John Arena in Columbus. These stations would broadcast all of the state finals, whether a local team was in the game or not.

Even though the Columbus metro area is almost 2,000,000 people, Ohio State has trouble with attendance. I would throw out that one of the big reasons why is you can't tailgate, which leads us to football. Lots of big time college football programs have large tailgate parties for social interaction. A fair amount of the people tailgating might not even know who the opponent is and might not make it inside the stadium, even though the attend every tailgate. However, it is the place to be, so lots of people, especially young single people go. Some big time programs and especially professional programs have family sections so families can be shielded from drunken, profane fans, but that's a whole other topic.

Last Edited: 12/17/2016 10:24:05 AM by cbus cat fan
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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 4:39:43 PM 
Based on the Swank/McKinney "fan in the seats meter" developed and used up until 2006, there were approximately 1341 fans there today. Yes I know we post sold seats but I was just staying on topic as far as college basketball attendance woes.
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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 6:43:53 PM 
giacomo wrote:
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/12/17/pitt-p...

The article talks about the flagging attendance at Pitt games in the last few years. They used to sell out all the time. Then talks about the whole of college hoops being down.


Can we blame this on Kapernick as well? Because several believe that is the reason the NFL is declining.
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yamaha45701
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Location: The plains, OH
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 6:45:58 PM 
This post is slightly on topic: today, for the second time this year, I was not allowed onto the ring above the first seats since I have the family pack seats in the upper seating area. I had wanted to go down to the empty student section since it was almost deserted down there. I even went to the ticket office to ask why, since it was so empty, that it would not be allowed to sit down there. The ticket office blamed the new security company and said "rules are rules". Told me to buy a new ticket??? I thought, I have 4 tickets, why don't I trade you four for one, but I kept my mouth shut.
So I would harbor a guess that, as security and yellow clad ushers get more prevalent and bag searches occur, that there may be a few people who just do not want to go through the trouble. Last year it was the outside concourse being closed off too making folks parking in the back lot to walk in the weather to the front.
Is there anyone else that questions why the powers that be could relax the seating requirements while the students are on break?
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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 6:48:50 PM 
yamaha45701 wrote:
This post is slightly on topic: today, for the second time this year, I was not allowed onto the ring above the first seats since I have the family pack seats in the upper seating area. I had wanted to go down to the empty student section since it was almost deserted down there. I even went to the ticket office to ask why, since it was so empty, that it would not be allowed to sit down there. The ticket office blamed the new security company and said "rules are rules". Told me to buy a new ticket??? I thought, I have 4 tickets, why don't I trade you four for one, but I kept my mouth shut.
So I would harbor a guess that, as security and yellow clad ushers get more prevalent and bag searches occur, that there may be a few people who just do not want to go through the trouble. Last year it was the outside concourse being closed off too making folks parking in the back lot to walk in the weather to the front.
Is there anyone else that questions why the powers that be could relax the seating requirements while the students are on break?


Personally my belief is if you want to sit in premium seating you should pay premium pricing. Bobcat Black seats were empty today as well, and it's not fair to those who pay for those seats to have others who pay much less enjoy the game from the same view.
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Jeff McKinney
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 10:54:52 PM 
This is an anecdotal eye test view, but I've caught parts of a lot of college games this year, and there is a drastic drop off in actual fans in the seats across college basketball.

Many mid major gyms are virtually empty. This will get better when conference play starts, but it's still very sobering.
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bornacatfan
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 10:55:06 PM 
BillyTheCat wrote:


Personally my belief is if you want to sit in premium seating you should pay premium pricing. Bobcat Black seats were empty today as well, and it's not fair to those who pay for those seats to have others who pay much less enjoy the game from the same view.


Flip side of that is....if you let people see what it looks like in the lower bowl they may be compelled or even excited to try and upgrade next year.

I saw in a box score today that there were 2143 attending and they were excited in game comments ...then I saw the arena sat 3k and change.

never argue with idiots, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Winter comes and asks how you spent your summer.....

The game loves and rewards those who love and reward the game

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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/17/2016 11:21:04 PM 
bornacatfan wrote:
BillyTheCat wrote:


Personally my belief is if you want to sit in premium seating you should pay premium pricing. Bobcat Black seats were empty today as well, and it's not fair to those who pay for those seats to have others who pay much less enjoy the game from the same view.


Flip side of that is....if you let people see what it looks like in the lower bowl they may be compelled or even excited to try and upgrade next year.

I saw in a box score today that there were 2143 attending and they were excited in game comments ...then I saw the arena sat 3k and change.



I agree with you to an extent, why would I pay extra for something I experienced for free? And why then would I pay a premium when I could get the same seat for 1/4 the price and no OBC club contribution.

What is the cost of Platinum seats this year with OBC contribution? Gold? And what is the difference in that in the family pack? Several hundred dollars, so why am I paying several hundred extra when I could have bought the family pack???

We went down the road about 20 years ago when the department actually tried selling tickets, and it didn't go very well, why? Because you could run by Krogers and pick up free tickets, or you could go to the front doors where they gave tickets out. Result, it's taken years to get the people to see a value in buying tickets, and many stayed away for years over the "slight" that they expect me to buy a ticket.

Again, that is solely my opinion.
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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 8:56:57 AM 
BillyTheCat wrote:
bornacatfan wrote:
BillyTheCat wrote:


Personally my belief is if you want to sit in premium seating you should pay premium pricing. Bobcat Black seats were empty today as well, and it's not fair to those who pay for those seats to have others who pay much less enjoy the game from the same view.


Flip side of that is....if you let people see what it looks like in the lower bowl they may be compelled or even excited to try and upgrade next year.

I saw in a box score today that there were 2143 attending and they were excited in game comments ...then I saw the arena sat 3k and change.



I agree with you to an extent, why would I pay extra for something I experienced for free? And why then would I pay a premium when I could get the same seat for 1/4 the price and no OBC club contribution.

What is the cost of Platinum seats this year with OBC contribution? Gold? And what is the difference in that in the family pack? Several hundred dollars, so why am I paying several hundred extra when I could have bought the family pack???

We went down the road about 20 years ago when the department actually tried selling tickets, and it didn't go very well, why? Because you could run by Krogers and pick up free tickets, or you could go to the front doors where they gave tickets out. Result, it's taken years to get the people to see a value in buying tickets, and many stayed away for years over the "slight" that they expect me to buy a ticket.

Again, that is solely my opinion.


obc payment for four platinum tickets is $900 plus the ticket price of $1020 for a total of $1920. The family pak of four is a total of $130. That's almost 15 times as much for the platinum seats.
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OUVan
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 9:13:57 AM 
bornacatfan wrote:
Flip side of that is....if you let people see what it looks like in the lower bowl they may be compelled or even excited to try and upgrade next year.

I saw in a box score today that there were 2143 attending and they were excited in game comments ...then I saw the arena sat 3k and change.



I would add that even if you aren't compelled to upgrade it adds to the overall game experience and you are more likely to come back. Not letting people move down to the empty student seating while they are away is extremely short-sighted.
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The Optimist
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 10:18:27 AM 
OUVan wrote:
bornacatfan wrote:
Flip side of that is....if you let people see what it looks like in the lower bowl they may be compelled or even excited to try and upgrade next year.

I saw in a box score today that there were 2143 attending and they were excited in game comments ...then I saw the arena sat 3k and change.



I would add that even if you aren't compelled to upgrade it adds to the overall game experience and you are more likely to come back. Not letting people move down to the empty student seating while they are away is extremely short-sighted.


It blows my mind how so many on this board undervalue the importance of gameday atmosphere.

In an era where you can see almost any game on TV/internet, atmosphere is THE thing that is going to convince someone that being there is superior to watching from their couch. Even when we win... It is the atmosphere that comes with a winning team that gets people to show up.

Personally, I'm against letting people move down to the O Zone because one time as a student I went to a game over break and the non-students sitting down there complained when I was standing up in front of them... On the short-term vs long-term discussion, I still/have always believed the $ brought in from the black seats is not worth the sacrifice to gameday atmosphere. Do you want an extra $1000 today or do you want to invest in the future of the fanbase? Easy choice. This basketball program has stupidly high potential. Pennies today or many times more than that tomorrow? Easy choice.

I've seen crazier things happen.

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Recovering Journalist
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 11:20:18 AM 
The Optimist wrote:
Do you want an extra $1000 today or do you want to invest in the future of the fanbase? Easy choice. This basketball program has stupidly high potential. Pennies today or many times more than that tomorrow? Easy choice.


I can see both sides of the premium seating argument, but $1,000 is not pennies. The department operates in the red and on the backs of students paying non-optional fees. Every penny is very important. I have two gold tickets, and I frankly would prefer to see someone in them every game, but I can sympathize with someone who feels otherwise.
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BillyTheCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 11:25:36 AM 
Alan Swank wrote:
BillyTheCat wrote:
bornacatfan wrote:
BillyTheCat wrote:


Personally my belief is if you want to sit in premium seating you should pay premium pricing. Bobcat Black seats were empty today as well, and it's not fair to those who pay for those seats to have others who pay much less enjoy the game from the same view.


Flip side of that is....if you let people see what it looks like in the lower bowl they may be compelled or even excited to try and upgrade next year.

I saw in a box score today that there were 2143 attending and they were excited in game comments ...then I saw the arena sat 3k and change.



I agree with you to an extent, why would I pay extra for something I experienced for free? And why then would I pay a premium when I could get the same seat for 1/4 the price and no OBC club contribution.

What is the cost of Platinum seats this year with OBC contribution? Gold? And what is the difference in that in the family pack? Several hundred dollars, so why am I paying several hundred extra when I could have bought the family pack???

We went down the road about 20 years ago when the department actually tried selling tickets, and it didn't go very well, why? Because you could run by Krogers and pick up free tickets, or you could go to the front doors where they gave tickets out. Result, it's taken years to get the people to see a value in buying tickets, and many stayed away for years over the "slight" that they expect me to buy a ticket.

Again, that is solely my opinion.


obc payment for four platinum tickets is $900 plus the ticket price of $1020 for a total of $1920. The family pak of four is a total of $130. That's almost 15 times as much for the platinum seats.




And I get some people's claims of promoting a better game day experience, but how can you expect someone to lay out $2k when the guy sitting next to you paid $130?
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DublinCat
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 11:37:45 AM 
I doubt the national economy has anything to do with it.

I had two extra tickets for yesterday’s game. I thought about giving them to some of the guys standing in the rain at end of the 33 East State exit ramp or one of the guys standing at the Kroger exit. I am fairly certain they would not be interested in attending. Something I was never accustomed to seeing during my time in Athens.

With more people on some form of assistance than anytime on record I would think there would be enough left for some quality entertainment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 94+ million working age Americans no longer part of the workforce. I doubt that has much to do with it. Just because our economic growth rate is the lowest sustained growth rate on record, I cannot imagine that it has anything to do with declining attendance nationally.

There maybe just too many more fun and entertaining things to do than attend sporting events. That's my guess.

OU87

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Ohio69
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 6:25:44 PM 
Some here is a growing oversupply prices will drop, correct?

Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

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jumper80
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes (NT)
   Posted: 12/18/2016 8:56:00 PM 

Last Edited: 12/18/2016 8:57:17 PM by jumper80
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Casper71
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 9:04:05 PM 
I have another solution...during breaks PLAY IN TOURNAMENTS. This is an old time model Ohio used to follow. Better competition at neutral sites. Face it, during break there are just not a lot of people in Athens or around the State that can get to a game in Athens in person for whatever reason. So, why play there in a basically empty Convo against a bunch of no names. Instead, go somewhere and let the kplayers have some fun, see a different place, and some better competition.
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OU_Country
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 10:04:33 PM 
Casper71 wrote:
I have another solution...during breaks PLAY IN TOURNAMENTS. This is an old time model Ohio used to follow. Better competition at neutral sites. Face it, during break there are just not a lot of people in Athens or around the State that can get to a game in Athens in person for whatever reason. So, why play there in a basically empty Convo against a bunch of no names. Instead, go somewhere and let the kplayers have some fun, see a different place, and some better competition.


There aren't any tournaments going on right now to play in that in aware of. Most holiday tournaments happen around Thanksgiving. We've been in one of those two of the last three years, and will be again next year.

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Alan Swank
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 11:01:19 PM 
If you think the Convo was empty yesterday, just wait for the December 30th game against Urbana. Tuesday January 3rd won't be much better as Bobcat fans get used to Tuesday night MAC games as opposed to Wednesday night games and games going up against local high school basketball.
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RSBobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 11:38:05 PM 
BillyTheCat wrote:
Alan Swank wrote:
BillyTheCat wrote:
bornacatfan wrote:
BillyTheCat wrote:


Personally my belief is if you want to sit in premium seating you should pay premium pricing. Bobcat Black seats were empty today as well, and it's not fair to those who pay for those seats to have others who pay much less enjoy the game from the same view.


Flip side of that is....if you let people see what it looks like in the lower bowl they may be compelled or even excited to try and upgrade next year.

I saw in a box score today that there were 2143 attending and they were excited in game comments ...then I saw the arena sat 3k and change.



I agree with you to an extent, why would I pay extra for something I experienced for free? And why then would I pay a premium when I could get the same seat for 1/4 the price and no OBC club contribution.

What is the cost of Platinum seats this year with OBC contribution? Gold? And what is the difference in that in the family pack? Several hundred dollars, so why am I paying several hundred extra when I could have bought the family pack???

We went down the road about 20 years ago when the department actually tried selling tickets, and it didn't go very well, why? Because you could run by Krogers and pick up free tickets, or you could go to the front doors where they gave tickets out. Result, it's taken years to get the people to see a value in buying tickets, and many stayed away for years over the "slight" that they expect me to buy a ticket.

Again, that is solely my opinion.


obc payment for four platinum tickets is $900 plus the ticket price of $1020 for a total of $1920. The family pak of four is a total of $130. That's almost 15 times as much for the platinum seats.




And I get some people's claims of promoting a better game day experience, but how can you expect someone to lay out $2k when the guy sitting next to you paid $130?


I could care less if the alternative is the seat is empty - for all you know I gave him the ticket.....

RS Bobcat

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RSBobcat
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/18/2016 11:43:16 PM 
Ohio69 wrote:
Some here is a growing oversupply prices will drop, correct?


Pretty sure Platinum is sold out - so no "oversupply" exists - in Platinum seating anyway.

The only "oversupply" I experience is the number of miles I drive round trip to a game. Missed the last two due to issues/conflicts that made the 3 hr round trip drive unable to do - and I hardly Ever miss a game in the Convo. When I can I give my tics away if not able to attend - was not able to in time for these last two games.

RS Bobcat

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Ohio69
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  Message Not Read  RE: College Basketball Attendance Woes
   Posted: 12/19/2016 8:22:27 AM 
RSBobcat wrote:
Ohio69 wrote:
Some here is a growing oversupply prices will drop, correct?


Pretty sure Platinum is sold out - so no "oversupply" exists - in Platinum seating anyway.

The only "oversupply" I experience is the number of miles I drive round trip to a game. Missed the last two due to issues/conflicts that made the 3 hr round trip drive unable to do - and I hardly Ever miss a game in the Convo. When I can I give my tics away if not able to attend - was not able to in time for these last two games.


Well I meant "so there" and not "some here", but that's what I get trying to post with my phone....

I really mean nationwide. If attendance is down, you'd think prices for tickets and concessions would drop.... But, that never seems to happen.

Last Edited: 12/19/2016 8:48:26 AM by Ohio69

Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

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