"...close to 50,000 in attendance..."

[manoloblahniksabre]

In this article on Yahoo Finance, it claims that nearly 50,000 people attended this years World Championships in Foxboro. Now, I'm assuming they've added the total attendances from all three nights together to get one large number. But how many people attend more than just finals? Several thousand, I'm sure. Also, would most people foreign to DCI understand that there are three nights of competition?

This is very misleading. I'm not sure if DCI supplied these numbers to them, but, nonetheless, I would say it's sloppy journalism at best.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050825/255348.html?.v=1

Edited August 25, 2005 by manoloblahniksabre

[glory]

In defense of journalists (as if!), it's a press release, so any blame goes to the principals including DCI (as always!).

To answer your question, my sense is finals usually accounts for slightly more than half the finals-week attendance.

To give my opinion, press releases are the place where you put the best-possible spin on the facts. No felony as I see it.

HH

[manoloblahniksabre]

Well, as this wayworn PhD-in-progress sees it, spinning (blatant lying, in other words) in journalism AND the media is the problem. Now, I understand DCI may need to over-inflate itself to try and expand its audience, but c'mon...50,000? That's ridiculous.

In defense of journalists (as if!), it's a press release, so any blame goes to the principals including DCI (as always!).

To answer your question, my sense is finals usually accounts for slightly more than half the finals-week attendance.

To give my opinion, press releases are the place where you put the best-possible spin on the facts. No felony as I see it.

HH

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[glory]

Continuing my surely futile defense of journalists, they have no more control over the spin in press releases than you do. Continuing my equally futile defense of DCI, shouldn't they present themselves in the best-possible light? It's a fact, isn't it? There were 50,000 at the championships vs. the championship.

HH

[manoloblahniksabre]

I'm not slamming journalism. I just think that what has been represented as fact isn't so, and while, yes, I do believe DCI should present itself in the best possible light, there is no reason for a gross misrepresentation of truth, either. I suppose you can count the same people on different nights and say "championships" instead of "championship", but I don't believe that skewing the numbers in your favor will help you gain an audience. I understand the propaganda behind it, but I still don't agree with it.

Continuing my surely futile defense of journalists, they have no more control over the spin in press releases than you do. Continuing my equally futile defense of DCI, shouldn't they present themselves in the best-possible light? It's a fact, isn't it? There were 50,000 at the championships vs. the championship.

HH

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[drumcat]

As is pretty normal with crowd estimation, you count all paid attendees at all events.

If, for example, a golf tournament has 200,000 in attendance for the event, that could in theory be as little as 50k for 4 days. It's also impossible to distinguish how many people were there for 1 or 5 of the events.

I don't see your point about misleading the masses. The statement would appear accurate on its face -- apx 24 on sat, 15 on fri, 9 on thurs, and a few thousand at D2/3 and then I&E... it's a lot more accurate than some of the estimates of protesters, etc., anyhow.

[AlbionNY Drum Line]

any publicidy is good piblicidy (i cant spell, though that is a hard word)

[dckid80]

Is there a reason why DCI would not release attendance figure by night and event?

Surely they have them.

[g0at]

As is pretty normal with crowd estimation, you count all paid attendees at all events.

If, for example, a golf tournament has 200,000 in attendance for the event, that could in theory be as little as 50k for 4 days.  It's also impossible to distinguish how many people were there for 1 or 5 of the events.

I don't see your point about misleading the masses.  The statement would appear accurate on its face -- apx 24 on sat, 15 on fri, 9 on thurs, and a few thousand at D2/3 and then I&E...  it's a lot more accurate than some of the estimates of protesters, etc., anyhow.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

D 2/3 didnt even sell out a high school stadium :(

[ptr250]

Is there a reason why DCI would not release attendance figure by night and event?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The reason is quite simple. A total of 50,000 attendees for three nights of competition is pathetic. Best to make it look like one night. I have a newspaper column from Dallas written after the 71 VFW finals that states, “…the competition drew a crowd of some 30,000 to the famed stadium (Cotton Bowl).” DC sure has grown in popularity since DCI was formed in 72.