UTA fans watch a Feb. 13, 2025, game against California Baptist University at College Park Center.
File Photo / Natanael Mazariego
This article is the first in The Fan Factor, an occasional series of articles examining attendance at UTA Athletics games.
UTA introduced its state-of-the-art College Park Center in February 2012 as a multipurpose facility. Aside from UTA Athletics games, it hosts concerts, events and many other forms of entertainment, notching itself as a contender among local Arlington entertainment facilities.
In its debut year, the $78 million, 218,000-square-foot arena drew nearly a full crowd of about 6,400 people during the UTA men’s basketball matchup against then Big 12 conference member University of Oklahoma.
While the arena has seen sold-out crowds and department-altering wins in its tenure, topping out College Park Center’s capabilities, it has seen inconsistencies with student engagement, often leaving Maverick pride reverberating back from the more than half-empty stadium seats above.
Athletics director Jon Fagg said having fans at games supporting the teams is one of the biggest benefits for home games, noting the arena’s atmosphere and the noise it’s capable of holding.
“We need students, need them to come to the games. We have a chance to be really good,” Fagg said. “We’re going to push. I think we can win championships this year, and so we just want people to come out. That’s the biggest piece.”
The Athletics department has made efforts to bring in students through “Pack the Park” nights and other themed events, but more often than not, the fans fall short. The most notable drop in attendance was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and attendance in College Park Center has not been able to fully recover.
The teams have made efforts to encourage students to attend, walking the streets and campus halls to hand out free tickets and holding open practices at the Maverick Activities Center to draw fans to UTA’s Division I teams.
But the stands look the same, nearly barren compared to the Dallas Wings games held at College Park Center. Wings games have consistently seen record numbers at the arena, with an average fill rate of 95% in 2024, according to a Wings press release.
Despite the Wings holding a nationwide fan base and being a professional team, UTA teams have seen these same numbers before over the nearly 14 years since College Park Center opened, so what has kept students from showing out for some of its top teams?
One of the biggest misconceptions about UTA Athletics games is the price tag. For UTA students, basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball matches are free of charge. Additionally, students are allowed one complimentary admission per game.
Some students expressed that transportation and parking have hindered their desire to go to games.
Jacqueline Oba, sustainable urban design sophomore, said it’s harder for students who are off campus, noting the pay and distance some have to travel.
Wranglers cheer from the Buck Em Saloon during a game against the University of Texas at Tyler on Nov. 11, 2023, at College Park Center. The saloon can fit roughly 100-150 students.
Oba said better advertisement would incentivize her and more off-campus students to come to College Park Center rather than go to class and go home.
Like Oba, information systems senior Sultan Kehinde said promotion for events could be better.
“A prime example is a boxing event that’s happening pretty soon. Only seen an event like that promoted once or twice,” Kehinde said. “I would like to see little stuff like that just run a little bit better.”
Students who find themselves frequent visitors to College Park Center note a positive experience of the arena. For information systems senior Abraham Lamptey, the culture is what brings him back.
“It’s always exciting to come to the CPC and then see people excited about whatever is going on,” he said. “If it’s a concert or if it’s a basketball game, a volleyball game.”
To describe the scene for someone who hasn’t attended games at the arena, Lamptey said the student section gets riled up and vocalizes its support, describing it as an exciting venue.
Electrical engineering junior Jesse Otu said the games are something unique that someone with school pride should want to attend.
“They have cheerleaders and even just students that come to support, they make signs,” Otu said. “A lot of those games be close. It’s a lot of high intensity. The crowd is going for sure and most of us students, we actually know some of the students that hoop on the court, so it makes it even more intense and more focused because it’s your friends hooping.”
Kinesiology graduate student Bridget Witzmann, a self-proclaimed avid Mavericks fan from Minnesota, said it’s interesting to see how different it is from other schools.
“It’s a big gym, so if people can get it packed, then it’s a lot more fun and loud,” Witzmann said. “So if people get the chance to come, even if they’re not students here, they should.”
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