Did fans used to dress up for Bulls games?

I can’t remember to much from the 80’s and earlier, but I went to games throughout the 90’s…

People dressed fairly casually at the old Chicago Stadium, it was basically a big barn, and it was a lot of Bulls t-shirts and jeans… and some ugly Sam Smith sweaters, but those were pretty prevalent everywhere at the time….

When the United Center opened, and the Bulls were annual favorites to win the championship, ticket prices went up, and they began to sell a lot of season tickets to corporations as a means to entertain clients. And they intentionally catered to a higher class of fan. With waiters in tuxedo’s patrolling the good seats in stead of your typical cotton candy and hot dog guys. Because of this, you saw a lot of people coming in business attire, and less of the blue collar guys in t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers (or work boots)

As a side note, the stadium was loud, and all the fans were into the game… it was a fantastic basketball atmosphere, and every game was intense…

When the built the United Center, they new it would be used for a lot for Concerts. So they intentionally structured the acoustics to deaden the sound, so that it wouldn’t sound so “ringy” at concerts. … This, plus what I was saying earlier, about blue collar fans not being able to afford tickets, and business men using Bulls games for client meetings, really has hampered the atmosphere at games. Now when I go to games (which isn’t often, because of ticket prices), I often feel like I’m one of the only people paying attention to the game. And in the first half, it’s so quiet that I feel like I should silence my cell phone ringer…

I’m only 27, and I long for the good old days :-)

you might want to email Sam Smith to get an answer. He likes questions like that. I’ve noticed the same thing as you before. It seems like I remember hearing or seeing a reasonable answer for it at the time, but I can’t remember what it was.

I believe kidronmusic is on to something though…pricing and marketing was catered more towards the white-collar crowd. I don’t necessarily think people were changing INTO those clothes just to go to a game, I think it had more to do with people would get off of work and just go right to the game from work, rather than change.

As part of my job many years ago I got to chaperone some teenagers from a delinquent kids kind of program to a Blazers game in the Rose Garden – one of those things where they earned free tickets by behaving well. Since I was the staff person, I was in a skirt/blouse/flats semi-dressed up state, not a suit or anything – and we were literally in the very top row of the Garden, cement walls at our backs, after climbing a gazillion stairs, then I was stuck the whole game trying to sit in those damn uncomfortable seats without flashing anything at anyone seated lower than us. (Not that I think they were turning around to look at me, but it’s still uncomfortable to sit in a skirt when there are people eye-level with your lap right in front of you!)

So this is only slightly related to your post – but imo anyone that intentionally dresses up to go to a game is an idiot. ;)