Winter is here, and while it's not bringing a new season of Game of Thrones, a new season of HBCU basketball is already underway. Yet, most HBCU sports fans are still focused on the conclusion of the HBCU football season over the hoops season which has already seen some exciting games. 

It's a sign of an unfortunate trend amongst HBCU fans, one where football fandom immensely surpasses basketball fandom. It's a trend that has shown no signs of leaving. Here's why HBCU basketball fandom will never match HBCU football fandom.

The root of the issue is the attendance numbers. HBCU sports fans attend and support football teams at an exponential rate compared to basketball teams. Take a look at the last pre-COVID HBCU attendance numbers for basketball and football.

2019-20 Average Attendance Numbers (By School)

Hampton

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 3,764 (7,200)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 7,218 (12,000)

Southern

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 3,489 (7,500)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 16,957 (28,500)

Tennessee State

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 3,200 (9,100)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 8,787 (15,000)

North Carolina A&T

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 2,798 (5,700)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 16,927 (21,500)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 2,345 (4,100)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 7,191 (16,000)

Norfolk State

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 2,078 (4,500)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 11,296 (30,000)

Florida A&M

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 2,023 (8,470)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 16,537 (19,633)

Texas Southern

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 1,767 (8,100)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 9,204 (22,000)

Alabama State

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 1,689 (7,400)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 17,799 (26,500)

Jackson State

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 698 (8,000)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 33,762 (60,492)

Alcorn State

Basketball Attendance (Capacity): 312 (7,000)

Football Attendance (Capacity): 13,196 (22,500)

Hampton led all HBCUs in basketball attendance, but it only averaged 52 percent of its capacity in its arena. As you can see from the numbers above, most HBCU basketball programs fall short of filling their arena to the halfway point on average differing from most of their football counterparts. When looking at attendance versus capacity for basketball in comparison to football, the difference is alarming where schools like Jackson State only averaged TWO percent of its football fans at its basketball games.

While the number of HBCU basketball fans has grown in recent years, the overall audience pales in comparison to those who attend the showcase on the gridiron. Without the support at actual games, it'll be hard for HBCU basketball to catch HBCU football.

HBCU basketball lacks the lore of HBCU football. In HBCU football there are all-time legends in college football like Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Steve McNair who had Hall of Fame careers collegiately. These are players that current HBCU football players still look up to and try to emulate. There's even historical lore among HBCU football coaches, with the FCS Coach of the Year award being named after Grambling State great Eddie Robinson.

There isn't such a reverence for HBCU basketball greats, despite their unquestionable greatness on the court. As great as players Sam Jones, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe and Willis Reed were in college, their collegiate achievements aren't held on a pedestal in the same way as HBCU football greats. Even more college standouts from the modern era like Virginia Union's 1985 NCAA Champion and DII Player of the Year Charles Oakley and 1996 DII All-American and Final Four participant Ben Wallace don't draw the lore from HBCU sports fans and players. Ask yourself, when's the last time you heard someone say they wanted to be the next Charles Oakley?

The lore of sports is what keeps fans coming back, reminiscing on the greats that once were. With the lore being significantly higher in HBCU football than basketball, it makes it difficult for the levels of fandom to ever compare.

There are fewer pros to watch.

Another reason HBCU basketball fandom can't live up to its gridiron counterpart is because of the lack of professional talent to look up to. An HBCU basketball player hadn't been drafted since 2012 when Norfolk State's Kyle O'Quinn was selected in the second round. There hasn't been an HBCU first-round pick since Tennessee State's Carlos Rogers in 1994. Meanwhile, Division I HBCUs have had 23 NFL players drafted in the last decade.

Understandably, there are more roster spots and draft picks for football players than for basketball players. However, 23 NFL players drafted is enough to fill out a football starting lineup — plus a kicker — compared to the zero NBA players drafted in the same time frame. When the best HBCU players in their sport move on to the pros, it has a trickle-down effect as fans begin to engage in the sport to see who could be next. Without any NBA draft selections and only the undrafted Robert Covington still hanging on in the association, it makes it hard for the HBCU basketball fan base to grow.

None of this is to say that HBCU basketball isn't just as good of a product to watch as HBCU football. That's all based on the opinion of who's watching and can be attributed to a multitude of factors. However, the numbers behind attendance, history and professional talent prove that the fandom for hoops can't match the fandom for football. For HBCU basketball fandom to ever catch up, fans have a lot of work to do.