MANILA, Philippines - While many expected that the UAAP Finals series between the National University Bulldogs and Far Eastern University Tamaraws to not attract much attention, crowd attendance at Tuesday's game spoke the opposite.
According to reports, Game 2 of FEU-NU has set the bar high for attaining the largest attendance in a basketball game, with 24,896 fans trooping to the Araneta Coliseum Tuesday. This crowd turnout surpassed the "Manila Clasico" PBA semifinals between Ginebra and San Mig Coffee last February, which drew 24,883 paying fans.
Okay guys. Gate attendance is 24,896. It's a new record for Araneta in basketball. #FEUvsNU Game 2
— UAAPCDC2014 (@uaapcdc) October 8, 2014 And for FEU and NU fans, the mammoth number is a smack on the face of everyone who doubted the marketability of the series:
Gate Attendance: 24,896 highest gate attendance sa basketball.! Grabe!! pic.twitter.com/cJXd6vxvLZ
— Kate_13 (@KateYco_13) October 8, 2014 Almost 25k ang gate attendance today sa Araneta. Ano ulit sabi nung iba? Deadma lang sila sa series na 'to? Shame on you. #jejebandwagoner
— Em Urdaneta (@emurdanetasays) October 8, 2014 "Gate Attendance: 24,896 for the record largest crowd in basketball game" ANO MSSABI NUNG MGA NAGSABING GEN AD LANG DW MPPUNO?
— Christelle Sencio (@tellesencio) October 8, 2014 "gate attendance for today 24,896 biggest in bigdome history" Nasan na yung mga nagsabi na sayang ticketsales kasi NU at FEU yung maglalaro?
— A L (@Aalouise) October 8, 2014 Yung mga nagsabi na walang manonood ng UAAP finals kasi walang ADMU/DLSU. Gate attendance: 24,896 Biggest crowd ever for a UAAP bball game
— James Cedro (@engr_popoy) October 8, 2014 24,896 gate attendance for #UAAP77Finals #game2 who said this match wont attract crowds?
— Mervin Laureola (@BiGGamEViN) October 8, 2014 I thought d playing venue for this UAAP finals wl be a ghost town? 24,896 gate attendance broke the record of any DLSU A teneo, SMC BGK game
— mak (@markletran) October 8, 2014 Grabe Feu vs Nu tinalo pa yung record ng Manila Clasico sa gate attendance!
— Jericho Espino (@jekespino) October 8, 2014