Attendance for college football decreases again.

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
10,615
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kraizy.art
Yeah, clearly it's all cost of tickets...

Because adding programs like South Alabama, with their dirt cheap tickets, and their average attendance of 16,793 absolutely couldn't do anything to bring down average attendance numbers.
 

CajunCrimson

Moderator (FB,BB) and Vinyl Enthusiast
Staff member
Mar 13, 2001
26,506
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Without getting too political --- high unemployment rates, more PT jobs, and higher taxes coming -- I'm not surprised one bit.

Plus -- at home I get to pee and be back before missing anything -- and with the size of the TVs now -- watching at home is much more enjoyable than it used to be.
 

fralo4tide

1st Team
Jun 4, 2009
930
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37
Pensacola, FL
That may very well be true, but the stadium portrayed in that article is not an appropriate gauge for what is being seen across the country. You see, there was a special reason why that particular stadium was relatively empty this year. :biggrin:
 

CapstoneTider

Suspended
Dec 6, 2000
7,453
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For now it's 100% economics.

But warning to the rule changers......look at Nascar!

Saturday I heard two ESPN radio commentators arguing that we should just scrap the kickoff, no brainer because "safety first". The guy for scrapping the kickoff thought that even debating it was ridiculous because he had "safety" in his corner and anyone who though differently was an outcast or something. But there is a compromise point regarding safety, if not, our cars would have roll cages and Hans devices.

I hope that PC doesn't ruin football.

But as of right now, it's the horrible economy.
 

Jessica4Bama

Hall of Fame
Nov 7, 2009
7,307
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Alabama
I'll be honest. Me personally, I would rather watch football games on my family's 70" tv than going and sitting in a crowded stadium. I like to go every once in awhile, but it isn't something I want to do every home game. I know a lot of people wouldn't trade the gameday experience for nothing, but I would rather watch on tv.
 

Jon

Hall of Fame
Feb 22, 2002
15,635
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Atlanta 'Burbs
I am definitely part of the problem here

Family and I were planning on going to one game this year, haven't been to Tuscaloosa in years though I have gone to the SEC Champ games we were in prior to this year and the Clemson/VT games in Atlanta. We targeted the A&M Game

Looked at the cost of Tickets + Hotel + travel + food and figured the weekend would set me back $1,500 - $2,000. Took the lower amount and used it as a budget to put in a 1080p projector, screen and new home theater sound system instead. Spent just over $1,500 and now watch games on a 120 inch screen and got to avoid spending all that money on watching us lose to A&M
 

Bamatim15

BamaNation Citizen
Nov 12, 2012
68
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Kingsport TN
I agree it's the higher cost of tickets. It's like NASCAR. I live near Bristol Motor Speedway and I can remember buying tickets for $55 and they were great seats. Parked within 200 yards of the track for $5.Then as the sport grew more popular the prices started climbing. Now it's $180 (and you have to pay in advance) and parking is $20. People who live out of state have to pay if they can find one for a hotel room and some places have you stay at least 2 nights. Take in the fact that alot of people have lost their jobs there's no wonder you are seeing empty seats.
 

DocCrimson

All-SEC
Jan 3, 2010
1,731
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I agree it's the higher cost of tickets. It's like NASCAR. I live near Bristol Motor Speedway and I can remember buying tickets for $55 and they were great seats. Parked within 200 yards of the track for $5.Then as the sport grew more popular the prices started climbing. Now it's $180 (and you have to pay in advance) and parking is $20. People who live out of state have to pay if they can find one for a hotel room and some places have you stay at least 2 nights. Take in the fact that alot of people have lost their jobs there's no wonder you are seeing empty seats.
I used to live right down the road, about a half mile off 11E near Winged Deer Park. We HATED race weekend, because we couldn't get anywhere. We'd do a shop on Thursday and stay home all weekend out of necessity. But I agree with you. As the prices rose, a lot of my friends stopped going because their families couldn't afford to go, even without having to get a hotel.
 

CapstoneTider

Suspended
Dec 6, 2000
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That may be true for some schools and even some fans, but it's clearly not the case with the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, and other schools whose average attendance is essentially at stadium capacity.
That's not the question :conf3: It's overall. If something is not happening in your house doesn't mean that it is not happening :cool:
 

Rolltide_PA

1st Team
Jul 31, 2011
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while a lot of money was spent the weeks my wife and I had in atlanta and pasadena were well worth the costs although i probably wouldn't feel the same if we had lost :cool2:
 

crimsonaudio

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 9, 2002
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I agree it's the higher cost of tickets. It's like NASCAR.
Not really a NASCAR fan, but my dad is, so we used to make the trek to Talladega each spring for the race. Catch bits of it on TV now, watching a few moments and have noticed they've altered the camera placement so as not to show the stands very much - when you see fan shots from the race, it's startling how many empty seats there are...
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
10,615
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kraizy.art
I gotta say, going to the stadium has become a huge and expensive hassle.
Not singling you out, but how do you explain A-Day attendance? Yes, it's relatively well supported but they couldn't fill it up, even after winning a NC!

There's free parking, free entrance. If you're starving you can even get a $5 pizza before you go in. It is the perfect situation for someone with a lot of kids that otherwise couldn't afford to get in, yet there are empty seats.

Having said that, I still think the main issue is these new programs entering the FBS. No one wants to see them play, yet they do play plenty of games and the result is lower attendance. I don't think prices are the issue, look at Alabama, the game day attendance is almost exclusively hampered by students not showing up.
 
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mittman

All-American
Jun 19, 2009
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Not singling you out, but how do you explain A-Day attendance? Yes, it's relatively well supported but they couldn't fill it up, even after winning a NC!

There's free parking, free entrance. If you're starving you can even get a $5 pizza before you go in. It is the perfect situation for someone with a lot of kids that otherwise couldn't afford to get in, yet there are empty seats.

Having said that, I still think the main issue is these new programs entering the FBS. No one wants to see them play, yet they do play plenty of games and the result is lower attendance. I don't think prices are the issue, look at Alabama, the game day attendance is almost exclusively hampered by students not showing up.
We are on a roll. Comparing one program's attendance to another is not the question. It is a much more universal trend.

When there is a good product people will pay a lot to see it. It was not so long ago that there were plenty of empty seats in Bryant Denny on most game days. Price is an issue when it reaches the point where you price yourself right out of a market. I think sports in general is reaching that tipping point. Pro sports especially MLB has been going away from the cheap seat cavernous stadiums to smaller higher priced, but added value environments for a while now. (However It seems the Cowboys and Jerry World is trying to do both) NASCAR is probably going to do some adjusting. College football can't adjust quickly. You just can't just go to a government entity and extort yourself a new stadium.

A-Day is a good time to get to be around the program for a day without the high cost, but it does not match the excitement and overall experience of an SEC opponent game day. I believe that if they started charging at all the attendance would be what one would expect at a glorified practice.
 

Tide1986

Suspended
Nov 22, 2008
15,670
2
0
Birmingham, AL
That's not the question :conf3: It's overall. If something is not happening in your house doesn't mean that it is not happening :cool:
Alabama, according to some studies, was one of the hardest hit states due to the recession and its lingering effects; yet, The University of Alabama continues to have average attendance essentially at stadium capacity. So yes, the point I made does matter. Personally, I think Krazy is closer to what's impacting the decline in average attendance numbers (i.e. the watering down of the FBS with teams/fans that don't take football seriously).
 

Tide1986

Suspended
Nov 22, 2008
15,670
2
0
Birmingham, AL
It was not so long ago that there were plenty of empty seats in Bryant Denny on most game days.
Game day attendance and selling tickets are two different things. IIRC, Alabama has essentially sold out its stadium every year since the inception of Tide Pride in 1988.
 

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