Attendance for college football decreases again.

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
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Prattville
There are cheaper ways, and once again there is one day a year they let you in for free.
I went with the base price from the university. There are no guarantee that tickets will be cheaper or available online.

What are you feeding them? That's ten Little Cesar's pizzas. I'm not saying everyone should eat that, but if you're poor then may be you should. It's also funny to me that people act like they only eat when they go to Alabama games. Yeah, no one was going to eat unless they went to see Alabama play.
That $50 includes snacks for traveling, drinks, and food while in Tuscaloosa.

You say that like that's a bad thing.
Some folks can't afford to take all day to go to Tuscaloosa. Some have other things that need to be done.

We rent a car and drive from Mobile. It doesn't cost us $100.
Filled up my truck the other day, it cost me $70. Would take one tank of gas for me to get to and from Tuscaloosa.

As to blazing hot sun, Packers fans show up in freezing temperatures. Dedication is not always about comfort.
Not showing up to a glorified practice that is aired on TV makes a fan not dedicated? Seriously?

You're making my point. It's not can't, it's just not important enough. I don't go to everyone game, I understand the notion of priorities. But, the idea I keep getting is that people won't pay for a tank of gas to go to A-Day, or for a $50 (or less) ticket to see Western Carolina, but they will pay twice that much to see other games. It's not the money...
How am I making your point? Did you ignore my last sentence or are you too blinded by your arrogance to see it? I'll repost it for you...

If I'm going to pay a couple hundred dollars for a game, I'm not going to watch Bama destroy Directional Podunk U. I really don't enjoy the idea of paying about $100 to go see a scrimmage in the blazing hot April sun. Sorry if that makes me a poor fan. I'm just not willing to pay that much money when I can use it in more necessary ways.
As with any business, people pay to see a quality product. If I pay $300 for a day's trip to a game, I would like to see what happened in Atlanta. I don't want to see what happened on November 17.
 

CapstoneTider

Suspended
Dec 6, 2000
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Original Post : The price of tickets IMO is causing this. No incentive to go to game with gas prices, cost of tickets, concessions and 24/7 TV.
..economics....
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:
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).
You are omitting the fact that some schools fans have different priorities. Still can't figure out how this has anything to do with the overall drop in attendance? Of course the best teams, or tradition rich will be least effected. Common sense.
 
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KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
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kraizy.art
I'm not going to get into point by point rebuttal but I will say this. My wife and I rent a car, drive to Tuscaloosa from Mobile, provide food for ourselves and we don't pay $100. That's gas, parking, rental, every penny we spend. Heck, I'm not sure we ever spent $50 on food in a day.

Not showing up to a glorified practice that is aired on TV makes a fan not dedicated? Seriously?

As with any business, people pay to see a quality product. If I pay $300 for a day's trip to a game, I would like to see what happened in Atlanta. I don't want to see what happened on November 17.
I guess there are different types of fans. I think being a fan is supporting the team. I don't do it for the entertainment. For instance, I consider A-Day to be very important because Nick Saban said it was a big reason he was able to get that #1 recruiting class, which as we know was a big reason they won a national championship the next season. So, as I see it A-Day contributed to the national championship, and every fan that went that year shares a tiny bit of the credit. Fans haven't supported the game as well since then and hence if it has an impact as Saban said, it's been lessened.

That's what being a fan is to me. Supporting the team, not being entertained and I guess that's the point that there is so much disagreement. I go to the cheap games, I sit in the cheap seats. To me, I want Alabama to dominate. I want it to be a blowout. I don't want them to almost lose. I don't ever want to see what happened in Atlanta, if by that you mean Alabama nearly lost. If I want entertainment I'll play a video game, I go to games to support Alabama football.
 

Mystical

All-American
Sep 28, 2009
4,052
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Fairhope, Alabama
I'm not going to get into point by point rebuttal but I will say this. My wife and I rent a car, drive to Tuscaloosa from Mobile, provide food for ourselves and we don't pay $100. That's gas, parking, rental, every penny we spend. Heck, I'm not sure we ever spent $50 on food in a day.
Man I need to know your secret. I drive from Fairhope and can see no way of doing it for less than 100.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
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Prattville
I'm not going to get into point by point rebuttal but I will say this. My wife and I rent a car, drive to Tuscaloosa from Mobile, provide food for ourselves and we don't pay $100. That's gas, parking, rental, every penny we spend. Heck, I'm not sure we ever spent $50 on food in a day.
Care to start an economics and finances lesson on the NS board?

I don't want them to almost lose. I don't ever want to see what happened in Atlanta, if by that you mean Alabama nearly lost. If I want entertainment I'll play a video game, I go to games to support Alabama football.
I'm talking about an exciting game. One we remember for a long time. Quick, tell me what you remember about that UT-Chattanooga game from 2009. Much easier to recall Cody's block or Upchurch's score than a play from the UT-Chatt game in 2009. Why? Because those games kept the fans' attention throughout.
 

Ole Man Dan

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Apr 21, 2008
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James Carville said it best... 'It's the Economy Stupid'... and it still applies today.
I've got to admit it helps fill stadiums when you have winning teams year in and year out.
OR
Was the economy that much worse in Lee Co. this year, or does S.N.A.S.S. still apply? ;)
 

theBIGyowski

All-American
Aug 4, 2005
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Finances are a main reason I do not attend games anymore. Of course, I am on the wait list for Tide Pride, so not having tickets makes them more expensive in general to get each week if I want to buy on campus or online. Also, the fact that it costs $20-$30 to park over a mile away from the stadium is a big turnoff. Yes, I know I can park downtown or at University Mall and take a shuttle...but when you have a baby in a stroller that is more difficult.

The real reason, though, is TV. We have an 8 month old at home, so watching the game at home on our nice TV is much, much better than going to the game and figuring out what to do with our little boy. This is even more difficult seeing as how we do not live in Tuscaloosa. I honestly think that because almost every single game is on TV, on a channel that 90% of fans can get without paying extra, it keeps people from spending their time and money on making the trip to the game. The economy could be great, but with the game on TV, why would you pack up your family and make a trip when you can watch the game in the comfort of your own home? Sure, I'd always rather be at the game, but to me and my family (and probably most others), it's more practical to watch at home.
 

KrAzY3

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Man I need to know your secret. I drive from Fairhope and can see no way of doing it for less than 100.
This is for A-Day. Cheapest rental cars get really good gas mileage, especially if you don't speed. You can get free parking. Also, you can get a rental car really cheap for a day if you already have good insurance coverage. We have older used cars, and since we're driving around 400 miles the gas savings account for a good size chunk or the rental cost. I usually do pick up cheap fast food a couple times and we pack some cheap snacks for the ride.

A regular game experience is usually a bit more, since we break down and get a drink (although at the A&M game I barely had a sip) and have to pay $10 for parking.
Care to start an economics and finances lesson on the NS board?
I'm a high school drop out. But, I did buy a house with cash earlier this year. Once you start to pay close attention to your money, you really can get a lot out of it.
I'm talking about an exciting game. One we remember for a long time. Quick, tell me what you remember about that UT-Chattanooga game from 2009. Much easier to recall Cody's block or Upchurch's score than a play from the UT-Chatt game in 2009. Why? Because those games kept the fans' attention throughout.
I'm not trying to pick on you by the way. I understand why most fans can't go to every game, I can't. I understand your point, but I resolved myself to avoid high demand games after I went to the Texas A&M game. I figure the team doesn't need me because the seats will be full anyway, and I honestly hate the ride back after a loss like that. It's a lot more fun to me after a blowout and I enjoy every minute of it.

I won't keep beating a dead horse and I know not everyone sees it my way. I just view my role as a fan, as trying to support the team. I guess I'm with some people here in that if it's a big, sold out game in which tickets cost a couple hundred or more, I'd be fine pacing back and forth in my living room. To me, the game day experience is about being a fan of the team. Yes, nothing beats being in the stadium for a big game and watching your team pull it out. But, that's not what I'm looking for when I go to see Alabama play.
 
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bama70

3rd Team
Oct 19, 2011
254
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NE Alabama
Several years ago I would hold weekly drawings at my workplace for free Alabama home game tickets. The numbers one reason fans did not sign up were conflicts with their children's or grandchildren's recreational league soccer or football games. The second reason was the intimidation of going to a game with 85,000 fans in a town were you were not familiar with traffic flow, parking, or the stadium.

I personally think the game day experience has been diminished by television with the horrible starting times for some games, increased commercial timeouts, and lengthen game times. Wait until we get one of those horrible Thursday night games and see what happens to our attendance. Games are getting more and more about TV and less and less about the fans.
 

Dartigan

All-SEC
Sep 20, 2004
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Tuscaloosa
My wife and I rent a car, drive to Tuscaloosa from Mobile, provide food for ourselves and we don't pay $100. That's gas, parking, rental, every penny we spend. Heck, I'm not sure we ever spent $50 on food in a day.
Man I need to know your secret. I drive from Fairhope and can see no way of doing it for less than 100.
That's because he's full of crap.

KrAzY3 said:
I guess there are different types of fans. I think being a fan is supporting the team. I don't do it for the entertainment.

Then send your $100 check to the UA Athletic Dept and call it a day.
 

KrAzY3

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That's because he's full of crap.


Then send your $100 check to the UA Athletic Dept and call it a day. [/COLOR]
Do you need an itemized list? I already explained it once.
The car rental, with fees comes out to around $30. Ok? We drive a little over 400 miles at nearly 40 MPG. If I'm really hungry I spend $5 on a Little Cesar's pizza, otherwise it's a McDouble or something like that. I buy six packs of Nestle flavored water for 99 cents. You can reserve parking for free on A-Day. Do you want me to show you the deed to my house to, or the fact that I have no debt of any kind (ok, my monthly credit card bill does show up as debt on my credit report, but I just use it to get the cash back and so my money has a little extra time generating interest in the bank. I pay it off in full every month)? Managing money is not rocket science.

I feel like there is some sort of disconnect here. Obviously I am not including face value tickets (and I specified A-Day), although I've had free tickets before and I could get cheap tickets if I really tried so may be I could make a go at a home game for under $100 to. I see it more as how do you spend $100, rather than how do you do it for under $100.

You are being quite obtuse. I said I was there to support the team. You know, the players? The ones that show up and play at A-Day and Western Carolina just like every other game. I suppose some people are not aware of the players, but the players are aware of the fans, and when they don't show up and they don't cheer they see that to. I think we'd notice if the players didn't show up as well. It's amazing that part seemed to go completely over your head.
 
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Do you need an itemized list? I already explained it once.
The car rental, with fees comes out to around $30. Ok? We drive a little over 400 miles at nearly 40 MPG. If I'm really hungry I spend $5 on a Little Cesar's pizza, otherwise it's a McDouble or something like that. I buy six packs of Nestle flavored water for 99 cents. You can reserve parking for free on A-Day. Do you want me to show you the deed to my house to, or the fact that I have no debt of any kind (ok, my monthly credit card bill does show up as debt on my credit report, but I just use it to get the cash back and so my money has a little extra time generating interest in the bank. I pay it off in full every month)? Managing money is not rocket science.

I feel like there is some sort of disconnect here. Obviously I am not including face value tickets (and I specified A-Day), although I've had free tickets before and I could get cheap tickets if I really tried so may be I could make a go at a home game for under $100 to. I see it more as how do you spend $100, rather than how do you do it for under $100.

You are being quite obtuse. I said I was there to support the team. You know, the players? The ones that show up and play at A-Day and Western Carolina just like every other game. I suppose some people are not aware of the players, but the players are aware of the fans, and when they don't show up and they don't cheer they see that to. I think we'd notice if the players didn't show up as well. It's amazing that part seemed to go completely over your head.
He's right it is doable. I have done it coming from Pensacola.
 

CapstoneTider

Suspended
Dec 6, 2000
7,453
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0
James Carville said it best... 'It's the Economy Stupid'... and it still applies today.
I've got to admit it helps fill stadiums when you have winning teams year in and year out.
OR
Was the economy that much worse in Lee Co. this year, or does S.N.A.S.S. still apply? ;)
Good post, KISS, keep it simple stupid. The answer to the question is easy, but someone can always find a way to break the big picture into a hundred pieces and start explaining each piece.

Economics. Some schools have greater demand surplus and/or product value, but that surplus is dwindling. So everyone is effected in some degree, we just haven't seen it at some schools, but will if the trend continues.. When the housing market prices tanked, there was a lag before million $ homes where hit. Just like the surplus of tide-pride memberships, the surplus of wealthy to purchase those homes finally hit a critical mass and Boom goes the Dynamite!
 

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