Lowest football attendance in the SEC in twelve years and the lowest
- Thread starter Kitchenlabs
- Start date
With the rise in TV revenue etc. out there now I guess they don't need the fans as much as before so they are pricing some real fans out of even being able to go. It's all about the $$ now so they can up ticket prices and ask the ones that can afford the honor of watching to pay more. I would hate the see college football go the route of NASCAR.
I wouldn't hold my breath....lol
Tail end of the baby boomers would rather not spend an entire day at a game and concentrate on saving $$ for retirement. The new G just doesn’t care about football. They would rather eat laundry detergent.
Pricing themselves out of the market. Capitalism 101.
Let's be honest, the SEC product was just not that good this year. UF, UT, TAMU, Arky, all down years ending up with new coaches. LSU a decent but not great year. Ole Miss back to average.
Add to that Mizzou and MSU not really all that interesting.
2 great flagship teams but on the whole, not so much
Add to that Mizzou and MSU not really all that interesting.
2 great flagship teams but on the whole, not so much
Wonder what ACC attendance was? Of course you can always get free tickets at Bilo.
I think that's the biggest thing as far as the SEC attendance is concerned. Lots of struggling programs. People still love to go, but the expense and TV availability have made them far more discriminating. There was a time when I looked forward to Williams-Brice eventually holding 100,000-plus. I don't think now that such a day will ever come. I think we should seek enhancement rather than expansion. Make the stadium nicer rather than bigger. There is plenty of opportunity for improvement.
You also have to consider that the SEC as a whole decided it no longer needed to schedule quality out-of-conference opponents. The OOC schedule in the SEC was just terrible. Nobody wanted to pay to see most of those games.
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Add a couple more flamethrowers. We can turn this thing around
Actually, the SEC's attendance mirrors that of college football as a whole. CBSsports.com has a pretty solid article about it today. The truth is, big time college programs have priced themselves out of a lot of fans' ability (and willingness) to pay - especially when they can see the game in amazing HD and still get something done around the house on a Saturday.
The drop in attendance is significant considering that universities are turning out more potential customers (fans) than they ever have before. Using USC as an example, the current enrollment numbers for the Columbia campus are about 10,000 larger than the 1999 figures. Most major universities have seen similar growth over the last 20 years. But those burgeoning alumni bases are not translating to bigger crowds in the stadiums.
You may be correct about that. In addition, as the Baby Boomers retire, although they may be comfortable with decent retirement income, most likely, it's still less income than while working with not near as much "disposable income".
Thank goodness. The sooner we can get the old folks who sit on their hands and yell “down in front!” out of there, the better. Their bush-league aspirations and losing mentalities will not be missed.
It is still better to go to game. We get there in time to watch an entire game before, go to watch the gamecocks, walk out at halftime for tailgate, head back in for rest of game. Then stick around for another half of football. Worth every penny.
I think the future is more club seating and fewer seats at Williams Brice.
Before the season started and we heard all this hodgepodge about adding things to game day for the recruits and I said "we need to start thinking of the fans experience". Well, people got tired of the pee wall and $4 cold hot dogs that ran out by halftime. That's hard to pay $80 for.
I also remember the good ol days when it didnt take half a day to play the game. Now that guy in a red shirt(at least its red for our games) with the headset comes out on the field every other play it seems. I hate that SOB. I remember when youd at least get a break from him when you played an FCS team etc. Now even those are on TV.
A sign of the times....things always change....i recall my dad taking me to games circa 1960... we would walk up to the ticket office and he would buy me a knothole ticket for a buck..one dollar...which bought me admittance to the endzone....once inside i could sit anywhere...because the stadium was empty.....
And over the years..many years..things changed....i had to pay Silver Spur prices just to have a half way decent seat...which i did for many years.....and after that things changed again...and i lost my half way decent seats....
So now it’s just so much easier to stay home..watch all the best games..and some crummy ones too if i so desire...on a nice TV.. things change.....it’s the nature of things..
And over the years..many years..things changed....i had to pay Silver Spur prices just to have a half way decent seat...which i did for many years.....and after that things changed again...and i lost my half way decent seats....
So now it’s just so much easier to stay home..watch all the best games..and some crummy ones too if i so desire...on a nice TV.. things change.....it’s the nature of things..
Probably not going to get better this year with the loss of tax deductions for athletic club dues and business entertainment. Plus we're due for a recession at some point which will also hurt whenever that happens. Of course when they develop a test for CTE there won't be college football to not show up to anyway.
Sanford was pretty packed. I'm sure the elite don't have much problem selling out. TV probably does hit it hard. And when schools like UTK and UF that normally draw huge crowds have years like last year, I'm sure that hurts.
Agree with this...the games are entirely too long. I don't have much free time, and I no longer spend a whole day at the stadium.
Well, you know what they say; the more things change, the more they stay the same. =;-p
I’m going to keep going to Gamecock sports. The memories and stories are priceless.
That's another reason I believe we ought to go ahead and add the ninth conference game. Greater value to the fans and enhanced strength of schedule.
Ticket prices. I truly can't fathom how the average middle class family can do season tickets now.
The school that figures out how to let fans cheer through their phones, wins.
I know people say they can see it better on Tv, no wait for bathrooms, no traffic to fight leaving, but there is nothing like being in the middle of the crowd and screaming your head off.
When I watch it at home, I have too much nervous energy.
To each their own though.
When I watch it at home, I have too much nervous energy.
To each their own though.
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