College football attendance lowest in 22 years?

[Coach Bill Lewis]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...-22-years/

Quote

The drop in football attendance is less of a story these days; the question is whether anything can be done about it. According to preliminary NCAA numbers produced last week, FBS college football attendance was down again -- for the seventh time in the last eight seasons -- to its lowest average mark in 22 years.

 

[KRAM1]

Ticket prices, parking fees, required donations for decent seats, concession prices, competition for the entertainment dollar and the fact that college age, high school aged and recent college grads just do not seem to share previous generations love for college football nor their attachment to their Alma Maters.  Colleges struggle with these issues daily. Sign of the times I susppose. I have read where some colleges have reduced student seating sections simply because students do not attend and the seats can be sold to “older alums” and the general public. So, not too surprised by the article.

[Wag Tag]

You have to offer more than just a game experience. Students have to many other options.

[RiseUNT]

Hasn't UNT attendance increased?

[HoustonEagle]

5 hours ago, Coach Bill Lewis said:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...-22-years/

 

I think the article misses the biggest point regarding declining attendance.  College Football fans are the ultimate homers.  All they need to motivate is to hold out hope that "next year" will be the year their team goes on that magical run to the conference championship and maybe the national title. This is an underlying sentiment the fuels the passion inside of them. Everything else associated with game day completes the fan experience but is not the base sauce.    More and more fans realize now that their teams chance to do anything magical is close to zero.  I am not just talking G5 schools.  Over half the P5 schools have close to zero chance of winning a national title.  Basically the focus on creating a "true" national title game has actually hurt the sport since it is not broad based and severely diminishes the pride fans feel to be chasing "just" a conference championship.   To me the obvious fix for college football is to lower the number of regular season games and instead expand the playoff format.  You put HOPE back in to a fans heart and they can't get enough.  

Every time I see Wifi in these articles I throw up in my mouth a little.  

[MeanGreenHoops]

How about speeding up the game and getting rid of tv timeouts. Games take way to long. Most of the time you are sitting around waiting for anything to happen.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

The lack of attendance is due to the lack of parity. There is 0 parity so why should there be increased interest. Over the last 10 years it has been boiled down to about 12 teams with a competitive advantage and real shot to win a national championship. Everyone else, including a large portion of the 'P5', have a minimal to 0% chance. 

The game has been monopolized with the help of the media. They push the brands that garner the eyeballs because it creates more money for them. How deep of an analysis have you heard mainstream sports media give of Indiana or Purdue? Wake Forest or Boston College? Arizona or Colorado? Vanderbilt or Mississippi State? Iowa State or Oklahoma State? The answer on any given season, season over season, is very little to none. 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

28 minutes ago, MeanGreenHoops said:

How about speeding up the game and getting rid of tv timeouts. Games take way to long. Most of the time you are sitting around waiting for anything to happen.

Sure. But this is unrealistic. This is how money is generated, TV space. The NCAA is not going to let anyone put their hands in their pockets for any reason. 

[Graddean]

I think Kram’s statement about not identifying with the alma mater is right.  I think there is a growing tendency to identify more with one’s discipline than the institution as a whole.  At the university where I taught. Student athletes did not support athletic teams other than their own.  

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

13 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

The lack of attendance is due to the lack of parity. There is 0 parity so why should there be increased interest. Over the last 10 years it has been boiled down to about 12 teams with a competitive advantage and real shot to win a national championship. Everyone else, including a large portion of the 'P5', have a minimal to 0% chance. 

The game has been monopolized with the help of the media. They push the brands that garner the eyeballs because it creates more money for them. How deep of an analysis have you heard mainstream sports media give of Indiana or Purdue? Wake Forest or Boston College? Arizona or Colorado? Vanderbilt or Mississippi State? Iowa State or Oklahoma State? The answer on any given season, season over season, is very little to none. 

Agreed. The same can be said with most mainstream sports. 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

2 minutes ago, UNT Texas Hooligan said:

Agreed. The same can be said with most mainstream sports. 

It's unfortunate. The eyeballs to be unlocked is there for the taking, but they just want to accept the given % of eyeballs with the safe and proven formula. Rather than reaching and making a platform for all of CFB. 

But, hey, at least we know who's the back up to the back up of Tua. And we know Quinnen Williams' favorite song and Trevor Lawrence's favorite color. Yay us

[untjim1995]

50 minutes ago, MeanGreenHoops said:

How about speeding up the game and getting rid of tv timeouts. Games take way to long. Most of the time you are sitting around waiting for anything to happen.

Actually, just keep the clock running on passing plays that are incomplete or going out of bounds, until the last two minutes of each half. Passing slows games down a ton because of the clock stopping. Games should never should be well over 3 hours.

[untjim1995]

3 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

It's unfortunate. The eyeballs to be unlocked is there for the taking, but they just want to accept the given % of eyeballs with the safe and proven formula. Rather than reaching and making a platform for all of CFB. 

But, hey, at least we know who's the back up to the back up of Tua. And we know Quinnen Williams' favorite song and Trevor Lawrence's favorite color. Yay us

Look at college basketball. While it’s more open, the same teams control the whole thing, most of the time. The networks love controlling their interests when paying out billions...

[NorthTexasWeLove]

1 hour ago, untjim1995 said:

Look at college basketball. While it’s more open, the same teams control the whole thing, most of the time. The networks love controlling their interests when paying out billions...

This tourney has been very much chalk more than past tourneys. So THIS years bball season is a poor example. Though what you're saying has truth to it, but we never get a Loyola - George Mason - VCU - Butler type moment in football. And as those moments helps bball ratings, one has to assume it would help football ratings. 

Also, Villanova winning the natty 2 of the last 3 is comparable to an AAC team winning the football national title or someone compatible. 

[Mean Green 93-98]

2 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

Actually, just keep the clock running on passing plays that are incomplete or going out of bounds, until the last two minutes of each half. Passing slows games down a ton because of the clock stopping. Games should never should be well over 3 hours.

They're already doing some of this.  But there's a big difference between this and a TV timeout.  There is still the play clock, and with so many offenses speeding up the tempo, there is very little loss of interest and momentum.  But a TV timeout absolutely kills that.

[greenminer]

22 hours ago, MeanGreenHoops said:

How about speeding up the game and getting rid of tv timeouts. Games take way to long. Most of the time you are sitting around waiting for anything to happen.

Have you seen a baseball game?