Parking costs need to be factored in. $12 at UConn.
I think TV is the biggest threat to attendance. I wonder how important TV viewership is to the teams vs. people attending the games? It must be important because teams are trying to improve their TV coverage. Of course then there are local blackouts to consider. Any stats available on TV audience?
It will be interesting to see how Tennessee's attendance will be affected with the new SEC Network now up and running. They have a significant older fanbase who are more likely to abandon attendance in favor of the easy chair and HD.
Surely getting into a better conference would help. The B1G for instance, most all the schools are large with on campus populations. It really should be the students attending these games. It's part of creating a memorable college experience that can't be obtained on TV.
The women's game is improving, and this bodes well for the future. There's never been so much talent and that bodes well for the future health of the game.
The thing is, no one has the TV coverage of UConn. Not Oklahoma, for example, which broadcasts a lot on local stations. None of the SEC schools, at least on the SEC network.
That said, many of the major schools have most / all their home games available somewhere on the net, and I don't think the impact to the attendance could be all that large.
I don't think, by the way, that there are local black-outs for WBB. Perhaps someone knows for sure.
I don't think any school attracts a large student audience. Not the B1G, not anywhere, except for special games where the school makes an extra effort to get the students out. Maybe the UConn game for some schools? That said, Rutgers couldn't attract students for any games.
