College football must innovate as FBS attendance dips for sixth straight year to lowest since 1996

[geordi]

While there are certainly some truth in much of what appears above, I believe that conference realignment is a root cause of decreasing attendance. It used to be that teams had several natural rivalries that people got excited about and looked forward to. Those rivalries have been reduced and in many cases eliminated. Rutgers v Nebraska just doesn't have the same panache as Nebraska v Oklahoma. Kansas v Missouri and Maryland/Virginia has more going for it than Texas A&M v Georgia. Long term, for attendance reasons, for financial reasons, for many others, the new conferences will begin to split up and return somewhat to where we were in the 80s and 90s.

 

[Irishfan]

Interest is at an all time high....more people are watching on TV than ever...the second most watched sport.

Viewing method is just shifting. From a stadium experience to watching on TV...

It, for me, is just part of a continuum.

When I first went to college football games, that was the only way to see them...in the stadium. Or you could listen to the game on the radio... relatively few games were televised in the 70's.

Then along came ABC and ESPN and I could watch football on the newest large screen TV...all 25 inches of it.

Folks aren't going back...change happens for reasons.

Convenience....no traffic or parking hassles, no booster payment, ticket prices, hotel room rates doubled for a football weekend with a 2 night minimum. And time saved.

Not a bad viewing experience on today's TV's...

going to the game is always more fun than watching on TV. Yes, it’s a little more expensive, but if you bring a few friends or family members the experience is so much better than watching it on TV. Even a crappy game in person is better than just watching it. I went to the Michigan game last year. We got crushed in a driving rainstorm, but it was still infinitely better than watching it on TV at home. I hope I never get to the point where I would prefer to see it on TV.

 

[Guapo]

going to the game is always more fun than watching on TV. Yes, it’s a little more expensive, but if you bring a few friends or family members the experience is so much better than watching it on TV. Even a crappy game in person is better than just watching it. I went to the Michigan game last year. We got crushed in a driving rainstorm, but it was still infinitely better than watching it on TV at home. I hope I never get to the point where I would prefer to see it on TV.

I agree, personally; however, the average consumer obviously doesn’t.

This isn’t a hypothesis; they talk to the people in the article and they say as much.

 

[BlueDogs]

Nothing like a full stadium when the place is cranked up. It’s one thing to watch and another to feel and be part of the momentum. Just been too long since those days at the Rent

 

[billybud]

going to the game is always more fun than watching on TV. Yes, it’s a little more expensive, but if you bring a few friends or family members the experience is so much better than watching it on TV. Even a crappy game in person is better than just watching it. I went to the Michigan game last year. We got crushed in a driving rainstorm, but it was still infinitely better than watching it on TV at home. I hope I never get to the point where I would prefer to see it on TV.

Circumstances my friend....I've been a 40+ year season ticket holder...no longer.

The older Boomers are aging out...no more September games in the broiling sun, mile hikes to the stadium, endless steps to your seats...

I watch, with friends, on the big screen HD TV..a big party, loads of food and drink...loads of fun...and much more visual insight into what is actually happening in close up, slow motion.

And, I figure the $7000 or so I save every year can pay for a vacation.

 

[uconnbill]

Unless you have a winning program then we can expect this to continue. I hope it improves

 

[freescooter]

I also think that in kowtowing to tv colleges have destroyed the in stadium experience. I went to a game last season that lasted 4 hours. Think about that. In the first quarter there was a score. TV timeout, extra point tv timeout kick off injury time out, followed by a tv time out, int for a score, tv timeout, then a seemingly endless time out while the refs reviewed a play that was not even close. You get the picture. The first quarter took over an hour. I also went to a D3 game that took less than 3 hours. And no cost to park, tailgate or get into the game. Something in the middle would be acceptable. All those tv timeouts don’t really matter when you are watching from home but in the stadium they really ruin the experience.

 

[Waquoit]

so FBS attendance is at a 24 year low but all is well because ratings are up.

It's because the game caters to the TV fan not the live fan. It's disgraceful that it takes at least 3.5 hours to play 11 minutes of live football. CBSSN in particular is totally shameless.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Over analyzed "problem" with an obvious cause. If they gate is down and ratings up......In the age when a 55" led tv is less than standard, the at home experience has become too good.

 

[billybud]

This conversation reminds me of conversations years ago with my grandparents (who were born, respectively, in 1896 and 1900).

They decried the place of the television in the living room (and that was when 19 inch TVs ruled)...it would be the ruin of America.

My God, kids would start staying indoors and wickedness in images was surely to come. Society would change for the worse.

Change is always certain and how we view sports is evolving. Even which sport we watch has evolved.

My WWII generation father and his contemporaries were baseball fans first and foremost...it was America's game..Ruth, Dimaggio and other titans. Baseball questions were used to flush out english speaking Germans masquerading behind our lines.

Baseball is who we were. Football is who we are

 

[Wildgopher]

Nothing groundbreaking but a decent overview/review w/ no easy answers:

I wonder if this could be done...
Play the game on the field without commercial interruption. Let the TV people insert the commercials wherever they want for the people watching the game on tv. We could watch the full game live and still make it home for the 4th qtr. I'm serious, do you think this can be done?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Free hand sanitizer

 

[Waquoit]

Over analyzed "problem" with an obvious cause. If they gate is down and ratings up......In the age when a 55" led tv is less than standard, the at home experience has become too good.

And yet it's still not as good as being there.

 

[Husky25]

And yet it's still not as good as being there.

Yet good enough.

 

[billybud]

And yet it's still not as good as being there.

For some....but, you know, people vote with their feet....

Many may be like me...I no longer travel distances, devote a whole weekend, spend about $1000, to watch a game.

I enjoy football more than ever...yeah, it isn't the same experience as being in the crowd.

But it also is a better choice for people like me.

 

[billybud]

And...watching the game with our rowdy crew of local boosters/fans has turned out to be fun in many ways.

A lot of interaction, new friends made, we whoop and we groan together, eat drink and joke.

Most bigger games we meet at our local....smaller ACCN type games, we often make arrangements to party at someone's house. I host an early fall game. Have a big covered porch overlooking a long distance mountain view, tables and seating for 16...and a big screen.

Love football season.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

And yet it's still not as good as being there.

Not to you. Not to me. But this isn't about people like you and me.

 

[freescooter]

I think there is some truth to this too. My neighbor, a Texas A&M fan couldnt wait to play Texas each year. Flew an A&M flag on game day. Even though she was initially pumped about the SEC move she now says there is no real rival anymore. Yeah playing teams like Alabama and LSU is good but it isn’t like playing Texas. I honestly think things like that have value in football that don’t translate to basketball in the same Way where you play teams multiple times in the same season. I also think the NFLization of college football has hurt it.

 

[Irishfan]

I think there is some truth to this too. My neighbor, a Texas A&M fan couldnt wait to play Texas each year. Flew an A&M flag on game day. Even though she was initially pumped about the SEC move she now says there is no real rival anymore. Yeah playing teams like Alabama and LSU is good but it isn’t like playing Texas. I honestly think things like that have value in football that don’t translate to basketball in the same Way where you play teams multiple times in the same season. I also think the NFLization of college football has hurt it.

But she gets to see them play Abilene Christian and North Texas. If A&M really wanted to play Texas, they probably could.

 

[CL82]

First - the stadium needs a massive upgrade to its wifi and cell coverage. People want to upload and download buckets of data during games scoreboard watching and goofing on social media.

Next, this wont really turn the tide, but I would like to see a mega dose of live in game highlights from other games all around FBS shown on the jumbo tron during TV time outs. Celebrate college football everywhere with more than a basic out of town score board. For teams in a conference the obvious choice would be to show other conference mates and how they are faring with clips. For independents like us I would like to see what other teams on our schedule are doing. I know this would eat into their promo time which they sell to Mo's and other local companies. I'm just looking for a simple way to further integrate the opponents on the schedule with the fans, plus I love watching anything on that screen, especially highlights.

Yeah, this is a silly idea - not something that will really impact the turnstile.

Selectively, it's not a bad idea. I remember cheering and or booing the scores of regional rivals when they were announced back in the day.

 

[freescooter]

But she gets to see them play Abilene Christian and North Texas. If A&M really wanted to play Texas, they probably could.

A. It was one example among many of what where rivalries that where deep sixed by conference realignments.
B. They probably could get a home-home series with Texas but they likely could not get an annual game. This was a rivalry that was played annually beginning in 1898 so there was some history to it not easily replaced.

 

[billybud]

Rivalry, bivalry...let's dub this.

SEC rivalries are intact and intense...but students at Bama, Florida, Georgia games are still declining in number.

It isn't CR that is causing attendance to drop...although some fans may want to cast blame in that direction. It is societal change.

NFL attendance just hit a 15 year low...CR didn't affect that.

More people are watching the NFL on TV. Fewer people are watching the NFL in person.

According to David Broughton and Andrew Levin of Sports Business Daily, the NFL averaged 66,648 attendees at home games in 2019. That’s the lowest average since 2004.

USA TODAY

Each year, tens of millions of Americans pour into arenas, parks, rinks and stadiums to see a professional sporting event in one of the four major American sports leagues – the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB.

But fans are now less inclined to go to games in person. Each league saw a decline in total attendance from 2008 to 2018. Fans are often unwilling to pay high ticket prices, and teams don’t seem to care, as an increasing amount and share of their revenue comes from lucrative TV contracts as opposed to ticket sales.

 

[freescooter]

Actually it is not any one thing. It is the combination of all the factors mentioned. I’d also note the creation of the P5. Not unlike what happened to programs designated as 1aa in the late 1980s. Programs that drew solid, if unspectacular crowds saw a significant drop off once they were declared lesser leagues by the NCAA. Places that drew 10-15000 in 15-20000 seat stadiums saw attendance fall by half. A few leagues actually fought to be upgraded. There was some disagreement within the Ivy League, as I recall Yale & 1 other were not thrilled, but the anti-football side carried the day.

 

[billybud]

Basketball attendance is dropping as well...blame what you will, CR, P5, etc.

What hides some of that is that tickets are being sold but fans aren't going to the games...

Wichita State....

The problem for WSU is not selling tickets, evident by their attendance streak surviving. The problem is attracting those who bought the tickets to show up. The Eagle obtained scanned attendance numbers from WSU’s ticket office that reflect the true attendance (opposed to tickets sold) and they show a significant decline this season.

10,064 attendance average....6,426 scanned

UConn...ditto..half of reported attendance actually went to games.

Indiana...

The Indiana Daily Student analyzed attendance figures IU reported to the NCAA for football and men’s basketball, the school’s two highest-attended sports, since 2010. Although attendance was creeping upward from 2010-12, IU’s football attendance has dropped 7.4% since its peak during the 2012-13 football season. Men’s basketball attendance has declined 11.4% in the same timeframe.

Utah...

As is standard practice in the industry, Utah's official figure is the number of tickets distributed. That explains why the Utes could list attendance of nearly 11,000 for selected games in November, when black curtains were draped over the Huntsman Center's 7,000-seat upper bowl.

 

[freescooter]

One other factor I think is that historically attendance wasn’t a sellout for most schools and most games. It became a thing of sorts in the 80s and 90s and many places expanded stadiums to accommodate the new normal. Today we have returned to more traditional levels and all those extra seats are going unused as the 20 year boom came to an end within a few years of the new seats coming on line. So I read of having 30000 in a 45000 seat stadium someplace like North Carolina puts 30000 in a 65000 seat stadium which they “ “needed” in the 1990s built in the early 2000s but no longer need. Or BC who had 35000 seats but “needed” 45000 post Flutie. Now they average about what they had but the number can get inflated by a big home game like Notre Dame. Typical attendance is less. That happened across college football in the late 90s early 2000