In era of technological, financial change, has college football peaked?

[emshorts]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-financial-change-has-college-football-peaked

 

[buckley503]

enjoyed reading the comment section from a national perspective.

 

[Jimdish255]

Technology will be an issue, but it will peak too. There will always be casual fans but gameday atmospheres make up for a lot of that.

What worries me is the leeching away of talent to other sports and the injury factor, as well as the inability/unwillingness to deal with PED's. These are all future challenges to maintaining quality and integrity. And we haven't even gotten into conference-re and the greed factor of the Bowl alliances. What outside forces don't ruin inside forces may. The game itself is good but it can be undermined in many ways.

 

[B1GEast]

I don't know, maybe there's some merit to technology being the reason people don't go to games, but to say that rain kept students away because they couldn't text is a bit of a reach IMO.

 

[SubbaBub]

Kickboxing, sport of the future.

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[huskypantz]

Hmmm, so as conferences sign media megadeals we're talking about the decline of college football?

 

[weyuo]

I believe stadiums in the future, especially in cold weather climates, will have to cater to a wider variety of fan/customer. what I mean is more domed stadiums so the rain and cold aren't a factor for the actual game experience. You'll still have to drive in it to get to the stadium but once there...

Also, the amenities at the stadium and the way the whole concept is structured needs to change. Easier, faster access to your car or bus. Tiered parking lots attached to the stadium itself so that the fan/customer walks from their vehicle to their seating section as directly as possible. Shopping, restaurants and attractions so that the entire group doesn't necessarily have to be physically at the game for the entire family to have a day "out on the town". Restrooms and vender's booths closer to the seats and more of them to reduce waiting lines. WIFI capability and whatever the future brings in the form of social electronic interaction.

Especially in CT with the unpredictable weather and the big city distractions near by a multi/variable-use sports/entertainment/shopping complex is almost going to be a must. UConn does not have the luxury of a captive audience with a on campus stadium so filling something that's 25 miles away with 25% students is almost impossible.

Big dollars. Huge state and private funding absolutely a must. But with an aging civic center in downtown that was put in the wrong spot as far as accessibility in the first place it's time to plan for the future.

If the fan of the future likes being entertained in a living room type of atmosphere more than a live stadium crowd type then you'll need to construct stadiums to be more living room-like. How you do that will be interesting to see.

 

[ktuck911]

College football hasn't peaked.. Maybe the guys prostituting it to make into a billion dollar business has...

 

[CTMike]

It's value.

1) Find a way to make prices cheaper. It is a must. Cheaper tickets, cheaper refreshments... You are competing with the value prop of sitting on your couch.
2) Add more to the game day experience- be it technology or some other means.

Yes, that boils down to "more for less".

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

It's value.

1) Find a way to make prices cheaper. It is a must. Cheaper tickets, cheaper refreshments... You are competing with the value prop of sitting on your couch.
2) Add more to the game day experience- be it technology or some other means.

Yes, that boils down to "more for less".

Tickets are already dirt cheap. Beer is always going to go for market price because let's face it, there's plenty of demand for it. We just need to win some games, as New Englanders aren't great at supporting losing teams.

 

[CTMike]

I guess winning would be the first way to increase game day value.

As for prices... If you drew an imaginary line across the middle of the upper levels at the Rent or XL... Above that line should all be half current prices. That's a start. Lower bowl prices are high too but that's more than I want to get in to right now with donations and all.

 

[whaler11]

I don't know, maybe there's some merit to technology being the reason people don't go to games, but to say that rain kept students away because they couldn't text is a bit of a reach IMO.

Technology is a huge reason why college basketball attendance is down. It's hurting the NFL and college football to a smaller degree. They need to stem the tide or it's going to become a bigger trend.

 

[B1GEast]

Technology is a huge reason why college basketball attendance is down. It's hurting the NFL and college football to a smaller degree. They need to stem the tide or it's going to become a bigger trend.

I agree technology is a big reason, but my point was they blamed the empty seats on rain and not being able to text, that excuse sounds a bit absurd, to me at least.

 

[mattp]

It seems ridiculous to me that someone wouldn't attend a game because they couldn't text. The whole point of going to a game is to sit around with a stadium full of people watching the game. If more kids in college and shortly out of college would rather sit home and text than go to a game than i don't see what you could do to attract them. Sitting at home is always going to be cheaper, easier and more convenient, but anyone that thinks sitting home is more fun than tailgating and watching a game is a lost cause.

 

[whaler11]

It seems ridiculous to me that someone wouldn't attend a game because they couldn't text. The whole point of going to a game is to sit around with a stadium full of people watching the game. If more kids in college and shortly out of college would rather sit home and text than go to a game than i don't see what you could do to attract them. Sitting at home is always going to be cheaper, easier and more convenient, but anyone that thinks sitting home is more fun than tailgating and watching a game is a lost cause.

Yep that's the problem.

 

[whaler11]

Studio football. That is the key term from the article. That is what the NFL is creating with their Thursday/Sunday night schedule. Those games exist for TV. Not paying customers.

 

[IMind]

I think this is a case of just looking to hard for an excuse. The economy is bad... it costs a lot of money to go to a game... so less people do it.

And of course the bowl comittee jackasses have done the best they can to strangle the crap out of the goose that laid the golden egg...

 

[UCFBfan]

There really should be no excuse for students not to attend a game if a stadium is on campus. I believe Michigan St has an on-campus stadium so that's a pretty poor turn-out for them. I remember switching to that game and seeing it half-full and being surprised. It was a conference game vs Iowa.

Students at big-time, traditional programs should be at games on campus. How hard is it to roll out of bed, hop on the bus or walk to the stadium? I would hope that if the Rent was on campus we'd have a higher student turnout. However, it will never happen and so UConn needs to do whatever they can to make sure the students have a way to get to the stadium.

 

[Waquoit]

How hard is it to roll out of bed, hop on the bus or walk to the stadium? I would hope that if the Rent was on campus we'd have a higher student turnout.

You make going to games sound like an obligation.

 

[UCFBfan]

You make going to games sound like an obligation.

For students? Why wouldn't it be? I bet there are a lot of schools out there where it's felt like an obligation.

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