Interesting Commentary by ND’s Swarbick on Independence/Conference affiliation

[kingdobbs]

what has been the average attendance at home football games over the past five years? It appears from the list you provided that there has been only one sellout in the last 9 years.

Yes.
We also have not had a true winning season in the last nine years.

These two things, one surmises, correlate pretty strongly.

 

[Irishfan]

On the UConn side of the argument - they have been bad recently. There potential in the future is more gauged to a few years ago.

A note on the Irish attendance - I was at South Bend for the UGA game a few years ago and the stadium was 2/3 red! You get the credit for the attendance number, but your fans were sellouts!

ND actually counts tickets sold, not actual attendance. no doubt that a lack of recent success has led to a group of ND alumni not willing to make the trip to South Bend. Especially when other fans are willing to pay over $500 for the tickets. That is and might continue to be a problem for as long as we fail to live up to fan expectations.

 

[Irishfan]

Google it if you are curious. As I noted it hasn't been great. The point remains that CT will support a winning team, much like most other places.

(Weird that you picked 9 years. Why not 10? It really doesn't matter if it's 4 sellouts or 1 does it?)

It might to the players.

 

[Zissou]

ND actually counts tickets sold, not actual attendance. no doubt that a lack of recent success has led to a group of ND alumni not willing to make the trip to South Bend. Especially when other fans are willing to pay over $500 for the tickets. That is and might continue to be a problem for as long as we fail to live up to fan expectations.

I paid $100 for tickets on the side. About goal line, half way up. Great seats. It was an amazing stadium take over, and a Georgia win.

 

[Irishfan]

I paid $100 for tickets on the side. About goal line, half way up. Great seats. It was an amazing stadium take over, and a Georgia win.

$100 was a great price for those tickets. I was offered $250 per ticket for 4 tickets, but passed. I couldn’t imagine selling my tickets unless I got a truly ridiculous offer. ($500 per ticket might have done it)

 

[Zissou]

$100 was a great price for those tickets. I was offered $250 per ticket for 4 tickets, but passed. I couldn’t imagine selling my tickets unless I got a truly ridiculous offer. ($500 per ticket might have done it)

It was just a few minutes before kick off. There were still multiple sellers and prices were dropping. They would have been much more had a bought online a day earlier.

It was a beautiful day in South Bend. We tailgated and toured the campus. Even though the town and campus were full of fans in red, the ND folks were extremely gracious hosts.

It was a great road trip. Bucket list.

 

[billybud]

I loved my trip to South Bend....very gracious home fans.

The Irish fans and the Husker fans are most memorable fans of my road trips.

The Buckeyes were great in Columbus as were the Colorado fans in Boulder. The LSU fans were fun to party with...you were handed zombies walking through their tailgate...rum and more rum (beware of that 151 rum).

Where I didn't care for the fans...Miami, Pitt, Auburn, Florida...I will never again attend a game at the Swamp.

 

[Zissou]

Auburn surprises me. Not the others.

 

[billybud]

FSU and Auburn had a series going in the 80's...very physical football that became a sort of rivalry.

Guys like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders played in those games...and 5 of the 7 games in that run were decided by 8 points or less.

It was Auburn physicality vs FSU speed...during the three seasons to close out the 80's, Auburn only lost five games, three of them to FSU.

The fans at Auburn were proud and loud and the students often rowdy...I assume the Nole fans were the same at home.

 

[Pudge]

While it’s nice to be amongst the many clubs in the English Premiership ... Ooops ... wrong sport.

There’s a distinct platform & differentiation today between Clemson & Alabama & LSU & Ohio State & 2 or 3 others (not Notre Dame) ... then 58 others. Then 70

The Money will push this farther. No. Conference matters less & less of you have to right Platform.