They definitely do a decent job getting people to games, considering. I used to spend time in West Des Moines and Ames for work.... there aren't a lot of options of things to do on a Saturday afternoon in the fall. I mean after seeing the butter cow at the state fair, maybe catching an I Cubs game, the options are few and far in between.
This is exactly right.
I do feel kind of bad bashing ISU a little. But there is a reason why college sports is so big in that part of the country. The nearest NFL team is what? The Packers, Vikings, Bears, or Chiefs? I have no idea. There really is nothing else there. The whole region is pretty sport starved. The University of Northern Iowa has an indoor stadium that draws pretty good. Just the fact that they have an indoor facility ought to tell you something.
I remember when I lived in Lacrosse, WI when I was stationed up there, people were bummed because they missed out on a NBA D-League team.
Heck if I had a 20-30 Mil net worth I would probably start my own USL or NASL team in some place like Ames, Omaha, or Des Moines. I'd get 5000 per game at least with very paid promotion because the locals would be so damn excited.
That being said: If the P5 were designed from scratch tomorrow then there is no way ISU would make the cut.