OT: College football experienced largest attendance drop in 34 years this season
February 13th, 2018 at 3:32 PM ^
Twenty years ago, we still had decent TVs and camera angles, and a team like Michigan was on TV all the time.
Yet people still went to games.
The root cause of the decline is more than just nice TVs.
If going from radio/newspaper to having teams on TV all the time didn't cause a decline in the past, then a few more lines of hi-definition on TV is not what's causing a decline now.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^
1. WAY too many commercials, grinds enjoyment to a halt.
2. TVs. You may doubt it's a big factor, but I sure as shit didn't have a 60" TV 20 years ago (or even 10) let alone having Direct TV beam it to 5 of my televisions at once!
3. Tailgate/stadium $ and countless restrictions make it on par with airplane boarding now.
February 13th, 2018 at 4:38 PM ^
Are huge reason in my opinion. The improvement of the camera angles and definition has taken off in the past 10 years. I would much rather watch a game in person than standard definition but now with my 1080 or whatever HD TV I own I have a much better idea of what's going on watching at home than going to it. You throw in the parking hassle, ticket prices, etc. and now going to games outside of every once and awhile is just not worth it to me.
February 13th, 2018 at 4:59 PM ^
For decades there was only newspaper coverage of football.
Then came live radio . . . and attendance still increased.
Then came live TV . . . and attendance still increased.
Then came color TV . . . and attendance still increased.
Then came the court rulings that let teams be on TV every weekend . . . and attendance still increased.
Now we have a few more inches of TV screen size and some more lines of resolution and that's the cause of attendance decline?
There's a lot more to it than that.
February 14th, 2018 at 7:31 PM ^
M-Dog, maybe TV has reached a point where it is almost as good as in person. Radio, black & white TV, color TVs 20 years ago (or even 10 years ago) weren't good enough. But maybe now they are?
I am not saying better TVs are the reason for decline in attendance or even the major reason but they could be a major reason.
February 13th, 2018 at 9:56 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 11:01 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 2:58 PM ^
Too many commercials.
And let us bring in bottles of water for crying out loud. It's a joke.
February 13th, 2018 at 2:58 PM ^
For 36 years I faithfully made the treck up from Cleveland every gameday to be in Ann Arbor. But when I gave up my tickets after the 2014 season I found that while I missed being there somewhat I definitely enjoyed being home more so I've only been back to one game (this year's OSU) since. And at the end of this year my brother and the rest of our old tailgate crew (about 15 strong) all decided they'd had enough and didnt re-up for next year.
VERY hard to get people to re-engage once they stopped doing something. And rising ticket prices coupled with reduced gameday experience keeps pushing more and more people out of the mix. IMO this trend will continue, not decline.
FWIW the season tickets for Michigan were still in my name cause I've got over 200 points so I get all the Athletic Department email and boy were they trying to get me to upgrade my seats this year. Got a TON of communication letting me know I could get better seats just by asking (we had four in section 2) if we wanted to move. Maybe my memory is failing me but I dont remember ever getting this much solicitation for ticket in the Harbaugh era before.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:36 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 4:25 PM ^
Not something I really like talking about.....
February 13th, 2018 at 5:21 PM ^
It's amazing how much time it frees up on a Saturday once you stop going.
Whenever I am in town now, I like to tailgate and leave AA 30 minutes before the game starts. We post up at a friends house, fire up the grill, grab some cold refreshments and plop down on comfortable chairs.
I really see this as a win win by taking in the atmosphere through tailgaiting and watching the game with the best view from a comfortable seat.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:03 PM ^
I'll put up with commercials, ads, a dancing wolverine or anything else you want but when your AD charges $75 per ticket for bad seats vs Cincinnati, Rutgers or Minnesota (and $55 for Air Force) with a straight face, I'll stay home.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:04 PM ^
Yup, it's become expensive AF to go to games across the board.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:14 PM ^
Cost. People can say whatever about HD TV, length of games, commercials, security restrictions, but the core issue is price. Family of four to a Michigan football game is $450 with tickets, parking, refreshments, and a meal after the game. Add in gas, snacks, beer, whatever, getting up around $500. No way. That is the cost or replacing a home appliance, a co-insurance for a surgery, a two day family trip.
They have priced middle class families out of the experience, and that is a shame.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:17 PM ^
it's hard to sell tickets at face with a straight face to someone because they're so overpriced.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:28 PM ^
TV money has never been higher. You don't pay for the players. Why are tickets so expensive? So we can have state of the art facilities for Field Hockey?
February 13th, 2018 at 3:34 PM ^
Because people keep showing up.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:42 PM ^
are starting not to.
Also, in my opinion, the Playoff system and the "Are You In" mentality that has been created and is being pushed relentlessly will result in attendance dropping late in the season when a lot teams are out of contention. I originally saw the Playoff as a nice addition to college football, but it is looking more and more like a replacement for what college football was.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^
Until they don't . . .
February 13th, 2018 at 4:10 PM ^
You may be right but I don't see that happening at Michigan for some time. Maybe I am way off base, but we are talking about a fan base that has had very little to be excited in over a decade, yet they are still putting more than 100k butts in the seat each week. This is all despite a growing angst from those same fans that are showing up.
I do agree with you though as a broad statement across all sports, just not at this time with Michigan football specifically.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:42 PM ^
Have you seen the change in coaches salaries (and other AD dept members) over the last few decades? Even adjusted for inflation, it's an arms race.
February 14th, 2018 at 10:28 AM ^
For those of us who don't live in Michigan anymore, spending a weekend flying up to DTW, renting a car to drive to AA, spending a couple nights in a motel, then catching an early Sunday flight home (let alone ticket prices and food, etc,) is becoming more and more of a daunting proposition. But I will still do it one or two times a season as long as it's not a night game.
Last fall at the MSU game we experienced first-half "bad karma" about the way the game was progressing. Although we had good raingear with us, the thought of sitting throught he forecasted second-half monsoon, arriving back at the motel well after midnight, then rousing out early on Sunday to turn in the rental car and check in for an 11:00 am flight home became too much. We left before halftime and watched most of the sorry, soggy second half on the motel television.
I don't care if M plays OSU for a BCS berth; if it's a night game, I'll stay home and watch on my big-screen TV.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:11 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 6:20 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 3:14 PM ^
Wow.
People have been grumbling about this for a while, but it looks like it's coming to roost.
In my opinion (I'd be delighted to encounter data proving otherwise) game length isn't a huge issue. But that's in part because a trip to the game is already an all-encompassing event that is guaranteed to take half your day at least, more if you're surrounding it with other events.
That can be a selling point, since it's an event to look forward to for weeks (or years for some of us). But it is also a drag, both on the budget and on comfort.
I think we have a lot of different issues combining, and it's going to get worse.
1. Cost - it is really expensive to go to games. It has gotten worse.
2. Convenience - It is a biiiig investment of time and effort to attend. You're giving up a day, and you will spend 3 or 4 hours sitting on a hard bench, enduring heat or cold, waiting in line for restrooms, paying $8 for a hot dog, etc. There's a lot of unpleasant we just kind of accept.
3. Saturation - All that money and time and inconvenience aside, a lot of people enjoy going to a game. I sure do; it's an event and it is amazing. But there are lots of games to go to. And people are increasingly finding that they can enjoy all of that and still stay home for a game or two against South Central River County State and still have the fun and memories in the other games. And the people who might only be able to afford attending a game or two don't need to buy season tickets anymore because they can buy the first person's tix to SCRCS for half of face value and enjoy the game. And they can all see the games they don't attend anyway, because:
4. Television - Every game is on tv. I remember reading an SI article about Ron Powlus that thought it remarkable that every game Powlus played was on tv. I went through and in that same time period only a trace amount of Michigan football was not on tv in the same time period (someone like Alton or WD will know what the last non-televised Michigan game was, but it was in the 90s). Further, the tv experience is GREAT. HD picture, other games to flip to during commercials, watching a great primetime game right after you see Michigan beat SCRCS in a blowout.
Put this all together and you have people increasingly satisfied with attending less football. I don't think we have fewer football fans, and probably haven't even lost much in the way of interest in attending games. But you don't need people to lose interest in attending games to have fewer people attend.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:22 PM ^
just go to big time high school games every Friday. Take both kids, $25 total with hot dogs and popcorn. New stadium every week.
February 13th, 2018 at 5:15 PM ^
I actually went to 3-4 high school games last year. Been going to more hockey games as well. Can have fun with the whole fam for the price of a single M ticket
February 13th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^
Cost is #1 for me. I'm 40 now and grew up in the 80's and 90s. My dad was solidly middle class / hairy envelope edge of upper middle class. He still had the resources to have 6 season tickets for the Lions, split season for the Red Wings with a buddy, and he still took me to 4-6 Tigers games a season and maybe 1 or 2 Michigan football games. I'm much more well off than my dad was by the numbers, but I can't justify going to more than 1 game a year for Michigan football, much less having season tickets-- and I'm a rabid alum fan who had season tix every year in college and three kids I want to turn into Michigan fans. Sure, I have my big TV and it's nice to watch every game, but nothing beats actually going to Michigan Stadium. But I can't because the athletic department had priced me out of it.
Another example, I've been trying to take my kids (my 8 yr old is a hockey nut) to a game at the LCA to watch the Wings this year. Finally got tickets for the Sat 2p game coming up in March and it cost me over $100 / ticket for mid level seats. And the Wings are bad this year. That's just sad. I go to more Tigers games with my kids because I can at least justify the costs of getting tix under $20/piece and the "kids meals" being $5 at the ballpark.
Saturation at the televised level I think affects more the mythos and "specialness" of big events like playoffs, bowl games, and all-star games. Again, as I grew up (in Detroit), seeing Tony Gwynn or Magic Johnson in an all-star game was a REALLY BIG DEAL because in the case of MLB, you didn't see the NL players regularly and even in the NBA you saw the other conference players MAYBE once a year in your home stadium.
February 13th, 2018 at 6:02 PM ^
I have 3 kids and they don't really care who UM plays so I'm perfectly fine getting cheap ass tickets from secondary market for Rutgers, AFA, etc. so they get the experience of going to UM games without killing my budget.
Usually guaranteed a W too. My 13 y.o. daughter is 5-0 vs. IU, AFA, RU, WMU and Akron (barely).
I might hit another highlight game or two during the year with buddies if the schedule works out right.
February 13th, 2018 at 6:16 PM ^
I took my daughter to App St.
February 14th, 2018 at 7:59 AM ^
Lloyd retired. Take the kids to a cupcake game when the weather is good, buying tickets outside the stadium for almost nothing. Maybe go to one other game with a friend or an inlaw. I haven't been to The Game since 1999. Although I did promise to take my daughter, who didn't even want season tickets her freshman year because I'm a failure as a father and a man, the year after we finally win one.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:16 PM ^
Tennessee game at Bristol?
If my math is right (probably not), 129 * 1409 = 181,761 total FBS decrease. UT's stadium seats 102,000, and the game in 2016 at Bristol drew 155,000. That's an increase of 53,000, which is a good chunk of the 181,761. Controlling for that, it's a 1,021 drop instead of 1,409. Still large, but not 34 years.
That assumes UT was at home back-to-back years though, which begs the question: do they control for different stadiums? If you play Sparty in AA at 110K, then play the same game in EL at whatever their stadium is, you lose attendance. Is this accounted for in the numbers? I doubt it. Could swing the total signficantly.
The overall trend certainly looks down though.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:25 PM ^
...re: switching venues.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^
UAB played football in 2017 but not in 2016. UAB average attendance in 2017 for their 6 home games was 26,375.
If you exclude UAB from the 2017 numbers, the 2017 average (across the other 129 FBS teams) is now 0.29% higher. Which is a significant portion of the 3.23% drop.
As you said, the trend is definitely down. But there are some unique circumstances (UAB, Bristol) which may be causing 2017's decline to appear a bit high.
February 13th, 2018 at 5:01 PM ^
Good point on Bristol. I imagine Hurricanes Harvey and Irma had an impact too. As for the general trend - not knowing what time the game will be until less than 2 weeks ahead of time doesn't make it easy to plan.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:27 PM ^
Going to a Michigan game is a huge pain in the ass, and I'm lucky enough to live 45 minutes from the stadium. Between the drive, the parking, even a mild tailgate, the 4 hour game, the traffic out and the return commute, it's a full day attending a game.
That doesn't take in to account what others have noted - it's expensive, and the Big House (God bless it) is horribly uncomfortable, and often seems ill-equipped to handle its capacity crowds. And lately, if all of that wasn't bad enough, I usually have to listen to some trailer-park numbnuts behind me provide idiotic 'analysis' and butcher player names.
I've taken my downvotes before on this topic, but I'll reiterate that I actually prefer watching at home. I don't think games should be shortened. I'd love it if they cut out the TV timeouts, but that's a pipe dream. Other than that, I only get about 13 of these per year, I don't want hour-and-a-half express games. But give me a controlled climate, 70 inches of OLED, DVR pauses, multiple angle replay, instant-access bathroom, the occasional adult beverage and wholesale snack prices and I'm all in.
I still go to a game or two every season. It's not unenjoyable and there's something to be said for the live atmosphere. But I don't understand how season ticket holders do it 7 or 8 times a season. I'd shoot myself.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:37 PM ^
always wanted season until the last 6 years or so.
Far more enjoyable reclining in my oversized Lazy-Boy with a frosty cold one.... I do try to get at least 1 game a year in at the Big House because it's a great excuse to get family out of the house and pounding beer next to a grill but it is stupid expensive
February 13th, 2018 at 3:23 PM ^
an annual jackass that knows nothing about football sitting within 2 seats of me for a game each season where he proceeds to get upset if the offense throws the ball or if they run the ball. What has to happen for that guy to stop attending?
February 13th, 2018 at 3:26 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 3:41 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
also thinks that every bad outcome for his team is a result of said team being "soft" without any further clarification provided. And his buddy next to him completely agrees.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:30 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 3:33 PM ^
One of the guys who was in our tailgate crew is EXACTLY the dude you described so he wont be there anymore. Came as a permenant "guest" of the tailgate host (was his wife's nephew I think) and what he lacked in football knowledge he made up for in excessive drinking, vulgarity and extreme volume in the stadium.
I'll never forget my first (and ony) time sitting next to him. It was 2010 I think and we were playing Wisconsin and the very first play from scrimmage was a zone read or something that went for minimal gain. No biggie right? I mean Bo called dive left tackle for his first play every game he ever coached and he did allright.
But after the first play went nowhere this guy stands up and starts screaming "FUCK DICKROD. FIRE DICKROD. DICKROD CANT FUCKING COACH HE'S SUCH A FUCKING DICK THAT DICKROD" And so it began.
It was not a pleasnt afternoon for me or anyone else within earshot of him. And i'm sure it was that way every game.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:45 PM ^
Tell you what, I'll have a chat with my dad and maybe he'll cut it out, but I make no promises here. He gets pretty steamed when they run or pass, especially in situations where they should run or pass.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:52 PM ^
Michigan produces a good number of 5 star jackasses in the the stand. Not sure that's something to be proud of...
February 13th, 2018 at 6:12 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 5:11 PM ^
Regarding that idiot that sits next to you, I have encountered these types of fans for years. I refer to them as Foto Electric Foootball Fans.
For those of you who are not ancient like me, Foto Electric Football was a game where you had a board that was clear glass, with a lightbulb underneath. You would call your offensive play and your oppponent would choose their defensive play. You would place one on top of the other, switch on the bulb and bingo, a result ensued.
The whole concept is that football is 100% strategy. That a certain offensive play design against a certain defensive play design always has the same result.
These are the worst fans. They scream why don't we do this, why don't we call this, I can see this guy open from my seat up here, why didn't he run through that hole.
Never give the other side credit for a good play. It's always Michigan would have done this if only the coach called this or the player acted in a certain way.
Very annoying and there are a lot of these types of fans, unfortunately.
February 13th, 2018 at 3:33 PM ^
February 13th, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^
Ruining the gameday experience across the nation!