College football attendance dropped for the fourth consecutive season


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FBS games (including neutral site and bowl games) averaged 42,203 fans in 2017, a drop of 1,409 fans per game from 2016. It is the fourth consecutive year that FBS attendance has dropped, year over year and, at 3.2 percent, it is the largest average drop since 1983.
After reaching its peak in 2008 of 46,971 fans per game, average annual FBS attendance has dropped all but two years (2010 and 2013).

Average attendance was down across the board. FCS games dropped an average of 134 fans per game (1.6 percent) in 2017 while Division II (186 fans; 5.3 percent) Division III (81 fans, 4.1 percent) also had declines. Across all NCAA football divisions, average attendance was down 380 fans per game in 2017 (2.8 percent)

Neutral site games saw significant drops in both FBS and FCS, losing an average of 4,727 (7.6 percent) and 4,071 fans per game (11.7 percent), respectively.

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/22422239/college-football-attendance-declines-2017
 



The cost is absolutely a factor for major teams, and TV in many ways is killing the in-game experience. Smaller schools across the board are bleeding diehards and struggling to develop from-birth fans. A hidden factor that doesn't get talked about in this is how student attendance is declining across all levels. This article from a year ago touches on the link between game attendance by students and future donations to the school.
 
Yeah...ticket prices, television, stadium renovations and match-ups are causing attendance to drop.

For example, Florida State added a “Champions Club” which actually reduced capacity at Doak Campbell Stadium. FSU has yet to fill that up...and it’s expensive.

Then you have TV dictating game times...well, FSU had a down year and ended up with a bunch of Noon games. FSU fans HATE Noon games and students definitely aren’t showing up to those in droves. Then you factor in the type of opponent you’re facing...unless it’s opening day, fans are going to show up in big numbers to see them play some FCS or G5 team.
 
JaguarNation99 said:
The cost is absolutely a factor for major teams, and TV in many ways is killing the in-game experience. Smaller schools across the board are bleeding diehards and struggling to develop from-birth fans. A hidden factor that doesn't get talked about in this is how student attendance is declining across all levels. This article from a year ago touches on the link between game attendance by students and future donations to the school.
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This doesn't get talked about enough.

TV and cost are definitely big factors. Not everyone is Bama or Ohio State and even they don't fill up when they play Mercer or Bowling Green
 
I get tired of hiring the announcer say "would the bands stop playing" throughout the game! I just stay home! :(
 
At HBCU football games, the bands are fan support initiators. When the bands play, the poms poms go up and the fans come alive. Otherwise they sit there like they are watching a golf game.

Also, the Honda Battle of the Bands, just bands, drew over 40,000 more fans than the Celebration Bowl.
 
JAGCAT said:
At HBCU football games, the bands are fan support initiators. When the bands play, the poms poms go up and the fans come alive. Otherwise they sit there like they are watching a golf game.

Also, the Honda Battle of the Bands, just bands, drew over 40,000 more fans than the Celebration Bowl.
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True dat!
 
A NFL stadium has been louder (142.2 decibels) than a college band. You don't tell NFL fans to shut up.
 
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The attendance decline theme is a crock of doo-doo. The colleges are still making millions and millions of dollars regardless and the players are making pennies in comparison regardless.
 



JayRob said:
The attendance decline theme is a crock of doo-doo. The colleges are still making millions and millions of dollars regardless and the players are making pennies in comparison regardless.
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When you say "the colleges are still making million and millions of dollars" did you mean "some" colleges are making millions and millions of dollars? Cause if you mean some colleges are making millions, I can agree with that. I must disagree with you when you say "the attendance decline is a crock of doo-doo." There are too many ways to watch a football game without actually going to the stadium.

The players making pennies, well, that's a whole nother thread.
 
TSU/BAMA said:
When you say "the colleges are still making million and millions of dollars" did you mean "some" colleges are making millions and millions of dollars? Cause if you mean some colleges are making millions, I can agree with that. I must disagree with you when you say "the attendance decline is a crock of doo-doo." There are too many ways to watch a football game without actually going to the stadium.

The players making pennies, well, that's a whole nother thread.
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Whether or not attendance is dropping is a distraction. The NCAA and schools are still making millions. Does the NCAA really care about attendance or do they care about television ratings?
 
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