"A funny thing is happening in college football these
days," as attendance is dropping at some schools as students
choose not to attend the games, according to Fatsis &
Weinbach of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. In an "entertainment-
saturated culture," the "growing gridiron apathy is
remarkable." At UCLA, student turnout at home games has
dropped almost 40% in the '90s, while Harvard is attracting
"just" 400 of its 6,600 undergraduates to games. Even FL
State Univ., the winningest college team this decade, has
around 2,000 student-section seats that go "unused" for
every home game. Though falling attendance may not be as
big a concern to colleges as other academic-related issues,
athletic administrators concerned about the "bottom line"
worry that "apathetic students can turn into apathetic
alumni who don't write checks to their alma mater." Despite
the decline in student attendance at some schools, "college
football is by no means on the injured list." Last year a
record 36.8 million fans turned out for NCAA games, and the
sport continues to produce about $1B in annual revenue due
to "expansive" and "lucrative" TV coverage and the new bowl
championship format. The NCAA and its schools are working
with KY-based Host Communications "to devise ways to promote
college football." Host has proposed a student-oriented
national cable show called "The Slant" and a traveling
interactive theme park (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/20).
