Purdue yesterday took steps to "entice fans back into Ross-Ade Stadium by lowering season ticket prices" for nearly 90% of seats, according to a front-page piece by Mike Carmin of the Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER. Attendance for Purdue football last season dropped 28% compared to '13, the "biggest drop" for any team in the Power Five conferences. Purdue "announced an average attendance of 35,269 for seven home games," the lowest since '51. Purdue has four wins in coach Darrell Hazell's first two seasons, and "hasn't won a home Big Ten game" since '12. The downturn in attendance "hurts the bottom line," as it resulted in a $3M "shortfall in ticket sales" in '14. In '15, all seats in the prime, sideline and touchdown sections "have been reduced nearly $50 to $224, plus the per-seat donation Legacy Fee of $250 (prime) and $100 (sideline)." Those three sections account for 54% of the stadium's 57,236 seats, and those who "pay the Legacy Fee will be able to claim a larger percentage of their overall purchase price on their taxes" (Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER, 2/19).
