CWS Average Attendance Down, But TV Ratings Climb
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ESPN Sees Double-Digit Ratings Gains
For Its Coverage Of College World Series |
While the '08 College World Series (CWS) drew a record total attendance of 330,099, the per-game average of 20,631 "was the lowest since an average of 20,436 attended 10 sessions of the tournament in 1998," according to Steven Pivovar of the Omaha WORLD-HERALD. Average attendance peaked at 23,952 for 11 sessions in '04, while last year's event drew an average of 23,131 for 13 sessions. Prior to this season, average attendance was "figured on a per-session basis, with several sessions during the tournament consisting of doubleheaders that required just one ticket for admission." This year, each game was its own session, making this year’s average a "true per-game average." NCAA Managing Dir of Baseball & Football Dennis Poppe said that any comparison between this year's numbers and those of previous seasons is “apples to oranges.” Poppe and CWS President John Diesing Jr. also "caution against drawing any sweeping conclusions after just one season of the CWS’s new format.” Diesing: “The open seats at some of the games does give the perception that attendance was down. Actually, I’m not concerned. I prefer to focus on the fact that we averaged almost 20,000 for 16 games.” Changes to the schedule were made "primarily for the benefit of the athletes playing the game and the fans at home watching on television." Ratings for games broadcast on ESPN were up 16% and games on ESPN2 were up 14%. Poppe: “For the exposure of the sport and the exposure for the city of Omaha, that’s a hit. So when you sit down and analyze things, we accomplished what we wanted with two or three of the reasons we made the change.” Meanwhile, the two CWS finalists, Fresno State Univ. and the Univ. of Georgia, arrived in Omaha June 11, “meaning that the players, coaches and some fans have spent 16 days in the city.” Poppe: “It does seem like we’ve been here forever.” The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee will “discuss the impact the new schedule had this season” at its July meetings in Chicago (Omaha WORLD-HERALD, 6/26).
POPULAR UNDERDOGS: In Omaha, Jonathon Braden writes Fresno State, which last night defeated the Georgia to claim the national championship, “won over fans’ hearts and their wallets, too.” JEB Enterprises' Brian Grant said that Fresno State was "much like surprise teams of years’ past who also sold well, such as Oregon State and UC Irvine.” The Pro Image tent “also saw Fresno State apparel sell fast.” But Event 1 Retail Services Manager Jared Hunt said that “Georgia apparel has sold better than Fresno State’s” at the company's tent outside Rosenblatt Stadium. In terms of items, “new flat bill and mesh hats sold well.” And at GameWear, which sells baseball bracelets, “new team-colored bracelets were a hot selling-item” (Omaha WORLD-HERALD, 6/26).
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