Regular season attendance in '17 was down an average of 1,409 fans per game from '16GETTY IMAGES
Schools at the FBS level this past season experienced the "largest per-game attendance drop in 34 years and second-largest ever," according to audited NCAA data cited by Dennis Dodd of CBSSPORTS.com. Attendance for the '17 regular season was down an average of 1,409 fans per game from '16, marking the "largest drop" since ‘83, when average attendance declined 1,527 fans per game from the prior season. The '17 average of 42,203 fans also is the lowest since '97. That was the “second-sharpest decline" since the NCAA began keeping track of CFB attendance in '48. The SEC this past season “experienced its sharpest per-game decline -- down an average 2,433 fans” -- since ‘92. That figure “led the Power Five in fans lost per game.” While the SEC still “led all FBS conferences in average attendance for the 20th consecutive year," its average (75,074) was the conference's lowest figure since '05. Dodd noted college sports continues to struggle with how to "make attendance at a live event more valuable than the alternatives, which range from remaining at a tailgate outside the venue to viewing on a smartphone while on the go to watching in the comfort of one's living room.” A Power Five source said that the NFL and MLB have been “much more proactive in downsizing stadiums to create a more premium ticket” (CBSSPORTS.com, 2/13). YAHOO SPORTS’ Liz Roscher noted FBS attendance has "been slipping" since '08, when the record was set. Since then, attendance has dropped 10.1% (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/13). Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s Sam Khan noted attendance for FCS games in '17 dropped 1.6%, while D-II was down 5.3% and D-III down 4.1%. Meanwhile, neutral-site games saw "significant drops in both FBS and FCS" -- down an average of 7.6% and 11.7%, respectively. Only two FBS conferences saw an increase in average attendance -- the Big Ten and Mountain West. Every other conference saw declines in attendance, with the AAC and SEC having the "sharpest falls" (ESPN.com, 2/13).
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LARGEST AVG. ATTENDANCE DROPS IN FBS HISTORY
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SEASON
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AVG. ATTENDANCE
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PRIOR SEASON
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% DROP
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'83
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42,162
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43,689
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-3.5%
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'17
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42,203
|
43,612
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-3.2%
|
|
'14
|
44,603
|
45,671
|
-2.3%
|
|
'92
|
41,170
|
42,043
|
-2.1%
|
|
'15
|
43,933
|
44,603
|
-1.5%
|
|
'09
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46,281
|
46,971
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-1.5%
|
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'12
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45,440
|
46,074
|
-1.4%
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'88
|
41,454
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41,963
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-1.2%
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'11
|
46,074
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46,632
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-1.2%
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|
'85
|
42,040
|
41,454
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-1.2%
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ROOTS OF THE ISSUE: In Louisville, Gentry Estes writes much of the reasoning behind CFB's attendance drop is being "tied to technology and finances." Estes: "Why deal with the travel, crowds, hassle and cost of going to a game when you can relax at home and watch that game -- and many others -- in high definition?" The at-venue experience, for many, no longer "justifies the effort, especially for a younger generation of students" (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 2/15). In Pennsylvania, David Jones wrote a reason for the drop is college-age kids are "not as devoted to any leisure activity as they use to be because they are overloaded with such stimulus all the time through smartphones." Marketers also are "concentrating on bigger fish." The downward trend in CFB attendance "jibes with the rise of smartphone technology in the last decade." For a college student, making the decision to attend a home game "requires intense interest" and "mandates involvement." It "needs a total buy-in." Jones: "Otherwise, why bother?" (PENNLIVE.com, 2/14).
WOLVERINES! In Michigan, Aaron McMann noted home games at Michigan Stadium in '17 “averaged 111,589 fans per game," topping fellow Big Ten schools Ohio State and Penn State. Michigan “totaled 669,534 fans during its six-game home schedule.” It has been “three straight years now” that UM has “led the nation in football attendance” (MLIVE.com, 2/13).
