Aztec basketball games saw an average of 3,818 tickets go unused each nightGETTY IMAGES
Turnstile attendance figures provided by San Diego State show that crowds for men's basketball have "steadily declined over the past four years," from an average of 8,989 in '14-15 to 6,868 last season, according to Mark Zeigler of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Viejas Arena’s listed capacity for basketball is 12,414, meaning only 55% of seats were occupied. That figure is still a "relatively healthy number for college basketball, particularly on the West Coast and in the Mountain West Conference." The announced attendance, which SDSU "defines as tickets distributed," was 10,686 per game last season. That means an average of 3,818 tickets, or "roughly one in three, went unused each night." Turnstile attendance has "topped 10,000 only twice in the last 64 regular-season home games." Another issue is the "precipitous drop in student attendance." Unclaimed tickets from the students’ per-game allotment of 2,500 are "sold to the general public, usually for $20," and "savvy fans buy those GA tickets and sit just rows off the court next to 'The Show' student section." SDSU Exec Associate AD/External Relations Steve Schnall said that season-ticket renewal rates were in the 95% neighborhood for years, and there was a "wait list that swelled to close to 1,000." But for the '19-20 season, Schnall "projects the renewal rate" will be more like 80-85% (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/14).
