As my colleague Matt Monte pointed out last week, football is back! And it’s about time. But when kick off time comes Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and even Monday (yes, we have five straight days of football) who will be there to watch? More specifically, will fellow students pack the house to watch their classmates take the field?
America is a nation that lives for football, yet despite that enormous passion, attendance for the 2014 college football season was down from the previous season. According to CBS Sports, FBS teams saw attendance drop 4% from 2013, an average of 43,483 fans attended college football games last fall. But it’s not only alumni and other supporters that aren’t attending games; the undergraduate attendance rate has also taken a downward turn.
In 2013 for example, ESPN reported that Arizona, a PAC-12 member, sold 10,376 student season tickets. But 47.6 % of those tickets were not used on average. Nearly half of the tickets sold simply went unused by the students that had purchased them. But Arizona isn’t alone, in the same ESPN report, The Worldwide Leader reported that Oklahoma saw on average 28% of its student allotment go unused. But why? Administrators and coaches have been asking the same question.
A laundry list of theories have been tossed around, from too little in stadium wi-fi, to ticket prices being too high for a less than stellar opponent. To combat the attendance problem, universities have come up with a number of solutions they hope will solve the problem. They have increased internet connectivity inside stadiums, added more restrooms and concessions to reduce lines and even started using dynamic ticket pricing strategies. A dynamic pricing structure allows universities to raise or lower ticket prices depending on demand and that week’s opponent. The higher profile game against a quality opponent or bitter in-state rival will cost more than the tune up game against a lower level foe. All of these changes have been made in hopes of getting undergrads out of the parking lots and into the stadium.
But administrators aren’t the only ones attempting to tackle this issue. Coaches across the country have taken it upon themselves to get involved with the undergrads on campus. Coaches have realized that it is just as import for the students to buy in to what the program is doing. North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren, Houston’s Tom Herman and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Mark Hudspeth have all invited undergrads out to practice. Doeren described the decision to open practice to students as an opportunity to give back, thanking them for the support they show the Wolfpack football team. Ragin’ Cajun coach Mark Hudspeth invited students to not only attend practice at Cajun Field, but allowed those there to catch passes, kick field goals and interact with the team. Herman, who is entering his first year as the head man at Houston invited students out in the spring.
Will these moves work? I suppose only time and turnstiles will tell. But it is certainly encouraging to see coaches across the country realizing how vital undergrads are to a game day atmosphere. Their gestures symbolize that they are committed to the university and the team, and believe the student body should be too. Undergrads, do your part, show up and support the players and coaches who represent YOUR university. As we draw closer to kick off, here’s to a magnificent year both on the field and in the stands.
Did your coach or administration allow undergrads out to practice or do something crazy in order to increase student involvement? If so, I want to hear about it.
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