| 2015 | 366,484 | 7 | TCU (54,147) | 52,355 |
| 2016 | 306,697 | 7 | Iowa (49,145) | 43,814 |
| 2017 | 310,506 | 7 | Michigan State (47,541) | 44,358 |
| 2018 | 265,407 | 7 | Iowa (48,199) | 37,915 |
| 2019 | 323,330 | 7 | Wisconsin (53,756) | 46,190 |
| 2020 | 1,953 | 3 | Iowa (771) | 651 |
| 2021 | 322,978 | 7 | Ohio State (50,805) | 46,140 |
Yeah, schools don't seem to care if stadiums are full. Care more about charging as much as they can get away with. I realize they are trying to maximize profits, but I always wonder long-term how much it will hurt them if people stop going to games in person. Short-term they may be making more money, but long-term their fan base may dwindle.
This is a huge part of it for places like MN where our casual fans are often huge pro sports fans. I know several Vikes fans who say things like "yeah, call me when they win the Big 10" or "they'd get killed by Alabama". The obsession with the championship but some news outlets and for the casual fan has changed college football.
Yeah, it was packed and they did sell standing rooom only tickets.
To add to this, poeple have to realize going to the game is most likely a 5+ hour commitment. I gladly make that commitment every home game, making a day or night of it. Never get all the complaints about traffic, getting in/out of parking, etc. I rarely get to the campus at a time where I have to wait to park, and rarely leave where I have to wait to exit parking, or have any traffic issues.
Call WCCO.
Totally agree.
Men's softball is all but dead???? I was playing til a couple years ago and it was going strong (I had to stop due to conflicts with my kids sports). My old team still going strong. League was still full.
Maybe softball's not dead but definitely on the major decline. Pop it into Google. Minnesota and Nationwide, league and teams are down 75% from what they were 20 years ago. Big decline.
Just googled it and the only thing I could find was an article from 2002 that said participation was way down, so apparently it's been declining for more than 20 years. I started playing about 25 years ago and at least in the cities I've played in (north suburbs), things have held pretty steady. Could also be a parallel to the drop in popularity of baseball.
My kids like going to games, but not if it's just with (boring) dad (me). They want to bring friends along. My son will watch about half of games with me on TV (football or hockey).
It is interesting. Kids seem to have very little interest in watching sports on TV these days (obviously doesn't apply to all kids). They just have so many other choices, sitting through a sporting event on TV isn't that appealing to them. I know when I have coached sports we ask the kids how much they watch the professional teams play and it is almost always a really small amount.
Agree. For me, my "championships" for Gopher football are beating WI, IA, and NE on a regular basis, (finally) winning the West, and getting a great bowl game. I could really give a sh*t about winning a national championship because I know it's almost impossible for us to achieve that. So why pine away about something that most likely won't happen? Enjoy Gopher football, games at the Bank, Minnesota fall weather, game day fun, etc. Also, if it's in your budget, travel to watch the Gophers on the road or at a bowl game. Our group looks forward to road trips and seeing new cities and stadiums.
It's simple, going in person is far more stimulating and for young children who have smaller attention spans (not helped by a lot of children's media either), it's far more interesting to be there in person. The sight, sounds, smells, opportunity (small as it may be) to be on the big screen, fun foods to eat, etc.
You’re not doing it right if watching on TV is at all close to a similar experience for you!
