College football must innovate as FBS attendance dips for sixth straight year to lowest since 1996 (Minnesota: Largest increase in the Top 50)

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I saw a tweet on this last night that it is interesting the local media has been fairly quiet about the attendance jump at the U compared to other years where attendance drops earned big print headlines.
 

Schnauzer said:
I saw a tweet on this last night that it is interesting the local media has been fairly quiet about the attendance jump at the U compared to other years where attendance drops earned big print headlines.
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They sure love to write articles about hockey attendance.
 

Formula to fix. Always play a cupcake in first home game of season as people are excited for football season and will still attend to see the new team. Easy to do.

Second and not so easy to do, but have a P5 non-conference game at home every year.

Third the B1G should better balance the home and away games for rivals of each team.

2020 is a good example of what a typical schedule should look like. Iowa and Michigan at home and Wisconsin and Nebraska on the road. Would be nice to have WI or IA later in the season as weather turns.

2021 opens with tOSU which will draw, but then there is no P5 non-conference home game and Miami of Ohio and Bowling Green won't draw.
 



If all the games are always going to be on TV the attendance will continue to fall given the ever increasing length of the game attendance experience.
 

Livingat45north said:
The U needs better tailgating options
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What about building a new domed stadium with room for all 45,000 fans to tailgate in the dome. Then they just need to stumble to the playing field part of the stadium. Maybe build it over Williams arena while they are at it.
 

It's hard to really be that concerned about attendance issues when your school is receiving a $40 million and growing check each year from the Big Ten. We are surviving.
 



MaxyJR1 said:
Formula to fix. Always play a cupcake in first home game of season as people are excited for football season and will still attend to see the new team. Easy to do.

Second and not so easy to do, but have a P5 non-conference game at home every year.
Click to expand...

You can do this right now, but only if you're willing to play two "cupcake" games per year. You schedule the P5 home game on the years when we only have four Big Ten home games, and the P5 away game on the years when we have five.

But the other two non-conf games have to be home games, to get to seven.


Otherwise, you have to be willing to have only six home games some years.
 


I wonder how the BSC Playoffs has played into this. The formula really makes it so only around a dozen teams have a legitimate shot of making the playoff and even if your team wins it still has to fight the Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma bias. Prior to this bowl games where all you hoped for. I would love to see it go to eight teams with P5 conference champions getting in regardless of perception. Games would natter more in more places. Similar to expaned MLB playoffs.
 

Livingat45north said:
The U needs better tailgating options
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Don't give them any ideas. The last thing I want to see the U do is move towards partnering with one of those national companies like Tailgate Guys that do nothing but overcharge for a sterile and monotonous tailgate experience.

tailgate-guys-heinz-field.jpg

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pg-28-Tailgate-Guys-7.ashx
 



^^^ I don't know about Pitt, but I have to imagine those other schools have a very robust, traditional tailgating scene that vastly outnumbers those tents.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Formula to fix. Always play a cupcake in first home game of season as people are excited for football season and will still attend to see the new team. Easy to do.

Second and not so easy to do, but have a P5 non-conference game at home every year.

Third the B1G should better balance the home and away games for rivals of each team.

2020 is a good example of what a typical schedule should look like. Iowa and Michigan at home and Wisconsin and Nebraska on the road. Would be nice to have WI or IA later in the season as weather turns.

2021 opens with tOSU which will draw, but then there is no P5 non-conference home game and Miami of Ohio and Bowling Green won't draw.
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None of this matters. It is about the availability on TV, other attractions and the value proposition that is perceived by the emerging generation. If there is one thing that could matter is keeping the game to 3 hours 20 minutes.
 

Hotdish said:
Don't give them any ideas. The last thing I want to see the U do is move towards partnering with one of those national companies like Tailgate Guys that do nothing but overcharge for a sterile and monotonous tailgate experience.

tailgate-guys-heinz-field.jpg

DK1HTSAWsAAVD4c.jpg


7VM5CDEKZREDVA7FKEPC5UUXBY.jpg

00a85962-3a7c-45eb-82fb-790152ff97b1.sized-1000x1000.jpg


pg-28-Tailgate-Guys-7.ashx
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More and more people do not want to spend Friday night getting the rig ready and then a couple hours after you get home to clean up the rig and retool for the next game...not to mention the expense. I think for many, this type of thing pictured could work here if done right.
 

Attendance is a combination of factors.
Is the team winning games?
Are fans entertained?
does the school present a good game-day atmosphere?
are there opportunities for fans to park and tailgate without being hassled?
Do fans believe they receive good entertainment value for the cost of their tickets?

For MN, add in the weather as a factor.

When you consider the competition from TV, the onus is really on the schools to give fans a good reason to attend games in person. Ideally, conference games should be sold out, or at least close to sold out. the non-conf games against 'lesser' opponents may never be sell-outs - but those are the games where you need to offer low-price ticket deals, bundle tickets with food options, etc.
 

I think there are a lot of great ideas.... but ...

I suspect they will just sort of "help" but not really change what is an entertainment overloaded world.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I think there are a lot of great ideas.... but ...

I suspect they will just sort of "help" but not really change what is an entertainment overloaded world.
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Spot on. The entertainment world is clearly expensive when you add everything up. Well don't do everything people will say. Then the attendance goes down, "where are the people?" And so it goes.
 

#2Gopher said:
Spot on. The entertainment world is clearly expensive when you add everything up. Well don't do everything people will say. Then the attendance goes down, "where are the people?" And so it goes.
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It's amazing how much straight up entertainment is at my fingertips for a couple bucks a month now.
 

Schnauzer said:
I saw a tweet on this last night that it is interesting the local media has been fairly quiet about the attendance jump at the U compared to other years where attendance drops earned big print headlines.
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I think those drops in the preceding years probably made them decide to temper communicating this...
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Attendance is a combination of factors.
Is the team winning games?
Are fans entertained?
does the school present a good game-day atmosphere?
are there opportunities for fans to park and tailgate without being hassled?
Do fans believe they receive good entertainment value for the cost of their tickets?

For MN, add in the weather as a factor.

When you consider the competition from TV, the onus is really on the schools to give fans a good reason to attend games in person. Ideally, conference games should be sold out, or at least close to sold out. the non-conf games against 'lesser' opponents may never be sell-outs - but those are the games where you need to offer low-price ticket deals, bundle tickets with food options, etc.
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Parking and traffic too...and being upset when you blow in at the last minute and can't find parking close, have to walk too far, can't walk right into the stadium, and get upset again at the immediate post game traffic...;)
 

MplsGopher said:
^^^ I don't know about Pitt, but I have to imagine those other schools have a very robust, traditional tailgating scene that vastly outnumbers those tents.
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I'm pretty sure Coyle tried this type of set up...the professional tailgate companies...and folks thought it was too expensive.
 

How about making the non-conference games family and kid friendly? For each paying adult, up to two kids get in for free. Put them in the sections that are normally empty.

It is not just the game. They need to look at creating family fun experience before, during, and maybe after the game.

Also, give vouchers to help pay for food and drinks. Or maybe even lower the cost of food altogether.

We want to build future Gopher football fans? Here is one suggestion.

We want more Cody Lindenbergs who grow up dreaming of becoming a Gopher.
 
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hungan1 said:
How about making the non-conference games family and kid friendly? For each paying adult, up to two kids get in for free. Put them in the sections that are normally empty.

It is not just the game. They need to look at creating family fun experience before, during, and maybe after the game.

Also, give vouchers to help pay for food and drinks. Or maybe even lower the cost of food altogether.

We want to build future Gopher football fans? Here is one suggestion.

We want more Cody Lindenbergs who grow up dreaming of becoming a Gopher.
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As an adult who brings his children. ... I would very much appreciate being able to put my kids in another section.
 

PMWinSTP said:
I'm pretty sure Coyle tried this type of set up...the professional tailgate companies...and folks thought it was too expensive.
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I think you're right.


I think the tailgate by goal line club is a very solid option TBH. Now, I get it's not same as actual tailgating which I've done, but yeah

I get annoyed how many empty lots I see but they're season pass only that don't sell out due to expense
 

Wi/PSU games I ended up over at 7 corners, it was too crazy near stadium. Normally I just hang out at Stubs

When Big 10 existed, we'd start there, to sallys, to stubs, and rare occasion stop at BWW
 

Schnauzer said:
I saw a tweet on this last night that it is interesting the local media has been fairly quiet about the attendance jump at the U compared to other years where attendance drops earned big print headlines.
Click to expand...
Yeah they do love to let everyone know something is crap.
 


salzie said:
Wi/PSU games I ended up over at 7 corners, it was too crazy near stadium. Normally I just hang out at Stubs

When Big 10 existed, we'd start there, to sallys, to stubs, and rare occasion stop at BWW
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Yeah, I've done 7 corners before and after...Town Hall and then Republic (Sgt Preston's).

RIP Big 10 (Brickhouse for more mature GHers ;)). Hangout for three generations of U grads in my immediate famiy.
 

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