Dodd: College football attendance rose in 2022 with largest year-over-year increase since 1982

[BleedGopher]

per Dodd:

Seemingly everything college football was up in 2022: ticket prices, NIL riches, coaching salaries, your blood pressure if you were a Miami fan. Add attendance to the conga line of increases. In 2022, FBS attendance rose for the first time in eight years.

If you've paid attention to the sport's waning attendance figures, that's big deal. Official NCAA data shows that average FBS attendance increased 5% last season to 41,840 fans per game. While that sounds like a modest increase, it's significant as it indicates the second-highest per game rise (1,992) in history. (The NCAA has been keeping attendance figures since 1978.)

Not since 1982, when attendance rose an average of 9,068 per game from 1981, has there been a larger increase. The 2021 season marked the lowest average attendance (39,848) since that same year (1981).

College football attendance rose in 2022 with largest year-over-year increase since 1982

More fans attended college football games last season than any year since 2018

www.cbssports.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Not surprising in the COVID era.

 

[fmlizard]

I would have guessed 2021 had the largest attendance increases year-over-year of any year ever.

 

[balds]

Gophers played a part in 1982 with it being the first year of the dome. Averaged almost 60k, from around 40k the previous year.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Not surprising in the COVID era.

Every fall I feel like I’m frothing to get back to a game like it has been forever…

I am now…

 

[AtTheLibrary]

I renewed my season tickets. Thankful that we didn’t have a pricing increase in ‘22 or ‘23. Can’t wait to be in the stands for Nebraska

 

[Some guy]

I would have guessed 2021 had the largest attendance increases year-over-year of any year ever.

It would if they didn’t exclude it.

It’s kind of funny people exclude 2020 attendance numbers due to Covid but take 2021 at face value

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

Weird. Its almost like there was a pandemic two years ago...

 

[Iceland12]

Weird. Its almost like there was a pandemic two years ago...

Article addressed that..

"Just don't ask how or why. There may be some attributable explanations, but they aren't necessarily obvious. Attendance in 2021 declined for a record seventh consecutive year and for the ninth time in the last 10 years. (Not counting 2020 when the NCAA did not keep attendance data amid the COVID-19 pandemic season.)"

Turns out attendance last season was slightly ahead of 2019 reversing the trend in non-covid years. Also within 16 visitors per game of 2018. Still down from the earlier years.