IF you were to add up the attendance at the MIAC games every week, you most likely would have between 20,000 plus and 30,000 attending every week, depending upon where the games are played. Gustavus, St. Olaf, Carleton, St. Johns, St. Thomas, Concordia, Bethel, Hamline, Augsburg all have some strong followings.
At TCF BANK STADIUM, we get a bit over 50,000 fans...or, at least used to.
Throw in Division II football and The Gophers probably draw fewer fans for home games than the "small colleges" do on a weekly basis within the state of Minnesota. Why knock small college football? I'm loyal to the Gophers, but I have seen some fantastic MIAC games in some wonderful and beautiful small college settings.
And, to anyone who thinks MIAC Institutions will disappear in tough economic times...I'd say that the state schools will find the going equally tough...if not tougher. Don't try to tell me that they don't waste a LOT of money at the U of M and some of those administrators throw around millions and millions of dollars to buy out coaches, etc without thinking twice. Not to mention the many layers of administrators at the state schools and U of M. State schools are tied to congresmen/women and other legislative waste machines. The U and state schools will have tougher and tougher going the longer the recession/depression hangs on. And if taxes are lowered...or raised there will be many problems in the future.
ENDOWMENT is the name of the game. Those colleges with solid endowments will survive. Those without may not survive as easily or as well. It's a tough time to try to add to endowments, unless you have to real old timers firmly in your corner if you are trying to grow your endowments as a University or college. HONOR those old timers who are going to journey on to their hereafter during the next decade. They will help you build your endowments.
And, to the cost effectivness play: Do you honestly think it's cheaper to move to the Twin Cities and spend 5 years or longer attending the U of M or to go to a private school for 4 years and graduate? Many of the private schools also have incredible "merit" scholarships that make the cost at least on a par with state schools. In Minnesota, the privates DO compete cost-wise for great students who have excellent SAT's and ACT's. Enought of this state school snobishness vs private school equally snobish nonsense. People need to decide individually what is best for them and then go to that school, work hard enough and accomplish enough to prove their own point.
