Florida just absolutely eviscerated

#26
#26
I think it's pretty simple - "they" have made the experience of staying at home too convenient and comfortable. 70'' HDTVs with surround sound are really affordable now. The article says that those things have been around for a while now, and that's true, but the key I think is the affordability of them. You can buy a 75-inch 4K HDTV that'll last a long time (unlike the old plasmas that burned out) for about $1k.

Every single game imaginable is on TV. Combine that with the benefits that have always been there (you don't have to fight crowds to get food/beverage/bathroom if you stay at home). It doesn't affect just college football...it's affecting all sports.

Also, declining attendance isn't as big of a deal today as it might have been 20 years ago because the conferences get such big chunks of the revenue share from the TV deals. Therefore the schools/teams aren't doing as much to address it.
 
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#27
#27
05_never_again said:
I think it's pretty simple - "they" have made the experience of staying at home too convenient and comfortable. 70'' HDTVs with surround sound are really affordable now. The article says that those things have been around for a while now, and that's true, but the key I think is the affordability of them. You can buy a 75-inch 4K HDTV that'll last a long time (unlike the old plasmas that burned out) for about $1k.

Every single game imaginable is on TV. Combine that with the benefits that have always been there (you don't have to fight crowds to get food/beverage/bathroom if you stay at home). It doesn't affect just college football...it's affecting all sports.

Also, declining attendance isn't as big of a deal today as it might have been 20 years ago because the conferences get such big chunks of the revenue share from the TV deals. Therefore the schools/teams aren't doing as much to address it.
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Pretty much this.

Schools raked in a ton of money the last 40 years, and didn't improve the game-day experience enough to compete with watching the game from your couch at this point. The idea that you can continue to gouge fans on ticket and concessions prices, while providing uncomfortable seats, and horrendous bathroom facilities, and still get them to regularly spend the time and money required to attend the games is ludicrous given the current technological landscape.
 
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#28
#28
BeardedVol said:
Pretty much this.

Schools raked in a ton of money the last 40 years, and didn't improve the game-day experience enough to compete with watching the game from your couch at this point. The idea that you can continue to gouge fans on ticket and concessions prices, while providing uncomfortable seats, and horrendous bathroom facilities, and still get them to regularly spend the time and money required to attend the games is ludicrous given the current technological landscape.
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Yep. It's funny how people overthink and overcomplicate the question of declining attendance, try to make it a generational thing, etc. The declining attendance problem also deal acutely with students, who are more affected by the cost as you mentioned. If the schools want to recreate the student section environments of 30 years ago (and they should), a great place to start would be making student tickets free or charge some nominal fee (like $5). Keep the cost of going to every home game under $50, and I bet students start to come back.
 
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#29
#29
While all of those points regarding technology are valid, and I definitely don’t travel to games now like I did in the past, there’s no denying the generational element.

The two or three home games I attend each year, the alumni side is full, and they’re in the stadium well before kickoff. Can’t speak for all student sections, but ours doesn’t bother to fill in the East stands until midway through the first quarter.

And we aren’t talking about Vandy at noon. It was the same for Auburn and FSU this season, and when LSU came to town last season.
 
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#30
#30
05_never_again said:
Yep. It's funny how people overthink and overcomplicate the question of declining attendance, try to make it a generational thing, etc. The declining attendance problem also deal acutely with students, who are more affected by the cost as you mentioned. If the schools want to recreate the student section environments of 30 years ago (and they should), a great place to start would be making student tickets free or charge some nominal fee (like $5). Keep the cost of going to every home game under $50, and I bet students start to come back.
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Oh I'd say that it definitely would put students back in the stands 'en masse'. The same for concessions, it's an economy of scale and the Athletic Department doesn't seem to understand where lower prices will prompt people to spend more money. Look at Mercedes Benz stadium and their "fan first menu pricing", that is still profitable, and has been helping boost attendance numbers since it was implemented, and led a 16% increase in concessions spending.

Atlanta Falcons' 'Fan-First Pricing' Model Yields Numerous Unforeseen Benefits
 
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#31
#31
Lawrence Wright said:
While all of those points regarding technology are valid, and I definitely don’t travel to games now like I did in the past, there’s no denying the generational element.

The two or three home games I attend each year, the alumni side is full, and they’re in the stadium well before kickoff. Can’t speak for all student sections, but ours doesn’t bother to fill in the East stands until midway through the first quarter.

And we aren’t talking about Vandy at noon. It was the same for Auburn and FSU this season, and when LSU came to town last season.
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How much were student tickets 25+ years ago, adjusted for inflation? Similar to now, or have they truly gotten more expensive. Is that truly a variable that has changed? College tuition itself is certainly a variable that has changed.

Every reason given in that article for declining student attendance (hot weather, no beer in stadium, creampuff opponents) is just purely an excuse that deflects from the actual reason(s), whatever they might be. Those things have been a constant forever.
 
#32
#32
05_never_again said:
How much were student tickets 25+ years ago, adjusted for inflation? Similar to now, or have they truly gotten more expensive. Is that truly a variable that has changed? College tuition itself is certainly a variable that has changed.

Every reason given in that article for declining student attendance (hot weather, no beer in stadium, creampuff opponents) is just purely an excuse that deflects from the actual reason(s), whatever they might be. Those things have been a constant forever.
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Student tickets were $5 a game for six home games when I was a student in the mid/late 80s. I think they’re $20/game now.
 
#33
#33
Lawrence Wright said:
Student tickets were $5 a game for six home games when I was a student in the mid/late 80s. I think they’re $20/game now.
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So definitely more expensive on an inflation-adjusted basis. $5 in 1987 is $11.25 today.

Also, I had no idea that there were so many kids from New Jersey going to Clemson. More out-of-state kids, sure, but New Jersey? They only trail South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia in states where their students come from.
 
#34
#34
05_never_again said:
So definitely more expensive on an inflation-adjusted basis. $5 in 1987 is $11.25 today.

Also, I had no idea that there were so many kids from New Jersey going to Clemson. More out-of-state kids, sure, but New Jersey? They only trail South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia in states where their students come from.
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I’m not buying an $9.75 increase in ticket prices (adjusted for inflation) being the major cause, considering most students are walking around with a $900 smartphone or $600 tablet...or both.

I think the younger crowd has viewing options I didn’t have 30+ years ago, and it’s more difficult for students to transfer tickets than the alums sitting across from them.
 
#35
#35
Lawrence Wright said:
I’m not buying an $9.75 increase in ticket prices (adjusted for inflation) being the major cause, considering most students are walking around with a $900 smartphone or $600 tablet...or both.

I think the younger crowd has viewing options I didn’t have 30+ years ago, and it’s more difficult for students to transfer tickets than the alums sitting across from them.
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I think with more expensive tickets and waaaaay more expensive tuition, it crowds out other purchases, and you know Millennials aren't going to compromise on smartphones. They'll compromise elsewhere, like on game tickets, especially when they can hang out in a dorm room or tailgate with a big nice TV and cheap beer.
 
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