This CBS Sports article says SEC attendence is lagging

#2
#2
Everyone's having problems with attendance at games in general; I believe I saw another article that said 9 or so teams in conference reported lower attendance numbers last year compared to the season before that.
 
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#4
#4
TrueOrange said:
Everyone's having problems with attendance at games in general; I believe I saw another article that said 9 or so teams in conference reported lower attendance numbers last year compared to the season before that.
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I don't think Tennessee will have attendance problems in 2013.
 
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#5
#5
Here it is:

SEC seeking ways to tackle attendance declines | timesfreepress.com


Tennessee had an average home attendance of fewer than 90,000 last football season, a first since 1979, and the Volunteers were among nine SEC teams suffering declines from the year before.



RISE AND FALL
After peaking in 2008, attendance at SEC home football games has been in decline:

YEAR AVERAGE

2002 73,315

2003 74,059

2004 74.282

2005 74,700

2006 75,706

2007 75,139

2008 76,844

2009 76,288

2010 76,719

2011 75,832

2012 75,444

Source: SEC office
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As an All-America defensive end for the Georgia Bulldogs a decade ago, David Pollack thrived on bringing more than 92,000 fans at Sanford Stadium to their feet.

Now Pollack travels to college football venues throughout the country as a commentator on ESPN's "GameDay" team. His focus has shifted from entertaining the thousands inside the stadium to the millions watching at home.

"I'm at the games because I have to be, but I spend a lot of my Sundays watching the NFL Ticket [on DirecTV], and that experience is pretty outstanding," Pollack said. "If I can stay in my living room and kick it and watch the game, I'm not going to leave. I just think that the experience at home has gotten so good."

Advances in technology in recent years have halted the advance of attendance numbers in college football, and Southeastern Conference officials as well as the league's athletic directors have taken notice. Nine of the 14 SEC schools suffered declines last season, with Tennessee's average home attendance dipping under 90,000 for the first time since 1979 and Kentucky's slipping under 50,000 for the first time since 1996.

Tennessee and Kentucky had disappointing seasons, but Florida went 11-1 during the regular season after going 6-6 in 2011 and still endured a drop of nearly 1,500 fans a game.

"It's at the top of our list of concerns, and we talk about it constantly," Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said. "We talk about improving the experience and doing things in our stadium that people are doing at home. We provided look-ins this past year on our video board of other games going on, and I don't think that would have even been thought of 10 years ago.

"The majority of people are coming to the games to enjoy the team. There is a tradition here, but if we ever took the stance that people are just going to show up and the game will unfold, that's when problems will really escalate."

Average attendance at SEC games went from 63,870 in 1990 to 72,448 in 2000 to a peak of 76,844 in 2008. It has since backtracked, with last year's average at 75,444.

The reversal has coincided with the league in 2008 signing 15-year contracts with ESPN (for $2.25 billion) and CBS ($825 million). Those contracts went into effect in 2009, and the SEC recently extended its deal with ESPN through 2034.

POWER OF THE TUBE

The challenge of enhancing the stadium experience may not be at the forefront of the SEC spring meetings that run Tuesday through Friday in Destin, Fla., but it's hard to find a topic more ongoing.

"It is a concern to everybody and not just in our part of the country," SEC executive associate commissioner Mark Womack said. "We've got a subcommittee in our league now that is taking a look at what we can do to make the fan experience at the stadiums and the arenas better. We want there to be a continued demand for tickets and for people showing up at the stadiums and arenas around our sites.

"The economy factors into this as well, but the technology of television has made that an appealing option. We have to try to make the in-game experience in the stadium as good as it can be."

Womack has been SEC commissioner Mike Slive's point man for the lucrative television packages the league has landed. The recent announcement from Slive and ESPN that an SEC Network would be up and running by August 2014 only adds to the appeal of watching from the couch or recliner.

The SEC Network will have widespread distribution throughout the league's 11-state footprint and will televise up to 45 games each season. One of its games every Saturday will be opposite the CBS afternoon telecast, so league fans viewing from home can expect a couple of lunchtime games, a couple of mid-afternoon games and multiple evening games most weekends.

"This is not an issue that's unique to college football," said ESPN senior vice president Burke Magnus, who oversees college sports programming. "A lot of leagues, be it college or professional, are having to focus on the in-venue experience. It's a balancing act of being there in person and the experience you can get at home through technology.

"It's not only the beautiful picture you get on a 60-inch HD set, but there is the mobility of live streaming on phones and tablets and the ability to keep in touch. It's so easy now, and the fan experience via technology is spectacular."

FIGHTING THE TREND

Allowing fans inside Sanford Stadium the opportunity to watch other games during timeouts is just one step McGarity and his Georgia staff have taken.

"Our tickets continue to be less than $50," he said. "They're $40 if you're part of a season-ticket package and $45 if they're bought as a single ticket. We are very aware of that factor -- the family-of-four factor. This will be the fourth straight football season where our prices have remained constant."

Improving customer service and parking options also rank high on McGarity's priority list.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam stressed earlier this year that Volunteers fans "have to fill" Neyland Stadium. The Vols are just 28-34 the past five seasons, and the SportsBusiness Journal recently reported that Tennessee's athletic department reserves were at $1.95 million, while most of the other SEC institutions had reserves between $50 million and $100 million.

Television revenue is helping the SEC, Haslam pointed out, but a school must have stout stadium revenue as well.

"Live athletics are one of the few things people don't DVR," Haslam said, "so it becomes worth more to advertisers, so those TV contracts keep increasing whether it's college football, NFL or the NBA. There is a benefit to that, but you still have to get people in that stadium for it to work, and people are going to come to the stadium when they win."

Winning has long been a catalyst for large crowds, but Florida wasn't the only league power last season that experienced an attendance slide. Alabama, the national champion, LSU and Texas A&M suffered slight dips as well.

Womack said the SEC subcommittee is still in the working stage and has yet to disclose ways to negate the trend of fans choosing to avoid traveling to games. Magnus believes college football has an advantage over professional sports facing the same dilemma due to the tradition of fan bases going back to campus.

There still may be no substitute for being there in person, but television continues to narrow that gap at a lot less cost.

"I think the guys who oversee these leagues and sports are extremely focused on the issues that affect the fan experience in-venue," Magnus said, "whether it's rowdy fans or the connectivity in the stadium or just the ease of getting in and out."

Said McGarity: "It's a big melting pot of issues that we've got to address. Heck, if it was one thing, we would all be able to solve it."
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#6
#6
Our attendance played a big part in the lower SEC averages. But Hamilton just blamed it on HDTV. This year that should be a turn around for us if we can deliver on the field
 
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#7
#7
It's not just an SEC problem, it's a sports problem in general, for which there are several factors:

1) High costs of tickets/game day experience means a lot of people, especially families simply can't afford to commit to going to games.

2) HDTVs have made watching games at home or sports bars a very attractive alternative

3) And yes for some, if the team sucks, people aren't going to shell out money for it.
 
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#9
#9
nash101 said:
Our attendance played a big part in the lower SEC averages. But Hamilton just blamed it on HDTV. This year that should be a turn around for us if we can deliver on the field
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I don't think it's a problem that winning will completely solve.
 
#10
#10
CBS, like the other news services are trying to create news: as per "SEC, the sports Mega Group is in trouble because of attendance crash". Actually the SEC has weathered the half decade economic crunch very well.
 
#11
#11
I have a 47 inch HD flat screen and a wife who is good at knowing when I need a snack or drink during games. To say that driving 9 hours, fighting crowds, and sitting anywhere other than the 50 yd line is a better experience than that is just not logical. And that's the truth.
 
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#14
#14
fade route said:
I have a 47 inch HD flat screen and a wife who is good at knowing when I need a snack or drink during games. To say that driving 9 hours, fighting crowds, and sitting anywhere other than the 50 yd line is a better experience than that is just not logical. And that's the truth.
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Hmmmmm. Let me see. 61" HD (crap, I'm already sounding like babyavi) & a wife who will do the same thing but I still go to the games - the atmosphere is just better (I can't explain why; it just is for me). Granted I'm a 5 minute drive by boat and have the luxury of skipping all the traffic before and after the game.

Come up for a game this year, fade. You guys can stay with us and we'll boat to the game. It's on me.
 
#15
#15
VolsSportsFan said:
It's not just an SEC problem, it's a sports problem in general, for which there are several factors:

1) High costs of tickets/game day experience means a lot of people, especially families simply can't afford to commit to going to games.

2) HDTVs have made watching games at home or sports bars a very attractive alternative

3) And yes for some, if the team sucks, people aren't going to shell out money for it.
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A subcategory of 1, the economy still being as bad as it is. In some senses the dip seemingly to corresponds with its drop, people losing/holding more onto money, etc
 
#17
#17
cbbowlingmd said:
Maybe my math is off but I only see a decline over the last 3 years.
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I think it's more that it peaked in 2008 and the numbers have been lower than that since then; it's gone down relative to that peak each season and hasn't been able to build up back to (or over) that level
 
#20
#20
TrueOrange said:
A subcategory of 1, the economy still being as bad as it is. In some senses the dip seemingly to corresponds with its drop, people losing/holding more onto money, etc
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Another factor, at least where UT fans are concerned, I would have to think would be the weak out of conference games. With high ticket prices, it's hard for many folks to justify the costs when 3-4 home games a year are UT Martin, Chattanooga, Georgia St, Austin Peay, etc. Fans are expected to pay those prices, while half of your home games should never be on the schedule in the first place...imho
 
#21
#21
Truth is the tickets are outrageous for the big games. I mean its hard to justify spending a few hundred dollars just for tickets when I can sit on the couch with all my friends and watch in crystal clear HD for the price of beer and pizza.
 
#23
#23
Easttnken said:
Another factor, at least where UT fans are concerned, I would have to think would be the weak out of conference games. With high ticket prices, it's hard for many folks to justify the costs when 3-4 home games a year are UT Martin, Chattanooga, Georgia St, Austin Peay, etc. Fans are expected to pay those prices, while half of your home games should never be on the schedule in the first place...imho
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To me, that's just a convenient excuse. The patsies have always been on the schedule. It's just that now with a 12 game schedule adding an extra home game, there's an extra patsy. Nobody is going to play more than 1 BCS OOC game.
 
#24
#24
GAVol said:
I don't think it's a problem that winning will completely solve.
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Correct. Unless your team is at a conference championship level, it's tough selling more than 90% of the (bigger) stadium tickets these days.

There's empty seats in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and across the country.
 
#25
#25
GAVol said:
To me, that's just a convenient excuse. The patsies have always been on the schedule. It's just that now with a 12 game schedule adding an extra home game, there's an extra patsy. Nobody is going to play more than 1 BCS OOC game.
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I agree with this; Neyland was packed in the 90s when we were good, and playing creampuffs. I went to several during that time period and I don't remember being overly bummed that their opponent wasn't some Top 25 team.

In fact back then you could argue even SEC games weren't great then. Georgia was ok but not great, SC sucked, Vandy and Kentucky sucked, and even Alabama wasn't good during that time period.
 
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