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The Fan Attendance Issue
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:40 am
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:40 am
I’ve seen this topic discussed elsewhere and in the game thread on Saturday so I thought I’d bring it up here. The empty seats on Saturday wasn’t a good look but what did people expect? It was an early kickoff against a cupcake on a hot day and everyone knew our starters would be out well before halftime. 10 years ago, that game is most likely on PPV and is held later in the day. So of course it would’ve been a better turnout.
What I don’t get is that it’s a sign of apathy. People care about Alabama Football now as much as they did 10 years ago. We might not have that “energy” we had in 2008/2009 but we are still one of the best fanbases not only in college football, but in all of sports. Just because they choose watch the game at home on an HDTV instead of sitting in the Upper Deck doesn’t mean they’re a bad fan and it’s cleary an issue many schools are facing, not just Alabama. This was inevitable once the schools/conferences signed these massive TV deals.
The fact of the matter is Adminstrators have sold out the game day experience and have made it more of a hassle to attend games. The Quad has become more corporate. It takes longer to get into BDS due to the metal detectors. Parking is a pain in the arse and it can take hours to get home. Not to mention lots of Bama fans are probably saving their entertainment dollars for the Playoffs where a ticket could cost $2000. You could find a ticket to the 2010 National Championship game for not even half that. What we’re seeing is the natural reaction of the market to all of that.
Now the Student Section is a separate issue. It shouldn’t look like it did on Saturday.
What I don’t get is that it’s a sign of apathy. People care about Alabama Football now as much as they did 10 years ago. We might not have that “energy” we had in 2008/2009 but we are still one of the best fanbases not only in college football, but in all of sports. Just because they choose watch the game at home on an HDTV instead of sitting in the Upper Deck doesn’t mean they’re a bad fan and it’s cleary an issue many schools are facing, not just Alabama. This was inevitable once the schools/conferences signed these massive TV deals.
The fact of the matter is Adminstrators have sold out the game day experience and have made it more of a hassle to attend games. The Quad has become more corporate. It takes longer to get into BDS due to the metal detectors. Parking is a pain in the arse and it can take hours to get home. Not to mention lots of Bama fans are probably saving their entertainment dollars for the Playoffs where a ticket could cost $2000. You could find a ticket to the 2010 National Championship game for not even half that. What we’re seeing is the natural reaction of the market to all of that.
Now the Student Section is a separate issue. It shouldn’t look like it did on Saturday.
This post was edited on 10/2/18 at 11:43 am
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Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:42 am to FairhopeTider
I think it's a sign of people becoming spoiled.
I say this as someone who suffered through the Dubose-Fran-Shula regimes while in school and remember the stadium (granted it was smaller then) being packed, and especially the student section. I guess back then just seeing the team win a game, regardless of who it was against, was a much bigger deal.
I say this as someone who suffered through the Dubose-Fran-Shula regimes while in school and remember the stadium (granted it was smaller then) being packed, and especially the student section. I guess back then just seeing the team win a game, regardless of who it was against, was a much bigger deal.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:45 am to Bham Bammer
I’m not going to argue that we’re not spoiled. We’re certainly spoiled but that’s natural considering what has been going on the last 10 years. We get upset over stupid stuff like the 2nd team defense allowing two TD’s and Tua not being allowed to put up Heisman numbers.
That’s different than apathy IMO. Apathy means we don’t care. I don’t think you could live in the state of Alabama and say that Alabama fans don’t care. It’s not like we’re all finding other ways to spend our Saturdays in the Fall.
That’s different than apathy IMO. Apathy means we don’t care. I don’t think you could live in the state of Alabama and say that Alabama fans don’t care. It’s not like we’re all finding other ways to spend our Saturdays in the Fall.
This post was edited on 10/2/18 at 11:56 am
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:45 am to FairhopeTider
Don't know about the regular fans....
But too many out of state kids to expect a student section filled for North West Missouri Tech or whatever.
But too many out of state kids to expect a student section filled for North West Missouri Tech or whatever.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:48 am to Lordofwrath88
This probably is a big impact, too. The student body in general is way different now than when I was there.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:48 am to Lordofwrath88
quote:
But too many out of state kids to expect a student section filled for North West Missouri Tech or whatever.
I really believe the out of state students are a bigger issue than many want to admit. I know that isn't the entire problem, but it's a big part of it.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:52 am to FairhopeTider
I totally agree with everything about the normal sections. I don't know how anybody can have any issue with them. The stadium is almost 100% full for conference games (for almost the whole game, blowout or not) and 90%+ full for early season shite games.
I put my ULL and Citadel tickets on StubHub for roughly face value and they both sold within 90 minutes. The non-student part of the stadium is almost no different than it was 10 years ago outside of losing some folks because of the hassle/every game on TV issues.
The student section is dogshite. It was 50% full at the start of the 3rd qtr vs A&M, a Top 25 team in a 3 score game. The attendance for the ULL game was fvckin shameful. I don't understand the hassle in waking up and walking into the stadium to watch a football game for 90 minutes until it is 40-0 and then heading back home to watch other games. It'd be one thing if it was a 3:30 game preventing you from watching a "big game", but shite you can't wake up at 10 AM and go hang out and watch our death machine? What the fvck else are you gonna do? The hell is your problem?
They need to find a way to give those tickets, if they aren't being used, to underprivileged groups that want to be there. That's just nonsense. And quite frankly, I don't give two shites whether it is because there are more OOS kids or because kids are spoiled or whatever. I'm tired of trying to figure out the reasons why. They've had 100 chances to fix it and they clearly can't or don't care. That's fine, we'll fix it for you.
I put my ULL and Citadel tickets on StubHub for roughly face value and they both sold within 90 minutes. The non-student part of the stadium is almost no different than it was 10 years ago outside of losing some folks because of the hassle/every game on TV issues.
quote:
Now the Student Section is a separate issue. It shouldn’t look like it did on Saturday.
The student section is dogshite. It was 50% full at the start of the 3rd qtr vs A&M, a Top 25 team in a 3 score game. The attendance for the ULL game was fvckin shameful. I don't understand the hassle in waking up and walking into the stadium to watch a football game for 90 minutes until it is 40-0 and then heading back home to watch other games. It'd be one thing if it was a 3:30 game preventing you from watching a "big game", but shite you can't wake up at 10 AM and go hang out and watch our death machine? What the fvck else are you gonna do? The hell is your problem?
They need to find a way to give those tickets, if they aren't being used, to underprivileged groups that want to be there. That's just nonsense. And quite frankly, I don't give two shites whether it is because there are more OOS kids or because kids are spoiled or whatever. I'm tired of trying to figure out the reasons why. They've had 100 chances to fix it and they clearly can't or don't care. That's fine, we'll fix it for you.
This post was edited on 10/2/18 at 12:08 pm
Posted on 10/2/18 at 11:55 am to Bham Bammer
quote:
I think it's a sign of people becoming spoiled.
In more ways than one. Every game can be seen in HDTV now, from the comfort of your own home. For an 11am kick, what time does someone in Huntsville need to get up to get there in time? Even from Birmingham, leaving by 8:45 or 9 is pushing it to get parked and in your seat before kickoff. After a long work and school week, I'd rather just sleep in and catch it on TV.
The problem isn't limited to just Alabama. Every school is dealing with attendance issues.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:05 pm to FairhopeTider
I get what you're saying, but isn't whether you decide to go to the game or not a decision based primarily on how badly you want to go to the game? So it is a care issue on some level. I don't really have a problem with regular fans deciding that they don't want to deal with the hassle of going to a game for the chance to watch the Ragin Cajuns or The Citadel, though.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:17 pm to FairhopeTider
quote:
everyone knew our starters would be out well before halftime
That's not really happening though. I've watched every minute of every game so far this season. Tua comes out early, but the starters stay in for at least 3 quarters. There were starters still in up 50-7 in the 4th against Arkansas State. So that's not the problem imo.
The problem is, it's too easy to have a much better view of the game at your house. HD is just a better product than the hassle of traveling, staying in hotels, paying for food/drinks/gas, dealing with massive crowds and traffic-although Tuscaloosa is BY FAR the best when it comes to after game traffic- vs picking up some steaks, getting the preferred adult beverage of choice, inviting friends over to grill and watch the game.
So the diehards that used to come, are at the house. Plus, IDK if this is a problem at Bama, but LSU priced out the average fan. It's created a stale, corporate experience and those people are there to be seen only. Once they've accomplished that, they're gone.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:17 pm to FairhopeTider
quote:
That’s different than apathy IMO. Apathy means we don’t care. I don’t think you could live in the state of Alabama and say that Alabama fans don’t care. It’s not like we’re all finding other ways to spend our Saturdays in the Fall.
I think for games like LA-Lafayette it is apathy, especially when it's an 11 kickoff. That doesn't mean fans are overall apathetic with the program, but apathetic towards these rent-a-win games. There are threads here every season bitching about our OOC schedules. It's a macro vs. micro question. A lot of people are finding other things to do on Saturdays when we're playing these type teams. I didn't even watch the game this past weekend, opting to spend it on the lake with some friends, all of us Bama grads/fans. We listened to the first half, then ignored football the rest of the day.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:19 pm to FairhopeTider
I'm a season ticket and have been since I walked off of campus as a graduate back in '93. I attended the first 2 games and was disappointed with the attendance as well. I didn't attend last weekend due to a family Issue. I tried selling at face value only, not trying to make anything at all, and even tried giving them away. The early kickoff, the heat, and the garbage opponent definitely didn't help.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:26 pm to UAgrad93
I feel like this is part of the reasoning in "downsizing" the stadium with this remodel.
When the south upper deck was added there was a big stink among the students to have the student section enlarged. The university agreed, but this is a by product of that. I would suspect that with the remodel that the student section will be affected more so than the season ticket holders.
When the south upper deck was added there was a big stink among the students to have the student section enlarged. The university agreed, but this is a by product of that. I would suspect that with the remodel that the student section will be affected more so than the season ticket holders.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:27 pm to JJ27
quote:
Plus, IDK if this is a problem at Bama, but LSU priced out the average fan. It's created a stale, corporate experience and those people are there to be seen only. Once they've accomplished that, they're gone.
The average fan is priced out on season tickets just about, but not for individual games. It's still really easy to find tickets below face for most games in Tuscaloosa. The whole experience has definitely gotten sterile and corporate though, and unless you know someone with a tailgate on campus, you're stuck tailgating on the fringes of campus a mile or so from the stadium, and paying $30 to park there.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:41 pm to FairhopeTider
One thing that people never seem to mention is that the games take longer now. When you have a team like Ole Miss that throws every play and hurries up to the line, 30 seconds of game time can take like 10 minutes.
If they aren't going to reduce the number of commercial breaks, I honestly wouldn't mind college football games being shortened to 12 or 13 minute quarters. I mean some of these teams like Texas Tech average close to four hour game times.
If they aren't going to reduce the number of commercial breaks, I honestly wouldn't mind college football games being shortened to 12 or 13 minute quarters. I mean some of these teams like Texas Tech average close to four hour game times.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:42 pm to Lordofwrath88
quote:
But too many out of state kids to expect a student section filled for North West Missouri Tech or whatever.
Hasn't the instate enrollment stayed pretty consistent?
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:44 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
What the fvck else are you gonna do?
Not bake in the 95 degree heat? Student section isn't getting any shade for the 11 or 2:30 games.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:51 pm to pvilleguru
quote:
Not bake in the 95 degree heat? Student section isn't getting any shade for the 11 or 2:30 games.
Kids showed up for at least a half during the Shula era in September games against Western Carolina and Utah State. Global warming hasn't changed the average temperature by that much in that 10 year period. RollTide1987's vault of videos has pretty clear evidence that this didn't used to be a problem the way it is now.
And for a 3:30 CBS game? A student isn't going to show up to a 3:30 SEC game because it's fvckin hot? Really? I'm not old man yells at cloud but come on.
That's fine, their choice. Nobody is making them come. But your tickets should be taken away and given to people who will show up. Seems pretty fair to me.
This post was edited on 10/2/18 at 12:53 pm
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:53 pm to Bham Bammer
College football has peaked. The South will be the last to follow the downward trend. Just enjoy the games.
Do you believe the young folks coming along today are going to follow the lead of the Paul Bryant Jr's,Jim Wilson Jr's, and YellaFella's and send their money to back the Program? Really.
Do you believe the young folks coming along today are going to follow the lead of the Paul Bryant Jr's,Jim Wilson Jr's, and YellaFella's and send their money to back the Program? Really.
Posted on 10/2/18 at 12:55 pm to JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
quote:
College football has peaked. The South will be the last to follow the downward trend. Just enjoy the games.
CFB as we knew it has peaked. Outside of the general football issues going forward, I don't think CFB itself is in some big downward trend. The way people consume it and interact with it is changing dramatically, though.
Some of that is other options and some of it is administrators and leagues milking the cow for all it was worth and driving apathy.
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