The problem is particularly evident among students, who aren’t buying tickets like generations past. For the upcoming season, the University of Michigan, the winner of no fewer than 11 national championships and 42 conference crowns, projects that student attendance will hit around 13,000—a shocking 40% less than the figure hit last year (roughly 19,000).
It’s not just a problem in Ann Arbor. The Wall Street Journal reported that student attendance fell 7.1% from 2009 to 2013, and that it has even fallen over the past few years at games hosted by perennial powerhouses such as Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida State, LSU, and the University of Florida. A year ago, observers took note that home attendance was down for the majority of teams in the SEC, even though the conference has thoroughly dominated college football in recent years.
http://time.com/money/3208397/college-football-student-tickets-fans/?xid=sportsillustratedtwitter - (
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+1 students should get in for free.
Between undergrad and graduate students there are plenty of American kids who will go for free or 20 bucks a game. Especially at large state schools where admissions for total students between under-grad and grad programs is usually over 50,000 Its really about the $$$$ IMO
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The article was lazy in exploring why students don't go the games. It cited the easy stat of fewer students, then posited the 2 easy possibilities (cost/quality), but completely ignored examining where the students go instead (other than an unsupported comment about them staying home to watch).