College Football’s Growing Problem: Empty Seats

[WVUALLEN]

Announced attendance dropped 3.2% in football’s top division last season, but schools’ ticket scans show even fewer fans in stands.

By Rachel Bachman
Updated Aug. 30, 2018 9:48 p.m. ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-footballs-growing-problem-empty-seats-1535634001

“If you’re in the upper deck and buying a ticket for 45 bucks, and the choice is, I can sit on my couch and have a really good view, you might do that,” said Lance Grantham, associate athletic director for ticketing and customer relations. “The [TV] product is just outrageously good.”

A Michigan spokesman said surges of fans at gates just before kickoff sometimes prompt workers to tear tickets rather than scanning them. Michigan counts the media, stadium workers and marching bands in its announced attendance.

Nebraska boasts a sellout streak that dates to the 1962 season. But during last year’s 4-8 record, there was an average gap of more than 18,000 per game between scanned and announced attendance—mostly no-shows, a spokesman said.

___________________________________________________________________

I have heard rumors Pitt counts every person within a 10 mile radius as fans in attendance at it's home games.

Pitt home game

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 17, 2018

The cost and scheduling move to the front of the line as potential opportunities for improvement. When an FCS team faces an FBS team, the product on the field is not what it needs to be. Perhaps, there could be additional discounts provided to students tickets as well as season ticket holders for those types of games. I know athletic programs are looking at all avenues to improve attendance. The growing problem of college football attendance is a real problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later to help protect the game that we all love.

https://lastwordoncollegefootball.com/2018/10/17/the-growing-problem-of-college-football-attendance/

 

[Rootmaster]

lol...be prepared Allen. You are about to be bull rushed by the the game has never been better set. I posted about this a couple years ago and the reaction was...well somewhat harsh.

Product is getting boring with flag football mentality. Old rivalries are gone. Way too much tv exposure. And, the CFP have made so many games somewhat meaningless. Sad but the Golden Goose is sick.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Because.....

The information is inaccurate.
All sports are losing attendance.
Especially college sports.
Main reason why is the student population.

Each university needs to find a way to get their students back into the games.
Texas' new AD Chris Del Conte did a fantastic job this year doing so.
They closed off San Jacinto Blvd. for tailgating.
They also provided 2 musical acts before every home game.

Plus they gave the student section great seats.
The major issue was they pushed the students out for the blue hairs.

 

[WVUALLEN]

The age group now in colleges have grown up watching and playing soccer more than football.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

You have to make it an event...

The good thing about college age kids today is that they are followers.
You make a game the place to be the students show up.

 

[Rootmaster]

The good thing about college age kids today is that they are followers.
You make a game the place to be the students show up.

Students haven't showed up in years...foreign student quotas, anti sports bias, and a whole host of other factors. Reality is: stadiums are way too big, mostly off campus, while games are way to expensive for regular folks to attend. Supply and demand and too much competition. Add to that the demands for every game to be against a national contender (or it doesn't warrant "entertainment" dollars) and you have what we have...a dying game that is over regulated, over pussified, and over exposed.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Foreign student quotas...?

It is American students.

Foreign students are good for this country.
It is an old form of statecraft.
We educate your future leaders to get them to think like us.
Schools like UCLA have much more of a problem with this than WV
Most universities have a low percentage

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Vanderbilt and the University of Texas both have a good number of foreign students from Latin America because both schools teach US/Latin American relations.
Those students end up becoming elected leaders.

Most foreign students assimilate and usually are more American than Americans.
Especially with Asians.

 

[deedoubleyou]

Sports are just toxic masculinity. A bunch of brutus's with sweaty socks. People are turning them off because they would rather play video games or cram into some tight pants. Time to move on to a new improved society like Demolition Man or something lol.

 

[Nova Mountaineer]

I suggest that some additional ideas come forth to get students more involved - teams members hanging at the Mountainlair, particularly on Fridays of home games. Dana visiting dorms during week just once a week or so. Sure that there are other ideas - but those are just some - emphasis that's it's fellow students out there playing deserve support. Notice at BB games seems to be a connect
between players, students and even Huggs. As for putting other butts in seats - need more outreach around the state - not just the big caravan events. For example, have Dana got into Beckley, Bluefield and maybe Elkins, Lewisburg and even Fairmont and Clarksburg. No, no I know he can't go to all of them but pick some during the year. Speak to join meeting of all the civic clubs - marketing folks can follow- with pitches for them to run buses to games - have speak parking areas near stadium, have band and cheerleaders and Mountaineer drop by. In other words make it a bit more exciting to come to a Mountaineer game.

 

[Pitt4Life34]

Announced attendance dropped 3.2% in football’s top division last season, but schools’ ticket scans show even fewer fans in stands.

By Rachel Bachman
Updated Aug. 30, 2018 9:48 p.m. ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-footballs-growing-problem-empty-seats-1535634001

“If you’re in the upper deck and buying a ticket for 45 bucks, and the choice is, I can sit on my couch and have a really good view, you might do that,” said Lance Grantham, associate athletic director for ticketing and customer relations. “The [TV] product is just outrageously good.”

A Michigan spokesman said surges of fans at gates just before kickoff sometimes prompt workers to tear tickets rather than scanning them. Michigan counts the media, stadium workers and marching bands in its announced attendance.

Nebraska boasts a sellout streak that dates to the 1962 season. But during last year’s 4-8 record, there was an average gap of more than 18,000 per game between scanned and announced attendance—mostly no-shows, a spokesman said.

___________________________________________________________________

I have heard rumors Pitt counts every person within a 10 mile radius as fans in attendance at it's home games.

Pitt home game

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 17, 2018

The cost and scheduling move to the front of the line as potential opportunities for improvement. When an FCS team faces an FBS team, the product on the field is not what it needs to be. Perhaps, there could be additional discounts provided to students tickets as well as season ticket holders for those types of games. I know athletic programs are looking at all avenues to improve attendance. The growing problem of college football attendance is a real problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later to help protect the game that we all love.

https://lastwordoncollegefootball.com/2018/10/17/the-growing-problem-of-college-football-attendance/

I know you have Pitt on the brain but that isn’t Heinz Field Allen. Of course Fake News. I went to ISU/WVU or TCU last year and over half the upper deck was empty. There’s nothing else to do in Morgantown so I didn’t understand why the empty seats. I think it’s more than a few schools Allen.

 

[Pitt4Life34]

The age group now in colleges have grown up watching and playing soccer more than football.

There are so many penalties on one hand. And on the other hand 59-56 football games are garbage. Offensive players aren’t that much better, if any, than in the past. The rules and how they’re applied make the game this way. Which is pinball joke football. Other than Bama of course that gets all the horses that let Saban jam the ball down the other teams throat.

 

[Pitt4Life34]

I suggest that some additional ideas come forth to get students more involved - teams members hanging at the Mountainlair, particularly on Fridays of home games. Dana visiting dorms during week just once a week or so. Sure that there are other ideas - but those are just some - emphasis that's it's fellow students out there playing deserve support. Notice at BB games seems to be a connect
between players, students and even Huggs. As for putting other butts in seats - need more outreach around the state - not just the big caravan events. For example, have Dana got into Beckley, Bluefield and maybe Elkins, Lewisburg and even Fairmont and Clarksburg. No, no I know he can't go to all of them but pick some during the year. Speak to join meeting of all the civic clubs - marketing folks can follow- with pitches for them to run buses to games - have speak parking areas near stadium, have band and cheerleaders and Mountaineer drop by. In other words make it a bit more exciting to come to a Mountaineer game.

It’s about the booster money not the students. Students come to Morgantown and leave Morgantown. If they have anything on the ball they migrate to good cities and good jobs. Dana doesn’t have time to solicit one fan at time. The players should be studying and focusing on football. Not wasting time with students that smoke weed, paint their face show up late to games then leave early.

 

[WVUALLEN]

I know you have Pitt on the brain but that isn’t Heinz Field Allen. Of course Fake News. I went to ISU/WVU or TCU last year and over half the upper deck was empty. There’s nothing else to do in Morgantown so I didn’t understand why the empty seats. I think it’s more than a few schools Allen.

I see puns are over your head. Empty seats in upper decks are due to fans leaving at half time to get home before the traffic.

Mountaineer Field can seat 60,000

2017 @ TCU Attendance: 43,257 (TCU capacity 50,000)
2018 TCU @ WVU Attendance: 60,007
ISU @ WVU 2017 Attendance: 55,831
WVU @ ISU Attendance: 56,629 (ISU capacity 61,500)

Pitt Sucks

 

[Pitt4Life34]

I see puns are over your head. Empty seats in upper decks are due to fans leaving at half time to get home before the traffic.

Mountaineer Field can seat 60,000

2017 @ TCU Attendance: 43,257 (TCU capacity 50,000)
2018 TCU @ WVU Attendance: 60,007
ISU @ WVU 2017 Attendance: 55,831
WVU @ ISU Attendance: 56,629 (ISU capacity 61,500)

Pitt Sucks

I didn’t say the attendance wasn’t a sell out. I said I noticed from my seat a lot of upper deck was empty. I have a picture on my phone of a couple upper deck sections for the WVU/Oklahoma game this year with noticeably empty seat at end of 1st quarter. Homers here still argue there wasn’t a seat empty in the house haha.

Pitt more on your brain than mine and I graduated from Pitt haha. You know why? Because I’m not a geek fan like you. I played football and use to pray to God my kid would play football and not be a fanboy geek that paints his face like you haha.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

You claim that style of football is a reason.

Totally untrue.
Alabama has the same issue. Saban has even complained about it more than once.

Alabama's problem is they increased capacity.
Some schools can get 100K
Michigan
Tennessee
Penn State
Other schools are around 95K
Texas
Alabama

Neither Texas nor Alabama should have 100K stadiums.
Both should be 95K
Texas A&M should be 92K
LSU should be around 92K as well

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Nebraska was smart about it.
They could put 100K in their stadium but they maintained the same size and usually get 5 to 12K above the normal seating capacity.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Vanderbilt and the University of Texas both have a good number of foreign students from Latin America because both schools teach US/Latin American relations.
Those students end up becoming elected leaders.

Most foreign students assimilate and usually are more American than Americans.
Especially with Asians.

Root has a point.

Pitt is an example. Their student body has shifted from the sons and daughters of steel workers, who grew up watching the steelers each Sunday and playing the game and going to high school games on fridays, to foreign students who have no interest in football.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Root has a point.

Pitt is an example. Their student body has shifted from the sons and daughters of steel workers, who grew up watching the steelers each Sunday and playing the game and going to high school games on fridays, to foreign students who have no interest in football.

Asian countries are about conformity.

So Asian students for the most part are followers. If Pitt football was a big deal they would be there to assimilate.

It is not the foreign students it is the people of PA.
No students go to the game. Not the ones from PA or the ones from Taiwan.

But like I said most Asian students are conformist.
It is a part of their culture.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Heinz Field 68,400 Pitts biggest mistake was tear down Pitt stadium.

Pitt attendance 2018 - 606,187 (and that's 13 games hilarious)
Albany 34,486
PSU 68,400 (PSU probably brought 40,000 plus)
Ga. Tech 34,284
Syracuse 37,100
Duke 31,510
Va. Tech 44,398 (Tech probably brought 25,000 with them)

WVU Attendance 2018 - 680,837 (11 games oh my)

Pitt clearly has a ticket/atmosphere against other teams including PSU/ND/WVU

 

[TownesVanZandt]

It is completely illogical to blame 5% of your student population.

Face the facts.
5% of the population isn't determining your attendance

What about the 95% of these American born students with over half of them born in PA and more importantly good number from Western PA.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
International 920 4.8%
Black or African American 972 5.0%
American Indian or Alaskan Native 11 <1.0%
Asian 2,028 10.5%
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 8 <1.0%
Hispanic or Latino 809 4.2%
White 13,532 70.0%
Two or More Races 844 4.4%
Race Unknown 206 1.1%
Total 19,330 100.0%
https://ir.pitt.edu/facts-publications/fast-facts/

 

[WVUALLEN]

Across the entire ACC, there was an average of 48,110 live spectators per home game in 2017. In 2016, the average was 50,022 fans per game. This marks a decline of approximately 3.9 percent year-over-year.

Of the 14 ACC football schools, all but three, Va Tech, BC, Wake Forest, saw drops in attendance year-over-year. Boston College and Virginia Tech both hosted Notre Dame, while Wake Forest enjoyed a resurgent season that resulted in an 8-5 finish and bowl victory.

Three other ACC schools saw much more prominent attendance drops. Louisville went from a school record 54,000 fans per game 2016 to just over 46,000 this past fall. This despite returning the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson, in 2017.

Pittsburgh had the biggest drop, dipping from over 46,000 per game in 2016 to just over 36,000 per game this past season. The big difference in the equation for the Panthers was the fact that they hosted Penn State in Heinz Field in 2016, whereas they traveled to Happy Valley this past season. While the Panthers ranked tenth in the ACC in average home attendance in 2017, they ranked fourth in road attendance, due almost entirely to the 109,000 spectators in Beaver Stadium for the matchup with the Nittany Lions.

Pitt’s road attendance figures are indicative of the entire league. Those ACC schools who played prominent non-conference road games are all among the leaders. Syracuse, who led the ACC with an average road attendance of nearly 63,000 fans per game, traveled to LSU. Clemson, ranking second with just under 61,000 per game, visited in-state nemesis South Carolina in Columbia. Florida State, ranking third at 56,758 per road game, visited arch rival Florida in Gainesville. Wake Forest and NC State, who rank fifth and sixth, respectively, each played at Notre Dame.

The top five ACC schools in terms of average home attendance – Clemson (No. 1), Florida State (No. 2), Virginia Tech (No. 3), Miami (No. 4), and NC State (No. 5) – all remain the same year-over-year. The bottom four also remained the same, although Duke supplanted Wake Forest at the bottom this past fall, and Boston College trickled ahead of Syracuse from 12th in average home attendance in 2016, to 11th in 2017. Virginia slid ahead of Pittsburgh, from tenth in 2016 to ninth in 2017, while Louisville slid from sixth in 2016 to eighth in 2017.

PITTSBURGH 2017

Youngstown State H 40,012
Oklahoma State H 38,952
Rice H 33,051
NC State H 41,124
Virginia H 30,889
North Carolina H 34,056
Miami H 35,978

Total Home Attendance: 254,062
Average Home Attendance: 36,295

Penn State A 109,898
Georgia Tech A 40,211
Syracuse A 33,290
Duke A 22,621
Virginia Tech A 58,948

Total Road Attendance: 264,968
Average Road Attendance: 52,994



PITTSBURGH 2016

Villanova H 50,149
Penn State H 69,983
Marshall H 45,246
Georgia Tech H 47,425
Virginia Tech H 40,254
Duke H 35,425
Syracuse H 34,049

Total Home Attendance: 322,531
Average Home Attendance: 46,076

Oklahoma State A 53,914
North Carolina A 54,500
Virginia A 39,522
Miami A 51,796
Clemson A 81,048

Total Road Attendance: 280,780
Average Road Attendance: 56,156

Northwestern N 37,918
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 37,918

https://accsports.com/acc-news/football/declining-football-attendance-inside-the-numbers-in-the-acc/

 

[WVUALLEN]

Big 12 avg attendance changes

Big 12 fan bases are contributing the most to the national trend of decline. To greatly oversimplify the data - the list begins with programs that showed the most growth in fan base interest between 2016 and 2017. Schools are ranked from 10 to 1 by the percentage decline in average attendance per home game from the 2016-17 to the 2017-18 seasons. Simply put, this is a ranking you do not want to win.

The Cyclones bucked the national trend by increasing average attendance at games by a whopping 10%. Wins over two-top five teams and a vibrant coach at the start of his career surely helped bring fans to Jack Trice Stadium in larger numbers.

The Pokes had an impressive jump in numbers as well. They were the only Big 12 school to fill up* the stadium for every game in 2017. It should be noted, however, that these sellouts came after reducing the overall capacity at Boone-Pickens Stadium not by removing seating areas, but by widening the amount of space each fan has for their butt.

Perhaps officials in Morgantown and Austin will take note, as West Virginia and Texas came in at Nos. 1 and 8, respectively, in the same report. A top-tier offense and conference title aspirations probably didn't hurt attendance numbers either. In 2016 the Cowboys never filled up the stadium, but came close once, (99.1%) in the last game of the year. The lowest attended game came in 2016 against FCS opponent Southeast Louisiana (83.29%).

The Jayhawks saw a slight increase in fan attendance in 2017. It should be noted that Memorial Stadium averaged just over half-full across both seasons, whereas all other Big 12 teams never* fell below the 80%, with many never falling below 90%. When you hit the bottom there is nowhere to go but up. In 2016 Jayhawks fans topped 50% capacity in 4/6 home games, with the largest crowd showing up for the non-conference game against MAC-school Ohio (56.85%), and the smallest crowd showing up for the Iowa State game (47.45%).

It is a bit shocking that Sooner fans showed up in fewer numbers in 2017, but the change is so minuscule that it is not cause for concern. For every game in 2016 and 2017, Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium was either 100% or 99.9% full. In 2016 only the Kansas State game did not reach max capacity (99.9%), while in 2017 there were two that did not: UTEP (99.99%) and Iowa State (99.99%). As opposed to the small increase at Kansas, the Sooners simply cannot fit any more people inside the stadium. Perhaps those missing 300-or-so people tailgated a bit too hard and passed out by the Duck Pond.

Officially Bill Snyder Family Stadium has a capacity of 50,000, and across both seasons all but one game was attended by more than 50,000 people. The one game that didn't sell out had the stadium filled to 99.12% capacity. It is worth noting, however, that it was the final home game of 2017, against Iowa State. Is this non-sellout a sign of gloom on the horizon, or just a slightly skewed data point ahead of a typically stable 2018 season in Manhattan? With all the coaching changes happening, it is certainly worth noting.

TCU has the smallest stadium in the conference with a capacity of 45,000. Across both seasons attendance at Amon G. Carter Stadium never dropped below 94%, and in 5/13 games either reached or exceeded max capacity. It should be noted, however, that 4 of those sellouts came in 2016 and only one came in 2017. In that sense TCU's data aligns with national trends that show a slight decline. The lowest attended game in 2016 was the last game of the season against Kansas State (94.99%), while in 2017 the lowest attended game was the opener against FCS opponent Jackson State (94.91%). Oddly enough, in 2016 there were fewer wins and larger crowds. The 2016 squad went 2-5 at home, while in 2017 they went 6-0.

Similar to TCU but with a larger stadium, the Mountaineers saw a slight decline from 2016 to 2017. In 2016 3/7 games at Milan Puskar Stadium were at or above max capacity, while in 2017 that only happened once. Moreover, in 2017 there were two games with less than 90% capacity, which only happened once in 2016. The least-attended game in 2016 was the final game of the season against Baylor (82.05%). In 2017 the fewest people showed up to watch the Mountaineers beat down FCS opponent Delaware State (85.8%), while the other game under 90% capacity came against Texas (88.56%). With the best returning offense in the Big 12, Mountaineer fans should have plenty of reasons to show up in 2018.

Beating out TCU by a mere 140 seats, McLane Stadium is the second smallest in the Big 12. In 2016 the Bears played 4/6 home games in front of capacity crowds. The least attended game in 2016 was the season finale against Kansas State (96.55%). Perhaps a symptom of the sexual assault controversy that plagued the Bears program throughout the offseason, only 3/6 home games reached or exceeded capacity in 2017. The least attended game was the finale against Iowa State (90.34%). The dropoff in Waco is real and well above national averages, but it should be noted that Baylor is one of four Big 12 schools to never see single-game attendance drop below 90% capacity in either 2016 or 2017 (the others being Kansas State, Oklahoma, and TCU). Although they held on to that stat by a single claw.

What caused the Longhorn fanbase to send 5,000+ fewer people to games in 2017? Unlike Oklahoma's missing 300, you can't chalk that up to bit of overly hard tailgating. Of the three schools with significant declines, Texas is the hardest to understand. No. 3 Baylor's sexual assault scandal and subsequent coaching and administrative changes threw the program into somewhat deserved chaos. And as you will see with No. 1 Texas Tech, the numbers dropped off the map after the Red Raiders started hot and finished ice-cold. But with Texas the decline began before the season even started. In 2016 the Longhorns opened against Notre Dame with a capacity crowd (102,315), who enjoyed a thrilling overtime win.

Much like the Longhorns, the Red Raiders saw a significant decline from 2016 to 2017. In 2016 fans filled Jones AT&T Stadium to capacity twice - the last two games of the season against Oklahoma (60,478) and Texas (60,803). They nearly did it a third time in the opener against FCS opponent Stephen F. Austin (99.41%). The three home games in-between the opener and Texas-Oklahoma games saw steady declines in fan attendance: against C-USA opponent Louisiana Tech (95.14%), and in conference play against Kansas (93.45%), and West Virginia (89.51%), with the West Virginia game being the lowest attended game in 2016.

https://www.widerightnattylite.com/...hools-by-average-attendance-at-football-games

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Asian countries are about conformity.

So Asian students for the most part are followers. If Pitt football was a big deal they would be there to assimilate.

It is not the foreign students it is the people of PA.
No students go to the game. Not the ones from PA or the ones from Taiwan.

But like I said most Asian students are conformist.
It is a part of their culture.

This is silly. Asian people dont just tag along for comformity...frankly, that is insulting and racist. I know when I was a student the Asian students just didn't do what we did, and they do not do that as adults either.

Your assertion is racist, and false.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

It is completely illogical to blame 5% of your student population.

Face the facts.
5% of the population isn't determining your attendance

What about the 95% of these American born students with over half of them born in PA and more importantly good number from Western PA.

We arent blaming them for anything.

But when the student make up of a school changes, so do other things.

Its not just foreign students. When you heavily recruit STEM, a good portion of those students arent into football either.

Pitt is a good example. I know their student body. Its not a football crowd.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

It is completely illogical to blame 5% of your student population.

Face the facts.
5% of the population isn't determining your attendance

What about the 95% of these American born students with over half of them born in PA and more importantly good number from Western PA.

They arent football fans.

 

[WVex-pat in GA]

NEEDS

 

[countryroads89]

I have a picture on my phone of a couple upper deck sections for the WVU/Oklahoma game this year with noticeably empty seat at end of 1st quarter.

Liar.

I was there.

 

[Pitt4Life34]

Liar.

I was there.

Homer. I was too.

 

[Falcon1981]

It is a combination of over exposure on TV and the decline of high school football participation and attendance.
Been to a HS game lately? It is pitiful. Too many other things for kids to do ie. video games and Starbucks.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

It is a combination of over exposure on TV and the decline of high school football participation and attendance.
Been to a HS game lately? It is pitiful. Too many other things for kids to do ie. video games and Starbucks.

And other sports.

Everything is year round starting at a young age. I know parents who kids are in travel baseball, soccer and hockey and the lifestyle make me cringe.

I was taking a walk and saw my neighborhood middle school football team practicing. The best athletes in school werent on the team.

Football in the suburban areas is taking a big hit. The parents are turned on and redirecting kids into other sports. Seems less so in the cities and urban areas, just from my observations.

 

[deedoubleyou]

Its only going to get worse and its not just football. Its a lot of things. When boys take part in something that has a history of helping them develop into men, you can bet its under attack in our culture. Its not just injuries, video games, etc, etc. Sure those things contribute, but the real bottom line is they are teaching against masculinity. Masculinity is vanishing as fast or faster than football in all aspects of society. Chivalry is even borderline illegal now lol. The atmosphere they have created for boys is going to continue our society down this anti-men path and its not showing signs of slowing down right now. Football will obviously suffer greatly for it, but even worse other aspects of society will hurt even worse. Grab your popcorn. This show is only starting.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Its only going to get worse and its not just football. Its a lot of things. When boys take part in something that has a history of helping them develop into men, you can bet its under attack in our culture. Its not just injuries, video games, etc, etc. Sure those things contribute, but the real bottom line is they are teaching against masculinity. Masculinity is vanishing as fast or faster than football in all aspects of society. Chivalry is even borderline illegal now lol. The atmosphere they have created for boys is going to continue our society down this anti-men path and its not showing signs of slowing down right now. Football will obviously suffer greatly for it, but even worse other aspects of society will hurt even worse. Grab your popcorn. This show is only starting.

As parent of school aged kids, the objection I hear from other parents is safety (brain) and a focus on other sports at an early age. I know a 5 year who is skipping his t-ball season so he can play up a level with an older brother, to prepare him to get on a travel team.

Youth sports are no longer a positive envrionment, imo. Its all Dance Mom mentality.

 

[WVpride304]

Oh trust me many of the pro stadiums are getting more empty seats too. It’s all sports. Cost of living is too high and people are staying home watching on the big screen TVs.

Truth is you can get it these games real cheap if you go scalp a ticket outside. Don’t pay online prices. Total ripoff.

 

[deedoubleyou]

As parent of school aged kids, the objection I hear from other parents is safety (brain) and a focus on other sports at an early age. I know a 5 year who is skipping his t-ball season so he can play up a level with an older brother, to prepare him to get on a travel team.

Youth sports are no longer a positive envrionment, imo. Its all Dance Mom mentality.

I wholeheartedly agree on youth sports. Its not a positive environment now and it used to be.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Paying lots of money to sit around fat obnoxious drunks isnt the best way to spend a weekend.

Its not as bad at baseball or basketball. But attending a football game has become unappealing. I dont have disposable time like I once did so my dollars go elsewhere.

The environment at wvu seems pretty good right now, so I will give credit where credit is due, but the NFL crowd is out of control.

Anyone see that video of the steelers fan choking the pregnant lady with a Chargers jersey on?

 

[Darth_VadEER]

I wholeheartedly agree on youth sports. Its not a positive environment now and it used to be.

A guy in my neighborhood coaches little kid football. I see him around (not at the field coaching) with his multi-colored arm bands and whistle hanging from his neck. When he waits for his kid to get out of school he crouches and puts his hands on his knees like he is watching an important play from the sidelines.

He appears to be living in a fantasy world.