How do these programs do it?

[WildBill]

How does a team with a lousy history and a mediocre team like South Carolina continually sell out a 80,000 seat stadium and create excitement? I know football is big in the South and all, but teams like this selling so many tickets and getting fans so worked up amaze me. Many teams out West can't sell 40,000 tickets to big games and have far better histories than the Gamecocks, which have an all-time losing record and gone 3-8 in bowls?

I know the argument people have lots to do out West, but still there has to be something to this. I am trying to figure it out. What ties these people to football even when the program has done little to show it deserves this sort of support? Shouldn't some of these Universities be studying this and at least coming up with something? I can tell you one thing, even when your team is getting demoralizingly beat like USC is tonight at home, there still remains a better atmosphere than having your team win in a half-empty stadium.

 

[FairWarning]

There are no pro sports to take attendance away.

 

[WVU]

Steve Spurrier

 

[BlackBart]

You ever been to Columbia? There's literally nothing else to do. Plus the point about no pro sports is valid. That's why college football rules the South and is literally an afterthought in places with a high concentration of pro sports, like the Northeast.

Carolina has been selling out long before Spurrier showed up. There is some sort of index that ties attendence to wins and South Carolina is clearly on top. Whoever could win an SEC Championship in Columbia would be a God.

 

[100KbyXMAS]

Just like most SEC football gamedays, it's not about the football.

 

[WildBill]

Just like most SEC football gamedays, it's not about the football.

I agree, but what exactly is it?

We don't have a pro team in Vegas to take away crowds and they get about 15,000 on a good day. Arizona rarely sells out games anymore and Tucson doesn't have much else to do, but does have close to a million people to draw from. Even BYU with the easiest fan base in sports to exploit can't sell out anymore. Unless you think the Jazz are stealing fans, they have a huge pool of fans to draw from. Then again taligating there probably has some limitations.

There has to be something more, tradition and tailgating are a part of it, but what brings people to these games in droves? Austin isn't a big league city and yet they have filled over 80,000 seats year after year even when Mack Brown could never win a big game and playing the sisters of the poor in many of those games. What can programs who suffer at the box office do to try to replicate at least some of what brings in fans to teams that aren't very good? Don't tell me its Steve Spurrier, they were drawing huge crowds in Columbia long before he or Lou Holtz showed up.

 

[heart222]

It carries over from high school. Friday night lights. Texas fridays are all there is in the small towns. In the south its almost the same so the football sec style carries over from fridays. Many of the people are alums and going to columbia or athens or knoxville for a weekend or day of tailgating is what its all about. its a culture thing. in the west most people are transplants thus no history of I used to go to games with daddy etc.

 

[BlackBart]

Wild Bill has some points. I grew up a huge sports fan in New England. Before Flutie, you couldn't get more than a few thousand people for a BC game. High school football used to be played on Saturdays back then, so that was the focus (not college ball). In the South, Friday night is high school ball (huge in these parts), Saturday is for college football, and Sunday is family day. Not much interest (relatively) in pro ball.

 

[lander]

Nascar is almost over. Those rednecks need somewhere else to get drunk.

 

[jwunderdog]

My guess, as a % of the population more kids play football in the south then west. Second, my guess is a higher % of graduates from the Southern schools stay with in driving distance of the university then a lot of schools out west.

 

[BooksWorstEnemy]

Kentucky is a similar story. They averaged over 62,000 for a home game last year.

If Miami loses 4 games one year, their stadium will be 2/3 empty the following season.

Despite winning 9+ games four of the last six years, playing in bowl games in 5 of the last 6 years, and having a metroplex of millions to draw from, TCU averaged only 31,000 for a home game last year.

There has to be a logical explanation for this, but I can't figure out what it is.

Later,
Books Worst Enemy