Unreal how some of these Championship and even some top Bowl games didn't draw this year. The Gators had their first non sellout at home this year in years then we didn't sell half our tickets to the Sugar Bowl.
Tough economy. I also think that some are not as rah-rah about college sports as they used to be. Commercialization. Way too many bowl games. Multiple ranking services. I think if the schools start paying players you will see a lot more empty seats.
George I think also the escalation in prices, some of the lower division games and last but not least my HD TV. We started with our season tickets in 1990. We are now paying over three times for the tickets and about the same ratio for the right to just have the tickets. For 7 home games we get four per year that are SEC or FSU and three of those meaningless games. I have to pay for the Georgia game extra. We have a block of six with two of our daughters and their husbands, all Gators. And a week ago we found out that each one of them had one of their kids, our grandkids, accepted to start next fall. So we will likely be holding on to them longer. In two years they will each daughter will have another of our grandkids eligible. So I guess we will probably be hanging on to them, but it does get irritating with the constant elevation in cost and them meaningless games.
Way too many bowl games. Although this was a conference championship game. This one probably had a lot to do with the fact that Ga. Tech was 6-6.
B12, SEC, and I guess now the B1G do well with their championship games, I don't think the ACC has ever done well with their championshp game and even though the Pac12 champ game is on campus, last year Stanford had a woeful crowd show up to see one of their best teams in years in the champ game.
one of the best Stanford teams in years? come on, they weren't even the best Stanford team in the last 3 years..but I digress... We have this inflation in our society. I think Bill hit the nail on the head. This isn't limited to college football/sports, but rather sports in general. Somewhere starting in maybe the 90s, it all just became monopoly money in pro sports. This finally started to carry over to college sports. The amount of advertising dollars being made is something you can't discount. There's a reason why they don't care if they don't make gate money and there's a reason why they don't care if the schools break even..although technically, the schools get their back scratched on the conference/tv payout later... so it all comes out in the wash. They simply do not care if you are in attendance. This is what happens when you let non-sports people drive the bus. We live in a sports world run by agents and lawyers (not the good kind, Mike..no offense) They just demand these ridiculous prices to attend these events (as Bill pointed out) and (as George pointed out) the economy is awful. We've finally reached that point in which the muffin top is now sticking out over the belt. Also, what we see here is the great myth of the super conference exposed. It's great when you're playing for something (see SEC).. but when you're annually out of the race by October, that conference title game just doesn't mean a whole lot. Toss in a .500 opponent and viola.. empty seats.
Ahhh, the campus life. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf...ine-courses-only-campus-233900102--ncaaf.html
Johnny Online deserved it's own topic! I know kids today at state schools all take at least a few online courses and there is something called a "mini-mester" that kids in my practice take during the Christmas holidays to pick up some credits. But I don't know any kid who has taken an entire semester of courses and courses that are in his major, online. Is he going to the University of Phoenix? And that part about going to class with 20 other kids being too much...well boo hoo.
there's a linked article there about Cam Newton returning to college life as a regular student. I don't know how much of that is photo op and how much is real, but I found that interesting.
Hey Vince Young is back on campus at Texas taking courses to finish his degree....maybe he see's the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not an NFL Career. BTW he's not taking online courses, actually dealing with going to class with regular students who look at him like he's a star (even if he isn't).
I'm surprised Cam Newton can even find Auburn much less a classroom. He was really only there for 1 semester. :?
So Vince Young is back in school. After scoring a 6 on his Wonderlic it should be 2nd grade. What possible degree is this mushroom going to obtain?
Somewhere in the world is the least qualified and therefore worst dentist... At least we would know where! :wink: