Attendance Down Significantly (AJC)

[bke1984]

I'm not comparing the us to 2014. I was comparing 2014 & 2015 seasons, one where we lost alot of close ones and one where we won the close ones.

This year we have only lost 1 game by more that 14pts, so yeah, a bounce this way or that way THAT DIDNT HAPPEN "could" have us at 9-1. Or we could be 1-9 using the same metric.

It's called reading comprehension....I believe in you.

No less than three other posters interpreted it the way I did. You listed 2014, 2015, and this year. So what’s the other side of this year supposed to look like, 9-1? If you really think that then you are the most lost of anyone out here. The group calling for Collins to be crucified is a bit crazy, as is the group making excuses for how terrible we look in year three. The real answer is probably somewhere in the middle. But NO ONE other than yourself thinks we are any number of bounces away from 9-1.

The final score BS is a terrible argument. It makes it seem like you didn’t watch the games.

 

[GT_05]

Bobby Dodd is going to look like Samford when we play.

 

[4shotB]

Bit of a thread clean up here. If you want to discuss inflation and it's impact on attendance a new thread has been created in the political forum. Feel free to carry on the debate there.

 

[MusicalBuzz]

With 6 other home games (I am excluding UGA) that had weak attendance, it appears that $6-7 million in ticket revenues were “lost” in 2021. That’s not chump change - especially over a 5+ year period!

Which is precisely why the financial beneficiaries of and all interests associated with amateur athletics are so eager to eat the holy manna and drink the life-giving spring of ESPN contracts.

 

[GT14]

I get it, and yes it bothers me. We have endured the sea of red fleabags every other year since 2008 and it sucks worse every time. Not sure there is enough alcohol in the world to get me through that this year. If I do decide to go I am wearing a bag over my head!

Catstronaut helmets look much nicer than bags.

 

[GTcanWINagain]

So is NIU, KSU, and BC. Also, UVA in 2018 for bowl eligibility only drew 37k fans. Attendance has been sliding for a variety of reasons for over a decade now.

Product on the field. Winning helps but the triple option had its haters. While I bought actual season tickets and attended game at BDS, others around me over the years said “no mas” to option football. We were “pro style” during most of our most well attended seasons. Someone needs to pull the attendance numbers to find out what happened, when it did, and why!!!!

 

[jgtengineer]

Product on the field. Winning helps but the triple option had its haters. While I bought actual season tickets and attended game at BDS, others around me over the years said “no mas” to option football. We were “pro style” during most of our most well attended seasons. Someone needs to pull the attendance numbers to find out what happened, when it did, and why!!!!

In truth its reviosionist history. Fridges offenses were never "pro style" they just had pro formations. And The real thing that's changed is the amount of TV coverage. think back to the gailey years. We were just startign to get full coverage of all teams not named ND.

 

[GTcanWINagain]

In truth its reviosionist history. Fridges offenses were never "pro style" they just had pro formations. And The real thing that's changed is the amount of TV coverage. think back to the gailey years. We were just startign to get full coverage of all teams not named ND.

Come on! Are you really trying to blame the fans? Just look at the empty seats at MBS tonight - a hapless home team that just got obliterated 4 days ago is about the face one of the hottest teams in the NFL! It is the same for GT. These record-setting bad losses under CGC, chronically unranked, and continued uncompetitiveness must be fueling the steeper attendance decline.

Just like the lag in the impact of curtailing advertising, I believe there is a compounded effect of losing (prolonged / extreme). It is eroding the emotional connection to the program. Just my theory.

 

[jgtengineer]

Come on! Are you really trying to blame the fans? Just look at the empty seats at MBS tonight - a hapless home team that just got obliterated 4 days ago is about the face one of the hottest teams in the NFL! It is the same for GT. These record-setting bad losses under CGC, chronically unranked, and continued uncompetitiveness must be fueling the steeper attendance decline.

Just like the lag in the impact of curtailing advertising, I believe there is a compounded effect of losing (prolonged / extreme). It is eroding the emotional connection to the program. Just my theory.

I was addressing prostyle during the higher attendence years.

 

[Vespidae]

Come on! Are you really trying to blame the fans? Just look at the empty seats at MBS tonight - a hapless home team that just got obliterated 4 days ago is about the face one of the hottest teams in the NFL! It is the same for GT. These record-setting bad losses under CGC, chronically unranked, and continued uncompetitiveness must be fueling the steeper attendance decline.

Just like the lag in the impact of curtailing advertising, I believe there is a compounded effect of losing (prolonged / extreme). It is eroding the emotional connection to the program. Just my theory.

It's not a theory. The longer underperformance exists, the more fans/people make alternative plans.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Come on! Are you really trying to blame the fans? Just look at the empty seats at MBS tonight - a hapless home team that just got obliterated 4 days ago is about the face one of the hottest teams in the NFL! It is the same for GT. These record-setting bad losses under CGC, chronically unranked, and continued uncompetitiveness must be fueling the steeper attendance decline.

Just like the lag in the impact of curtailing advertising, I believe there is a compounded effect of losing (prolonged / extreme). It is eroding the emotional connection to the program. Just my theory.

It's pretty clear you have an axe to grind. No one is denying that the product on the field is somewhat to blame for attendance but it's not the only issue. College football attendance has been declining steadily at most schools for a couple of decades now. It lines up with the advent of cheap big screen TVs and more football games available to watch on a Saturday afternoon through cable. Avoid the crowds, switch between games, no lines at concessions and clean restrooms. Winning helps drive some of those fans back for the in person experience, but we will probably never sell out at 55k again other than uga and the occasional ND/Clemson game.

 

[GTcanWINagain]

It's pretty clear you have an axe to grind. No one is denying that the product on the field is somewhat to blame for attendance but it's not the only issue. College football attendance has been declining steadily at most schools for a couple of decades now. It lines up with the advent of cheap big screen TVs and more football games available to watch on a Saturday afternoon through cable. Avoid the crowds, switch between games, no lines at concessions and clean restrooms. Winning helps drive some of those fans back for the in person experience, but we will probably never sell out at 55k again other than uga and the occasional ND/Clemson game.

I have an axe to grind with those casting most of the blame on this idea of lots of lazy Tech fans who are choosing their HDTV over coming to BDS gamedays rather than the actual product on the field! I have been buying season tickets every year since living in GA again…I hope others on this site are! The bulk of accountability is on the AD and coaches for the attendance demise. Your big TV theory would apply to the mutts too if valid.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I have an axe to grind with those casting most of the blame on this idea of lots of lazy Tech fans who are choosing their HDTV over coming to BDS gamedays rather than the actual product on the field! I have been buying season tickets every year since living in GA again…I hope others on this site are! The bulk of accountability is on the AD and coaches for the attendance demise. Your big TV theory would apply to the mutts too if valid.

Yeah, most of the lack of attendance is either fans that don't think the product is worth the effort to go in person (****ty fans, in my opinion) or fans that are trying to make a point by not attending (****ty fans, in my opinion).

If you are a GT fan and you have season tickets, you make sure you or another GT fan is sitting in those seats. If you don't like the situation, that's no reason not to support your program.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I was addressing prostyle during the higher attendence years.

Did we have good attendance during the Gailey years? That’s the only pro style offense I remember at Tech but the crowd size did not stand out for me.

 

[Skeptic]

It looked to me we did what a lot of strong teams are doing in basketball--addressing positions of need for experienced players with transfers. It was a combination of that and liking the transfers better than some of the high school options.

I think last year would have been a lower ranked recruiting class than the year before anyway, but it sure looked like we took transfers we wanted, and took them first, and recruited fewer high school players because of that.

Look how many of the transfers are starting; that alone should show that it wasn't a "we have space because we couldn't recruit, so let's fill up with transfers" situation.

Dabo slipped in the side door with nobody watching and admitted Clemson would be going to the transfer portal. Said coaches had no choice. This will be interesting. Any 5th year QB's in there, and if no, will there soon be, because Clemson of all things needs a QB.

 

[Lexjacket]

My first Tech football game, Sept. 30, 1961. Every Tech game was sold out,

HD Stock Video Footage - Georgia Tech defeat Rice Owls with final score of 24-0.

View Stan Cann vintage historic HD stock video footage in Atlanta Georgia USA, 1961. Buy HD video and archival still photo images of clip number 65675034212.

www.criticalpast.com

 

[bobongo]

My first Tech football game, Sept. 30, 1961. Every Tech game was sold out,

HD Stock Video Footage - Georgia Tech defeat Rice Owls with final score of 24-0.

View Stan Cann vintage historic HD stock video footage in Atlanta Georgia USA, 1961. Buy HD video and archival still photo images of clip number 65675034212.

www.criticalpast.com

The good old days, before the games were all on TV, and before the pro teams came to Atlanta. But Tech also had a much better team and a history of winning. Fans aren't going to return overnight, but if the Jackets can establish themselves as winners again, attendance will improve markedly. There is only one way out of our attendance woes, and that is to win.

 

[bobongo]

I have an axe to grind with those casting most of the blame on this idea of lots of lazy Tech fans who are choosing their HDTV over coming to BDS gamedays rather than the actual product on the field! I have been buying season tickets every year since living in GA again…I hope others on this site are! The bulk of accountability is on the AD and coaches for the attendance demise. Your big TV theory would apply to the mutts too if valid.

Win and they will return. Lose and they will stay home. Folks can like it or lump it, but that's just the way the world is. Ragging on the fans is a fool's errand. I do think TV affects college football attendance in general, but if the dogs won three games the last three years running, they'd have lots of empty seats, too.

 

[jgtengineer]

Did we have good attendance during the Gailey years? That’s the only pro style offense I remember at Tech but the crowd size did not stand out for me.

We averaged around 42k i think. It wasn't great but we definitely were doing better than now. But my thought on why that was was more about there not being alot of alternatives to watch our games than being there at times.

 

[jgtengineer]

I have an axe to grind with those casting most of the blame on this idea of lots of lazy Tech fans who are choosing their HDTV over coming to BDS gamedays rather than the actual product on the field! I have been buying season tickets every year since living in GA again…I hope others on this site are! The bulk of accountability is on the AD and coaches for the attendance demise. Your big TV theory would apply to the mutts too if valid.

The reason it doens't apply to UGA is sheer volume of fans vs availabilty of seats. I'd bet we'd be hard pressed to fill all 55k with alumni that live in range of the stadium, they have more alumni AND more sidewalk fans in the order of millions. But even UGA was seeing non sell out games during kirby's first couple years and the last bit of richt. They've obviously rebounding but i remember a major campaign to keep that from happening in 2017/18