Big 12 Football Attendance #s

[Cairn Horn88 8259]

Ranking Big 12 Schools By Average Attendance at Football Games

 

There is some bad news for college athletic programs, especially those with larger stadiums. CBSSports's Dennis Dodd recently wrote an article about declining attendance numbers at football games between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

For the 129 FBS teams, average attendance per game in 2017 was 3.23 percent less than in 2016. The numbers may not seem significant, but that 3.2 percent is the second largest drop off from one season to the next since the NCAA began keeping attendance records in 1948.

Of the Power Five conferences, the SEC had the sharpest decline at 3.14 percent, followed by the ACC at 2.59 percent, the Big 12 at 1.12 percent, The Pac-12 at 0.09 percent, and the Big 10 actually saw a small increase at 0.01 percent.

The disparity in the Power 5 got us wondering about Big 12 fan bases. Did numbers drop off across the conference, or are there a few schools whose numbers skewed the rest? After sifting through game recaps and box scores from all the official sites across the conference, we have some answers to share.

Because Dodd's article does not link to a data source, the numbers used here may not match up exactly with his findings. The attendance numbers used in this article were gathered from each school's official athletics page. The data does not include non-conference away games or games played on a neutral field (so the Red River Rivalry doesn't count).

Horn's down 5.21%

 

https://www.widerightnattylite.com/2018/4/4/17197020/ranking-big-12-schools-by-average-attendance-at-football-games

 

[Thiefery 4995]

Texas is still the biggest show on the road in the conference.  Attendance will pick up once there is a good product on the field.

[Cairn Horn88 8259]

Of the Power Five conferences, the SEC had the sharpest decline at 3.14 percent, followed by the ACC at 2.59 percent, the Big 12 at 1.12 percent, The Pac-12 at 0.09 percent, and the Big 10 actually saw a small increase at 0.01 percent.

Not bad for Big 12.

 

[Hurtlocker 2212]

Not really that shocking that no one wanted to watch Baylor get raped this year.

[zman13 178]

While this didn't surprise me:

Quote

Iowa State: In 2017 they reached or exceeded max capacity in 3/6 home games, and only dipped below 90% capacity once - against Texas on a Thursday night (83.3%). 

This was surprising: 

Quote

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%). 

 

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

15 minutes ago, zman13 said:

While this didn't surprise me:

This was surprising: 

Quote

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%). 

 

Cold 11am game?  I dunno.

Edited April 4, 2018 by Liquor and Poker

[zman13 178]

4 hours ago, Liquor and Poker said:

Cold 11am game?  I dunno.

That's probably it. I guess WV fans can be as shitty as our fans. They were ranked 24th and looked pretty good and still only 88% show up. 

[Guest]

Our schedule sucked last year with three 11:00AM home starts. That shit might work in the Big Ten or whatever, but more people like to tailgate and go to a later game.  A shit ton of Tech fans drive in from Amarillo, Midland-Odessa, and DFW.  Not saying 11:00 am is a showstopper, but it sure changes your Gameday experience.

we also played OU and UT, traditionally the biggest crowds; on the road as opposed to in Lubbock for 2016

Also, our team wasn't as good in 2017 as it was in 2016, and it was not as exciting in the way it played.

Combine those  headwinds with the ever increasing price of attendance, and you have a nice little recipe for receding numbers.

Edited April 5, 2018 by slorch

[closetojumping 62510]

It took a while, but UT fans have begun voting with their feet and wallets and it is not lost on the administration. Oddly enough, having an atmosphere on game day that isn't a corporatized embarrassment, and having a product on the field that isn't a fucking mockery of the tradition of the program actually matters. Judging by road attendance, UT's on-field product isn't resonating with any real passion as previously seen, either. 

The legacy of the Deloss Dodds regime is a mixed bag. Good things happened at points with all 3 major programs, but the commitment to the almighty dollar above all other things has left a formidable wound that will have deep scar tissue if it ever gets a chance to scab over. People have gone from hating losing, to being sick of it, to being used to it, to being outright apathetic. Fuck.

[rickyspub 801]

16 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

It took a while, but UT fans have begun voting with their feet and wallets and it is not lost on the administration. Oddly enough, having an atmosphere on game day that isn't a corporatized embarrassment, and having a product on the field that isn't a fucking mockery of the tradition of the program actually matters. Judging by road attendance, UT's on-field product isn't resonating with any real passion as previously seen, either. 

The legacy of the Deloss Dodds regime is a mixed bag. Good things happened at points with all 3 major programs, but the commitment to the almighty dollar above all other things has left a formidable wound that will have deep scar tissue if it ever gets a chance to scab over. People have gone from hating losing, to being sick of it, to being used to it, to being outright apathetic. Fuck.

I think you are missing the point here. It's all the millennials' fault.

[High Plains Drifter 11024]

I blame the taco bell gong.

[UT Lawnghorn 758]

4 hours ago, rickyspub said:

I think you are missing the point here. It's all the millennials' fault.

and the asians.

/the shag

[Sgt Hulk 13712]

I blame rising costs and millennials 

[Tailleur17 361]

I have zero desire to go to a game anytime soon. Much easier to watch from my couch with awesome beer and food.