Sports Fans

[EnderAndrew]

A while back in another thread Volourn and I were debating how important the size of a city was in attendence. I noted how USC can't sell out games despite being national champs, how LA lost both NFL franchises, how Phoenix has the worst attendance in the NFL, how Green Bay has the best, etc.

 

Well, I just came across an article on this very issue. The author of the article insists that smaller cities tend to have better attendence on the whole, where as major cities have worse attendence.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writ...litz/index.html

[Volourn]

"It should come as no surprise, by the way, that two schools ranked in the top 14 in terms of attendance percentage last year were Idaho (No. 5, at 103 percent capacity) and Boise State (No. 14, at 101.66 percent). Granted, neither of their stadiums seats more than 31,000 (an end zone's worth of fans at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.), but I think those filled seats have a lot more to do with the campuses being located in Moscow, Idaho, and Boise, Idaho, respectively, than with how good the teams were (the Vandals were 3-9).

 

Sure, it's a lot to ask Southern Cal to fill a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that seats more than 90,000 for every home game. The Trojans only fill it to 93 percent capacity, about 85,000 fans per game. But the Trojans are defending national champs, have the nation's top two marquee offensive stars and play in the belly of the nation's second-largest city. You think the folks in Ann Arbor, Mich., or Lincoln, Neb., would have any trouble filling up the Coliseum?

 

No, and that's the point. Even though it seems to be a paradox, the verity of college football is: The smaller the town, the more filled the stadium."

 

The top two paragraphs contradicts the entire article. Their comapring stadiums with 90,000 and 31,000 max seating capacity. The California one draws 85,000 fans; the other draws 31,000. No contest.

[EnderAndrew]

"It should come as no surprise, by the way, that two schools ranked in the top 14 in terms of attendance percentage last year were Idaho (No. 5, at 103 percent capacity) and Boise State (No. 14, at 101.66 percent). Granted, neither of their stadiums seats more than 31,000 (an end zone's worth of fans at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.), but I think those filled seats have a lot more to do with the campuses being located in Moscow, Idaho, and Boise, Idaho, respectively, than with how good the teams were (the Vandals were 3-9).

 

Sure, it's a lot to ask Southern Cal to fill a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that seats more than 90,000 for every home game. The Trojans only fill it to 93 percent capacity, about 85,000 fans per game. But the Trojans are defending national champs, have the nation's top two marquee offensive stars and play in the belly of the nation's second-largest city. You think the folks in Ann Arbor, Mich., or Lincoln, Neb., would have any trouble filling up the Coliseum?

 

No, and that's the point. Even though it seems to be a paradox, the verity of college football is: The smaller the town, the more filled the stadium."

 

The top two paragraphs contradicts the entire article. Their comapring stadiums with 90,000 and 31,000 max seating capacity. The California one draws 85,000 fans; the other draws 31,000. No contest.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yet USC can't sell out a game, but Nebraska sells out its 80,000 seat stadium every single game since 1962.

 

USC is drawing 85,000 now riding 2 national championships, and a possible three-peat. Mind you a three-peat has never happened in college football.

 

Lincoln, NE has 100,000 people but sells out 80,000 seats every game. USC at their peak can't sell out despite having 20 million people in SoCal.

 

Do the math again.

 

The article still insists on the whole that large markets have worse attendence while small markets have better attendence.

[Hurlshort]

You also have to think about the popularity of a sport in a given area, and the availability of other entertainment. Southern California may have a great football team, but football isn't huge there. In smaller towns and cities, the college football game is the place to be.

 

Have you ever seen a High School Football game in Texas?

[Walsingham]

I'd agree on principle that smaller communities have better community spirit.

 

BUT

 

Don't bigger cities and teams also sell out more space to corporate hospitality? Woud that count in the sales or the wasted seats?

[mkreku]

Damn. I thought you guys were starting a thread about sports and it turned out to be about american football..

[Archmonarch]

Damn. I thought you guys started a thread about sports (Def 7) and it turned out to be about physical exertion..

 

Im all in favor of mutation, personally. Especially when intentional with a predetermined beneficial purpose.

[Lucius]

Damn. I thought you guys were starting a thread about sports and it turned out to be about american football..

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:D

[PrincessSarah]

College football starts on Saturday, so be fair warned, as that's going to be a dominate topic of conversation for Ender and I for the next few months.

[Archmonarch]

I fail to understand how watching two teams of men hit each other in order to move a small ball is in any way enjoyable.

[kumquatq3]

I fail to understand how watching two teams of men hit each other in order to move a small ball is in any way enjoyable.

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Well, technically most of the player can't hit each other, it's more like sumo wrestling en mass.

 

Now picture a bunch of sumos fighting to make space to move a ball carried by small speedy guy trying not to get crushed by the sumos.

 

I lost my focus somewhere along the way

[Guest Fishboot]

I fail to understand how watching two teams of men hit each other in order to move a small ball is in any way enjoyable.

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Your favorite band sucks.

[kumquatq3]

I fail to understand how watching two teams of men hit each other in order to move a small ball is in any way enjoyable.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Your favorite band sucks.

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[EnderAndrew]

Damn. I thought you guys were starting a thread about sports and it turned out to be about american football..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have you played football? I bet money that anything you consider a sport I've played, and very few of them are as difficult on the whole as football.

 

Football is mentally and physically taxing, while sports like soccer are merely physically taxing.

 

Don't knock something which you don't understand.

[Laozi]

Yet USC can't sell out a game, but Nebraska sells out its 80,000 seat stadium every single game since 1962.

 

USC is drawing 85,000 now riding 2 national championships, and a possible three-peat.  Mind you a three-peat has never happened in college football.

 

Lincoln, NE has 100,000 people but sells out 80,000 seats every game.  USC at their peak can't sell out despite having 20 million people in SoCal.

 

Do the math again.

 

The article still insists on the whole that large markets have worse attendence while small markets have better attendence.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

Well you have to consider that alot of L.A. is transplanted from other parts of the country and the world, where as in Nebraska because of their strict inbreeding policy very few get out.

 

 

Here in Texas it seems that UT would have the most loyal following, but really A&M has the most zealous fans, easily. They always sell out where as I've been to Royal Stadium when UT is playing someone like North Texas State and by midway through the 3rd. quarter the place is almost half empty

[EnderAndrew]

Here in Texas it seems that UT would have the most loyal following, but really A&M has the most zealous fans, easily. They always sell out where as I've been to Royal Stadium when UT is playing someone like North Texas State and by midway through the 3rd. quarter the place is almost half empty

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://datatools.eventseats.com/texasam/sectionlist.cfm

 

There are tickets currently available. I can't even find the last time Texas A&M sold-out their stadium. They are 11th in the country in attendance.

 

Nebraska has sold out EVERY SINGLE GAME since 1962. Try again.

[Laozi]

I'm not comparing Texas A&M to Nebraska, anyway your volleyball team sells out every game too, proving nebraska is boring as all hell.

 

In theory volleyball sound like a good time, watching tall, athletic women in skin tight shorts, jump around and hug each other after every point. But then you actually see the women's faces and it just loses a bit of the luster.

[Guest Fishboot]

To be fair, the smaller stadiums have a relative advantage against the big ones, since the average seat will be better in terms of seeing the action. I know full well that, unless I am a fan down to the bones, that 100,000th seat will be inferior to television. So you have to have a higher intensity of fan to fill those second balconies.

[EnderAndrew]

Design of the stadium is important as well. When I went to the Rose Bowl, I managed to get decent seats, but the seats were very spread out in a bowl shape with plenty of space around you. This made the game quite comfortable, but I imagine those in the back of the bowl got a poor view of the field.

 

Memorial Stadium in Lincoln has people sitting right on top of one another. This is good during the cold games during the winter, and works in an environment where people are quite cordial. To others, this might seem a bit claustraphobic. However, it makes the stadium feel a lot smaller, and thusly you can get a good view even in the worst seats, as I can attest.

 

Yankees Stadium, as much as I hate the Yankees, was built very similiar. The stadium is very vertical, and I imagine anywhere you sit you'd get a good view.

[mkreku]

Don't knock something which you don't understand.

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Right. I don't like american football because I don't understand it..

[EnderAndrew]

Tell me how it isn't a sport then.

 

I'm listening.

[Baley]

Ender,I think you missunderstood.

 

His post sounded more like he didn't like American Football and expected to see a thread about all kind of sport fans.

 

 

 

 

 

PS:American Football is for wussies,real men play Rugby!

 

[Archmonarch]

Your favorite band sucks.

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Cute.

 

Also, they (Tears for Fears) are not my favorite band. I like perhaps three or four of their songs. Those lyrics simply have personal meaning for me.

[kumquatq3]

PS:American Football is for wussies,real men play Rugby!

 

Everyone always says that, but no one actaully plays the damn thing

[Lucius]

I've watched some NFL on TV a few times, and it's painful really, there's commercial breaks all the friggin' time. I don't know if this is standard in games besides those played in NFL, but I'm glad we don't have these breaks in football.