Spring Game Attendance Across the Country

[knapplc]

I'm putting this here not because attendance is important, or because the Spring Game is anything noteworthy or meaningful, but because we have nothing else to talk about.

 

According to SB Nation, these are the top ten attendance figures for Spring Games so far. The biggest caveat to this list (aside from the fact that it doesn't mean anything) is that Alabama, who has led the nation or been top three since Saban got there, plays this Saturday.

 

That said, here's the list:

 

Team - ATT

Nebraska - 60,174

Kentucky - 50,831

Texas - 46,000

Texas A&M - 45,212

Georgia - 45,113

Ohio State - 37,643

South Carolina - 35,218

Louisville - 33,000

Clemson - 30,000

Oklahoma - 29,200

 

LINK

 

I suppose it's better to be at or near the top of this list than at the bottom. But even Texas Fan is saying that their figure is a lie in the comments of SB Nation's article.

 

 

 

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EDIT - updated for games played through 4/20/13

 

Another weekend, another round of games. Attendance figures have changed a bit and Nebraska no longer sits atop the attendance list. Here's the current Top 25.

 

 

RK - Team - Attendance - Cost

1 - Auburn - 83,401 - Free

2 - Alabama - 78,315 - Free

3 - Tennessee - 61,076 - Free

4 - Nebraska - 60,174 - $10

5 - Arkansas - 51,088 - Free

6 - Kentucky - 50,831 - Free

7 - Texas - 46,000 - Free

8 - Texas A&M - 45,212 - $5

9 - Georgia - 45,113 - Free

10 - Ohio State - 37,643 - $12

11 - South Carolina - 35,218 - Free

12 - Louisville - 33,000 - Free

13 - Notre Dame - 31,652 - $12

14 - Clemson - 30,000 - Free

15 - Virginia Tech - 30,000 - Free

16 - Oklahoma - 29,200 - $5

17 - LSU - 28,000 - Free

18 - Ole Miss - 28,000 - Free

19 - Penn State - 28,000 - Free

20 - Florida State - 27,500 - Free

21 - N.C. State - 27,500 - Free

22 - Michigan State - 22,500 - Free

23 - Mississippi State - 21,000 - Free

24 - Missouri - 18,384 - $3

25 - Michigan - 18,000 - Free

 

 

Some items of note:

Only six of the top 25 teams charged admission for their spring games. Of those, Notre Dame and Ohio State charged the most for admission at $12 apiece. North Carolina State's Spring Game, the Kay Yow game, is "free" admission but fans were encouraged to donate $1 for the Kay Yow cancer research fund and scholarship endowment. NC State fans raised $20,000 for the charity through admission donations. Missouri's cost of admission was $3, or "free" with a donation of three cans of food for the Food Bank.

 

Seven of the top ten and eleven of the top 25 teams were, unsurprisingly, from the SEC. They love them some football down there.

 

Weather may have played a role in some teams' attendance figures for Big Ten schools. Nebraska's Spring Game was held earliest, but had by far the best weather with temps topping out at 71 degrees under partly cloudy skies. No other school in the conference had temps higher than 58 degrees, and as I watched the Michigan State game I noticed flurries amid the frigid temps. The fans who showed up to those games froze, but I suppose you could say they benefited from fall-like weather.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Im pretty sure bama usually sells out their stadium dont they? That's pretty impressive. Those people live and breathe football much like here, if not to a higher extreme.

[HuskerThor]

Im pretty sure bama usually sells out their stadium dont they? That's pretty impressive. Those people live and breathe football much like here, if not to a higher extreme.

 

Probably similar to their recruiting, I'm sure they over sell tickets.

[huskeraddict]

There was a response to SB Nation CFB's tweet about this article from multiple Texas fans that said they didn't get 46k.

 

https://twitter.com/michaelpelech10/status/324209014395252736

 

Anyway, I answered the poll accordingly:

• Yes, I went to the spring game.
  
• Attendance is an indicator of nothing at all.
  
• NU charging for spring game tickets is a great idea.
  

[HuskerThor]

1. I went

2. Fan support

3. Shows fan devotion

[Landlord]

Im pretty sure bama usually sells out their stadium dont they? That's pretty impressive. Those people live and breathe football much like here, if not to a higher extreme.

 

 

 

It is impressive, but, they let people in for free. I think our sustained numbers with $10 tickets is slightly more impressive.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Im pretty sure bama usually sells out their stadium dont they? That's pretty impressive. Those people live and breathe football much like here, if not to a higher extreme.

 

 

 

It is impressive, but, they let people in for free. I think our sustained numbers with $10 tickets is slightly more impressive.

I agree ours is impressive the fact that we can get that support while paying. Im not sure about Alabama, but I honestly dont think changing our game to free admission would affect the attendance number much at all.

 

Kids get in free, and most adults have no problem paying 10 bucks to watch the team. Would charging 10 dollars affect the attendance at Bama? Im not sure, but I dont envision our attendance increasing a whole lot due to free admission.

[sd'sker]

i just think it is a great opportunity for families to show their children the stadium and spend a saturday doing something together and fun for everyone.

[Blackshirts007]

Did not go

Fan Support

Greed

 

There is no reason to charge for a spring game besides extra revenue. I put greed because there is no happy medium between "greed" and "bad idea, should be free." But hell, that extra money is all accumulated and the reason we get these expansions and added facilities. But im a business student so it's hard to not look at extra charges and fees and any other type of cost that business's charge as greed. UNL is a business just like everything else. It's a scrimmage for god's sake, why do you need 10 dollars per person?

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Did not go

Fan Support

Greed

 

There is no reason to charge for a spring game besides extra revenue. I put greed because there is no happy medium between "greed" and "bad idea, should be free." But hell, that extra money is all accumulated and the reason we get these expansions and added facilities. But im a business student so it's hard to not look at extra charges and fees and any other type of cost that business's charge as greed. UNL is a business just like everything else. It's a scrimmage for god's sake, why do you need 10 dollars per person?

Because they know we will pay it regardless. They are a business doing what any other business would.

[Omaha-Husker]

I don't call it greed at all. It costs money to have 60K in a building, a lot of money.

[knapplc]

"Greed" was probably a poor choice of words. It has a negative connotation.

 

 

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We've averaged 72,000 people at the last five Spring Games. At $10 a ticket (I know Club Level costs more, whatever) that's about three quarters of a million dollars. I have no idea what they make on concessions, but let's just say it rounds the total take to $1 million (if everyone in attendance buys one $4 soda, that's $288,000). Not sure what cost is to put this show on, but if Concessions cover Cost, that leaves UNL with a "free" three quarters of a million dollars every year.

 

That's not bad money.

[sd'sker]

I don't call it greed at all. It costs money to have 60K in a building, a lot of money.

anything more and maybe i would consider it greed. but $10 seems quite reasonable. it is a better experience than a movie, and that is about what you would pay.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

"Greed" was probably a poor choice of words. It has a negative connotation.

 

 

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We've averaged 72,000 people at the last five Spring Games. At $10 a ticket (I know Club Level costs more, whatever) that's about three quarters of a million dollars. I have no idea what they make on concessions, but let's just say it rounds the total take to $1 million (if everyone in attendance buys one $4 soda, that's $288,000). Not sure what cost is to put this show on, but if Concessions cover Cost, that leaves UNL with a "free" three quarters of a million dollars every year.

 

That's not bad money.

I would be interested to see how many of those are actually children though. That might alter your figure some, but I get what you are saying. Many families use this as an opportunity for their kids to get a game experience for a fraction of the cost.

[knapplc]

I would be interested to see how many of those are actually children though. That might alter your figure some, but I get what you are saying. Many families use this as an opportunity for their kids to get a game experience for a fraction of the cost.

 

Do kids get in free?