Do people really love College Football still? Their attendance numbers are the lowest since 1981
There are some College Football Stadiums that are bigger than NFL stadiums. The reason they had bigger stadiums is because many people like college football more than the NFL. Why is that you may ask? Well, the players are not paid. The players have more to gain by playing at a high level.
So here is my question, did the NIL deals hurt college football? We know COVID had to hurt college football, but the numbers were pretty low. A matter of fact it was the fewest fans in attendance since 1981.
The average for the division’s 130 teams slipped to 39,848 fans per game. That’s the fewest since 1981 when the average was 34,621.
Nationally, the average attendance in 2021 was down 15%, more than 7,000 per game, from a record mark of 46,971 in 2008.
FBS attendance declines
| SEASON | ATTENDANCE | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 44,603 | -1,068 |
| 2015 | 43,933 | -670 |
| 2016 | 43,612 | -321 |
| 2017 | 42,203 | -1,409 |
| 2018 | 41,856 | -347 |
| 2019 | 41,477 | -379 |
| 2021 | 39,848* | -1,629 |
* Lowest since 1981
According to CBS Sports, More than half of the teams in the final AP Top 25 saw attendance declines, including eight of the top 10. For the seventh consecutive year, a majority of FBS conferences (seven of 10) declined in attendance. Compare that to 2010 when only the Pac-12 saw fewer fans attend games among the major conferences.
This is concerning, but what is truly causing the drop? I would like to believe that watching it at home on a big screen is a lot cheaper than going to the game. Plus when you consider the mandates, it probably hurt the attendance as well.
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