30,000? In these fans-disappearing-from-university-stadiums days, there’s a lot of numbers massaging going on… Let’s check another source on how many San Diego State people show up to watch their football team play.
… SDSU’s official attendance isn’t what TV audiences see… SDSU counts total tickets issued instead of turnstiles turned. … 61,619 fewer fans attended in 2013, or an average of only 22,954 per game.
So SDSU desperately pours more and more public money into its football program in an effort to … what? It’s already a perfectly respectable team with an okay record of wins.
San Diego State football kicks this month, poised to push its bowl streak to five. USA Today ranks SDSU at No. 58, Lindy’s Sports picks the Aztecs as West Division champs in the Mountain West, and sophomore running back Donnel Pumphrey is a player to watch for the nation’s top running back award.
One popular idea is to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a small on-campus stadium. Small enough so that 15,000 or so in attendance doesn’t make it look empty.
August 7th, 2014 at 11:02AM
Every time I read your blog I am slightly more distanced from American university athletics, and every time your entries are even more shocking to me. Is it the same for Ania?
August 7th, 2014 at 11:10AM
Hi Carolyn! I don’t think Ania ever reads my blog…
August 7th, 2014 at 11:15AM
She is missing out! It makes grad school in Europe seem like the only logical choice.
August 7th, 2014 at 11:42AM
Carolyn: LOL. But actually there are tons of great grad schools here. My blog doesn’t specialize in them…