College football attendance declines for seventh straight season to lowest average since 1981

 

College football attendance declines for seventh straight season to lowest average 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.

Last season marked the seventh straight year and ninth year in the last 10 that FBS attendance has declined. The NCAA has been tracking FBS attendance since 1976, two years before then-Division I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) was created.

The per-game national decline of 1,629 fans in 2021 is the steepest ever, a 3.93% drop from 2019. The NCAA did not compile attendance statistics from the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season for the first time since it began keeping overall attendance figures in 1948. The 2021 numbers include attendance at home, neutral-site and bowl games.

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

The decrease spared no part of the country. More of the 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.

In 2021, only the Big Ten experienced attendance gain among the Power Five conferences. Michigan led the country in attendance for the fifth year in a row and for the 21st time in the last 22 seasons.

For the 23rd consecutive year, the SEC led the country in attendance with 72,195 fans per game. Still, the nation's most football crazy league was not immune from the trend. The SEC suffered an attendance decline for a fifth consecutive year since an all-time high of 78,630 in 2015. Even though the average decline from 2019 was minimal (528 fans per game), the SEC posted its lowest average attendance since 1999.

CONFERENCE	AVG. ATTENDANCE '21	% CHANGE '19	NOTES
SEC	72,195	-0.007	Lowest since '99
Big Ten	65,252	+0.003	Highest since '18
Big 12	55,017	-4.3	Lowest since '00
Pac-12	43,865	-4.8	Lowest ever*
ACC	42,599	-11.7	Lowest since '90
Independents	32,146	-13.2	Lowest since '01
AAC	28,592	-3.0	Lowest ever*
MWC	21,401	-7.9	Lowest ever*
Sun Belt	18,410	+0.04	Highest since '13
C-USA	18,048	-11.5	Lowest ever*
MAC	17,456	+12.4	Highest since '06

The national attendance dip remains both real and ongoing. Administrators have long been concerned about retaining students. If students don't go to games, they have less of an emotional attachment when it comes to giving back to their alma mater in their peak earning years.

"Look at the 25-40 age range," Bowlsby added. "They're more inclined to give their donation dollars to someplace other than athletics. They aren't quite inclined to commit to six Saturdays in the fall."

Football remains healthy on television. Thirteen of the top 14-rated primetime telecasts in 2021 were NFL games, according to Sports Media Watch. The top-rated college football game came in at No. 15; it was the College Football Playoff semifinal between Clemson and Ohio State. Last season's CFP National Championship, Alabama vs. Ohio State, finished No. 16. No other college game appeared in the top 100.

The 2022 CFP semifinals were the lowest rated since 2014, the year the playoff debuted. Last month's CFP National Championship between Alabama and Georgia saw ratings rise from the prior year, which was the least-watched championship game of the BCS era (since 1998), according to Sports Media Watch.

2021 P5 Attendance Down, ACC the worst

Conf	Avg Att '21	% Chng '19	Notes
SEC	72,195	-0.007	Lowest since '99
Big Ten	65,252	0.003	Highest since '18
Big 12	55,017	-4.3	Lowest since '00
Pac-12	43,865	-4.8	Lowest ever*
ACC	42,599	-11.7	Lowest since '90

FSU to receive $20 million in Blueprint funding for Doak infrastructure upgrades

 

FSU to receive $20 million in Blueprint funding for Doak infrastructure upgrades

The OsceolaSports business

FSU to receive $20 million in Blueprint funding for Doak infrastructure upgrades

Florida State athletics will receive $20 million toward Doak Campbell Stadium infrastructure upgrades from the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency on Thursday evening.

Blueprint has broad authority to disperse taxpayer funds toward projects that are brought before the group, which consists of city and county commissioners.

The final vote was 7-5 for FSU athletics to receive funding, with yes votes from Nick Maddox, Jimbo Jackson, Dianne Williams-Cox, Curtis Richardson, Bill Proctor, Carolyn Cummings and mayor John Dailey. No votes were from Jack Porter, Jeremy Matlow, Brian Welch, Kristen Dozier and Rick Minor.

FSU intends to use the money to remodel bathrooms and replace water lines, ADA improvements, hand rails on aisles and more. Administrators had put forward a detailed proposal to the commissioners, outlining what they felt were necessary upgrades to the 71-year-old stadium.

Under the ADA improvements, Doak’s capacity would come down by about 10,000 seats.

Thank you !

Grow Tallahassee is pleased to announce that, yesterday, the Blueprint IA Board passed the final vote on bond financing to approve Doak Campbell Stadium infrastructure funding with a 7-5 vote. 

 

We appreciate all of the 350+ boosters who participated in our "Support Doak" campaign and contacted the decision makers through our platform.  

COMMISSIONERS IN FAVOR: 
 

Mayor John Dailey (Up for Re-election)

Mayor Pro-Tem Curtis Richardson

City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox (Up for Re-election)

County Commissioner - Nick Maddox (Up for Re-election)
County Commissioner Bill Proctor  (Up for Re-election)

County Commissioner Jimbo Jackson
County Comissioner Carolyn Cummings

COMMISSIONERS AGAINST:  

City Commissioner - Jeremy Matlow (Up for Re-election)
City Commissioner - Jack Porter 
County Commissioner - Kristin Dozier (Most Likely Running for Mayor)
County Commissioner - Rick Minor (Up for Re-election)
County Commissioner - Brian Welch

Vote History

• May 25, 2021: FSU’s proposed Convention Center pushed off table, FSU comes forward with new funding request for Doak Campbell Stadium upgrades.
• May 27, 2021: Blueprint votes 9 to 3 in favor of moving forward with funding stadium repairs at Doak.
• Sept. 27, 2021: Doak funding moves forward again in an 8 to 4 vote.
• Nov. 29, 2021: Tallahassee branch of NAACP holds town hall asking commissioners to reconsider Doak funding ahead of the December vote.
• Dec. 9, 2021: Blueprint again votes in favor of Doak funding in a 7 to 5 vote.
• Feb. 17, 2022: Leon County Democratic Party calls on commissioners running for reelection to return campaign contributions from groups connected to FSU leadership.

Battle

The Blueprint 2020 Intergovernmental Agency, made up of all 12 city and county commissioners, voted 7-5 in favor of bond financing for stadium repairs and a number of other local projects. The decision means Blueprint will move forward with a $20 million appropriation for the stadium along with nearly $7 million in interest.

NAACP joins with Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity to rail against Blueprint Deal For Doak

Most NFL Draft Picks since 2000

 

Check out which programs have had the most NFL draft picks since 2000👀 pic.twitter.com/l1XNvANFjO

— On3 (@On3sports) February 24, 2022

The most-viewed regular season college softball game since 2015

 

🥎 College softball viewership update 🥎

The final game of the 2022 @SPCEliteInvite between @UCLASoftball & @FSU_Softball averaged 620K viewers

The most-viewed regular season college softball game since 2015#NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/WWLmy4FcEt

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 24, 2022

Most Traditional Helmets in CFB

 

pic.twitter.com/aDjhpjQgkI

— ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴜʀ (@college_fb_tour) February 20, 2022

2022 Best College Towns

 

2022 Best College Town Rankings pic.twitter.com/fMkk7WNfup

— Big Game Boomer (@BigGameBoomer) February 23, 2022

Student Union Update

 

FSU Athletics has $8 million in net revenue for 2021 fiscal year

 

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the #FSU athletic department's total revenue grew slightly for the 2021 fiscal year.

FSU reported a net revenue of nearly $8 million on its 2021 report, although that number doesn't tell the full story.https://t.co/n8KBC7KICW

— Curt Weiler (@CurtMWeiler) February 23, 2022

Florida State athletic department reports $8 million in net revenue for 2021 fiscal year

For instance, the entirety of the $19.145 million buyout for former head coach Willie Taggart and his staff was reported in full on the 2020 report but is being paid out gradually through 2023.

A  look inside the numbers does tell the story of how FSU actually made more in revenue during the COVID-affected 2020-21 academic year.

FSU reported $129,743,001 in revenue for the 2021 fiscal year after reporting $129,481,351 on the 2020 report.

Obviously, ticket sales were down in 2021. COVID restrictions limited crowds at all events and FSU had just $4,768,147 in ticket sales on this year's report after bringing in $17,341,676 during the 2019-20 season.

Football led the way here, accounting for over $3.5 million (74%) of these ticket sales. But that's down from the 87.8% that football accounted for on the 2020 report.

While men's and women's basketball both saw their ticket sale numbers fall on this year's report, the other sports category actually went up from $309,807 in 2020 to $327,239 in 2021.

Ticket sales may have been understandably down on this year's report, but the athletic department made up the discrepancy in a few other areas.

For one, FSU reported an increase of over $6 million in contributions on its 2021 report. FSU's $43,261,756 in contributions, up from $36,758,342 the year prior, is the second-largest contribution number for FSU on record, trailing only the $55.89 million it reported in 2018.

That timeline for increased contributions aligns with Michael Alford taking over as Seminole Boosters President/CEO, which he did in September of 2020. Alford was promoted to FSU Director of Athletics in December and started the position in January.

FSU also saw its media rights revenue increase significantly from $22,693,941 in 2020 to $25,988,738. That number should continue to increase with Comcast at long last carrying the ACC Network. 

The final notable increase saw FSU make over two million more in royalties, licensing, advertisements and sponsorships, up to $17,751,098 from $15,403,795.

All of these boosts help FSU maintain its level of revenue despite a severe drop-off in ticket sales.

On the other side, FSU's expenses fell precipitously in its 2021 report. The athletic department reported $121,923,106 on this year's report, down over $30 million from the $155,656,855 it reported in 2020.

Of course, it helps that more than $19 million in severances were not on this year's report. But even removing that from the equation, FSU's expenses dropped about $15 million from the 2020 fiscal year.

Pay cuts taken by coaches that were brought about by the pandemic dropped the coaching salaries number from $25,481,505 to $20,122,052.

Another notable drop in expenses came in the direct overhead and administrative expenses category. After spending over $19.9 million here in the 2020 fiscal year, FSU dropped that number to $14,227,132 on its 2021 report.

There was also far less money spent on guarantees for other schools, only $504,343 in 2021 after $3,163,301 was spent on that in 2020.

Due to the pandemic, costs for team travel and recruiting were also down by a significant margin.

With in-person recruiting shut down for almost the entire fiscal year, FSU spent just $286, 103 on recruiting after spending $1,832,367 in 2020. Team travel fell from over $6.6 million in 2020 to $5,343,949 in 2021.

The severe reduction in severance payments also helped with the drop-off in expenses. After reporting over $19 million in severance payments in 2020, FSU reported just $216,911 in severance payments on its 2021 report, a factor of the positions eliminated during the pandemic.

However, Taggart is still being paid annual buyout payments through 2023. Just because it isn't reflected on this year's report doesn't mean it's not a lingering hit to the athletic department.

PCB Area Transformation Underway (College of Medicine Note)

 

PCB Area Transformation Underway

“They are coming in from all over,” said Catherine McCloy, director of planning and development for the St. Joe Co. since 2018. “The region as a whole is seeing an influx from all over the country, particularly since the pandemic.” The trend is expected to continue and expand over the next four decades, she added.

Nearly two decades after unveiling an initial plan for the West Bay sector anchored around the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, company officials received approval from state and county officials of an expanded plan now totaling 110,500 acres – including 97,216 acres in Bay County and 13,284 acres in adjacent Walton County. 

Hospital: St. Joe Company officials announced last April 8 plans to build a new 100-bed hospital an 87-acre tract located on the southeast corner of the intersection. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Florida State University’s College of Medicine are partners in the project. A construction date has not yet been set.

APs Greatest CFB Programs of All Time (since 1936)

 

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/YMNBXe6z6v

— Jaguar Paw (@sirdibbydukes) February 22, 2022

Myron Rolle Factoid

 

Only one of three Rhodes Scholors to make an NFL roster.

An amazing story of hard work, dedication and a decision knowing that accepting the Rhodes Scholarship could have killed his dream to play in the NFL. https://t.co/jm0goyOr5C

— Fifth Quarter 🍢FSU 🍢 (@fifthquarterfsu) February 20, 2022

2021 Endowment Figures

Could be worse for FSU, could be better.  I have said for years, I wish FSU would utilize FSU grad, Todd Combs.  He is a CEO of Berkshire holding GEICO and portfolio manager for Berkshire (Warren Buffet).  FSU usually underperforms with endowment performance.

2021 Endowment Figures

Fiscal Year 2021
2020-2021	Ranking	2021	2020	% Change
FSU	154	$897,570	$699,913	28.20%
UF	60	$2,378,838	1,846,611	28.80%
UM	109	$1,393,437	$1,050,754	32.60%
USF	188	$692,741	$532,156	30.20%
FAU	306	$285,475	$240,694	18.60%
UCF	367	$201,024	$162,887	23.40%
FAMU	467	$118,997	$95,635	24.40%
FIU	315	$276,410	$218,684	26.40%

2015-2021 Trend (Thrasher Years)
	Rank Increase	Avg. % Increase	Avg. $ Increase	Total $ Increase
FSU	3	5.78%	$39,001.86	$273,013.00
UF	(1)	7.06%	$122,759.43	$859,316.00
UM	(2)	8.86%	$87,927.14	$615,490.00
USF	11	7.99%	$39,343.71	$275,406.00
FAU	(6)	3.73%	$8,362.86	$76,954.00
UCF	(4)	15.22%	$6,632.71	$46,429.00
FAMU	(467)	3.39%	$16,999.57	$5,997.00
FIU	18	7.00%	$14,272.86	$99,910.00