[NU Sports] Attendance, economy, blah blah blah (was: NU Attendance et al)

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

> Can't deny there have been thrilling finishes over the
> years.  Can't deny a small fan base is part of the
> attendance problem.  But the economy?  Seen the
> stands at Ohio State and Penn State lately?  Seems to
> me that NU grads are among the least affected by an economic
> downturn.

I would argue that NU fans are MORE affected by the economy than the larger state schools. As we've discussed, most NU fans do not live in Chicagoland - so between airfares, rental cars, hotels, etc. it would stand to reason than an economic downturn would hurt us more than a school where tens of thousands of alumni live within a 2-3 hour drive (i.e. every other Big Ten school).

As for other schools, it's hard to find figures, but I've seen many a game on the Big Ten Network this year -- including several at PSU, Michigan or even Columbus -- with a lot more empty seats than you're used to seeing.

> The biggest problem is the Cats' year-to-year inconsistency
> on the field.  As we discussed earlier this season,
> some (me) predicted a 10 - 2 finish, others said 3 - 9, and

Well, I don't know too many people who predicted a 10-win season for a team that lost its entire offensive backfield and receiving corps. Most preseason picks had the Cats at about 6-7 wins and making a mid-level bowl, which was about right.

> most offered predictions somewhere in between.  Think
> Ohio State and Florida fans made such a wide range of
> prognostications?  If Michigan fans were jolted by

Again, it's just pointless to compare NU to OSU or Florida. And frankly, I'm thrilled with that.

> powerhouse status eventually?  We had the amazing glory
> days of '95 and '96, a so-so '97, and the inglorious '98 and

Some good reasons for the downturns -- Barnett's flirtations and departure and Walker's tragic death. Fitz has gotten his team to six or more wins the last three years. Let's hope he's on our sidelines for a long time.

> Fans will come IF there is almost ALWAYS a chance of winning
> the Big Ten crown, which by definition means having a

Maybe, but it was pretty easy to get tickets in 1996 and 2001 with teams who brought a lot of players back off of Big Ten title seasons.

Winning hasn't brought 'em in. Fantastic finishes haven't brought 'em in. Fast-paced offense didn't bring 'em in. Heck, free beer didn't even bring 'em in.

I certainly don't mean to suggest that we shouldn't stop trying -- and there have been several good suggestions on the list. I'm just saying I'm ready to say "chuck it" to the Chicago Domer bandwagoners and fickle North Shore fans and to the whole topic. Let the real NU fans come and focus on treating THEM better instead of bending over backwards for these other people who haven't jumped aboard the ship yet, as Fitz said. If they want to come aboard later, I'm sure we'll find a life raft to float 'em over.:)

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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