Georgia State Actual Attendance 46% Less Than Announced

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/college/gsu-football-ticket-prices-wont-change/nWQLf/


Georgia State’s turnstile count at football games -- the number of the people who actually attended -- in its first three years was almost 50 percent less than its announced attendance, according to data obtained by the AJC from the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.

The Panthers had an announced average attendance of 14,569 after 19 home games played in 2010, ’11 and ’12. Announced attendance includes tickets sold and distributed. However, the actual attendance average was 7,926, a 46-percent difference, according to the Georgia Dome’s turnstile counts at those games. The percentage looks extreme because of the small sample size.

It’s common for college and pro teams to use announced attendance, rather than actual attendance, because the former number is almost always higher. The Braves (and Major League Baseball), Hawks, Falcons, Georgia and Georgia Tech, to name a few, use tickets sold and distributed. The NCAA, which mandates that FBS football programs average 15,000 fans at home games at least once in a rolling two-year window, allows teams to use either method when reporting attendance.

However, Georgia State’s actual average illustrates the challenges it faces as it tries to increase attendance as it heads into its first year playing football on the FBS level in the Sun Belt Conference.

3 things:

* Even with fudging the numbers Georgia State didn't get to the 15,000 minimum that the NCAA says they require for FBS membership.

* Turnstile counts I believe count student participation, who are not ticket-paying members, which implies the number of bought-back seats is actually much higher to get somewhat close to 15,000.

* They're going to have to host "home" games like Georgia or Georgia Tech eventually to have any prayer of hitting 15,000 in any given year, or else they'll probably, like many other Sun Belt schools, will have to keep fudging the actual numbers to stay alive in FBS.

[WH49er]

http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/college/gsu-football-ticket-prices-wont-change/nWQLf/



3 things:

* Even with fudging the numbers Georgia State didn't get to the 15,000 minimum that the NCAA says they require for FBS membership.

* Turnstile counts I believe count student participation, who are not ticket-paying members, which implies the number of bought-back seats is actually much higher to get somewhat close to 15,000.

* They're going to have to host "home" games like Georgia or Georgia Tech eventually to have any prayer of hitting 15,000 in any given year, or else they'll probably, like many other Sun Belt schools, will have to keep fudging the actual numbers to stay alive in FBS.



Take a look at Eastern Michigan and tell me the NCAA gives a crap about this? They have bigger issues.

[eaglewraith]

Take a look at Eastern Michigan and tell me the NCAA gives a crap about this? They have bigger issues.

Eastern Michigan is protected by the clause that pertains to average attendance in the conference.

Ga State is currently an independent and not protected by that clause. If they don't bring the 2-year average up above 15k this year there is a real risk they would be blocked from becoming an SBC full member. Whether this will happen or not is debateable, but it should be seriously considered just to be safe.

[DFW HOYA]

GSU's home games in 2013: no easy road to 15K:

Samford
Chattanooga
Jacksonville State
Troy
Western Kentucky
LA-Lafayette
South Alabama

[WH49er]

Eastern Michigan is protected by the clause that pertains to average attendance in the conference.

Ga State is currently an independent and not protected by that clause. If they don't bring the 2-year average up above 15k this year there is a real risk they would be blocked from becoming an SBC full member. Whether this will happen or not is debateable, but it should be seriously considered just to be safe.


That's interesting to know. What happens if the conference average dips below 15K? The MAC was at 15,526 last year.

[IBleedYellow]

Has any team been booted down to FCS for not hitting the attendance minimum before?

Nexus 4

[Hammerhead]

According to the attendance numbers posted at ncaa.org, there are 5 schools who didn't surpass 15,000 in average attendance more than once from 2009 - 20011 Only three averaged less than 15,000 over that three year span with Bowling Green just over that threshold at 15,007.

[asumike83]

I don't believe the requirements apply to existing FBS members, only those who are looking to transition. I thought they were grandfathered but I could be wrong.

[DFW HOYA]

Has any team been booted down to FCS for not hitting the attendance minimum before?


No. The MAC was once threatened with it but nothing became of it.

[IBleedYellow]

No. The MAC was once threatened with it but nothing became of it.

Well, then all of this is just moot, or am I wrong?

Nexus 4

[ccd494]

Can we discuss how those clowns are over on Panthertalk planning their move to Conference USA? I love checking that board for just the outright mass stupidity. Ever since they were posting all over here about how the CAA had to throw out Maine and New Hampshire to make it a better conference (BEFORE GA STATE HAD EVEN PLAYED A CONFERENCE GAME), I have wanted nothing but failure for that rotten excuse of a "university."

Go Georgia Southern.

Maine 51 - Georgia State 7.

[Libertine]

Has any team been booted down to FCS for not hitting the attendance minimum before?

Nexus 4

No and, honestly, it's an empty threat. The NCAA forces schools to put so much resources and energy into moving up in the first place (ie., the study, the facility improvements, gender equity solutions, academic staffing, etc.,) and then maintaining it that it's ridiculous to then boot them back out for not putting butts in the seats. The NCAA is far more concerned about APR numbers than attendance numbers.

[dgtw]

GSU's home games in 2013: no easy road to 15K:

Samford
Chattanooga
Jacksonville State
Troy
Western Kentucky
LA-Lafayette
South Alabama

Jacksonville, Troy and Chattanooga are all fairly short drives, the visitors side should have more fans at those games.

[pike51]

Jacksonville, Troy and Chattanooga are all fairly short drives, the visitors side should have more fans at those games.

The entire dome is a visitors section when State plays a home game.

[dbackjon]

This is another reason why the SunBelt invited App State and the REAL GSU (besides adding actually good football teams to the league) - to improve GaState's pathetic numbers. You have to figure that GaState will host either ASU or GSU yearly - 15K from those schools alone would not be unrealistic.

[AppAlum2003]

This is another reason why the SunBelt invited App State and the REAL GSU (besides adding actually good football teams to the league) - to improve GaState's pathetic numbers. You have to figure that GaState will host either ASU or GSU yearly - 15K from those schools alone would not be unrealistic.

To be honest, the Georgia Dome will probably be the first Sunbelt road game I attend. It's accessible and I have a lot of friends in ATL from the time I used to live there.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Everyone saw this, right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj-BaSYdQsc

Have any of the 'lowly' Southern Conference schools that ASU and Ga Southern are so happy to leave dropped money from the sky to get people to show up?

The Sun Belt is a joke.

[pokefan02]

Georgia State can always host Florida or Georgia or Georgia Tech or any other team at Georgia States opponents stadium

[seantaylor]

The Sun Belt is really starting to understand their mistake with Georgia State. I've said it a ton, but they won't be fielding a football program 5 years from now.

[LeadBolt]

It's amusing that a FBS Conference sought out a school that a FCS Conference found laughable who had formerly been in the FBS conference previously . It seems to me that the Sun Belt and GA State make a perfect couple. There should be no surprises for the Sun Belt from GA State.

[pike51]

Georgia State can always host Florida or Georgia or Georgia Tech or any other team at Georgia States opponents stadium

WUT?

http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web04/2012/4/20/11/enhanced-buzz-31275-1334935481-0.jpg

[Uncle Rico's Clan]

I think what he was trying to say is that Georgia State could conceivably schedule Florida (or any other school), with Georgia State being the home team, and Florida being the visiting team, but request to use their stadium. Georgia State would be considered the home team, and use that attendance number to boost their attendance number for the season. It's kind of a similar situation to how ewu would host Montana at Joe Albi (sp?) in Spokane, even though it wasn't ewu's home stadium, they were the home team, and the numbers counted for them.

[ccd494]

I think what he was trying to say is that Georgia State could conceivably schedule Florida (or any other school), with Georgia State being the home team, and Florida being the visiting team, but request to use their stadium. Georgia State would be considered the home team, and use that attendance number to boost their attendance number for the season. It's kind of a similar situation to how ewu would host Montana at Joe Albi (sp?) in Spokane, even though it wasn't ewu's home stadium, they were the home team, and the numbers counted for them.

I think Idaho "hosted" Washington State in Pullman a few years back...

[MplsBison]

Question: what on god's green earth does this have to do with FCS football or the hallowed FCS national championship????????

[dbackjon]

Georgia State can always host Florida or Georgia or Georgia Tech or any other team at Georgia States opponents stadium

No, they can't anymore, and count that as a home game - it would have to be an approved neutral site near the GA STATE campus.

Gone are the days that Wyoming could play Tennessee in Nashville and count it as a Wyoming home game.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

No, they can't anymore, and count that as a home game - it would have to be an approved neutral site near the GA STATE campus.

Gone are the days that Wyoming could play Tennessee in Nashville and count it as a Wyoming home game.

WKU is playing UK in Nashville this year and it's being considered a Hilltopper home game.

[TheRevSFA]

I think Idaho "hosted" Washington State in Pullman a few years back...

Wyoming "hosted" Tennessee in Nashville a few years ago

Nevermind..saw where Jon mentioned it..

[dgtw]

Last year, Louisiana-Monroe hosted Arkansas in Little Rock. Obviously, home field advantage was important since ULM won the game.

Why does the NCAA allow this bookkeeping nonsense?

[The Moody1]

Everyone saw this, right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj-BaSYdQsc

Have any of the 'lowly' Southern Conference schools that ASU and Ga Southern are so happy to leave dropped money from the sky to get people to show up?

The Sun Belt is a joke.

Not a big deal. Ga. State will probably be in CUSA soon.

[GAD]

The Sun Belt is really starting to understand their mistake with Georgia State. I've said it a ton, but they won't be fielding a football program 5 years from now.
SB was worried about getting into the ATL media market, they had to take GaSt to get there.

[Hammerhead]

You know what they say. Rednecks have to take off their shoes to count higher than 10.

[dbackjon]

WKU is playing UK in Nashville this year and it's being considered a Hilltopper home game.

The NCAA, IIRC, has a proximity rule for allowing this. Norhtern Illinois hosting a B1G team at Soldier Field - OK. WKU (which is an hour from Nashville) hosting UK in Nashville - OK. Wyoming "Hosting" UT in Nashville - not ok. And Wyoming "hosting" UT in Knoxville - definately NO

[clenz]

The NCAA, IIRC, has a proximity rule for allowing this. Norhtern Illinois hosting a B1G team at Soldier Field - OK. WKU (which is an hour from Nashville) hosting UK in Nashville - OK. Wyoming "Hosting" UT in Nashville - not ok. And Wyoming "hosting" UT in Knoxville - definately NO

FAU, maybe it was FIU, hosted Michigan St at Ford field 2 or 3 years ago...must be a recent rule change

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

[MplsBison]

Regardless, the NCAA never has and never, ever will make any FBS school drop down to FCS because of attendance numbers. Despite many FCS apologist wet dreams to the contrary.

They'd deserve and justly receive a vicious uppercut right to the chops in a courtroom.

[Gringer1]

Regardless, the NCAA never has and never, ever will make any FBS school drop down to FCS because of attendance numbers. Despite many FCS apologist wet dreams to the contrary.

They'd deserve and justly receive a vicious uppercut right to the chops in a courtroom.

I just spoke with my crack legal advisor Opie/LegalEagle and he assured me that whatever happens, no cops will be involved. Lunch is possible though.

[eaglewraith]

Regardless, the NCAA never has and never, ever will make any FBS school drop down to FCS because of attendance numbers. Despite many FCS apologist wet dreams to the contrary.

They'd deserve and justly receive a vicious uppercut right to the chops in a courtroom.

Technically, Ga State is still a transtitional entity. You would still be correct if they delayed Ga State becoming "full" FBS. This is definitely something intriguing to keep an eye on. I'm not saying it'll amount to anything, but there's still a strong possibility.

Ga State will need to average over 17,000 to bring the 2 year average to where it needs to be. Let's see what happens with the numbers at the end of the season.

[MplsBison]

Technically, Ga State is still a transtitional entity. You would still be correct if they delayed Ga State becoming "full" FBS. This is definitely something intriguing to keep an eye on. I'm not saying it'll amount to anything, but there's still a strong possibility.

Ga State will need to average over 17,000 to bring the 2 year average to where it needs to be. Let's see what happens with the numbers at the end of the season.

Frankly, it's nothing more than LFN's wet dream to keep a team in FCS.

Won't happen, guaranteed.

[Tribal]

Can we discuss how those clowns are over on Panthertalk planning their move to Conference USA? I love checking that board for just the outright mass stupidity. Ever since they were posting all over here about how the CAA had to throw out Maine and New Hampshire to make it a better conference (BEFORE GA STATE HAD EVEN PLAYED A CONFERENCE GAME), I have wanted nothing but failure for that rotten excuse of a "university."

Go Georgia Southern.

Maine 51 - Georgia State 7.

I've never agreed with a post more than this one. The PT crowd simply cannot understand why they're so hated. They beat their chest about how they're a big research university in a large media market in the old south where football is king and how they recruit SEC players and have this FBS transfer and that FBS transfer and how their HOF coach is the greatest thing to ever hot college football and play in a NFL Dome. Turns out, they got blown out by EVERY CAA team except Rhody, their big league players were either kicked off the team and/or sucked, turns out no one in Atlanta cares about them, and their coach was outcoached week in and week out. GSU is going to absolutely thrash them when they finally play...I predict 800 yards rushing in a 72-3 victory.

(2-9) William & Mary 35
GA State 3

[MplsBison]

Looks like Samford, Chatty and Jax St will get their chance to knock off GSU in the G-Dome this year. Pretty nice schedule for GSU, 7 home games with I'm assuming huge paydays to go to W. Virginia and Alabama. Four out of seven Sun Belt games at home as well. Monroe and Ark St are tough ones on the road.

But if there's anyone who could make a winner there I would have to think Trent Miles is capable. I would've never believe that any human could turn Indiana St around - he did it and more.