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A big factor for the lack of huge NFL stadiums is the NFL TV blackout rule, which says if a team doesn't sell out their home game 72 hours in advance, the game is blacked out on local TV. A bigger stadium makes a sellout harder to obtain.
Another factor is college stadiums tend to be old and were built piecemeal, whereas NFL stadiums generally are much newer and built full-sized to start. There are a few factors at work here. First, college stadiums are generally built (or more accurately, expanded) through alumni donations, whereas NFL stadiums are built with team and public taxpayer money. Also, because there is no TV blackout rule in college football and because at many schools the football team subsidizes the rest of the athletic department, a really big stadium is better. Additionally, college football tickets are usually much cheaper (or at least somewhat cheaper) than NFL tickets on a per game basis, and season ticket holders only have to pay for 6-7 games, rather than 10 games (including NFL preseason games). Finally, the stadiums themselves in college football usually aren't anywhere as nice as NFL stadiums (in large part because college facilities are old and/or were built piecemeal) and much more frequently have bleacher seating, so you can fit more seats into the same amount of space in a college stadium as you can in an NFL stadium.
With the NFL, th stadiums seat fewer generally because of amenities. Owners got the idea to make the stadium a "destination" type of attraction. Also, there tons of luxury boxes, etc. that chew up space, but also demand several times the cost of regular seats.
As for college stadiums, a decent portion of the crowd any saturday is the student body of said schools, along with both bands. Furthermore, most people feel a HUGE attachment to the school, and will show up on principle alone.
The one pro team I've seen with that kind of devotion is the Packers. I always figured it was because they're publicly owned.
An interesting point. So would you say college football fans are more loyal to their team than pro fans? Michigan sucked last year but still had a solid turn out to every home game. I'm not trying to come off as talking smack here, I just think it's something to discuss.
One example comes to mind that I'm familiar with.
In 1998, South Carolina went 1-10, and the average attendance was 74,744.
The next year they went 0-11, and attendance improved to 78,273.
USC typically goes .500, and has attendance of 80,000 per game.
It is hard core loyalty. I don't know whether or not NFL teams have the same, maybe Green Bay would?
An interesting point. So would you say college football fans are more loyal to their team than pro fans? Michigan sucked last year but still had a solid turn out to every home game. I'm not trying to come off as talking smack here, I just think it's something to discuss.
I think they may be somewhat more local, and also the price to go to a college game is considerably less.
Great point, I can remember when they Packers sucked, just a few years ago, and we sold out every home game.
I think the Packers are perhaps the only NFL team that can pull that off. The atmosphere in GB is more like a college atmosphere, which is a good thing.
I tend to agree with Synopsis. Denver has a consecutive sellout streak that goes back to 1970, but with the exception of the last couple seasons, have had winning seasons that go back to 1973. You go back to 1972 and before, and they were pretty much the graveyard of the NFL and AFL as well.
They're a waste of money as is. They should have way more teams and smaller stadia.
of all the threads i've read on here this one has to be full of the most informative and accurate answers from knowledgeable people... except for this guy
of all the threads i've read on here this one has to be full of the most informative and accurate answers from knowledgeable people... except for this guy
Yeah, you're right. It would be stupid for the nation's biggest sport to have teams in more than 32 cities and have stadia smaller so that other communities could take part. How much would that suck!
Yeah, you're right. It would be stupid for the nation's biggest sport to have teams in more than 32 cities and have stadia smaller so that other communities could take part. How much would that suck!
ok, so we shouldn't waste money on stadiums and there should be 80 teams that would lead to a 40 week long season?
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