Husky Stadium Attendance (Seattle, Hobart, Pacific: appointed, fit in, sales)

[Bimmerfanboy]

I went to today's Huskies game and was pretty disappointed with the attendance at the stadium. I understand that school isn't in session so the student section was not going to be that full, and that college football ticket sales are down all over the country; but a lot of seats in the 300 section looked empty from my view (100-level). Midway through the 3rd quarter empty seats popped up all over the stadium and the student section (aside from the band) was 90% empty. The fans weren't as loud as I had hoped either. On TV last week the stadium looked even more empty, and that was the home opener.

I'm a recent graduate and never really felt that the students had as much pride as other schools I am familiar with. For example, I went to College Gameday last year and many of the students left within a couple hours. Red Square started looking a bit sparse until [thankfully] a truckload of alumni showed up and the place looked really spectacular. I am from Michigan and Illinois originally but was closer with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. I also attended some Notre Dame games. I never saw those stadiums look as sparse as Husky Stadium looked today.

On a positive note, the team [finally] played well and Dubs looked really cute on the sidelines.

So what's going on Husky fans?

[GraceKrispy]

I'm surprised- I took a bus from the Eastgate P & R to head towards the fair and there were well over a hundred people dressed in Husky wear, waiting for buses to take them to the game.

I'm a graduate student there and have never attended a game, and don't plan to. Football just isn't my thing- the only games I've ever attended were my brother's when he started for UNM and my high school games when the band had to play (yep, proud band geek here). I don't really mix with undergraduates at all, so I can't speak to the general school spirit, but many of my graduate colleagues are huge Husky fans and attend most every home game. I always had the impression, therefore, that the games were well-attended. I know many of my fellow students are on their last vacations of the summer, planning to get back in time to start school in another week and a half, maybe it'll pick up more?

[BellevueNative]

When I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, the games were always packed. I think the program took a serious hit to its pride in the past 10 years. It is only starting to get its groove back following the Billy Joe Hobart-era sanctions. Remember them?

Also, today's game was against Illinois. Last week's, Eastern Washington. When the Pac 12 games start, attendance will increase.

I'll be at the Big House for next week's Michigan-Utah game... another Pac 12 vs Big 10 matchup. I'll report back on my findings.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by Seatown1

So what's going on Husky fans?

there were 62,325 people in the stadium

theScore

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

there were 62,325 people in the stadium

theScore

That's only 10,000 under sellout, very good for before schools starts and an unproven team with new quarterback. Once they have beaten a Pac-12 team or two (hopefully) and school is going, I would expect even better attendance. As for the crowd noise, that's not really expected in a one-sided game against an inferior team that they are supposed to beat.

[ctr88]

I was there and it felt fairly full but not sold out. The crowd felt decent. I think crowds at all college sports events are lighter before school is in session. In general I don't think UW football has as much of a "religious" type following as the Big 10 and SEC. lol. UW fans are a pretty mellow bunch, kind of coinciding with Seattle's calm culture in general. Kind of "wine & cheese" type fans. Big 10 and SEC games are really rowdy affairs & crowds and pre-game are rabid affairs.

I also think UW's start to the season had some people skeptical barely squeaking by two cup cake teams. Continuing to win will build more excitement. They played well Saturday.

[GraceKrispy]

I'm a recent graduate and never really felt that the students had as much pride as other schools I am familiar with. <snip> I am from Michigan and Illinois originally

Oh yeah, and this, too. As ctr88 said, this area isn't as "rabid" (great word) as some other areas. I grew up in the midwest and people where I'm from are really serious about their sports. Really. Serious. I've found that in the Texas/Oklahoma/Nebraska areas, too. I don't really see that in the PNW as much- not the predominate sports culture I've seen other places. I grew up in the a football family (maybe why I went band ) and it dominated our lives and that of my friends for years.

[Bimmerfanboy]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

there were 62,325 people in the stadium

theScore

Attendance numbers are usually a bit inflated because they usually measure the number of tickets sold not the number of people who showed up to the game. For the MLB, NHL, and NBA there are a number of stories about attendance figures being misleading because the actual number of fans who show up may be 5,000 even if the "official" figures say 13,000.

[Bimmerfanboy]

Originally Posted by ctr88

I was there and it felt fairly full but not sold out. The crowd felt decent. I think crowds at all college sports events are lighter before school is in session. In general I don't think UW football has as much of a "religious" type following as the Big 10 and SEC. lol. UW fans are a pretty mellow bunch, kind of coinciding with Seattle's calm culture in general. Kind of "wine & cheese" type fans. Big 10 and SEC games are really rowdy affairs & crowds and pre-game are rabid affairs.

I also think UW's start to the season had some people skeptical barely squeaking by two cup cake teams. Continuing to win will build more excitement. They played well Saturday.

Yeah I have to agree with this. I think part of it is just the culture of the region. A lot of natives Pacific Northwesterners have told me this and I've even noticed it myself, the sports culture here isn't as integral to society as it is in the midwest, south, or some of the major cities on the east coast. People are generally more mellow, friendly, and into their gadgets more than they're into sports. Where I'm from people start crying if the Red Wings have a down season or the Bears miss the playoffs. They expect excellence year in and year out and get depressed if they don't get a contender.

I don't mean to offend anybody but I really have the impression of Seahawks as "bandwagon" fans for this very reason. I've lived in the area for a little under a decade and didn't really see anybody besides some core football fans care for the team. In the past 2 years it seems like everybody is a fan now. For many "fans" it's just an opportunity to fit in and have something to talk about. I read in the Seattle Times yesterday that despite the Mariners' current playoff push, their attendance is still abysmal. I really think the sports fans here are just fair-weathered to be honest.

With that being said there's a lot more that goes to a city then sports fandom. I'm a huge sports guy and have been a bit let down at the sports culture in Seattle since I moved here, but you can't argue with the fact that the Seattle metro region is a pretty good place to live (besides the weather).

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by Seatown1

Attendance numbers are usually a bit inflated because they usually measure the number of tickets sold not the number of people who showed up to the game. For the MLB, NHL, and NBA there are a number of stories about attendance figures being misleading because the actual number of fans who show up may be 5,000 even if the "official" figures say 13,000.

haven't you noticed there is a counter when you enter a stadium? This is how they count the number of people.