Tommy Deas Explores the Trends in Fan Attendance

In a time not so long ago, a measuring stick to how much a football program could boast about their fan support revolved around the capacity of the on-campus stadium.

In recent years, the decline in game attendance has affected the ability for schools to fill their stadiums on a consistent basis.

Prior to Alabama's trip to Arkansas, head coach Nick Saban discussed his concerns at Alabama when it came to student attendance and the overall atmosphere at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

In Friday's edition of The Tuscaloosa News, veteran Alabama sportswriter Tommy Deas penned an article concerning the trends in fan attendance across the Southeastern Conference and college football.

During Monday's edition of Inside the Locker Room, Deas elaborated on some of the factors contributing to attendance issues across the country including how fans consume their college football.

"It has to do with that television in your living room. It's HD. You don't have to mess with parking. You don't have to deal with that price, whatever that price is." Deas said.

He further explained how the sport has become television oriented and how younger customers of college football are impacting attendance at games.

"It's the way people experience sports now is more television oriented, and I think the worry is that with cord cutters and people watching things on their phone and the generation of students you have now when they're in their 30s and 40s probably won't be people who've gone to all the games, who go for a little while because it's the social event, if they go at all, and then duck out early so I don't think they're going to replace the current generation of season ticket holders at the rate that the school's would like." Deas said.

Further in the conversation with Wimp and Barry Sanderson, the executive sports editor for The Tuscaloosa News explored the future of neutral site games for Alabama football and how high-end seating such as luxury suites and reduced prices at concessions prices will affect future enhancements to facilities at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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