empty stadium in shreveport

[MNCyGuy]

I saw enough of it and could care less about bowl games... They are getting to be a stupid event that is nothing but a money grab. Thing is, there is so much disinterest in these games that the money is going to dry up soon. I would definitely wait until after Friday to start throwing stones and make sure there is more than 20k at Yankee Stadium.

They might have to get more creative and change venues/conference affiliations more often, but I can't see it drying up. As with so many things, I could see ESPN single-handedly trying to keep the bowl system afloat. Those games just provide too much valuable content for them over the holiday season to let them die.

 

[D UP Clones]

I will never be tired of the bowl system...far better > boring, stale NFL.

There will be far more then 20k at the game.

I agree. People who complain about bowl games really aren't fans of college football. They may support a team but they really don't get why college football is special.

I couldn't care less about watching a pro game even though I watch it here and there. I love college football and catch every bowl game I can.

 

[IowaSTATCyclone]

While it wasnt bad.... the NC State/Louisville game last night was 150 miles from NCST, and 300sih miles from Lville nad the place wasnt sold out.

Keeps crossing fingers that St Louis gets bowl game.

Bowl games are not dependent on sell-outs. They are dependent on good attendance, sponsorship and broadcast advertising.

None of the secondary bowls have ever relied on sellouts, but completely empty stadiums are a disaster.

The Independence Bowl is very interesting, in that they have gone sponsorless one year (almost didn't survive that one) and had atrocious attendance this year. So they've managed to overcome big losses on two of the three keys (advertising is taken care of, for the most part, by the broadcaster.)

The infrastructure matters, too. Obviously the Independence has really good infrastructure, as it has survived for 30 years or so, sometimes without sponsorship, located in a non-tourist town, and usually with big conference "leftovers."

But I guarantee you they'll be hoping for better attenders next year than Mizzou and North Carolina. They made last year's Air Force - Georgia Tech game look downright festive.

A couple of years ago, they got A&M and Georgia, and that was well-attended, but the Independence affiliation isn't as good as it used to be. I bet they wish they could have gotten ULL this year.

 

[Mizzoulander]

I agree. People who complain about bowl games really aren't fans of college football. They may support a team but they really don't get why college football is special.

I couldn't care less about watching a pro game even though I watch it here and there. I love college football and catch every bowl game I can.

College football IS special, but it has NOTHING to do with bowl system. Like so many other things, the bowl system was once a unique and special characteristic that has been corrupted and vulgarized by TV and money.

Bowl games used to be played immediately before or after New Year's, in warm southern cities as a reward for a great season. Now they're played EVERYWHERE, for an entire month, and available to any team that doesn't have a losing record. Yuck.

I enjoy college sports because of the regionalism, the affinity for a college, and for the youth and amateurism of (most) of the players. But when they decided to make these bowl reps the final arbitors of the postseason, that's something I don't support.

 

[BryceC]

Um, it's not just Mizzu... Every bowl game has had terrible attendance and all of the remaining ones probably will too... The average of the games that have been played have had announced attendance of right around 40,000 with actual attendance averaging under 20,000.

Did you see the game? I've never seen stands so empty.

 

[Stormin]

Good Link. One reporter estimated 8,000 or 20% of ticket holders. This blog writer suggested about 3,000 or 7% of ticket holders.

How Many People Really Attended Yesterday's Independence Bowl? - St. Louis News - Daily RFT

 

[Al_4_State]

I'm enjoying watching these games a lot more than I would enjoy watching a handful of SEC teams, USC, Texas, OU, Ohio State, Michigan, and Virginia Tech in a play off ever year. Last night featured 2 well attended games between schools that would rarely play and were wildly entertaining, no-holds barred contests.

NFL playoffs work because of parity. With no parity, playoffs become very, very boring. Outside of the fans of those schools, and the shills who have a hard-on for traditional dynasties, who wants to see the same 12 schools battle it out every year while everyone else stays home?

Anything more than a plus one or 8 team conference champion based playoff system would make college football incredibly boring. Eliminating the bowl system entirely would lend even less parity to college football and screw schools like ISU. Any ISU fan who wants to scrap it, quite frankly places something else above ISU in terms of the college football landscape.

 

[SC Cy]

College football IS special, but it has NOTHING to do with bowl system.

College football has EVERYTHING to do with the bowl system. A very select few have national championship goals at the beginning of the season. The rest have aspirations of making it to a bowl game. It is a reward for the players, coaches, and fans.

Tell the Iowa State players that bowl games aren't special. Follow them on Twitter, they are having the time of their lives! They are visiting NYC and getting the VIP treatment. Many are getting ready to suit up for the final time in their football lives. You think bowls don't mean anything? Ask them if it doesn't mean anything.

How about the Ohio State Sr's next season that will be sitting at home when any other year they'd be practicing for a bowl game. Matt Barkley is coming back to USC next season because he has unfinished business. It is killing him not being in a bowl this season.

The UNC and Missouri seniors that worked their ***** off for four or five years deserve to have better fans than you.

 

[SC Cy]

I enjoy college sports because of the regionalism

This one is just too easy...

 

[theshadow]

Anything more than a plus one or 8 team conference champion based playoff system would make college football incredibly boring.

Had a top-4 playoff been in place...

2011 - (1) LSU/(4) Stanford; (2) Alabama/(3) Oklahoma State
2010 - Auburn/Stanford; Oregon/TCU
2009 - Alabama/TCU; Texas/Cincinnati
2008 - Oklahoma/Alabama; Florida/Texas
2007 - Ohio State/Oklahoma; LSU/Virginia Tech
2006 - Ohio State/LSU; Florida/Michigan
2005 - USC/Ohio State; Texas/Penn State
2004 - USC/Texas; Oklahoma/Auburn
2003 - Oklahoma/Michigan; LSU/USC
2002 - Miami/USC; Ohio State/Georgia
2001 - Miami/Oregon; Nebraska/Colorado
2000 - Oklahoma/Washington; Florida State/Miami
1999 - Florida State/Alabama; Virginia Tech/Nebraska
1998 - Tennessee/Ohio State; Florida State/Kansas State

Sure, there would have been chances of conference rematches, but most of those would have qualified as must-watch games.

 

[Die4Cy]

Like so many other things, the bowl system was once a unique and special characteristic that has been corrupted and vulgarized by TV and money.

This one is a doozy too. What was the reason the SEC picked up Missouri again? We've already established their excellent fanbase wasn't it....

 

[Mizzoulander]

College football has EVERYTHING to do with the bowl system. A very select few have national championship goals at the beginning of the season. The rest have aspirations of making it to a bowl game. It is a reward for the players, coaches, and fans.

Tell the Iowa State players that bowl games aren't special. Follow them on Twitter, they are having the time of their lives! They are visiting NYC and getting the VIP treatment. Many are getting ready to suit up for the final time in their football lives. You think bowls don't mean anything? Ask them if it doesn't mean anything.

How about the Ohio State Sr's next season that will be sitting at home when any other year they'd be practicing for a bowl game. Matt Barkley is coming back to USC next season because he has unfinished business. It is killing him not being in a bowl this season.

The UNC and Missouri seniors that worked their ***** off for four or five years deserve to have better fans than you.

Oh, my bad. I thought we were talking about Division I COLLEGE FOOTBALL, not some Pop Warner league.

You want to give the hard-working kids a vacation at the end of the year? Fine. But the whole "it's important for the players" argument is the biggest load of garbage ever. Don't believe for a second that the bowls exist primarily as a reward for players. If college football truly cared about its players, they'd pay them.

Bowls exist to bring in tourist money for the venues, and to provide content for the sports networks during a time when a lot of people are at home with little to do.

If it's really "all about the players," then let's just add 20 more bowls and call it a day. That way, the players from Texas Tech and Minnesota and elsewhere who worked THEIR butts off can be rewarded with even more meaningless matchups.

This is America...everybody should get a trophy.

 

[CyBer]

Oh, my bad. I thought we were talking about Division I COLLEGE FOOTBALL, not some Pop Warner league.

You want to give the hard-working kids a vacation at the end of the year? Fine. But the whole "it's important for the players" argument is the biggest load of garbage ever. Don't believe for a second that the bowls exist primarily as a reward for players. If college football truly cared about its players, they'd pay them.

Bowls exist to bring in tourist money for the venues, and to provide content for the sports networks during a time when a lot of people are at home with little to do.

If it's really "all about the players," then let's just add 20 more bowls and call it a day. That way, the players from Texas Tech and Minnesota and elsewhere who worked THEIR butts off can be rewarded with even more meaningless matchups.

This is America...everybody should get a trophy.

You are the stupidest poster on the board, and that is quite a feat. Maybe I will make an award for you.

 

[Palmer]

Oh, my bad. I thought we were talking about Division I COLLEGE FOOTBALL, not some Pop Warner league.

You want to give the hard-working kids a vacation at the end of the year? Fine. But the whole "it's important for the players" argument is the biggest load of garbage ever. Don't believe for a second that the bowls exist primarily as a reward for players. If college football truly cared about its players, they'd pay them.

Bowls exist to bring in tourist money for the venues, and to provide content for the sports networks during a time when a lot of people are at home with little to do.

If it's really "all about the players," then let's just add 20 more bowls and call it a day. That way, the players from Texas Tech and Minnesota and elsewhere who worked THEIR butts off can be rewarded with even more meaningless matchups.

This is America...everybody should get a trophy.

quit whining. mizzou or ISU would never (if rarely) sniff a playoff.

bowls are good for lower tier programs.

 

[SC Cy]

You want to give the hard-working kids a vacation at the end of the year? Fine. But the whole "it's important for the players" argument is the biggest load of garbage ever. Don't believe for a second that the bowls exist primarily as a reward for players. If college football truly cared about its players, they'd pay them.

Do you think the players care that bowls make money? Guess what, they LOVE that the games are on the radio and on TV. They LOVE getting bags of swag from bowl sponsors. They LOVE being the talk of the town. They LOVE having one more shot to put on their college uniform. Yes, to the players the game is all about them. How can you argue that?

 

[IowaSTATCyclone]

Oh, my bad. I thought we were talking about Division I COLLEGE FOOTBALL, not some Pop Warner league.

You want to give the hard-working kids a vacation at the end of the year? Fine. But the whole "it's important for the players" argument is the biggest load of garbage ever. Don't believe for a second that the bowls exist primarily as a reward for players. If college football truly cared about its players, they'd pay them.

Bowls exist to bring in tourist money for the venues, and to provide content for the sports networks during a time when a lot of people are at home with little to do.

If it's really "all about the players," then let's just add 20 more bowls and call it a day. That way, the players from Texas Tech and Minnesota and elsewhere who worked THEIR butts off can be rewarded with even more meaningless matchups.

This is America...everybody should get a trophy.

In the case of Mizzou, they got two. The one the tiger broke and the new one.

I guess that was their consolation for taking the principled stand of boycotting their own bowl game.

Next year, Mizzou ought to decline the invitation altogether and let some players from any other team who do find it to be important to go.

 

[Mizzoulander]

You are the stupidest poster on the board, and that is quite a feat. Maybe I will make an award for you.

Go ahead. I'll smash it. It's how we roll.

:smile:

 

[D UP Clones]

Oh, my bad. I thought we were talking about Division I COLLEGE FOOTBALL, not some Pop Warner league.

You want to give the hard-working kids a vacation at the end of the year? Fine. But the whole "it's important for the players" argument is the biggest load of garbage ever. Don't believe for a second that the bowls exist primarily as a reward for players. If college football truly cared about its players, they'd pay them.

Bowls exist to bring in tourist money for the venues, and to provide content for the sports networks during a time when a lot of people are at home with little to do.

If it's really "all about the players," then let's just add 20 more bowls and call it a day. That way, the players from Texas Tech and Minnesota and elsewhere who worked THEIR butts off can be rewarded with even more meaningless matchups.

This is America...everybody should get a trophy.

Only talking heads and people who don't know the real facts claim players don't get paid. Players at bowls are getting up to $550 in mrchandise. Do I really have to educate you on all the financial benefits players receive?

Pell grant money(thousands of dollars just given to actually needy players), living allowance, meals paid for, arranged summer jobs, a college education, etc. Only clueless people claim they don't get paid.

These players are never hurting for money unless they waste it.

 

[Mizzoulander]

Do you think the players care that bowls make money? Guess what, they LOVE that the games are on the radio and on TV. They LOVE getting bags of swag from bowl sponsors. They LOVE being the talk of the town. They LOVE having one more shot to put on their college uniform. Yes, to the players the game is all about them. How can you argue that?

Look...nobody's arguing the the player's don't love it. They love the swag. They love the attention (although I find it a BIT of a stretch that the Pinstripe Bowl is the talk of NYC). I've got no problem with any of that.

But what's good for the players' entertainment is not good for the sport. If you want to treat it like an exhibition, make it a true exhibition - like the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Everybody has fun...the outcome doesn't matter.

But if these bowls are supposed to be the postseason to determine the overall success of a team, we can do better than this. Match teams up based on objective measures...not who will best prop up the casinos around town. Put the games on campus, or create "mini-playoffs" of 4 teams from different conferences, and make postseason wins meaningful again.

Is there a more compelling postseason in ANY sport than the NCAA Basketball Tournament? How could we get college basketball's postseason so right, and college football's so wrong?

 

[CyBer]

Go ahead. I'll smash it. It's how we roll.

:smile:

Your klutz of a mascot rolls that way.