Rutgers & Big Ten Attendance: are you a fan or are you leaving early?

Normally, we talk about who showed up at games. And we will.

But today, we’re also going to talk about who showed up and when they left. Consider....

Scott Goodale is more than the wrestling coach. He’s a fan, a “Rutgers guy” by employment and, I’d say, by choice. And he’s right. Why are people leaving when the game is still in the balance? Why, in truth, are you there? To have an excuse to get out of the house/dorm in order to party? Forget who or how may showed up; who stayed?

And it’s not just Scott Goodale and me taking notice. A couple of comments from our post on the game:

I can’t help but bring up a point we’ve talked about ad nauseam: fans leaving games early.

I saw plenty of people leaving at the beginning of the 4th quarter, and some even in the 3rd quarter – this also included a lot of the students. I seriously don’t get it. Why did you come to the game? Was it to get yourself that nice soft pretzel you crave on a Saturday afternoon and head home? Scott Goodale certainly took notice and tweeted about it.

Posted by HowRU on Oct 22, 2017 | 11:10 AM

Or this:

The student section definitely lost at least a few hundred kids as well. I also sit near the top of the bowl, so I see them all coming and going. We’re obviously bad at showing up on time, too.

I just don’t get it. Why did you come to the game if you’re going to leave when the game is close and clearly not over? Sure, if we’re up or down 35 points, while it’d be nice if you still stayed to show your support, I get why some people leave. But I’ve seen it happen multiple times every season when it’s still a close game. We go up or down a TD and there are 9 minutes left, "Looks like this one’s over!"

Posted by HowRU on Oct 22, 2017 | 12:35 PM

This post - well, a lot of our posts - tends to be a mix of information and opinion. It’s a fan blog after all. Well, here comes the opinion. It was a beautiful day. Rutgers was in it, regardless of how “ugly” it might have been. And a lot of people baled. That sucks. Are you fans or not? Come on, people!

How many people actually buy season tickets?

Glad you asked. So did we, through an Open Public Records request. And the answer wasn’t all that great.

Rutgers season ticket sales, since the Flood era began, has peaked and then declined, fairly significantly.

This season, there were fewer season tickets sold than there were in Flood’s first season, 2012. Rutgers expected some decline after the rush of entry into the Big Ten. But the lack of success has certainly hurt attendance. If Ash pulls off a few more wins and shows that the culture is changing and that the process is working, will there be an uptick in 2018?

Around the Big Ten

It’s good to be the home team! All six teams playing before the home crowd won on Saturday. And for Penn State, it was a Beaver Stadium record crowd.

Rutgers had its smallest crowd since the Morgan State game in week two. And No-western had its second largest crowd of the season. And, continuing the trend, the big dogs were the big dogs. The separation between the two tiers in the conference is clear, stark, and a pattern.

Ticket Prices: how much is too much?

There have been comments on our posts about the cost of attending a Rutgers game. And you’ve seen/heard them: “I’d go if they didn’t charge NFL prices” and “Too much for the product they put out”. Well, for starters, we aren’t charging NFL prices; I know, I have Jets tickets. But is it too much, especially for the “casual” fan?

I took a look at the team websites to see what was being charged for upcoming games. There might - might - be a point to the price issue.

In looking at pricing, I tried to look at somewhat comparable locations and opponents. Here’s what we found.

Rutgers vs MSU

Lower level, Row L - that’s about half way up. And under the “dynamic pricing” which adjusts for prior sales and interest, this game still has tickets available for around $85.

Indiana vs RU

Put us as the visitor at Indiana. And for $60, you’re closer to midfield than you are at Rutgers.

Maryland vs IU

Okay, we already know that nobody shows up at Maryland games. And the pricing reflects that. From a location standpoint, this is more in line with the Rutgers’ ticket location shown. And for $35 less.

And, of course, going to a resale site, such as Stub Hub, will let you find tickets even cheaper. I buy tickets because I’m a fan: dedicated, committed, crazy. But maybe Rutgers really needs to look at those prices.