January 5, 2009

Attendance down, but several bowls setting records

Not that this is going to surprise anyone who has been watching the bowl games this year, but bowl game attendance is way down.

According to the Houston Chronicle, 18 bowls have suffered lowered attendance this season. Seven bowls didn't even cross the 35,000 mark.

But the trend is not completely negative.

The Chron says attendance was up for this year's Cotton Bowl by 15,000, bolstered by a compelling matchup and loyal fanbases within easy driving distance of Dallas and additional seating that was installed. The crowd of 88,175 is second only to the Rose Bowl (93,923) this year.

Ticket sales for the Hawaii Bowl were up nearly 43% thanks to Notre Dame.

The International Bowl (UConn-Buffalo), Emerald Bowl (Cal-Miami), New Orleans Bowl (Troy-Southern Miss) and the Champs Sports Bowl (FSU-Wisconsin) all set new attendance records, thanks in large part to teams making appearances for the first time in years and favorable drive-time proximities.

Just as the bowl organizers have always said... it's all about the matchup.

Comments:

Attendance down, but several bowls setting records
Not that this is going to surprise anyone who has been watching the bowl games this year, but bowl game attendance is way down. According to the Houston Chronicle, 18 bowls have suffered lowered attendance this season. Seven bowls didn't even cross the 35,000 mark. But the trend is not completely negative. The Chron says attendance was up for this year's Cotton Bowl by 15,000, bolstered by a compelling matchup and loyal fanbases within easy driving distance of Dallas and additional seating that was installed. The crowd of 88,175 is second only to the Rose Bowl (93,923) this year. Ticket sales for the Hawaii Bowl were up nearly 43% thanks to Notre Dame. The International Bowl (UConn-Buffalo), Emerald Bowl (Cal-Miami), New Orleans Bowl (Troy-Southern Miss) and the Champs Sports Bowl (FSU-Wisconsin) all set new attendance records, thanks in large part to teams making appearances for the first time in years and favorable drive-time proximities. Just as the bowl organizers have always said... it's all about the matchup.