Free admission and giveaways might be enough to attract students to games, but not keep them there
On a warm October afternoon at Peden Stadium, the Ohio football team played Akron in front of 20,018 fans. The student section, located behind the Bobcats’ sideline, was full of life heading into halftime with the home team leading a tight game, 13-10.
The Ohio players jogged off the field to the sight of thousands of excited student fans that were proud of their team’s effort. What the players saw when they returned was quite a bit different.
The crowded, rambunctious student section from the first half had diminished to a much smaller, quieter group. Many students are drawn to big athletic events on campus, but find reasons to leave early.
This problem was evident to some degree or another during every home football game, regardless of the halftime score. To some, the football games served as a cheap opening act for the marching band’s halftime performance.
No disrespect to the Marching 110, but as talented as those band members are, the athletes on the field deserve the same level of respect. Only some fans provide that respect.
“I think (Ohio sporting events) are very fun and exciting and kind of a big deal for the school,” said Nina Grillis, a freshman. “I like to stay for a while, but I don’t stay until the very, very end.”
It’s reasonable for students to leave a game before the clock completely runs out, especially when it is out of reach, because homework or other obligations are an important part of their schedules. After all, college isn’t supposed to be a glorified vacation. Weather conditions and the agonizing length of some games also contribute to the significant number of early exits.
“The games are long … I feel like it just tests people’s patience,” said senior Jonathan Flaugher. “So they stay to see halftime, and then are like, ‘all right I went to half a game,’ so they leave.”
Flaugher touched on a very important point. Many students just don’t have the patience, or perhaps the attention span, to sit and watch an event that lasts two or three hours such as a collegiate basketball or football game.
At the same time, it’s very possible that the relative lack of success of our major sports teams is the most glaring reason why fans either don’t want to commit to watching a full game or attend games at all.
“In order to get more people to attend games, you need to put a more competitive team on the field,” Flaugher said.
And he’s right. People like to associate themselves with winning teams. A 6-6 football team isn’t nearly as glamorous to spend your time watching as, say, Ohio State, the 2015 National Champions.
It’s not reasonable to expect a National Championship here anytime soon, but bowl game appearances for the football team and national tournament appearances for the basketball teams will undoubtedly attract more fans. Until then, Ohio’s biggest selling points are free giveaways.
Scarves, bobble heads and replica jerseys are just a few of the mementos fans had the opportunity to receive for free this year at sporting events.
These freebies used to be handed out at the beginning of games, but have since been held until after games are more than half over.
“(Ohio’s) idea of giving giveaways away in the second half (of football and basketball games) is fantastic because that forces fans to stay, so I think that is a wonderful thing,” Flaugher said.
Delaying the distribution of giveaways may only be delaying the inevitable exit of fans before a game’s end, but at least it’s an improvement.
“Plus we’re paying for it anyway,” Flaugher said, “so might as well use it.”
Jordan Horrobin is a freshman studying journalism and is a sportswriter for The Post. Let him know your thoughts about fans leaving games early on Twitter @JordanHorrobin or through email at jh950614@ohio.edu.
