The MAC has an attendance problem. How can it be fixed?
The Mid-American Conference has reached a point where college football broadcasting money has trumped the major push to get fans in the seats — or bleachers — at games.
Perhaps it is a strategy to survive in a college sports world dominated by dollar signs. Big money has brought us big conferences, big games and more ways to watch games.
It’s natural selection, and the featherweights such as the MAC or the Sun Belt need a way to survive. So what do they do?
For the MAC, the conference saw an opportunity to play midweek games — Tuesday and Wednesday night “MACtion” — in exchange for more generated revenue, national (and sometimes international exposure) and, potentially, a rudimentary way to recruit.
But that decision has come at a cost, sort of?
Since the MAC switched to midweek games in November, the average attendance rating has dropped rather significantly.
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In 2004, the last season before the conference switched to midweek games, the average attendance was 17,899, according to NCAA data. By 2005, when the conference shifted to the midweek format, the average dropped to 14,489 — a significant and noticeable drop-off.
2014 saw 15,431 on average, which is up from 2005, but still roughly 14 percent of what it used to be.
So, in keeping with the big theme, the big question is if it’s worth it. And if so, how can programs work around the current format to cash in on ticket sales?
A 2014 story from ESPN noted there were 21 on-campus stadiums selling beer. Technically, the MAC does not prohibit alcohol sales.
“Listen, I think there’s a natural marriage between entertainment and alcohol and food that go hand-in-hand,” Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey said at MAC Media Day on July 29. “I don’t know how it would hurt.”
Carey acknowledged issues such as underage drinking, but said those issues have been successfully navigated. NIU sells alcohol outside and in special areas, the coach said.
At Ohio, alcohol can be purchased in Tail-Great Park, Hospitality Village and the Tower Club, according to Ohio Athletics. The latter is inside Peden Stadium, but away from the general stadium and the student seating.
Yet, MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher doesn’t want to blame a decrease in attendance merely on midweek games, which could mean one-or-two midweek home games throughout a 12-game regular season.
“I don’t know that I’d put it solely on that,” Steinbrecher said about alcohol sales potentially increasing attendance and overall revenue. “Different schools have different philosophies on it, and there’s certain control issues you’ve gotta have in place with it."
While that doesn’t necessarily solve the economical issues, it could be something discussed over a beer or two.
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohio.edu
