The First Domino Has Fallen

[CALUPA69]

The California State University system will not be holding on campus classes this fall semester. It didn't talk about athletics but I'm sure that they won't be having them. This involves 23 schools.

https://abc7.com/education/csu-campu...ester/6176291/

Almost 500,000 students. Will the athletes stick around ?

[ccmoney8]

Yes. 15,000 average per home game, "once every two years."

I did some reading on this as I was curious - it looks like two things are happening:

1) The NCAA's rules on who is counted and who isn't counted leave for a broad variety of "fans," allowing some schools to fudge the numbers a little bit.
2) The NCAA has flat out ignored the rule, for one reason or another.

Page 3 refers to the attendance rules. This is just an FAQ sheet posted by the NCAA.

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/f...2%208%2014.pdf

There's an article on The Athletic about how schools get around this number when paid attendance is low, but I'm not signing up just to read it. I found a discussion of the article on Reddit, and one commenter pointed out how Charlotte brings in "young alumni" on "official visits" to "entice them to buy season tickets." It counts, per NCAA rules.

I did a quick search in the NCAA records and found that 9 teams (7%) did not have an average of 15,000 fans last year. Three of them (Ball State, University of Massachusetts, and Northern Illinois) all came in below 10,000. Some of those teams may have had a 15,000 average the previous year as well so they'd be in compliance with the rules.

The MAC as a whole has a stated average of 15,530 fans a game, up 72 from 2018 (oddly enough).

Lastly, four D2 teams were listed as having a higher attendance than Northern Illinois last year. Each of the Top 30 FCS teams beat NIU in attendance last season as well.

Makes sense. Plus attendance is self-reported anyway. If you're on the bubble, and you want to change a 4 to a 5, nobody will ever know.

[laker]

The California State University system will not be holding on campus classes this fall semester. It didn't talk about athletics but I'm sure that they won't be having them. This involves 23 schools.

https://abc7.com/education/csu-campu...ester/6176291/

[crixus]

Yes. 15,000 average per home game, "once every two years."

I did some reading on this as I was curious - it looks like two things are happening:

1) The NCAA's rules on who is counted and who isn't counted leave for a broad variety of "fans," allowing some schools to fudge the numbers a little bit.
2) The NCAA has flat out ignored the rule, for one reason or another.

Page 3 refers to the attendance rules. This is just an FAQ sheet posted by the NCAA.

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/f...2%208%2014.pdf

There's an article on The Athletic about how schools get around this number when paid attendance is low, but I'm not signing up just to read it. I found a discussion of the article on Reddit, and one commenter pointed out how Charlotte brings in "young alumni" on "official visits" to "entice them to buy season tickets." It counts, per NCAA rules.

I did a quick search in the NCAA records and found that 9 teams (7%) did not have an average of 15,000 fans last year. Three of them (Ball State, University of Massachusetts, and Northern Illinois) all came in below 10,000. Some of those teams may have had a 15,000 average the previous year as well so they'd be in compliance with the rules.

The MAC as a whole has a stated average of 15,530 fans a game, up 72 from 2018 (oddly enough).

Lastly, four D2 teams were listed as having a higher attendance than Northern Illinois last year. Each of the Top 30 FCS teams beat NIU in attendance last season as well.

The NCAA doesn't enforce their own rules. My alma mater (San Jose State) hasn't averaged 15K in eons, but they're still an FBS member of the Mountain West. Who are the four D2 teams that averaged more than NIU last year? Kudos to them!

[crixus]

Google.0

We didn't have those fancy schmancy computer programs where you talk and it types everything up for you. We had to actually type our own papers dagnabbit!

[crixus]

Well, back in my day, Miss Ingalls wouldn't let us take our books home.

I had the same problem with Miss Landers.

[SW_Mustang]

I thought FBS had an average attendance requirement... somewhere in the 15-20k range. Did they just make up the difference in their other games, I wonder?

Yes. 15,000 average per home game, "once every two years."

I did some reading on this as I was curious - it looks like two things are happening:

1) The NCAA's rules on who is counted and who isn't counted leave for a broad variety of "fans," allowing some schools to fudge the numbers a little bit.
2) The NCAA has flat out ignored the rule, for one reason or another.

Page 3 refers to the attendance rules. This is just an FAQ sheet posted by the NCAA.

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/f...2%208%2014.pdf

There's an article on The Athletic about how schools get around this number when paid attendance is low, but I'm not signing up just to read it. I found a discussion of the article on Reddit, and one commenter pointed out how Charlotte brings in "young alumni" on "official visits" to "entice them to buy season tickets." It counts, per NCAA rules.

I did a quick search in the NCAA records and found that 9 teams (7%) did not have an average of 15,000 fans last year. Three of them (Ball State, University of Massachusetts, and Northern Illinois) all came in below 10,000. Some of those teams may have had a 15,000 average the previous year as well so they'd be in compliance with the rules.

The MAC as a whole has a stated average of 15,530 fans a game, up 72 from 2018 (oddly enough).

Lastly, four D2 teams were listed as having a higher attendance than Northern Illinois last year. Each of the Top 30 FCS teams beat NIU in attendance last season as well.

[ccmoney8]

Most of the MAC should go FCS or D2. I saw a picture this year of either an Akron or Toledo game and there was ONE person one one side of the stadium, as in one fan. I didn't see the other side, but people said there were 500 people on that side, as in 501 people at the game. Yes, that low. I get playing body bag games and all that, but after awhile you gotta quit the D-1 charade of 6-figure coaches to work in front of 500 fans, while you cut half the colleges at your university.

I thought FBS had an average attendance requirement... somewhere in the 15-20k range. Did they just make up the difference in their other games, I wonder?

[UFOILERFAN]

Well, back in my day, Miss Ingalls wouldn't let us take our books home.

[GrifFan]

You kids have it so easy today. Back in my day (the 80's) we didn't have Google, Wikipedia or even the internet to copy and paste our way to degrees. We had to actually do our own research. Now get the hell off my lawn! :)

Google.0

[SW_Mustang]

I watched WWE's "Money In The Bank" Pay-Per-View on Sunday.

Contestants had to start at the bottom of company headquarters and work their way to the top. They ran both men's and women's matches at the same time. It was weird. Only could coronavirus inspire this (post-2001 or so, anyway).

The guy who won the men's match, Otis, wrestled collegiately for CSU-Pueblo.

The spot everyone talks about features a former NWMSU Bearcat chucking two dudes off the roof.

D2 sure is awesome.

[SW_Mustang]

I watched WWE's "Money In The Bank" Pay-Per-View on Sunday.

Contestants had to start at the bottom of company headquarters and work their way to the top. They ran both men's and women's matches at the same time. It was weird. Only could coronavirus inspire this (post-2001 or so, anyway).

[catatonic]

Well, APU is private and in the conference.

[Wildcat Khan]

Nothing about UFC back? Well guess what, there was a PPV last weekend.

[Wildcat Khan]

D2 is not a good fit for most private universities. There are too many partial scholarships. Tuition is much higher at private schools than at their public counterparts. A 10% scholarship at GCU leaves student with a lot more debt than a 10% scholarship at CWU. This difference creates a big recruiting problem.

Well, APU is private and in the conference.