ESPN: Louisville, USF on right path despite records

[UsfGoose]

Also, last year, when the Bucs went 3-13 and were among the worst teams in the league, they still managed to average 96 percent capacity at home for the season. You don't know what you're talking about.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance/_/year/2009

I know I don't what I am talking about but without looking at anything I can tell you the Giants,Bears and Packers are sold out no matter what their record is.  may be a few others.  I am thinking maybe the Redskins ?

I think you're right.  Redskins have sold out

[gobulls83]

Also, last year, when the Bucs went 3-13 and were among the worst teams in the league, they still managed to average 96 percent capacity at home for the season. You don't know what you're talking about.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance/_/year/2009

I know I don't what I am talking about but without looking at anything I can tell you the Giants,Bears and Packers are sold out no matter what their record is.  may be a few others.  I am thinking maybe the Redskins ?

Yeah there are obviously examples of this, but they are not the norm. There are also examples of losing teams with good attendance (the Carolina Panthers, for instance, are sixth in attendance so far this year, despite their 0-5 record; but the Panthers have only played three home games, we'll see if that trend continues).

Because the Green Bay Packers sell out every game for 38 years or whatever it is doesn't mean every other sports franchise is going to do the same. I don't think the Bears enjoy it to the same degree the Packers and Redskins do, in fact I'm not sure any sports franchise in the U.S. can compare to the Packers and Redskins in this regard. But even if they do, when three teams out of 32 can do it, and 29 can't, calling all the fans of those 29 bad fans or whatever is pretty silly. If less than 10 percent of NFL franchises have good fans, I think it's time to reconsider the definition of "good fan."

The simple, indisputable fact is this: Winning and home attendance have a direct, positive correlation. Teams with more wins almost always have more fans at the stadium, and if the same team becomes a loser two years later, then there will be fewer fans at the stadium. There's also the fact that the Bucs have posted losing seasons in about 90 percent of the years they've existed, etc.

Anyway, if I could sum up what I'm trying to say, it's this: Fans in Tampa are no different from fans anywhere else. There are a couple of cities that have developed unique relationships with specific teams that have spanned decades that allow those teams to transcend nationwide trends, but there aren't many of those franchises. The Rays' stadium IS a dump and it IS hard to get to and it's NOT in Tampa, but we can just decide to dismiss all these factors because one certain poster thinks he goes to more games than other fans do? Or whatever it is that makes posters who go on and on about this think they are authority figures on what it means to be a sports fan? It's just silly.

Bringing it back to USF, the team isn't going to get more supporters than Miami, Florida, or any more established program until in consistently wins more than those teams. Why? Because "winning and home attendance have a direct, positive correlation." I think it's really black and white, but I also think some people can't pass up the opportunity to tell themselves (and anyone else who will listen) how much better they are than everybody else.

[CousinRicky]

Also, last year, when the Bucs went 3-13 and were among the worst teams in the league, they still managed to average 96 percent capacity at home for the season. You don't know what you're talking about.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance/_/year/2009

I know I don't what I am talking about but without looking at anything I can tell you the Giants,Bears and Packers are sold out no matter what their record is.  may be a few others.  I am thinking maybe the Redskins ?

NY Metro population = about 19 million  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_metropolitan_area

Chicago area population = 9.6 million  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/19/chicago-area-population-g_n_176814.html

Washington DC area 8.2 million.  http://askville.amazon.com/population-Washington-DC-metro-area/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=25425071

Tampa Bay area = 2.7 million.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Area

I would bet the number of people earning over 100K in each area would show even more being in the favor of the NY, Chicago, Washington areas.

Green Bay doesn't count because the fans OWN the team.

I see this as just part of the explanation for poor fan support in this area.  The #1 answer it today's Top 10

1. Transplants

I'm a Giants fan, both baseball and football.  I cheer for the Bucs, Bolts and Rays but don't spend much of my money on them.  A few Rays games (because they are reasonably priced), maybe 1 Lightning game a year (but not all years) and have only been to 1 Bucs game in my 8 years down here.  Probably a ton more like me in the area.