Folks, I was shocked last night to see the number of empties in the Orange Bowl. The upper deck was somewhat empty and thousands in the lower bowl were as well. Now I don't know how many empties there were or what the official "sold attendence" will be, but a persons eyes don't lie. I can remember when it was almost impossible to find a decent ticket to that game when OU or Nebraska were playing.

So what is the problem? Attendence is down at many of the traditional so called P5 leagues. They won't admit that, but it is. The TU/OU game wasn't even sold out here for crying out loud. Well, IMO its not just the amount of TV, but the price of tickets and the surcharges people are having to pay.

And then its the long trip distances. A family of four who buy season tickets and don't live near the stadium spend an entire day on the road and pay hundreds of dollars at least 6 times a year. Then a possible playoff game and bowl game - possibly in the rain or snow - like at Memphis this year. It can turn into a miserable experience.

I think this is why we at TU have an advantage over say an OSU - at least in the long run if we make the experience worth the trouble. Its a much shorter trip for most of us in the Tulsa area. If we can remedy the parking issue and keep the ticket prices reasonable, a lot of casual TU fans can turn and become just casual OSU fans.

Now OU is a slightly different story. From midtown Tulsa using the turnpike and then to Norman is about a 135 mile trip - one way - to attend a game. Then a nice long walk. A couple of overpriced meals and long walk. If OU's team is as bad as they were this year, a lot of empties will result.

All TU has to do is win, provide decent parking, have a nicer stadium with amentities and big league atmosphere. TU is the only FB playing "metropolitan" school within hundreds of miles that has a somewhat captive population of football lovers.

Alumni be dXXned. How many alumni does the Dallas Cowboys or the Denver Broncos or KC Chiefs have? TU actually HAS an alumni, they don't. No, TU can be what it wants to be. But we have to make changes. A good product that people want to see "live" - and a fanbase that can see the game for a reasonable price. Thats all thats required imo.

Its really very simple.

Not sure I'd say "alumni be dXXned"... I'm an alum and in my opinion alumni make up a very vital piece of game day (we also give money). However I do think TU needs to make a few changes regarding game day logistics, but they continue to improve every year. Winning/exciting football also helps. I'm sure the excitement of a new coach will get a few more casual fans out to games next year.

I think the alumni statement was my attempt to show how alumni are improtant but not imperative to the attendence success of a program . For instance, can an OSU alum be a TU fan? Of course. Same with an OU fan or Notre Dame fan etc. And yes the Dallas Cowboys have no alums yet have a sold out venue every week.

An alum may have a favorite school and yet not have a favorite team from that school. And what about the thousands of folks that never went to a college but love FB or college basketball. No, IMO schools don't matter as much as the "event" or the entertainment. But of course this is just an opinion of an outsider looking in.

I think you can successfully cater to both groups - I completely agree that we need more casual fan interest and we need to do a better job of making EVERY ONE feel welcome at our games. That's how these gigantic programs do it. However, I think having alumni, tradition, fanfare etc are what separate how college and nfl games are perceived and I don't think those things automatically turn off casual non alumni sports fans.