Apparently, attendance inflation isn't just a school thing, bowls do it too:

For example, the AP reported this week that the Las Vegas Bowl announced attendance of 34,197 but tickets scanned by the stadium were 16,568.

The Birmingham (toilet) Bowl was even worse: Announced attendance of 27,193 while actual attendance was 9,679.

https://apnews.com/83d423caaf2ae25a3629081a83f826c8

Bowl committees don't care. They get the money whether the tickets get used or not.

Birmingham Bowl is far from a toilet bowl. It's played in one of the sport's most historic stadiums. It's also played in probably the country's best college football city.

(01-10-2020 10:44 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Birmingham Bowl is far from a toilet bowl. It's played in one of the sport's most historic stadiums. It's also played in probably the country's best college football city.

That 9,679 people attended.

Weather sucked for the Birmingham Bowl. Thunder storms, pouring rain. They delayed the game 90 minutes. A lot of people that had tickets stayed at their hotel.

UC fans not thrilled to go to Birmingham. We did not enjoy our trip in 2007, disappointed we did not get a better opponent and bowl after 10-3 season. BC does not have a strong traveling fan base and had lost their coach and a couple pstarters.

(01-10-2020 10:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Bowl committees don't care. They get the money whether the tickets get used or not.

Both of those bowl games, and many others, are owned and operated by ESPN. Attendance is a very minor concern for them.

The stadiums are essentially TV studios for these bowl games, and does anyone care how many people are sitting in the live studio audience for their favorite TV show?

Tickets distributed is what the NBA and NHL have used for 15+ years.
Before 1992, the National League used actual turnstile numbers while the AL used distribution. With consolidation, they define attendance as "tickets sold", not "tickets used"

(01-10-2020 10:35 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  The Birmingham (toilet) Bowl

Hilarious and very original. Which famous comedian are you opening for next?

(01-10-2020 11:31 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(01-10-2020 10:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Bowl committees don't care. They get the money whether the tickets get used or not.

Both of those bowl games, and many others, are owned and operated by ESPN. Attendance is a very minor concern for them.

The stadiums are essentially TV studios for these bowl games, and does anyone care how many people are sitting in the live studio audience for their favorite TV show?

I foresee the day when some of these bowls are just moved to a studio lot with canned applause and CGI fans and cheerleaders added in the production truck. Would save everyone a ton of money.

Heck, just make them totally E-sports, complete CGI fabrications, with ace Madden 2025 players from each school running their teams?

It always about tickets sold not used. Bowls are no longer about fans but TV Money. Now that players opt out, the games have far less meaning. Just one of the consequences of the CFP.

I still watch on TV, but I don't pay to go and watch. Just not the fun and majesty it use to be.

(01-10-2020 10:44 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Birmingham Bowl is far from a toilet bowl. It's played in one of the sport's most historic stadiums. It's also played in probably the country's best college football city.

History may be part of the stadium, but the stadium is a dump, its falling apart. Last time I was there, several people's cars got broken into, and in the middle of the day.

The City itself isnt that bad, just the area around Legion Field...

I wish the city, and possibly people who love the history of the stadium would have come together and restore it and update it while it was still possible, but it's way too far gone. The beat thing that could happen is tear it down. The new stadium that will be built should be tons better.

The Birmingham Bowl will do much better in the new stadium. As for tickets sold versus used. A lot of the difference is the tickets that each school has to purchase. A whole bunch of these do not get sold by the schools, but they had to "pay" for them.

(01-10-2020 10:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  ESPiN don't care. They get the money whether the tickets get used or not.

FIFY

I would assume at least for the Vegas bowl, the tickets where probably bought by casinos. Maybe to comp player's.

(01-10-2020 12:58 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(01-10-2020 11:31 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(01-10-2020 10:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Bowl committees don't care. They get the money whether the tickets get used or not.

Both of those bowl games, and many others, are owned and operated by ESPN. Attendance is a very minor concern for them.

The stadiums are essentially TV studios for these bowl games, and does anyone care how many people are sitting in the live studio audience for their favorite TV show?

I foresee the day when some of these bowls are just moved to a studio lot with canned applause and CGI fans and cheerleaders added in the production truck. Would save everyone a ton of money.

Heck, just make them totally E-sports, complete CGI fabrications, with ace Madden 2025 players from each school running their teams?

You maybe exaggerating, but you are dead on about the smaller bowls. ESPiN owns them and ratings is all that matters. The bowls sold out to ESPiN and we see the consequences.

(01-10-2020 10:46 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  

(01-10-2020 10:44 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Birmingham Bowl is far from a toilet bowl. It's played in one of the sport's most historic stadiums. It's also played in probably the country's best college football city.

That 9,679 people attended.

You needed Noah's Ark to get to the game. Only the most hardcore football fan with no rooting interest in either team would have gone to that game. If you lived in Birmingham you would not have gone to that game in those weather conditions.

Add to that, that is probably the most least desirable outdoor football stadium to be stuck at during a biblical rainfall. Ijs.........

(01-10-2020 10:58 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  Weather sucked for the Birmingham Bowl. Thunder storms, pouring rain. They delayed the game 90 minutes. A lot of people that had tickets stayed at their hotel.

UC fans not thrilled to go to Birmingham. We did not enjoy our trip in 2007, disappointed we did not get a better opponent and bowl after 10-3 season. BC does not have a strong traveling fan base and had lost their coach and a couple pstarters.

Hell, there was open speculation in the media whether or not the game was actually going to be played or cancelled.

I don't blame anyone who looked at the forecast and the radar on their weather ap and said, "I'm not going out in that just to have it get cancelled on me..."