[BostonCard]

Ultimately, I think there is a conflict between television and live attendance.  The goal of TV is to make as much content available and cover as large a portion of the calendar as possible, so games start as early as 11 am Eastern and end as late as 1 AM Pacific the next day, plus games are scheduled on Thursdays and Fridays, and Sundays and Mondays before the NFL starts.  That's great if you are like my brother, who likes nothing more than to plop down on the couch in the morning and watch 10+ hours of football.  But if you are a fan of a specific team, it means that the game is more frequently scheduled at 6 pm on a Friday instead of 3 pm on a Saturday, and while many of us will go, for the marginal fan it can make the difference between attendance and watching from home (especially now that it is available).

Now here is the thing.  I know of very few people who became fans watching a team on TV.  Most become fans being part of the spectacle and then watch TV when they cannot attend.  If you are making it more inconvenient for the marginal fan, the effect is you are sacrificing tomorrow's fans for the benefit of getting more of today's fans to watch more.  With ever more entertainment competition, that is not a sustainable business model for ever, and my guess is that we are at peak football.

BC

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Note, I merged the two college football attendance threads together.

BC

[BostonCard]

Ultimately, I think there is a conflict between television and live attendance.  The goal of TV is to make as much content available and cover as large a portion of the calendar as possible, so games start as early as 11 am Eastern and end as late as 1 AM Pacific the next day, plus games are scheduled on Thursdays and Fridays, and Sundays and Mondays before the NFL starts.  That's great if you are like my brother, who likes nothing more than to plop down on the couch in the morning and watch 10+ hours of football.  But if you are a fan of a specific team, it means that the game is more frequently scheduled at 6 pm on a Friday instead of 3 pm on a Saturday, and while many of us will go, for the marginal fan it can make the difference between attendance and watching from home (especially now that it is available).

Now here is the thing.  I know of very few people who became fans watching a team on TV.  Most become fans being part of the spectacle and then watch TV when they cannot attend.  If you are making it more inconvenient for the marginal fan, the effect is you are sacrificing tomorrow's fans for the benefit of getting more of today's fans to watch more.  With ever more entertainment competition, that is not a sustainable business model for ever, and my guess is that we are at peak football.

BC

---

Note, I merged the two college football attendance threads together.

BC