What happened to UT Football Attendance:
There are several things
1. The Team hasnt done well in the last several years. In fact, it has been a decade since the team has done really well.
2. There are more things to do now than ever before.
3. The promotion of the team in Knoxville by the Knoxville Media has went to pot.
Its pretty obvious that our team hasnt done well on the field. Through the 80s and 90s fans came to expect to come to a game and see UT beat the snot out of someone, anyone, in Neyland. For most of the last 10 years the game day expectation is we might win if everything goes our way and the other team isnt too good.
20 years ago in East Tennessee there wasnt much else to do on Saturday evenings. You went to Knoxville, kicked around downtown Knoxville at Sears or Millers, ate diner somewhere, and went to a movie. 5 or 6 weekends in the fall there was UT Football. Today Pigeon Forge offers a dozen different theaters, rides, water parks, shopping centers. Theres West Town Mall in Knoxville, shows, all sorts of things to do. Still, a lot of us love UT Football. The problem is, relative to other things, its pricy to go to a game. One can reasonably expect it to cost $250 minimum per person to go to a game. Thats tickets, parking, meals, gas, etc. There are other options that cost less. With the economy the way it is, like it or not, cost does factor in. One of the mistakes college athletics has made over the years is paying coaches too much, spending too much on facilities, etc to the point that tickets and parking have gotten out of hand. In my opinion, they made that bed, let them wolllow in it.
Then there is the 3rd item. Promotion. In the 70s UT Football wasnt that good. Yeah, we won some games and had some great players, but Kentucky beat us several times in the 70s. We were about on par with what weve had the last 10 years. How was it overcome? Having a local media (talk Radio) analyzing every detail of UT Football? Nope. It was overcome on the backs of 2 people. Claude Tomlinson and John Ward. Between the 2 of them they made you want to come to a game and see the show in person. Listening to John Ward was like being there. It made you want to be there. The only way for it to get better than listening to John while watching it on the tv was to be there in the stands listening to John on a transistor radio.
Then there was Claude the Cat. How many remember Johnny Manors interviewing Johnny Majors? Pigskin Pollys, Leonard Poststis, all the UT skits Claude did with Lester and Mr Shultz. It was endless. It made people think about UT Football, it made them desire to go to the game. They did that then because that crowd was very significant to the Knoxville economy. WIVKs advertisers wanted the people to drive to K-Town from Lafollette, buy a Car at Ted Russells, shop Cas Walkers, and go to the game. They did and it worked. When Wilhite and Wall took over in the late 80s for Claude they took it to a new level. Every other song the station played was a special version supplied to them by the artist somehow mentioning UT Football.
It wasnt just WIVK. How many remember WOKI playing Rocky Top 38 times in a row? Phil Williams on WBIR/WIMZ was always promoting UT Football.
Basically, the local media didnt spend all day talking about this coach and that coach and which one needs to go or stay or who got in trouble or who did what. The things coming from the media in that time period were all UT and All Promotion.
Then came the 90s. Andy and Allison. They SUCK. They werent UT fans when they got here and never will be. They arent local people, they are just here making a living. John Ward retired and we got Bob Kessling. I realize Bob Kesslinig is a Vol for Life, but as UTs play by play guy he doesnt generate 1/99th of the excitement John Ward Did. The other stations in Knoxville are Talking about UT football and 80% of the talk isnt good.
I believe in #3 got fixed it would negate #1. Lowering the cost to go to the game would go a long way to fixing #2.
There are several things
1. The Team hasnt done well in the last several years. In fact, it has been a decade since the team has done really well.
2. There are more things to do now than ever before.
3. The promotion of the team in Knoxville by the Knoxville Media has went to pot.
Its pretty obvious that our team hasnt done well on the field. Through the 80s and 90s fans came to expect to come to a game and see UT beat the snot out of someone, anyone, in Neyland. For most of the last 10 years the game day expectation is we might win if everything goes our way and the other team isnt too good.
20 years ago in East Tennessee there wasnt much else to do on Saturday evenings. You went to Knoxville, kicked around downtown Knoxville at Sears or Millers, ate diner somewhere, and went to a movie. 5 or 6 weekends in the fall there was UT Football. Today Pigeon Forge offers a dozen different theaters, rides, water parks, shopping centers. Theres West Town Mall in Knoxville, shows, all sorts of things to do. Still, a lot of us love UT Football. The problem is, relative to other things, its pricy to go to a game. One can reasonably expect it to cost $250 minimum per person to go to a game. Thats tickets, parking, meals, gas, etc. There are other options that cost less. With the economy the way it is, like it or not, cost does factor in. One of the mistakes college athletics has made over the years is paying coaches too much, spending too much on facilities, etc to the point that tickets and parking have gotten out of hand. In my opinion, they made that bed, let them wolllow in it.
Then there is the 3rd item. Promotion. In the 70s UT Football wasnt that good. Yeah, we won some games and had some great players, but Kentucky beat us several times in the 70s. We were about on par with what weve had the last 10 years. How was it overcome? Having a local media (talk Radio) analyzing every detail of UT Football? Nope. It was overcome on the backs of 2 people. Claude Tomlinson and John Ward. Between the 2 of them they made you want to come to a game and see the show in person. Listening to John Ward was like being there. It made you want to be there. The only way for it to get better than listening to John while watching it on the tv was to be there in the stands listening to John on a transistor radio.
Then there was Claude the Cat. How many remember Johnny Manors interviewing Johnny Majors? Pigskin Pollys, Leonard Poststis, all the UT skits Claude did with Lester and Mr Shultz. It was endless. It made people think about UT Football, it made them desire to go to the game. They did that then because that crowd was very significant to the Knoxville economy. WIVKs advertisers wanted the people to drive to K-Town from Lafollette, buy a Car at Ted Russells, shop Cas Walkers, and go to the game. They did and it worked. When Wilhite and Wall took over in the late 80s for Claude they took it to a new level. Every other song the station played was a special version supplied to them by the artist somehow mentioning UT Football.
It wasnt just WIVK. How many remember WOKI playing Rocky Top 38 times in a row? Phil Williams on WBIR/WIMZ was always promoting UT Football.
Basically, the local media didnt spend all day talking about this coach and that coach and which one needs to go or stay or who got in trouble or who did what. The things coming from the media in that time period were all UT and All Promotion.
Then came the 90s. Andy and Allison. They SUCK. They werent UT fans when they got here and never will be. They arent local people, they are just here making a living. John Ward retired and we got Bob Kessling. I realize Bob Kesslinig is a Vol for Life, but as UTs play by play guy he doesnt generate 1/99th of the excitement John Ward Did. The other stations in Knoxville are Talking about UT football and 80% of the talk isnt good.
I believe in #3 got fixed it would negate #1. Lowering the cost to go to the game would go a long way to fixing #2.
