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Why is college football attendance declining? Pat Fitzgerald blames technology
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By now you know, Pat Fitzgerald isn’t one to bite his tongue. If he has an opinion about something, he’s going to talk about.
At B1G Media Days on Friday, Fitzgerald was asked about declining attendance in college football. It’s been an issue not just in the B1G, but across the country.
Some might point to rising ticket prices or even less-interesting non-conference games. But for Fitzgerald, there’s one factor that contributes most to people passing on the opportunity to attend a game: technology.
Fitzgerald waved his phone after being asked the question, saying young people are more interested in technology and taking and watching videos than enjoying an experience. Here’s his full response to the question:
Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald puts NCAA football's attendance problem and really society's eventual downfall in perspective:
Phones.
I know you might be watching this on one, but couldn't agree more with @PatFitzgerald23 pic.twitter.com/lQfiyVmpmM
— Rick Tarsitano (@RickTarsitano) July 20, 2019
Does Fitzgerald have a point?
Obviously there are plenty of factors weighing into the decline in attendance. Not only is technology more prominent, ticket prices are on the increase and the availability of games on television are also contributing to the decline.
We’ll find out soon enough if college football, or any teams or conferences, comes up with a resolution.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB