Ticket sales at Boise State football games have been declining for several years, and average attendance at games is flagging too. With numbers trending downward, the school’s athletic director says he’s concerned.
2012 was a good year for Bronco football. Revenue from tickets was over $7.5 million, more than 24,000 people had season tickets and average attendance at games crested 35,000.
Since then, all of those number have gone down — none more dramatically than season ticketholders. They’ve declined by more than 6,000 to around 17,600.
Chris Apsey, Boise State's Athletic Director, tells the Statesman the late start of games could be a factor limiting sales and attendance. Over the last several seasons, many kickoff times have been at 7:30 in the evening or later.
Those late starts are linked to another stream of revenue for the program: television. The school is expected to bring in just shy of $3 million from TV rights this year. While it offers the school exposure, TV also makes start times subject to the schedules of ESPN and other broadcasters.
Responding to feedback about late kickoff times last season, the football program scheduled three September games with kickoffs of 6 p.m. or earlier.
Apsey believes the convenience of watching Bronco games at home could be another factor limiting attendance. The school has tried making the experience of taking in a game on the blue in person more dynamic: they’ve hired a DJ and increased promotions.
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