With two home dates remaining, it looks like average Gophers attendance per game could be the lowest since the team began playing at TCF Bank Stadium in 2009.
For five games the average attendance is 45,140. The lowest average for a season at TCF is 46,637 for seven games in 2012.
Last month the athletic department reported a decline of about 19 percent in the sale of nonstudent football season tickets from 2015, and a fall off in student sales too. Obviously single game sales have been slow as well. The Gophers didn’t even sell out their rivalry game with Iowa, announcing an attendance of 49,145.
Not only have their been no sellouts this season in the 50,805 seat stadium, but many of the best seats have been unoccupied for all games—even though customers paid premium prices for them.
The TCF Bank Stadium attendance problem highlights the lack of fan interest regarding the high profile programs of football, basketball and hockey at the University of Minnesota. Those three sports have been trending down in public popularity. They are positioned less favorably when compared to their professional counterparts than at any time in memory—certainly dating back to the start of the millennium when the NHL expansion Minnesota Wild joined the Timberwolves, Twins and Vikings as pro franchises in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
This fall the Vikings, Timberwolves and Wild are far outdistancing the Gophers in ticket buyers and general interest from Minnesota sports fans. The gap between the Vikings and Gophers has been in place for decades but a 5-0 start to the season and the opening of spectacular U.S. Bank Stadium widened the difference between the two products. The perception of the Gophers is that they have both an unproven coach and team that is playing a soft schedule following last year’s disappointing 2-6 Big Ten record.
Back in the 1980s Gophers basketball had TV ratings rivaling or surpass any team in town except for the Vikings. The Gophers were riding high with the public through much of the 1990s, too, until the academic fraud scandal eroded confidence and interest by the public. The program and attendance have been in decline for years. Minnesota has finished better than .500 in Big Ten games only twice since 2000 and earned just four trips to the NCAA Tournament during that period. Minnesota was 2-16 in Big Ten games last season, the worst record in program history. Sellout crowds used to be the norm for Big Ten games but now are rare at 14,625 seat Williams Arena.
The media is predicting the Gophers will finish toward the bottom of the Big Ten standings again, while the Timberwolves are forecast to be the NBA’s most improved team. The Wolves have a roster of exciting young talent led by Tom Thibodeau, a first-year coach here but long considered one of the best in pro basketball.
The Wild is off to a fast start after years of playoff disappointments. New coach Bruce Boudreau is an experienced NHL leader, and hockey insiders think he could be the franchise’s best coach since Jacques Lemaire. A deep playoff run next spring might send the Wild’s popularity to second place in this town behind only the Vikings.
“Pride on Ice” was the Gophers hockey mantra for years. If you hear those words now they might be mostly whispered. The Gophers didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season and haven’t won a national championship since 2003. NCAA titles have long been the expectation at Minnesota but now the Gophers even have difficulty beating instate rivals like St. Cloud State who swept them last month.
Fans don’t like seeing the hockey Gophers in the Big Ten after fashioning a glory-filled past in the WCHA. This weekend old rival North Dakota comes to town for nonconference games and that will put some sparkle back in Gophers hockey. Seats that often go unused at Mariucci Arena are likely to be filled. Perhaps there is a possibility of selling standing-room only tickets for the games Friday and Saturday night in 10,000 capacity Mariucci Arena.
ND is among the top ranked teams in the country and a Gophers sweep would put momentum back in the program. Such a scenario could be a step in narrowing the gap a bit between the Wild and Gophers. That would be good news for an athletic department with plenty of work to do with its football, basketball and hockey programs.
Worth Noting
The nationally ranked Gophers volleyball program has sold about 900 more nonstudent season tickets this year than last. At a $100 per season ticket, the total this year is 1,977 versus 1,074 in 2015.
The Gophers sold out their match last week against Penn State, attracting a crowd of more than 5,000 to the Sports Pavilion. Additional home sellouts are expected against Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Gophers (18-4 overall, 10-3 in Big Ten games) drew 4,883 fans last night in a home win over Indiana.
With a 3-2 conference record and four games remaining, the football Gophers are a contender for the Big Ten’s West Division title. To be competitive later this month in games against Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin, head coach Tracy Claeys may need to use quarterback Mitch Leidner more as a ball carrier. “…If that means Mitch runs it more, then that’s what we’ll do,” Claeys said.
The senior quarterback has rushed only 55 times in seven games—an average of 7.9 carries per game.
Claeys after being asked about the possible impact on recruiting for next year after winning three consecutive games this fall: “I don’t think recruits ever judge anybody on three games. It all comes down to the end of the season and relationships.”
Jerick McKinnon, the Vikings running back who missed Monday night’s game with the Bears because of an ankle injury, told Sports Headliners yesterday he will play Sunday against the Lions. He expressed frustration with his longest run this season being only for 25 yards and wants to target 50 yards or more.
McKinnon said he has “nothing but great things” to say about departing offensive coordinator Norv Turner who taught him the importance of “attention to detail” involving route running, pass protection and other aspects of football.
Vikings power running back Matt Asiata has these words tattooed on his chest: “Wherever you go, whatever you do, just be the best. Dad.”
Left tackle Jake Long, 31, who played his second game for the Vikings against the Bears after signing as a free agent, didn’t want to comment on playing next season if he is asked to return. He said, though, “I love this game.”
Vikings management decided not to sell standing-room tickets for any games during the first season at U.S. Bank Stadium. A team spokesman said the intent is to let fans and management become accustomed to the new facility, and that the standing-room ticket subject will be reviewed after this season. There are no unsold tickets for Sunday’s game with the Lions.
The Vikings and Lions play in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. The Vikings are 5-1 in Thanksgiving Day games, and haven’t played in once since 2000 when they defeated the Cowboys. The Vikings have played all their Thanksgiving games on the road.
The Prep Bowl later this month, playing in U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time, could have total attendance of 40,000 or more. About 9,000 tickets had been sold as of earlier this week. Attendance was 24,917 last year at TCF Bank Stadium, while three years ago at the Metrodome it was 34,404.
Saint John’s head football coach Gary Fasching speaks to the CORES lunch group Thursday, November 10 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle is the scheduled speaker for Thursday, January 12. More information is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.
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