The Thought.

In recent years, the Jones has seen a steady decline in attendance to Texas Tech football games. Anyone at the game versus Houston this weekend witnessed just how empty the Jones was, especially by the end of the third quarter. Before the game, Tech fans were all hyped up for the game. When Texas Tech announced Houston would not allow Texas Tech to wear white uniforms, the trash talk started immediately. With all of that anger brewing I thought the stadium would be packed, but it wasn’t. Huge chunks of the student section were empty. There was an entire row behind me that was empty. Even after Texas Tech took the lead, the fans we simply walking out of the stadium leaving more and more empty spots. The question is why?

The Take.

In the case of Texas Tech Athletics, I can think of a few reasons why ticket sales have struggled. The first and probably the biggest of these reasons is price. While you can always get a $10 ticket to the first game of the season, maybe even to the Celebrate Cotton game, you might need to pay a little more for a game against Texas or Oklahoma. A ticket to see the Red Raiders play the Longhorns starts at $90. While I do look forward to the game and love to see the Red Raiders take down the horns, I can’t remember the last time I watched it live.

If prices weren’t enough, fans are also upset that after six seasons as head coach, Kliff Kingsbury hasn’t lived up to the expectations. Many chose not to renew their season passes simply because they are disappointed in the team. Why pay hundreds of dollars to watch your team lose.

For many of us, the reason we miss games has more to do with with work, both school work or professional, and/or distance. We’ve all had those days where we are forced to go in to the office on a Saturday just to catch up on work. If you’re a student, you might be catching up on reading for class or studying for that exam. Professors don’t care if there’s a game on Saturday. For some of us, distance is an issue. Lubbock is so far removed from just about anything. Unless you’re coming from Dallas or Houston, you will not get a direct flight to Lubbock. Driving here takes hours. Hotels are expensive, especially when there is a game. Sometimes life just happens and we can’t be there for our Red Raiders physically, but we still love them.

Why do you miss football games?