Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/200019
in the trenches andrew owens coach Nick Saban has even personally requested students — who have not used 32 percent of their allotment from 2009 to 2012 — to not only show up, but to stay for the entire game. Georgia's solution was to reassign 2,000 seats from the student section to the public so that the embarrassing gap no longer shows up on television. Fortunately for Notre Dame, the epidemic has not hit its fans or students. The school continues to boast one of the more vibrant and involved student sections that always reaches full capacity. Regardless of the opponent or the score, Notre Dame students have remained in the stands, cheering on the Irish. Other than ticket prices and the improved technology of watching at home, the Wall Street Journal also lists other factors. It cites the poor cellular reception at stadiums as a drawback for students who wish to text their friends about the game and plans for after the game. Another issue is nonconference scheduling, with many bigtime programs looking for the easiest opponents to play in the opening weeks rather than building the most impressive résumé. The College Football Playoff has driven some teams to schedule more difficult non-conference opponents in future years; strength of schedule will be a pivotal component the selection committee looks at and, with four teams qualifying for the playoff rather than two for the championship game, there is more margin for error throughout the season. The Wall Street Journal observed the behavior at a recent Georgia-North Texas game. On a rainy afternoon, one group of tailgaters stayed under their tent during the game and didn't dare venture to the stadium in the poor weather. They sat in their lounge chairs and picked apart the buffet and makeshift bar while playing beer pong with an eye on the television. "There are a ton of people who prefer this," Georgia junior Sam Little told the publication. "They can actually watch the game instead of deal with the crazy atmosphere." But isn't the atmosphere what makes it such a special experience? Some of my favorite memories from college are from attending football games. Yes, the cellular coverage was usually terrible, and I often got drenched in the stands and could never see a replay while depending on a text from family members to inform me whether the challenge will be upheld with the lack of a jumbotron. Oftentimes, the seats weren't in a prime position to see a corner or a quarter of the field, but it didn't matter. Nothing can replace the atmosphere of a college football Saturday, and the most important experience on that list is the actual game. It's a shame that a portion of current college students cannot appreciate that. Fortunately for Notre Dame, fans and students alike have not lost sight of the value of attending a college football game. ✦ Andrew Owens has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2013. He can be reached at aowens@blueandgold.com