Boise State football saw healthy attendance boost, but Mountain West hit historic low
Pat yourselves on the back, Boise State football fans — not only did you fill Albertsons Stadium well last season, but you also defied a negative national trend.
Average home attendance for the Broncos was 33,068 in seven games in 2018, a 5.9 percent increase from the prior year. However, the average attendance across the country (41,856) was its lowest in 22 years, according to CBSSports.com. The Mountain West saw a drop of 4.4 percent to 23,862, its lowest average ever.
The difference in national attendance at Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) games from 2016 to 2017 (3.23 percent) was the largest since 1983, so despite being at the lowest average attendance level since 1996, the decrease from 2017 to 2018 was not as drastic (0.82 percent).
Some of the reasons for the decreases are familiar around here, from changing kickoff times to ticket prices to always-improving home-viewing experiences.
Another positive in Boise State’s favor was the average attendance was 34,635 before the cold, snowy Mountain West championship game. That figure would have been the second-highest in school history, behind the all-time high of 35,404 per game in 2012. It definitely made a difference, as according to Boise State’s own research, opponents had 20 false start penalties in the regular season, the most in any stadium in the country.
Boise State’s attendance was best in the Mountain West, with Fresno State second at 31,503 per game. In terms of attendance related to capacity, Boise State was 39th in the nation at 90.88 percent.
BSU average home attendance since 2012
2012: 35,404 (+4.1 percent from previous year)
2013: 34,366 (-2.9 percent)
2014: 32,504 (-5.4 percent)*
2015: 33,612 (+3.4 percent)
2016: 34,273 (+2.0 percent)
2017: 31,126 (-9.2 percent)*
2018: 33,068 (+5.9 percent)*
* includes Mountain West championship game
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 2:30 PM.
