Creative Counting

On September 29, 2002, an SJSU home game featured an event called �Festival de Footbal Americano� which was designed to boost Latino interest in our football program.  There is nothing wrong with attempting to draw a larger, more inclusive crowd.  However, �everybody paying the $5 charge to enter the festival will be counted toward the game�s attendance even if they never enter the football stadium� (Hamm 2002b).  This is despite the fact that NCAA guidelines state that schools must �demonstrate an average actual attendance of 15,000 for all home (football) games� [emphasis added] (Bell 2002, 6).  Even the Athletic Department has said that �[t]he 15,000 must be people in seats at the game� (Bell 2002, 8).  It is difficult to understand how counting people who attend a festival but do not watch the game fit either of these criteria.    The San Jose Mercury News opined that �[o]rganizing such things as community festivals to extend San Jose State�s ties to the community is worthwhile.  Creating them to overstate football attendance is a stretch� (no author 2002b).  Apparently, this kind of chicanery is necessary because, as Director of Marketing Josh Francois has said, �Football by itself is not drawing people to the stadium� (Crowe 2002).

 

Bell, Chuck. (2002).  Spartans First: The 2002-2005 Master Plan for San Jose State University Intercollegiate Athletics.  September 2002.

Crowe, Jason. (2002). �Fiesta Aims to Up Game Attendance.�  Spartan Daily  September 4.  Page 6. 

No author (2002b).  �Can This Sport Be Saved?�  San Jose Mercury News  Sept. 27. p. 10B.