Where is everyone? How Notre Dame has succumbed to college football attendance decline

A scintillating touchdown rush from one of the best Notre Dame running backs … ever? The debut of … the quarterback of the future? A dislocated finger and subsequent game-winning touchdown pass off the same hand? The Notre Dame home opener had a bit of everything last fall.

And the smallest crowd at Notre Dame Stadium since 1996 was on hand to witness it.

PROMOTION: Sign up for just $1 for first year at Blue & Gold

The Fighting Irish and Toledo Rockets played in front of 62,009 people in a 32-29 Notre Dame victory on Sept. 11. There had not been that few folks gracing the stands of one of college football’s most historic venues since its capacity expanded from 59,075 to 80,225 after the 1996 season. Notre Dame Stadium’s capacity decreased to 77,622 in 2017. Attendance figures hit that mark a mere two times in 2021.

Gone are the days of 273 straight sellouts, which Notre Dame had from 1973 to 2019.

If anything, though, Notre Dame had as good of an attendance run as any program other than Nebraska during that span. Cornhusker fans have sold out Memorial Stadium 382 straight times and counting. That’s an anomaly in the sport in this era. According to a report from CBS Sports, attendance across Division I declined for the seventh straight season in 2021 and was the lowest it has been since 1981.

Eight of the top 10 teams in the final Associated Press poll of the season, including Notre Dame, saw attendance drops from the 2019 season. The Irish averaged 76,288 per home game that year. The number dwindled to 72,817 in 2021. The 4.55% decrease was even more substantial than the national average, 3.93%, which was the steepest decline the country has ever seen since figures started to be calculated in 1976, per the CBS Sports report.

Fighting Irish men’s basketball

• How Notre Dame senior Dane Goodwin ‘became a guard’ and put together an All-ACC caliber season

There are obviously many factors at play leading to national attendance issues. For starters, ticket prices plus an economy heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic make it hard for fans to justify going to games. It’s also easier than ever to watch them from a living room couch. A subscription to Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform, is a heck of a lot less expensive than planning a trip to South Bend.

Circumstances involving the pandemic not related to monetary aspects likely had much to do with low attendance figures too. Notre Dame Stadium had a number of COVID-19 precautions in place, including mandatory masks for indoor club seating. People might have also steered clear of the stadium in an effort to avoid large crowds and the virus itself.

Fighting Irish women’s basketball

• What happened? How Notre Dame women’s basketball suffered another blowout loss to Louisville

Then there’s the opponents. Toledo and Purdue aren’t exactly must-see draws, even if the latter is an in-state foe. North Carolina was not nearly as good as the Tar Heels were projected to be. Navy and Georgia Tech finished their seasons with four and three wins, respectively. The cost might not have been worth the in-game experience against those opponents for many Notre Dame fans.

Level of play certainly should not have been one of the deterring factors for Notre Dame. The Irish struggled at times but still finished with an 11-1 regular season record and were right on the doorstep of another College Football Playoff appearance. The only game the Irish lost was to a CFP semifinalist, Cincinnati. That was one of two sellouts at Notre Dame Stadium. The other was the USC game.

Will new head coach Marcus Freeman lure more people to Notre Dame Stadium this fall? It might be too early to tell. But it wouldn’t be shocking. There seems to be a new energy around the program since he was elevated to his current position in December. If he doesn’t, though, it won’t necessarily be his fault.

College football clearly has a nationwide concern.

Notre Dame football 2021 home game attendance figures

Capacity: 77,622

Date	Opponent	Attendance
Sept. 11	Toledo	62,009
Sept. 18	Purdue	74,341
Oct. 1	No. 7 Cincinnati	77,341
Oct. 23	USC	77,622
Oct. 30	North Carolina	71,018
Nov. 6	Navy	77,096
Nov. 20	Georgia Tech	70,011