re: I love LSU but I have to say it’s sad seeing empty seats on TV

There is a strong fair-weather element in the fan base, no doubt.

But seriously, there’s a slew of other issues that are in play, that are real, and that have been often discussed:

-Over all game-day culture impacted by stricter regulation of tailgating/parking
-Traffic
-Ticket/amenities prices and quality pricing out certain younger and more passionate demographics
-Acid-trip-light-and-sound-explosion stadium experience
-Affordable, high quality in-home TV/broadcast technologies
-Cultural erosion, in general

Not a pretty picture…

Absolutely

If I wanted to take my family of 4 to see LSU play A&M, I'd currently have to spend $640 on the cheapest tickets available on SeatGeek.

That's before any parking, concessions, merch, or any other costs that pop up on a gameday.

I can find a much better use of $700-$800+ that doesn't involve sitting in a stadium for 4 hours followed by another 2 hours in traffic.

If you want more butts in seats, you need to make tickets to all games more affordable (Savannah Bananas model) or shorten the games (MLB model).

As you get older your time feels more precious. Killing 1/2 free weekend days and nights to watch an uber talented team struggle to put up 20 points against a bad SEC opponent is not my idea of fun. That's before you even get to the absurd costs and safety concerns around campus.

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It’s a society-wide problem caused by a combo of the ad nauseum but also watered-down CFB product, and, most importantly, the smartphone and resultant self-centered instant gratification and ADD brain syndrome

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Maybe...

And maybe it's the combo of the enshitttification of the gameday experience plus the advent of HDTV feeds. You can see the game infinitely better in the comfort of your own living room, FF/Reverse to rewatch plays (or skip over crap), use restrooms that don't smell like an Aggie frathouse (no lines, either), the food is better at a better price, the seats are more comfortable and you know (and probably even like) the people sitting with you watching the game.

I remember when Sid Crocker was still announcing games and occasionally calling for "Doctor number ....", the frat pledges used to stampede from the gates to the student section to reserve seats for their brothers, and the GBFTL played between plays. You needed binoculars to watch the plays and an AM radio for the really good play-by-play calls. You snuck your booze in under your shirt or in your jacket, and the upper-deck/lower-deck thrown bottle warfare between Tiger fans and opposing fans was legendary.

Heck, when I was a kid selling concessions there we weren't allowed to sell during the actual game (pre-game and halftime only), so I used to sit next to the band and one of the bass drummers would occasionally let me bang the drum during the between-play sections. It was pretty electric, even when we weren't doing so well.

Good times. But back then, it was all about the fans and the students.

Now the entire game has been commercialized to the point where anyone with a good TV and access to a game feed has to choose between a good "at home" experience vs. bad traffic, worse concessions, restrooms that would be outlawed by any competent Dept. of Health, smaller seats and nosebleed sections where you still need binoculars to see the game. The atmosphere just isn't the same anymore, and I don't know if it will ever return to what it was.

There's just too much money tied up in the entire "business" of CFB now for me to hope for anything better, and I suspect it'll only get worse from here.

Just one grumpy old man's opinion, folks. TIFWIW

[Edited to add the inceassant price increases on everything that makes it almost impossible to be a regular attendant at the home games]

This is not a LSU problem.

This is a college football problem.

I took my granddaughter, 9, to a game a couple of years ago, it was a nothing game, La. Tech or some such, but if I would have tried to leave one minute early, she would have been very disappointed. I wish she lived closer, she'd be a great fan.

I'm 75 and handicapped, I used to be invited to a box suite, but cant even make that any longer. I miss the experience as it was, but with annoying piped in noise. sounds awful.

It felt like we were playing Tulane, Washington State, UAB or someone of that caliber.

If it upsets you why wasn't u in the stands

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It made me think about BAMA in their hey day and those stands would be slam packed with a 40 point lead.

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Nick rants about Bama fans leaving early