E-mail to Pete Fiutak at CFN

[Harry0569]

he C.O.W. airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
The ten things about the 2010 college football season I’m grouchy about …

10. Bowl attendance
If the NCAA can make a rule saying that only teams with six wins, five against FBS teams, can get into a bowl game, then I want to institute a rule that bowl games must put at least 40,000 fans through the turnstiles with the butts actually sitting in the seats, and not just go by forced tickets sold to the schools (no freaking way were there 65,453 fans in the stands for the Virginia Tech – Stanford Orange Bowl), or it must be called an Exhibition.

If a team can’t get its own fans to care enough to travel to a game, and if the community doesn’t care enough to buy tickets, then why should the rest of the world give a lick?

SMU basically played a home game in the Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Exhibition, and it only sold 36,732 tickets. Maryland couldn’t hit the 40,000 mark for its home game against East Carolina, who always travels relatively well, in the Military Exhibition. So what’s the common thread in the bowl games that struggled to get anyone to care? Non-BCS teams.

Do you want to know why the BCS bowl types aren’t too keen on letting just anyone into their fun? Only two bowl games involving a non-AQ team sold more than 50,000 tickets: the Rose Bowl and the Liberty Bowl (UCF vs. Georgia). The other ten were under 50K.

[Harry0569]

So we sold that many...the attendance record is 35,481 (for the TCU game). I urge you to e-mail Pete, who I consider one of the best college football writers, and explain to him that SMU's stadium has a listed capacity of 32,000...

[Harry0569]

Pete,

With all due respect, I take offense to your blurb about the Armed Forces Bowl, and it only selling 36,732 tickets. Gerald J. Ford Stadium has a listed capacity of 32,000,and it held its largest viewing audience ever this year vs TCU (35,481). While some people did not show up to the game, the game officially sold out. They even were selling general admission tickets to sit on the "grassy knoll."

Hope you take this into consideration.

[Harry0569]

His response:

Absolutely right. I remembered that as I reread the piece just now and am taking that out. Sorry to offend and thanks so much for the kind words!

[RGV Pony]

so in the same paragraph, the dude [deleted] about non-AQ schools having crappy attendance, then notes that no one showed up for the Orange bowl between Va Tech and Stanford

[ponyte]

so in the same paragraph, the dude [deleted] about non-AQ schools having crappy attendance, then notes that no one showed up for the Orange bowl between Va Tech and Stanford

Such is the power the Cartel that funtions as a Monoply has over the weak minded (that usually 'write' sports stories).

[Dutch]

His response:

Absolutely right. I remembered that as I reread the piece just now and am taking that out. Sorry to offend and thanks so much for the kind words!

glad that he responded that way and didn't brush it aside. good work harry.

[SMU89]

If a reporter can’t care enough to get the facts straight, then why should the rest of the world give a lick?