Alabama May Eliminate Student Organization Seating Over Poor Attendance

Alabama’s dominance against a soft schedule has bored many this season. That includes Alabama students. Scenes like this have become common at Tide home games. Frustrated Alabama administrators have gone from encouraging students to show up and stay for four quarters to outright threatening them. According to The Crimson White, administrators will be “reviewing photos and film of the student section” and potentially getting rid of Student Organization Seating altogether.

"“Administrators will review photos and film of the student section from the games,” the email stated. “Seating will be taken away from those organizations, who abandon reserved seating. I have also been informed that this is a ‘pilot year’ for SOS and if sections do not remain full, this will likely be the final year of Student Organization Seating.”"

Football is not a duty. It’s entertainment. Alabama’s home games, won by a margin of 153-9 thus far, have not been entertaining. The three of the seven home games on the slate Alabama controlled: Colorado State, Georgia State and Chattanooga. All three are blatant money grabs. There is no point to those games, but to extort season ticket holders. It’s the equivalent of NFL preseason games.

College football programs have capitalized on the sport becoming a national TV product. The downside is they aren’t just competing with smart phones and indifference. They are competing with HDTV, air conditioning and multiple games elsewhere that are more important. Tougher scheduling will not just be desirable in coming years. It will be a necessity. The sport’s focus has to be on the product, not inflating W-L records to meet bonuses.

[Photo via USA Today Sports]