Historically, the University of Miami has one of the most successful college football programs in the country. The Miami Hurricanes have won five national championships, which ranks them in sixth place among division one college football teams. Not only do the Hurricanes perform successfully as a team, but they also have fifty-one players on rosters in the National Football League. Hurricanes football is prominent in the country for its numerous victories and sending its players to the NFL. Although the team has been successful from a performance standpoint, the University of Miami does not have the same success in attendance records for football games. According to the National College Athletics Association, the Hurricanes did not rank in the top thirty for attendance in division one college football games in 2009. The University of Miami only averaged 47,551 fans per game, while the University of Michigan had the highest average attendance of 108,933 fans per game. Moreover, even the University of California, which is the thirtieth place team, had an average attendance greater than the University of Miami: 59,472 fans per game. How could one of the top college football programs in the country struggle to fill its stands with fans? Perhaps the Hurricanes stadium does not have the capacity to hold as many fans as the other top college football stadiums. The Hurricanes currently play at Dolphin Stadium, which can only hold 75,540 fans. Prior to the Dolphin Stadium, the Hurricanes played at the Orange Bowl, which had an even smaller capacity of 72,319 fans. The capacity of both of these stadiums would have allowed Miami to rank in the in the top twenty for attendance during the 2001 football season.
Since the University of Miami can have more fans attend football games, I researched what potential variables could lead to higher attendance statistics. The results presented in this study indicate that the Hurricanes could influence attendance based on performance results, the performance results of their opponent, the amount of out of conference games scheduled, and on the prior history the team shares with their opponent. Increased attendance would benefit the college in many ways. If more people came to football games, Miami would have more money to finance athletic facilities and hire top professionals to coach its student athletes. Furthermore, the University could use these gained funds to finance other projects such as buildings, parking lots, student transportation, and faculty’s salaries.
Not only would the University benefit from increased attendance, but small local businesses would benefit too. Small businesses and entrepreneurs could use this opportunity to locate their businesses near the stadium, which will have a high concentration of people. These businesses could make college football fans’ experiences more enjoyable and convenient. For example, opening a bar that allowed people eighteen years of age to enter, but not drink, could raise revenues significantly, because there are thousands of underage college students attending football games. Moreover, a business could be created that provides transportation services for college students to Dolphin Stadium, because the stadium is twenty miles away from the campus.