Stating the obvious: EMU students don't go to football games

So observes the Eastern Echo. Even with a comparatively stellar season so far at 5-4 the Eagles have only averaged 4,354 in per game attendance this season through five home games. The MAC conference was considering whether or not to boot Eastern from the league for not making the required standard average attendance back in the 80's when I went there as an undergrad. Football has always been a particular struggle for Eastern over the years too. How much of struggle become apparent when you read this blurb from Wikipedia's entry on EMU football.

"[EMU's football program]... has had eight win-less seasons, in 1891, 1910, 1941, 1949, 1960, 1961, 1981 and 2009. The team has never ended a season ranked in any major poll, and is among the worst Division I FBS schools both in all-time win percentage (45.4%, for 107 out of 120) and in all-time scoring margin (-1898, for 108 out of 120)." 

Some record, eh folks?


Honestly EMU should consider just dumping NCAA Division I football.  Big Ten founding member school the University of Chicago dropped its sports programs in 1946 in order to focus on becoming the academic giant it aspired to be and has never looked back. I doubt if doing so would hurt EMU very much either other than the alumni's pride perhaps. EMU is a "commuter school" now and has been for years. The students going there want a degree that will help them in the job market and seemingly could not care less about the whole "Boola-boola" college football experience from the old days.

That's how I see it.

EMU football struggles with poor attendence

EMU football is only averaging 3,000 or so in attendance per home game. The MAC average is supposed to be around 15K. Wow. I know that they have to compete against UM football three out of six home games this season but jeez. That's low. And which is amazing too considering the huge numbers of alumni Eastern has around here.