It should be clear that GT fans spend more per capita on football than those of almost any other major Southern football school.
Compared to a school like Alabama or UGA we have less than half of the alumni base, maybe a third of the in-state alumni base, and at most 15-20% of the total fan base.
Actually, this isn't even close to being true. First, consider that attending Tech football cost at most 40% of what it costs to attend at those schools (higher per-seat fees and minimum donation levels, parking, etc.).
Second, even though we have a smaller alumni base, we have a much smaller stadium and it is located in a major metropolitan area. There is a large airport nearby and many more of our alumni live in a one hour radius of Bobby Dodd than I'm guessing Alabama has within a one-hour radius of its campus. I can buy season tickets, fly in for 4 or 5 games, and all of that for less than buying season tickets in Athens.
Third, you can attend a full season of Tech games for $180 and $60 in parking. That's $240. To buy season tickets at U[sic]GA, you need to pony up $1,500.
Even assuming that U[sic]Ga has 3 times as many alumni as we do, when you factor in stadium size, you'll see that this is yet another myth promoted by Tech fans who make excuses for the fact that a small minority of GT fans have financially carried our program for a long time. The big donors and loyal season ticket holders at Tech are among the best fans in the nation. But the rest are pretty bad. Fortunately, we have a mid-size stadium and eventually we'll have enough loyal alumni and sidewalk fans brave enough to be GT fans in this state, who attend regardless of schedule. At that point, we'll have fewer Yetmans to deal with.
Until then, we are going to hear excuses. Face it, Tech alumni are a mixed group when it comes to Tech football. A substantial minority of us support the program, and even among those of us who aren't "big donors," I think we are among the best fans in the country: polite fans who donate to their school, attend games, and stand to cheer on the team. Many others don't, and it has little to do with the "size" of our alumni base. If it were just about size, you wouldn't read about "I don't like the schedule, I don't like the license fees (even though seats are available for less than $200), etc." I won't take size seriously until I hear those crap excuses for failing to support GT stop.
It is funny that it comes to this, because I'm one of the first to step up and explain why our program is extraordinarily successful and attractive re expansion, and that our bowl attendance is actually above average. Usually, the same people who complain about "size" are the same ones who bash GT on those fronts. I know that you aren't in that group, but I think that many who agree with you just enjoy bashing GT without realizing how wrong they are. And the schedule is just one more way for them to irrationally do that.
In a few years we'll be selling out every year. It just takes time for the culture to change, and it is doing that slowly but surely. Having more alumni will help. Having students who attended most home games while they were students, however, will be the biggest factor. We've been improving the student experience related to football for over a decade now, and as this group matures, we'll have solid ticket sales regardless of who we play.
