Should University of Alabama Football Seating Be Reduced??

The University of Alabama football program is on the verge of an unprecedented dynasty.

When Nick Saban's No. 2 Crimson Tide battles the No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Miami on Jan. 7, it will not only be seeking a second-consecutive BCS national championship, but its third national title in four years.

The Crimson Tide program has reached staggering heights of success since the arrival of Saban at the Capstone, and in fact the Tide has been in at least serious conversation concerning the national title in five of the six years that Saban has coached Alabama.

Of course Bryant-Denny Stadium, the home of the Crimson Tide, is arguably one of the most stunning and dazzling venues in college football today, and even a casual sports fan would suspect that an Alabama football ticket would be one of the most coveted items in sports, and that every one of this football cathedral's 101,821 seats would be filled on a weekly basis, especially during this period of dominance by Saban's Tide program.

While Crimson Tide football has remained a hot ticket with the common fan for many years, and especially since Saban arrived in 2007, it has been a different story in regard to UA student ticket attendance.

UA's student newspaper, The Crimson White, published a story in the Nov. 29 edition regarding student attendance at Bama football games dating back to the 2008 season, with an open records request revealing numbers which are quite disappointing. Those numbers also paint a picture of a student body which seemingly has sunk into the depths of entitlement and apathy when it comes to showing up at Bryant-Denny and supporting their highly-successful football team.

UA students have access to 17,000 seats for all football games, but records revealed that since 2008, when the University began to use ACT Cards to document student attendance, the students have yet to fill their sections, whether it be in the lower bowl or the upper deck, to capacity, and the highest attendance by the students for any game has been 13,638 for the opener against San Jose St in 2010.

This season, with the Tide shooting for a repeat of its national title, the largest student attendance for any game was 79.3 percent of capacity filled for both the Mississippi State and Ole Miss games while only 63.8 percent showed for this year's Iron Bowl and 78.7 percent showed for the showdown against Texas A & M and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.

In 2011, with a Tide team which would eventually collect its 14th national title, the largest attendance for any game involving the students was 79.8 percent of capacity filled for both the Arkansas and North Texas games while last season's contest against LSU, dubbed the "Game of the Century," generated an attendance of only 74.4 percent.

in 2010, heavily hyped games against Florida and Penn State drew only 78.4 percent each, so it would be one thing if the students were just not showing up for lesser opponents such as Western Carolina or Western Kentucky, but they are not even showing up in good numbers for some of Alabama's most attractive opponents and most significant contests.

Student attendance has become a source of contrition for many Alabama supporters who often find it hard to locate tickets for games period, or who either have to pay astronomical dollars to gain the luxury of being able to attend a Crimson Tide contest in person.

Even on television, shots of Bryant-Denny Stadium have become an embarrassment due to the visibly empty student seats. This is particularly galling during a big nationally-televised game against a top opponent such as LSU or Texas A & M.

Many of the students who actually accomplish the remarkable task of making their way into the stadium often leave early if the game becomes a blowout, or they will show just long enough to get their card swiped to reflect their attendance, even if their actual stay in Bryant-Denny is only a few minutes or so.

I have also been to enough Alabama games to also realize that many students who show up for games are not exactly filled with "Crimson Pride" for home games, although many are obviously filled with something. A huge percentage of them show up to be seen in their Saturday finest outfits, to talk to or text with their friends on their cellular devices and to drink.

 I would like to remind them that Bryant-Denny Stadium is not a bar, although there are plenty of those around campus and in the city, and the students might be best served watching the games from those spots while their stadium seats could be utilized for fans who actually desire to come and root for the Tide while enjoying the game with their family or friends.

I do not want to lump all students into a negative category or stereotype them, but in general, Bama's student supporters at football games appear to very much pale in comparison to those at other schools such as SEC foes LSU, Florida and Tennessee, where the students are loud and vocal and generally create hell on earth-type environments for opposing squads.

UA Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Doug Walker noted in the CW story that there has been no discussion about reducing the amount of student seating for Tide football games.

This is a problem for me.

If Alabama was a struggling program in the midst of several years of losing football games, subpar student attendance at games could almost be excused, but for a program experiencing the degree of success that the Crimson Tide has enjoyed over the course of the past five years or so to have to deal with the embarrassment of half-filled seats, especially during important, nationally-televised contests, is a disgrace.

It is way past time for the University of Alabama to address this issue, because if the students at this school do not care enough about their dominant football program  to show up for games, and to be a consistent and vocal source of support for the Alabama players and coaches, there are thousands of Bama fans who would jump at the chance to get a crack at those seats.

In the SEC, where home field advantage typically plays such an integral role with on-the-field success, it is a shame that the program which has led the way for the nation's best conference over the course of the last few years, is subjected to the eyesore of empty seats on a weekly basis.

It is a slap in the face to the student-athletes, the coaches and everyone who has contributed in creating that high level of success during this time, and it is also a slap in the face to those loyal and frenzied fans who often who have to pay way above their means to have a chance to see the Crimson Tide in person and those who simply are not able to go because there are usually not enough seats available to the common fan.

It is also obviously something that does not translate into much happiness for those who find themselves on long waiting lists for tickets, or those who often find themselves having to deal with the demands of ticket brokers.

It's a problem, and it needs to be rectified sooner than later.