Lying With Numbers, Spring Game Attendance Report

I love this so much, particularly that Arizona's 
spring football game is held in a baseball
stadium.

Two things happen every spring: 1. Universities hold their annual spring game, giving football fans a blissful respite in the desert of the off season. 2. Universities turn into politicians and make crazy exaggerated lies about attendance at the spring game. Why do universities feel the need to lie about something so completely trivial? Universities are places of higher education and learning, but they are also hubris machines. Universities today seem to spend as much time on their image as they do on education. Nothing brings out this twisted reality like the spring football game.

Spring game attendance doesn't mean much in the way of anything serious, but it can be a good indicator of fan support. Especially when you compare this year's attendance to last year's attendance. So here are the official numbers, the likely lies, and last years numbers for comparison. Included are all the usually SEC teams and some notable extras.

Some teams haven't played yet, this article will be updated as further spring games are completed. Also, don't confuse laughing at the exaggerations of universities as actually thinking spring game numbers matter.


Covered Games:  Alabama, Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, Michigan, Clemson, Georgia, Mizzou, Pitt, Purdue, USC, Texas and FSU.

LSU

This is 33k people.

LSU has never been a team with remarkable spring game attendance. The Cajuns are busy doing other things this time of year like collecting gator eggs and checking their ;river rat traps. LSU has reported over 33k at their 2012 spring game. Which is impressive because only 1/4 of the seats were filled.  Death Valley apparently seats 132k making it the largest stadium ever built!

LSU raises the saddest SEC championship
flag ever.

2011 attendance: 25,032


2012 attendance: 33,000


A gain of 7968 make believe Cajuns.

South Carolina

Probably a few mullets short of the reported 34,513.

USCe has made gains in Spring Game attendance too. Which isn't surprising because Spurrier God forbid that a university have a drop in attendance. USCe's claim of 34k is probably an exaggeration, but not by a huge amount. Looking at the game on ESPN3 you would guess over 20k at least, which fits the mold of a South Carolina fan. South Carolina fans like Georgia and Arkansas fans love to talk about how great next year is gonna be and how close they are to a title. But unlike Georgia and Arkansas fans South Carolina fans usually just claim that they will win "in a few years" rather than always claiming next year. South Carolina fans love exaggeration and bragging as much as anyone in the SEC, but they also don't like to appear uppity.

2011 attendance: 29,451


2012 attendance: 34,513


A gain of 5062 mullets.

AUBURN

It is here for Jon Conner.

Instagram does a great job of
smudging out empty upper decks.

Auburn expected a good turn out for its spring game this year. With Cam Newton actually making an appearance at an Auburn event and deeming it OK to actually say something about the school other than "no comment." The reliving of 2010 will never end down on the plains. The statues pulled in the numbers with Auburn claiming an attendance of 43k. Thank goodness the numbers were good I would hate for Auburn's trees to suddenly need to take a turn for the worse due to PR. Auburn does also have to compete with Auburn "Rodeo Day" today as well, you know that drew some folks away. The only thing an Auburn man loves more than Cam Newton is a Cow.

Rodeo Day is huge ... ly redneck.

2011 attendance: 53,209                              

2012 attendance: 43,427

That's an drop of  9,782 farmers and farm related employees.

ALABAMA

Photo from @ellenor80 , follow her on twitter.

At any other school 78k in attendance for a spring game would be impressive. At Alabama that is the lowest turnout in years. Still Alabama will probably remain spring game attendance champion. If this year taught Alabama anything it's that it's not how you win but that you win. Nothing left to say but print the t-shirts.

2011 attendance: 92,310

2012 attendance: 78,526

That's a decrease of 13,784 Gumps.

GEORGIA

With Instagram the only way we know this picture is from today,
and not the 1950s, is that there are African Americans at UGA.

"This is our year" a phrase that echos between the hedges on every spring game in Athens. The blissful crazy exaggerated expectations before the inevitable loss in the first two weeks of the season.  Athens is a land of unending optimism with the last 11 rebuilding years building the belief that any second Georgia will take its place among the SEC elite. I believe that is true myself, Mark Richt can't live forever right? Reports from folks in attendance (thanks @UAReba) put the massive love fest at between 8 - 10k, that has to be wrong? Right? UGA is now claiming 44k in attendance which after seeing some pictures more reasonable than 10k but still a Bobby Petrino sized fib.

2011 attendance: 43,177

2012 attendance: 44,000

"Eh, we are feeling kinda lazy. Lets just say it was the same as last year." - UGA athletics official

CLEMSON

RAWR! Look out for the creepiest tiger ever! Clemson's spring game is an annual event who's purpose is not so much to look at how good Clemson will be next year (They will look good then blow it to Virginia or Western Carolina Tech Greenville Community College.)  but to show that they are just as good as an SEC team. (They aren't.)  

The crazy eyed killer stuffed animal
of your nightmares.

2011 attendance: 27,000                    

2012 attendance: 28,000

"I think Georgia had a good plan." - Clemson athletics official

MIZZOU

Awesome uniforms.

Mizzou has some impressive new uniforms, the attendance for the spring game was less impressive. However in grand SEC tradition Mizzou will inflate their numbers accordingly. Fans at the game were tweeting that they doubted that even 10k were in attendance. It takes real balls to lie about 8k fans ... SEC sized balls. Well done Mizzou.

2011 attendance: 10,000

2012 attendance: 18,614

A jump of 8,614 invisible fans.

Purdue

Big 10 football is huge.

Purdue cancelled their spring game due to rain ... and embarrassment.

2011 attendance: 3 guys who got lost on the way to Notre Dame and a model train enthusiast.

2012 attendance: 0

Pitt

West Central High ... er I mean Purdue.

Pitt held their spring game at a high school football field, failed to fill it.  The ACC made a great decision here.

2011 attendance: 1,507

2012 attendance:  4,607*

That's an increase, but a mediocre one ... perfect for the ACC!


*Thanks to the Pitt fan who got me this number.

USC

USC's spring game was a battle.

Only USC could have a spring game and decide not to tackle. They are literally playing flag football out there. Good job USC, L.A. wasn't the football joke of the whole nation already or anything. If L.A. gets an NFL team I bet they wear pink way more often than just breast cancer awareness month. Also, I refuse to post about USC and not post a picture of Lane Kiffin's wife. 




2011 attendance: 16,850                                             


2012 attendance: 34,153


USC wins the biggest jump in spring game attendance.  Some of that can be attributed to folks getting confused and thinking it was an arena football game.

MICHIGAN

This will be the final year that Michigan fans can talk about how Denard Robinson will win nothing the Heisman. So it's no surprise that a victory over Ohio State and a final year of shoelace brought out the numbers. Michigan amazingly had the exact same attendance number as last year. The last time someone was this lazy about a lie he got fired as the head coach of Ohio State. Speaking of tOSU if they don't at least double this I will be disappointed ... Urban doesn't like to be disappointed.

A nice guy, who won't win the Heisman.

2011 attendance: 25,000                             

2012 attendance: 25,000

25,000 is Michigan's lucky number.

TEXAS

The Longhorn Network did their best to show as little
of this crowd of hundreds as possible.

Texas played their spring game on a Sunday a week ago. We have to assume Mack Brown has something to hide. The attendance was somewhere between 12 and 10,000. It's a mystery that will never be solved, like Where's Waldo. What could have been playing on the Longhorn Network on Saturday that would have bumped football to Sunday? Women's water polo is huge in Texas. You can't buy beer on Sundays in Texas but you can see a spring game.

2011 attendance: 29,541

2012 attendance: We will probably never know since it's been a week since their wacky Sunday game with no details.

The Longhorn Network is really well run.  (There needs to be a key to note when something is sarcasm.)

FSU

David says soon after this like a ton of folks showed up.

FSU says 40k showed up for their game this year. I haven't found any video evidence to dispute or prove this claim but I'm going on the word of @davidraider88 who was at the game. I tried to use binoculars to see the game from Jacksonville, but those darn forest fires keep getting in my line of site.  David admonished me for my half assed going by what FOX said.  I need to learn to stop listening to FOX, I think my brain is rotting.

After the people showed up.

2011 attendance: 53,818                                      

2012 attendance: 40,631

FSU's attendance is as more believable as than Vladimir Putin's unanimous election.

VANDY

Of course all Vandy pictures are in Instagram.
Vandy is the resident hipster of the SEC.

Vandy had 8k show up to their spring game. That's like if Alabama filled two stadiums. 8k to Vandy is a huge achievement . Even if a lot of the guys were wearing girls pants and colorful ironic t-shirts. Hipsters still count as people ... most of the time. 

2011 attendance: 7500

2012 attendance: 8500

That's 1000 more ironic t-shirts!

FLORIDA

With no picture from the actual Orange and  Blue
game, I post a picture of Will Muschamp telling
his wife that he loves her.

OK, apparently Florida had their spring game like two weeks ago. I really thought it was next weekend. I don't know what that says about the Gators that the Orange and Blue game doesn't get mentioned enough on Jacksonville Florida sports radio for me to notice. I have no idea if these numbers are completely made up, or completely accurate. We will assume they are accurate because when has UF ever lied to the public. (insert sarcasm here) Thanks to @SunshineEmpire for giving me the numbers.  Also, listen to their podcast if you live in Florida because it's freaking great.


2011 attendance: 51,000


2012 attendance: 31,000


That's 20,000 less people who think Crocs are appropriate footwear.

OLE MISS

This crowd isn't getting Nutty.

The Hugh Freeze era started out with a bang ... well it started anyway.  You have to give it to Ole Miss though they brought a bigger crowd this year than last.  Though I highly doubt it's the claimed 15 to 20k.  It was also raining and cold in Oxford, but that could be a good thing since it might help put out the tire fire that is the Ole Miss athletic department.  They need to hurry up and get it out before Sean Touhy shows up with his can of gasoline.

2011 attendance: 10,000

2012 attendance: 15,000 to 20,000

The attendance certainly improved, though if they had been honest about the attendance in 2011, this years would be even more impressive.

Tennessee

Ugh Oh, Dooley is confused about how many
players can be on the field at once again.

The Vols are pumped up for another great year ... oh, I can't do this.  Tennessee had a spring game, attendance was mediocre, which suits their football program perfectly.

2011 attendance: 35,891

2012 attendance: 35,421

So Dooley lost about 400 fans.  He better get to a bowl this year if he doesn't want to loose a lot more.

Ohio State

M ... C ... A ...

Ladies and gentlemen we have a new spring game champion! Alabama has been unseated in this battle of pointlessness! Urbie brought the power and 80k turned out for the spring game.  They didn't even have to offer free tattoos at the gate this year.

2011 attendance: 44,276

2012 attendance: 81,000

40k more people turned out to support Urban Myer spending less time with his family than turned out to support sweater vests.

Penn State

Penn State announcing the this years theme as "The
Glory Echos On!" I would have chosen "Get Off That Kid!"

Penn State claims 60k were at the spring game, which is an obvious lie.  But Penn State is known for taking pride in deception.  Penn State also continues to prove to the rest of the nation how creepy they are by sucking up to and praising of their great coach who allowed little kids to be abused. The theme of this year's homecoming is "The Glory Echos On." Which is appropriate because there is an echo in locker room showers.

2011 attendance: 7,000

2012 attendance: 60,000

I really dislike rednecks from Pennsylvania who believe football is more important than kids. 

Arkansas

Most Arkansas fans think a hash tag is some kind of weed.
Oh hai Matt Jones!

Arkansas beat its all time attendance record this year.  Seeing this Purdue has decided that from now on its spring game will be coachless as well.  The game ended in a 65-0 blowout.  Proving that once again Arkansas fans will have unreasonable expectations based on a few skill players only to be beat down by a lack of depth.  But, but, but this was "our year."

2011 attendance: 42,000

2012 attendance: 45,200

"SooWee Hog we are gonna win a national title this ye.... awww, next year is our year!" - Arkansas fans, every single year.

MSU

You don't really need a field to play football.

These people are an "attraction."

Mississippi State played their spring game on a 60 yard field because the Sugarland stage was taking up 40 yards.  Mississippi State managed to get fans to show up even while threatening them with Sugarland.

2011 attendance: 36,357

2012 attendance: 22,604

Mississippi State saw a serious drop in attendance. Perhaps it's time to find some singers who aren't horrible?