One important reason Harbaugh might leave Stanford
Nobody on the internet really knows whether or not Jim Harbaugh is truly interested in leaving Stanford, and nobody close to Harbaugh is talking. However, there is one potentially huge inducement (aside from a new $50,000 crapper in Schembechler Hall) for JH to leave Palo Alto and come back east: the absolutely miserable attendance at Stanford games.
"A nationally-ranked football team with a star quarterback, well-known coach and gorgeous stadium would translate to sellout crowds on most college campuses.
But not at Stanford, where thousands of seats sit empty on any given Saturday. The small crowds are an object of derision for opponents and a source of frustration for school officials, including football coach Jim Harbaugh. The situation has left others baffled.
"Their head coach is a force of nature. Their quarterback is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Their team is one of the best in the country, and they have 6.5 million people living here," said Andy Dolich, who has worked as an executive for the A's, Warriors and 49ers. "They've got everything going for them."
But the empty seats -- in 50,000-seat Stanford Stadium, more than 10,000 regularly go unfilled -- are no longer just a head-scratcher. They could cost the football team a berth in a major bowl game."
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16712437?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com…
December 4th, 2010 at 12:44 PM ^
I recently heard third hand information that the only thing holding JH back from coming to Michigan has somthing to do with children, support for children and California laws that if they go unresolved JH would have to come to Michigan alone and he isn't willing to do that. Has anybody else heard anything about this or is it just a bunch of crap?
December 4th, 2010 at 2:11 PM ^
This is a dangerous thing to post. We spend a lot of time beating up the press for spreading rumors. So we ought to be careful about this sort of thing, given that boards like this one are becoming, in essence, news-sources. Just saying.
December 4th, 2010 at 12:50 PM ^
Can't buy the argument about costs, of all things. Stanford? Palo Alto? One of the wealthiest schools/areas anywhere. They aren't going to games because Stanford just isn't a football place.
December 4th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
1. The environment: the attention span of Bay Area people starts with two baseball teams, two tradition-heavy pro football teams, hiking, camping, biking, driving Volvos and Priuses, the list goes on...the lifestyle does not cater to heavy interest in a college football team, especially in the quiet suburb that is Palo Alto. The fact Cal is a hit-or-miss program doesn't help the college game get traction.
2. Stanford has pretty well sucked about half the time over the last two decades, usually in a typical up-down-up-down seasonal cycle. Which kills the chance for the program to become guaranteed entertainment and destination viewing.
3. Stanford's alumni base is small, and distributed around the country and the world. They can't depend on a large local base to become long-term season ticket holders for the alma mater (like Michigan and Washington have among many other teams).
4. Why does it matter? Well I don't think Harbaugh takes it personally, but as he's noted it's a factor in the BCS slots so it matters to his program. Other than that I think attendance is just a proxy for how big the program can go and wants to go.
December 4th, 2010 at 2:39 PM ^
Who needs attendance when Stanford has that awesome band.
December 4th, 2010 at 4:47 PM ^
Isn't Stanford guaranteed a BCS at-large bid if it finishes in the top four of the BCS rankings? They should be able to finish there tomorrow.
Having said that, it's got to be exasperating for a coach to have a top 10 team get such poor fan support.
December 4th, 2010 at 9:39 PM ^
A top 5 finish for any non conference championship is guaranteed a BCS slot. Unless of course there are more than 2 teams from the same conference previously heading to the BCS.
