The Hidden Reason Why Pitt Football Will Continue To Struggle With Attendance

Pitt Football has had a long history of football attendance woes. Even during the height of Pitt’s success in the modern football era (1975-1983), Pitt Football paled in comparison to many other comparable city schools. And this was during a time when Pitt played football “on campus” at Pitt Stadium. In fact, the best Pitt football could average during that time period was in 1982: a mere 55K.

These days, Pitt barely gets 55K in any game unless its a special event (Florida State in 2013 for Pitt’s first-ever ACC game) or when a traditional rival – Notre Dame, West Virginia (series renewed for 4 games between 2022 and 2025) and last season of course, Penn State – is in town.

Pitt fans will continue to lament about the move in 2001 to Heinz Field, the much maligned off-campus NFL stadium that is truly the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers moreso than the Pitt Panthers. It simply doesn’t feel like college football. So Pitt fans have the “go to” move to bash the move to this sterile off-campus facility as the culprit.

The “problem” however goes deeper than that. When you look at the composite of the Pitt fan base, it’s mainly an aging fanbase. A simple eyecheck and some Pitt insiders also admit to DreamBackfield that most of the Pitt Football “diehards” are male, white, over 30 and live within 5-7 hours of Western PA. Its not a national fanbase by any stretch or diverse.

That said, in order to grow a fanbase, you need youth and you need Pitt alumni who care. Youth and alumni? Well, who are they?

Therein lies where the hidden “challenge” exists. You see, you need to look at the composite of the 2017 Pitt graduating class to see a number of challenges Pitt administrators will continue to struggle to put butts in the seats at Heinz Field or even right in Oakland if we had such a facility. The good news unless you are Georgia Tech, this problem is a nationwide challenge meaning it will affect all Power 5 schools almost equally. The bad news is – we aren’t Georgia Tech.

Say what? What the heck does that mean? What’s the big secret? Well, lets let the numbers tell the story.

According to StartClass.com,

” What is the male to female ratio at University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus?

A: University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus has a male to female ratio of 48% male to 52% female. Because there are 28,649 students total at this school (undergraduate and graduate), this means there are 13,752 male students and 14,897 female students.”

This number is expected to get more lopsided in the coming years. Meaning, less men will attend college by the year 2025. Some predict it will be 60% women to 40% men at that time. Not just at Pitt, but all over the world. Except of course, an Engineering school like Georgia Tech where the ratio is expected to remain at least 70% male.

Now, there’s not an ounce of sexism intended in this piece. It fact, the intent is just the opposite. Its great news to see women achieving such amazing success in post-secondary education where historically they have been way underrepresented.

But the challenge is, women simply aren’t into football in large numbers. Yes, they exist in some capacity (probably less than 20% of all recent Pitt alumni) but they surely aren’t living by Pitt football down to every snap including the Blue-Gold game.

The irony here of course is that Pitt now has a brand-new female Athletic Director – Heather Lyke. Maybe that’s a great sign? Pure luck? Or truly, no net difference. Only time will tell.

It couldn’t hurt though that we have a female leader trying to market a product to women.

But if Pitt expects to grow a dedicated football fanbase for the future it’s surely going to need to do so.

Until then, don’t get mad when the girls hop on the bus at Heinz Field after the 3rd Quarter upon the completion of singing Sweet Caroline. Don’t get mad, when you see a dispassionate fan base.

Its up to you, the Pitt fan (yes guys – you) to invite more women to games. Create an atmosphere more appealing to women. Less F bombs, more class.

Lets not turn our beloved sport into a microcosm of China, Armenia or India that purposely aborts all of their baby girls based on some idiotic, mysogenist and barbaric viewpoint that women are insignificant to our future. Yes, Gendercide is real guys and has created a world of 75 million more men as a result (none of which will become Pitt football fans).

So stop the sausagefest or lose the sport. Embrace women at the games and encourage them to participate. Its up to you, Pitt faithful.