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[–] snarkon 1 point 4 points (+5|-1) ago 

Attendance drops are unavoidable as television-imposed game times are pressed onto fans. Game start times are regularly unreleased until a few days before game time. So there goes your weekend plans, leaving you not knowing whether to schedule a game visit at 11am, 1pm, 3:30, 5, 8pm or even on Saturday at all. And tailgating in the cold and dark after work and a commute on a Thursday or Friday is the pits. Plus if you live in the west (actually, probably anywhere now), TV forces too many games into night time slots to accommodate primetime afternoon games elsewhere. Fans or alumni at any age aren't going to be hiking around in the dark at midnight to their car on a weeknight and smiling about how great the experience is.

Stadiums in the past were built large for the crowds that would fill them. A Saturday 1pm show with all the tradition, color, music, activity for people of all ages was a beacon for attendance. TV does not care about football, athletes, tailgates, game experience, alumni visits, student inclusion or local communities; they want the ad bucks generated by a TV slot, and they'll cannibalize any tradition to get to the cash.