Eddie George expressed disappointment in what he considered a lack of support from Tennessee State fans and questioned whether they truly loved the sport.
The third-year coach commented after the team’s homecoming game against Norfolk State on Saturday in front of a crowd of 13,975 at Nissan Stadium.
George expressed that fans should attend home games regardless of whether Tennessee State played against HBCUs.
“I really would love for them to embrace us and to support us, no matter who we play. It doesn’t have to be another HBCU,” he said. “It doesn’t always have to be a party. I get it, I’ve been there, but if you’re a real fan of football and you’re supporting Tennessee State football student-athletes, come to the games.”
But Saturday was not the first time George complained about fanbase apathy.
Speaking to reporters during Ohio Valley Conference media availability in 2021, George expressed disappointment in the small crowds.
“To be honest, it is disappointing to walk out there and to see literally nobody in the stands,” George said then. “We appreciate the fans that have supported us. But it is discouraging when you see that because you don’t have a real home-field advantage. You’re playing in a stadium in front of nobody.”
It has been suggested that attendance numbers from HBCU home games over the years indicate that Tennessee State fans longed for more Black College football matchups at Nissan Stadium or Hale Stadium, its on-campus facility.
Last season, the Tigers’ first two home games, against Lane College and Bethune-Cookman, drew an average of 16,892 fans. Tennessee State’s first two home games in 2023, which featured opponents Gardner-Webb and Norfolk State this season, have drawn an average crowd of 8,922.
Analyzing home attendance figures dating back to the 2013 season, it appears on aggregate that there has been a distinct uptick in spectators for games against HBCU opponents.
Over 32 games against non-HBCU opponents, an average of 8,385 fans attended games for data available through official Tennessee State boxscores. The average attendance for true home games against HBCU opponents during that period was 16,339. Neutral site games such as Classics were not included.
Going inside the numbers, the highest attendance for a non-HBCU home game over the last decade was in 2013, when 22,157 fans showed up against Eastern Illinois at then-LP Field. The most fans to attend a game against an HBCU opponent occurred when 29,225 were in attendance for a matchup against Florida A&M in 2014.
While George wants more Tennessee State fans to show up in large numbers for every home game, the relationship between teams/schools and fans has always been transactional. There have to be reasons for fans to invest their time, money, and emotional energy. And it seems — fair or not — that Tennessee State fans have expressed more interest in watching the Tigers play against HBCU opponents regardless of how the team’s season is going than Eastern Illinois or UT-Martin.
Does this mean Tennessee State should leave the Ohio Valley Conference for the MEAC or SWAC? Not necessarily. After all, in 2022, TSU attendance ranked No. 24 in the FCS out of 130 programs, which was higher than Grambling State, South Carolina State, Alabama A&M, and HBCU national champion North Carolina Central.
The Tigers’ attendance figures were also more than 2022 FCS playoff qualifiers Idaho and Incarnate Word. To suggest that Tennessee State fans don’t love or care for football is blatantly unfair. There is interest there.
However, it does signal that athletic director Mikki Allen needs to pay close attention to the trends and how its fanbase moves to maintain and increase support for the program.
