Florida International University’s student body wanted a football program very badly. They cheered the day that an athletic fee was added to their tuition costs. The football fans got what they wanted. Since 2002, FIU has had a football program. It went to bowl games. It won bowl games. Athletes in the program have gotten drafted to the NFL. They even won a game versus the Miami Hurricanes. Now, twenty years later, the program is in decline. Only the students, the fans can save the program.
Does FIU know how to run a football program?
According to an op-ed by Miami Herald writer, Michelle Kaufman, the FIU football program is in decline. The team has gone 1-15 since beating the Miami Hurricanes in November 2019. They haven’t been able to meet the NCAA rule of averaging 15,000 fans at each game. Coach Butch Davis was hired in 2017 and was a high profile signing. Upon arrival, he saw the equipment was outdated. He resigned in 2021 after the University put his position on a job posting site before he even resigned. Per an article in the Atlantic, he accused the administration of sabotaging the program.
Is FIU the worst fanbase in college football?
Kaufman states that the university should invest in its soccer program. That the school should let the football program drop out of the FBS into a lower subdivision. It must be remembered, that the students wanted F.I.U. to have a football program. The students wanted to swagger and pound their chest at tailgates. Then pound their chests even more after wins. Now, in danger of losing the team, they should attend games. The students, alumni, boosters, their family and friends should attend the games and pull in people off the streets because they wanted a football team.
Some ideas
- They should make a promotion to give free entrance to games if they reach the 10,000 attendance mark–“GET US TO OUR GOAL!”
- The University is based in the suburbs of Southwest Miami-Dade County. There are schools, parks and thousands of houses in the area to give them free tickets.
- FIU sponsors the South Beach Wine & Food Festival which is a pretty expensive ticket, so anyone who comes to the games gets 30% off.
- Kids should be allowed to run on the field after the game and play catch with their dads.
Whatever it takes to pull in people to attend the games, they should do so. But, it is important to maintain a “public option” for athletes at local high schools to play college football. Oh and so students could show swagger around town after a victory.