Iowa to give free tuition to five students who purchase football tickets
As declining student attendance at college football games becomes a bigger and bigger issue, Iowa is giving five students free tuition if they buy season tickets.
The deadline for Iowa students to buy season tickets is Friday and on Tuesday, the school announced the promotion to give randomly-selected students free tuition. The prizes are based off of current in-state tuition rates and the value is estimated at $8,000.
Student attendance has declined from approximately 10,000 to 7,000 in two years.
"We want students in Kinnick Stadium, and the staff has spent the year listening and planning ways to increase the fun and excitement. A loud and active student section is such an important part of the game day experience," Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said in a statement.
In addition to the free tuition, students will also be eligible to win grocery gift cards and free textbooks and supplies. Any student who purchases season tickets by the deadline is eligible to win.
Getting students to come to games is becoming harder for many schools and universities because of the potential difficulty to get cell service and the ubiquity of high-definition televisions. With almost every game on television and the rise in technology and the second-screen experience while watching sports, the allure of watching games in person isn't as strong as it once was for some.
Heck, New Mexico State even offered students cash prizes last season if they stayed through games.
Iowa is also having a special tailgate for students before each game that includes cornhole, music, body paint and face tattoos. Music and games could have simply been enough. The addition of body paint and face tattoos is a big bonus. And we have another idea. Iowa OT Brandon Scherff should power clean a car in the parking lot before every game to fire up the crowd.
In case you were wondering, Iowa's tickets are reasonably-priced. Students can pick either six or seven-game packages and tickets are $25 per game.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
