Editorial: Lobo Fans, Let’s Fill Those Stadium Seats

Football is a numbers game. Ws and Ls do count at the end of the season.

And the stats add up to revenue — or not. Bonuses and contract extensions for coaches — or not. Alumni donations — or not.

Part of the picture is the number of University of New Mexico Lobos fans in the seats at University Stadium. Empty bleachers don’t generate revenue. Or enthusiasm. Despite an improved Division I team, not enough fans have bought into watching the transformation from the bleachers.

Attendance at the Lobos’ four home games this season has dropped with each outing. Only 19,856 fans showed up at the Oct. 20 game when the then-4-4 Lobos were gunning for a bowl bid. University Stadium seats 39,224.

First-year coach Bob Davie took on the “project” of rebuilding the dispirited program and of re-energizing fans who were fed up with not just losing but with an undisciplined team that didn’t seem to compete hard on the field — and Coach Michael Locksley’s antics off the field.

It took three years of the Locksley era to take the Lobos to the bottom, and it’s unreasonable to expect Davie to rebuild Rome in a day. Davie has shown he values good character in his athletes and a commitment to building the program the “right way.”

Athletic Director Paul Krebs praises the loyal fans in the bleachers, but he’s hoping more jump on the Lobos bandwagon. Average attendance is edging up and new pre-game activities are being added to make the experience more exciting.

But at the end of the day, if Albuquerque wants a respectable and competitive Lobo football team, the community needs to support it.

So when the Lobos take the field this afternoon against the Wyoming Cowboys, it would be nice to see a sea of cherry and silver. This team needs and deserves New Mexico’s support.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.