Every game day, thousands of South Carolina fans dress in their beloved colors of garnet and black, make the voyage to Columbia and pack into stadiums. Due to consistent fan loyalty, the Gamecocks lead NCAA Division I schools in attendance numbers.
Several sports on campus consistently place in the top-25 or even the top-10 in attendance in NCAA DI.
Some of these attendance-leading teams in 2018 included the Gamecocks in fourth in NCAA baseball attendance, 17th in NCAA football attendance, second in NCAA women's soccer attendance and first in NCAA women's basketball attendance for the fifth-straight year.
There are many contributing factors in South Carolina’s success in drawing fans to the stadium game after game. One of these factors is fan loyalty, according to Blake Edmunds, the assistant athletic director of marketing and fan experience.
“One of the biggest things that is so awesome about being a Gamecock is that we have some of the most loyal fans, really, in the country,” Edmunds said. “Those numbers really show through the thick and thin; you know, we’ve been blessed with having some great seasons by some of our teams … but even in some of the tough seasons, our fans still come out.”
Another contributing element to attendance success, Edmunds said, is season ticket holders and their commitment to Gamecock athletics.
Lance Grantham, the senior associate atheletic director for ticketing and customer relations, agreed with Edmunds.
“[Season ticket holders] provide the base for our attendance across our big 4 sports,” Grantham said in an email interview. “We sell a great number of seasons in [football], both [men’s and women’s] basketball, baseball and softball. They help fund the whole athletic department with their commitment and support financially and on Gameday in the stands.”
Fan loyalty and season ticket holders might contribute to South Carolina by continuing to put up big numbers in attendance, but one could say programs and other amenities set in place by ticketing also attract fans to games.
Grantham said some of the simpler game day experiences, such as upgrading a fan’s upper deck seat to a lower deck seat or being on the field during the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme, keep fan satisfaction high.
Edmunds said some of the broader aspects of the fan experience recently set in place, such as the Forever Loyal and student rewards programs, might help fan satisfaction.
“We never try to take our foot off the gas and try to continue to innovate and find different ways that we can cater better to our fans’ needs,” Edmunds said. “While we do all these great things and different programs, you know, we can’t lose sight that their loyalty is second to none.”