At least one business owner said a decline in attendance at ASU football games has hurt his business this season.
A schedule with a reduced number of high-profile teams has reduced attendance, so fewer people are coming to drink afterward, said Nic Kelly, general manager of The Library Bar & Grill.
"Some games were not nearly the caliber they played last year," Kelly said.
Average attendance for six home games so far this season has been about 53,000, compared to an average of 61,000 for all seven home games last season, according to the Athletic Department.
Wyatt Dannels, a biology and Spanish senior, said he was disillusioned by what he felt was a poor performance by the team last year.
He decided not to attend any games this year because he expected more of the same outcome.
"They'd find a way to blow it in most games," he said.
Fan support for ASU is on the decline, said Damon Scott, general manager at Zuma Grill near Mill Avenue and Sixth Street.
"There's definitely not the excitement on the street there was this time last year," Scott said.
Head football coach Dirk Koetter said at a press conference this week that the football team's performance has been inconsistent due to injuries, inexperienced players and a lack of preparation at times.
Turnout this year looks worse compared to last season because high-draw games against Louisiana State University, UA and the University of Southern California attracted huge crowds and bumped up overall numbers in 2005, said Doug Tammaro, an Athletics Department spokesman.
The USC game, for instance, drew 71,000 spectators, he said.
"We had arguably one of the biggest draws in Pac-10 history," Tammaro said.
Next year, crowds at home games could get bigger again with teams like USC and UA on the schedule, Tammaro said.
For now, business owners said they see at least a slim silver lining around all the gloom. Some are reporting an increase in sales of between 20 percent and 30 percent during halftime of games as compared to last year.
"We're actually doing better because they are leaving early," said Russ Wortmann, general manager for Z' Tejas Grill at Sixth Street and Mill Avenue.
Reach the reporter at: grayson.steinberg@asu.edu.
