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I did not know where best to put it, so I choose here.

Or two 315 pounders!

And I think it is more than just having teams in close proximity. It also means media saturation. And sponsor saturation. The time and attention to teams is not just split with the nearby teams, but also national teams. Competition for the fan's attention is much less for Iowa State. And many of us won't even watch Hokeye games, not just because of the rivalry, but because the Big Yawn 10 games aren't as fun to watch.

Congratulations to Richie

I thought I'd pull this out. I think you've just made the one point that many of us just doesn't realize is as much of an impact on our attendance as it truly is. Within Two hours of Akron: We have 5 D-1 NCAA programs (OSU, Kent, Toledo, Bowling Green, Pittsburgh), 5 pro-teams (Cavs, Browns, Steelers, Indians, Penguins). As much as some will say this is "making an excuse" it really isn't. Our market is over-saturated with sports choice. And if most people were to rank the top-5 of the teams available within their area to go to a game/follow on a regular basis...it will be a mix of 3ish pro-teams (Browns or Steelers, Cavs, Indians or Penguins) and a college team or two, one being State Ohio University for almost everyone. So this is probably the biggest factor impacting our fanbase. If we were to expand it to 3 1/2 hours....watch out the numbers increase to like 13 NCAA D-1 Programs (Cincinnati, Penn State, Ohio University, Marshall, Michigan State, Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Temple), and 10 Pro Teams (Lions, Tigers, Pistons, Reds, Bengals).

No one ever understands Nostradamus' predictions before they happen, but they make a lot of sense after the fact.