Hard pass: Sugar Bowl turnout reveals scores of empty seats

From the moment the Sugar Bowl matchup was announced, it proved to be a difficult sell for ticket brokers. Nearly three weeks ago, tickets were available on the secondary market for $8, and the price didn’t rise much above that as kickoff approached.

Fan interest never materialized for a variety of reasons. Georgia missed a slew of players because of NFL Draft decisions, injuries and academics. And Baylor didn’t bring the type of brand name that a school like Texas did last year when Georgia played in the same bowl game. The Bulldogs missed out on an SEC Championship and berth in the College Football Playoff, and coming after games against Notre Dame, Texas A&M and LSU already this season, many fans simply decided to not make the trip.

Some wondered if a crowd may eventually show up by game time, but that never materialized. Casual fans around New Orleans may be waiting for the LSU-Clemson national championship at the same venue on Jan. 13.

Here’s a collection of views from the press box:

Here’s how the crowd looks at kickoff, at least the view from the press box side. pic.twitter.com/SqNkagjBkf

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) January 2, 2020

For those saying to wait for actual kickoff to judge attendance, it didn’t get noticeably better. pic.twitter.com/O5Gzz0ynGt

— Alex Scarborough (@AlexS_ESPN) January 2, 2020

Very small crowd for Sugar Bowl judging from my perch way up top at Superdome. pic.twitter.com/WumeSrDYut

— Chip Towers AJC (@ctowersajc) January 2, 2020

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.