The Demise of the JMU Fanbase May Have Been Exaggerated

The brand new and improved JMUsports.com website officially launched today. We’re not going to offer a fully detailed review, but we will say it gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from us. It features a simple and clean design and it includes some great new information. We particularly like the football results going back 42 years. While we were checking it out today, we came across an article on the current state of football season ticket sales. And it turns out those who forecast gloomy times for fan support appear to have misread the tea leaves. Football season ticket sales are ahead of last year’s pace.

There was a great deal of handwringing over JMU’s failure to make a move to an FBS league this year. While we have no interest in rehashing the “should we stay or should we go debate”, it’s obvious that there were some very vocal members of the pro-FBS segment. Some of whom might have even predicted that the the majority (or at least significant portion) of the fans would voice its displeasure by abandoning the football program, leaving Bridgeforth with scores of empty seats this Fall. Well, as of the May 15 season ticket renewal deadline, 500 more season tickets had been sold than at last year’s deadline. And more tickets have been sold since then, bringing the total season tickets sold to 6,100. That’s on pace to surpass last year’s total of 7,002.

We’re not pointing this out in order to convince you that everything is perfect in the world of JMU sports or JMU football. The football program is headed by a new regime, desperate to break free from the mediocre plateau the former coaches had settled on. And the FBS question will continue to loom over us for at least another year. But this uptick in football season ticket sales might indicate that the excitement about what Coach Withers is doing with the program, trumps any sort of disappointment lingering over the lack of a conference move. Which would be awesome.

Withers and his staff haven’t even coached their first game, but they’ve already put their stamp on the program. From a completely revamped academic program, to improved student outreach, to a player strong man competition, to on overall injection of enthusiasm. They’re breathing life into a program that really needed it. And they’re pulling in talented players and recruiting like it’s their job (side note: it is their job). The enthusiasm, or “juice” as Withers puts it, is contagious. And these latest season ticket numbers are evidence of that.