Dr. Stanton, tear down that dome! This, of course, is a play off the words of Ronald Reagan when he demanded that Mikhail Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall.

ETSU football has been losing money yearly. The reasons are multiple, but one stands out from the rest.

Many people have told me that they will not go see an ETSU football game because it’s played in an indoor stadium.

If this was not the case, would people still come?

In recent conversation with a local football enthusiast, he complained about ETSU losing their football program.

I asked if he had ever been to a game and his answer was “No.” He complained about having to go to an indoor stadium.

Finally, I asked if he would come if the games were moved to an outdoor location, but his reply was still “No.”

A few years ago when ETSU played Marshall in a playoff game inside the Mini Dome, it was sold out. So obviously, many fans were not too concerned about having to watch a football game indoors because they expected a decent game.

NFL cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis, New Orleans and a mostly domed stadium in Dallas fill their seats with no problems. Dallas and Minnesota, who have had good teams, recently packed the seats every Sunday.

Other local colleges such as UVA-Wise and Emory and Henry have outdoor fields but do not fill the seats.

There are several factors that amount to the public not attending ETSU football games besides the stadium factor.

First, so many college football giants are around us. The University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech draw the bulk of the crowd on Saturday afternoons. Not to mention that Georgia, Clemson, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky are all football schools within a day’s drive.

Second, the football program is not publicized. It’s looked at as a precursor to ETSU basketball.

Former basketball coach Les Robinson used to promote the basketball teams to the student body until they filled the seats.

Third and last, ETSU is a suitcase campus. After 4 p.m. on Friday afternoons, this campus is empty. Most of the ETSU student body has never been to a tailgate party before the game because most of the students are not in Johnson City on the weekends.

Promote the football program and poke a few holes in the Dome, and we may have the recipe for success in ETSU football attendance.

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