Fold your poker hands, folks. By ANY and EVERY statistical measure, Evertt has a winning hand and a winning argument when any discussion regarding membership in the Big Sky Conf. takes place.
1. The simple attendance figures and actual $$ gate revenues of football equate one clear fact: Montana has historically financially subsidized the Big Sky Conf. Only one other Big Sky school -- Montana State -- comes close to UM in total attendance figures… primarily in football. This year, MSU's attendance figures were pretty good… standing at 153,400 for a per-game average of 19,175 for eight games. In comparison, Montana's per-game average home attendance was 24,630 and in seven home games (one less than MSU) the total gross number of paid-attendance fans equaled 172,085. That’s Approximately 20k MORE than MSU for one-less home game. Take this only one step further: That is, NO other Big Sky school comes close. Furthemore...
2. When paid attendance stats for ALL sports are included, NO other Big Sky school is even in the same stadium (or ballpark) with Montana's total fan stats. The Big Sky does not include average attendance figures for several sports, but a cursory look at Montana's attendance stats provides a CLEAR contrast. Basketball you say? Currently Montana's average attendance for men's conference BB games is 3321 compared to Weber State's 3089 and Montana State's 2960 (which includes last week's Griz-Cat game in Bozeman). Through ALL women's basketball games so far this season, Montana's per-game average is 2169 compared to Montana State's 1280. No other Big Sky school seems capable of breaking over a measly 500-per game in average women’s hoops attendance (Weber State's average is 181). In fact, Montana's home average attendance for last season's softball games was 262, approx 100-per game above the average of ALL GrizSB road games (and they played at some major school tourneys). Montana's volleyball team home gate average was 503 compared to the conference average (a fairly accurate estimate here... some schools don't keep vb stats) of approximately 375 (significant, because Weber State, Idaho and ISU support their VB teams well).
3. My belief is that IF paid-gate statistics for all Big Sky sports were added up, Montana would be clearly the top school in the conference... by a LARGE total. My guess (which is a wild guess, I admit) is that Montana's paid-gate stats for all sports would be comparable to many in the Mountain West conference.
4. There is only ONE statistic that would warrant keeping Montana in the Big Sky Conf.... average school student enrollment. Montana (fall 2021--11,106) is bunched toward the bottom in total student enrollment with: Idaho (11,303), EWU (10,892), UNC (11460), SUU (12,582) and ISU (12,157). Montana State is at the middle of the Big Sky in student enrollment with 16,218 while SAC, PSU, NAU and Weber State all have student enrollment populations in excess of 25K.
You are welcome and invited to contest these figures...OR statistics in general as a means of determing where/how a school should be coference-affiliated.