The current state of the Wisconsin football program has created Camp Randall attendance problems. The stadium is seeing record lows through the first few games of the season, and this Saturday looked to be a huge improvement. The Badgers announced it was a sellout about a month ago. The rivalry with Iowa carries some juice and gets fans coming.
However, a new problem has emerged that may change this. The MLB has scheduled the Milwaukee Brewers vs. the Chicago Cubs game 5 for basically the same time. Wisconsin vs. Iowa starts at 6 pm CT, and the Brewers will be fighting for their playoff life starting at 7 pm, only an hour away.
This could create a problem where fans who root for both teams find themselves deciding how they want to proceed. Especially for those fans who want to attend both games. But even for the fans who just want to watch both games. Will the Badgers start to see a drop off?
Wisconsin needs a win and some hope to turn around attendance at Camp Randall
Related: ESPN predicts a much more lopsided result for Wisconsin vs. Iowa than Vegas
The secondary market has shown an increase in Camp Randall tickets becoming available for Wisconsin vs. Iowa. You can get in for somewhere around $50 right now on StubHub, which is still pretty good but not exceptional.
The Washington Huskies and Seattle Mariners ran into a similar problem in Seattle, WA, on Friday night, and it was announced that the Huskies would do their best to show the Mariners game pre-game (as the baseball game starts first) and then give updates throughout their Big Ten contest of Washington vs. Rutgers. Will Camp Randall follow suit? Or will they pretend there isn't a crossover in the fanbase?
It doesn't help that the Badgers haven't won a Big Ten game since October 19, 2024, against Northwestern last season. They've now lost seven straight conference games, and Iowa may be their best chance this season. It would be a shame to see the stands empty or fans leaving, but then again, if the program isn't good, it's hard to blame them, especially when there's a winning team only an hour away playing in the playoffs.