Shooter: The extortion fee for U basketball lower-level season-ticket is $400/ticket



Things like this tick me off and they really feel unique to the Minnesota market. The "extortion" fee is likely less than it is at a number of high major schools and as Walters himself notes IS NOT INCREASING. Why is this news? Why use the term "extortion"? Literally every other market I am familiar with has long ago come to grips with the fact that high major/power 5/BCS athletics in the revenue sports are big business and those willing to pay the $$$ will have the success. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, so all you are doing is hurting the Universities potential for success by choosing to write your note in this way.
 


Shooter has only part of the facts. I pay $100 per ticket to sit in the lower bowl on the east side of the arena...15 rows up, not obstructed and great seats. Shooter needs to pay a bit more attention.
 



Shooter has only part of the facts. I pay $100 per ticket to sit in the lower bowl on the east side of the arena...15 rows up, not obstructed and great seats. Shooter needs to pay a bit more attention.

Shooter definitely not telling whole story here. I'm in lower bowl with chairbacks, pay no seat licensing fees.
 


It is fun to say with some snark, but if you look at attendance trends nationally, I think many people are.

True. Big time college sports are losing in-house fan base at a pretty rapid rate. Cost is probably one factor, but I'm sure there are others. I am convinced the younger generation is simply not as into spectator sports as mine was and is. I'm not a fan of the licensing fees, but I also have a choice whether to pay it or not. I stopped complaining a couple of years ago.
 



Extortion fee? Ck out pro sports...

Apparently, he is using some kind of an average, as I pay $250 in the lower bowl. I don't feel extorted at all as I feel I am getting value in return for my donation. As others have mentioned, relative to the other B10 teams, we are on the low end...
Oh yeah, and by the way we want to be competitive...wake up and smell the roses - this is how the world works...
 

I think he took the highest priced section and used that number. I wouldn't expect a reporter (and I use that term loosely) to put all the facts in a story. That might take an effort.
 

I get nostalgic thinking about the days when you could tell how long someone had been a season ticket holder by where they sat. Williams used to be like a cross cut redwood, oldest holders court side, radiating out in concentric rings. There is no longer incentive to keep tickets long term anymore. You can always quit for a year or two and get right back where you were or pay more and get somewhere even better. Maybe that makes it easier to attract new season ticket holders, i don't know but it's something as a fan at this point in time you need to let it go. If your a reporter covering the team and you know full well that shaming the team for it's pricing practices can only result in affecting ticket sales, then shame on you for bashing them, especially when their pricing practices are middle of the road or below other big 10 teams.
 

True. Big time college sports are losing in-house fan base at a pretty rapid rate. Cost is probably one factor, but I'm sure there are others. I am convinced the younger generation is simply not as into spectator sports as mine was and is. I'm not a fan of the licensing fees, but I also have a choice whether to pay it or not. I stopped complaining a couple of years ago.

I agree with you about the complaining, but any business still needs to look at their fans needs and wants. And I don't see that happening right now in college sports. I think the younger generations might be a little less in too spectator sports, but I think more than that the younger folks look for deals and are actually pretty frugal. This is the Groupon/Uber generations. Old people used to be the ones that were made fun of as frugal, but all the young people I come across are so cost conscious it is shocking. Just my opinion.
 



I agree with you about the complaining, but any business still needs to look at their fans needs and wants. And I don't see that happening right now in college sports. I think the younger generations might be a little less in too spectator sports, but I think more than that the younger folks look for deals and are actually pretty frugal. This is the Groupon/Uber generations. Old people used to be the ones that were made fun of as frugal, but all the young people I come across are so cost conscious it is shocking. Just my opinion.

Don't forget they are the first generation with big college debt. Baby boomers did them no favors, especially with the recession and no jobs 9 years ago.
 

Oh we keep landing these Minnesota kids and preseason rankings in top 10-15. There will plenty of demand for these tickets.
 




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