Reusse: Steep prices keeping fans away from Gophers' big three

BleedGopher

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per Pat:

We can confirm that 709 days after the arrival of P.J Fleck in the Twin Cities that the amped-up Gophers football coach has gained a zealous following that does not appreciate belittlement of his quirks in either mainstream or social media.

More surprising, there still seems to be strong backing for men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino as he heads toward the meat of his sixth campaign in January with a 32-60 record in Big Ten regular seasons.

The men’s hockey followers received what they seemed to want this season, with the departure of Don Lucia and the hiring of Bob Motzko, the veteran coach who turned St. Cloud State into a potent program.

So, we’re optimistic about football (I’m hearing the Gophs won the Axe), and we still have faith in Pitino, and we have renewed hope with Motzko, and that begs the question:

Where is everybody?

Much focus has been put on former athletic director Norwood Teague’s accelerated “scholarship seating” fees for driving away longtime season-ticket holders.

Here’s what I didn’t get until some recent conversations at Williams Arena: Those fees also have had a harsh effect on impulse ticket buying because of wildly inflated single-game prices.

The athletic department doesn’t want a customer in the Barn with four season tickets paying an average of $70 because of fees to find out the person in the next seat got in for a reasonable single-game price of half that.

Meaning, the single-game tickets have been sent to the stratosphere by being prorated at a similar price to the fee-attached season tickets.

There are nine Big Ten men’s basketball home games left and five have prices between $55 to $90. The Wisconsin hockey series tickets are $50 to $70. The ticket prices were similarly outrageous for this fall’s Fleck-ball, even with tens of thousands of empty seats.

Deterrent A for Gophers ticket-buying is not competition in the sports market, too-busy lives or a negative perception of the programs. It’s the price for somebody to take his or her kid to one decent Big Ten game.

Question: Are you all nuts in the athletic administration thinking it’s a good idea to charge some of the highest single-game prices in the country?

http://www.startribune.com/steep-prices-keeping-fans-away-from-gophers-big-three/502856611/

Go Gophers!!
 

I dislike Reusse as much as the next guy, but it’s true. I would attend so many more Gopher sporting events if I could afford to. The ticket prices are so high.


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It's almost as if regular marketing principals were taking effect and affecting attendance.
 

#NegativeMedia


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What is steep? I didn't know this was a poverty stricken metro area and state. I guess I was wrong.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 



Reusse is absolutely right about this. I just went online to buy Gopher hockey tickets and was shocked by the prices. No wonder when I watch games on TV it looks like the arena is half empty.
 

How can I have read dozens of articles, stories, blurbs like this and nobody has discussed eyeballs on screens/tv ratings and revenue? What is the viewership? Tv revenue pays the bills, same as ticket sales. Are the fan bases really shrinking/not watching or is it more appropriate to say the in-person experience isn’t worth the time, aggravation, and cost.
 

I used to attend one game per year with a group of 15-20 friends. We kept the beer and food venders busy the entire game and always had a great time.
This year, we looked at the price for individual tickets to the Iowa game and decided it would be just as fun to watch the game from a local bar. We all spent a fraction of the money and still had a great time.
This is not a good trend for the athletic department.
 



I used to attend one game per year with a group of 15-20 friends. We kept the beer and food venders busy the entire game and always had a great time.
This year, we looked at the price for individual tickets to the Iowa game and decided it would be just as fun to watch the game from a local bar. We all spent a fraction of the money and still had a great time.
This is not a good trend for the athletic department.

This sounds more like you and your friends just got older. The bar was easier. Been there. Done that.


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Reusse's right and people have been screaming about it on here for 3 years now.
 

This is not a good trend for the athletic department.

“Isn’t there a children’s book about an elephant named Babar?
“I don’t know, I don’t have any”
“No children?”
“No, elephant books”
 

How can I have read dozens of articles, stories, blurbs like this and nobody has discussed eyeballs on screens/tv ratings and revenue? What is the viewership? Tv revenue pays the bills, same as ticket sales. Are the fan bases really shrinking/not watching or is it more appropriate to say the in-person experience isn’t worth the time, aggravation, and cost.
. TV revenue is shared and it's true it pays the bills but ticket sales are the gravy.
 



Reusse's right and people have been screaming about it on here for 3 years now.
I hate to say it but Phat Pat is right. I personally upgraded my seats this year taking advantage of the apathy but I also was really honest on the survey they sent out this year. Tickets are ridiculous. Of course if PJ and RTB are legitimate it will not matter. We love winners in the Twin Cities.

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“Isn’t there a children’s book about an elephant named Babar?
“I don’t know, I don’t have any”
“No children?”
“No, elephant books”

One b or two?


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This sounds more like you and your friends just got older. The bar was easier. Been there. Done that.


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Age has nothing to do with it.
Price point reached a level where our group and thousands of others have decided it was smarter to go to a bar.
 


. TV revenue is shared and it's true it pays the bills but ticket sales are the gravy.

Yes, but the article asked “where is everybody” and I’m genuinely curious if the program is growing or losing in terms of fan base. Ticket sales do not necessarily equal interest in the program or college football in general. Maybe some people want to watch at home, or in a bar, or later that night and fast forward through the breaks.

Surely somebody has to have some sort of data on number of tvs/tablets/phones playing the game. Big brother is watching your tv and surfing habits ...
 

I used to attend one game per year with a group of 15-20 friends. We kept the beer and food venders busy the entire game and always had a great time.
This year, we looked at the price for individual tickets to the Iowa game and decided it would be just as fun to watch the game from a local bar. We all spent a fraction of the money and still had a great time.
This is not a good trend for the athletic department.
I love to complain about the price of tickets as much as anyone, but I don’t think you can use the ticket prices vs Iowa as your argument. Games vs Iowa and Wisconsin are pretty much always expensive and in demand.
 

I love to complain about the price of tickets as much as anyone, but I don’t think you can use the ticket prices vs Iowa as your argument. Games vs Iowa and Wisconsin are pretty much always expensive and in demand.

Lots of empty seats.


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Yes, but the article asked “where is everybody” and I’m genuinely curious if the program is growing or losing in terms of fan base. Ticket sales do not necessarily equal interest in the program or college football in general. Maybe some people want to watch at home, or in a bar, or later that night and fast forward through the breaks.

Surely somebody has to have some sort of data on number of tvs/tablets/phones playing the game. Big brother is watching your tv and surfing habits ...

Probably more are watching at home right now replacing in person attendance, but lack of in game attendance will eventually erode the fan base as a whole. If you get to a couple of games a year, you are probably going to make sure that the ones you don't you catch on TV, computer, or phone, but once you completely stop any actual attendance you slowly just drift away. When my group started to whittle down, I saw this very thing. Right away those guys were watching every Saturday on TV, but then it turned into me texting from the stadium saying "Did you just see that?" and I started to get back more "No what's up?"

It's natural when you lose the intense connection of attendance it is much easier to drift to casual fan and then eventually to not at all.
 

I'm sure prices are a factor for sure but we just won 5 games and 6 games the last two football seasons coming off a scandal. The coach says he needs to establish his culture, wait until 2020. Knit that together with hearing incessantly "We are the youngest team in America" over and over and over why would many be inspired to drop a few hundred going to a game? Lots of choices Maroon5 in the Twin Cities how people choose to spend their money.

Basketball has had headlines of the wrong kind. Last year basketball lost many of their better players after starting 13 and 3 to injury and suspension and then spiraled to unwatchable. So, for those two sports it's much more than ticket prices.

Hockey? No idea
 

I hate to say it, but he is spot on regarding our ticket prices. I went to the Northwestern ticket website (not Stub Hub or anything similar) prior to their final home game of the season against Illinois, and the ticket range was shocking: $3.00 for the cheap seats and $28 for the most expensive ones. And this is in Chicago folks. We had friends that wanted to buy 4 tickets to this year's Iowa game and the tickets were $85/each. Needless to say, they didn't go. Somebody in the Athletic Dept. needs to get a better understanding of the principle of supply and demand. Lower the dang prices and fill the seats - *duh*
 

I have already posted proposed ticket pricing for TCF.

Evidently Mark Coyle doesn't read Gopherhole, or he has chosen (to his own detriment) to not implement my plan.

I cannot be held responsible for the low attendance.
 

Pat finally hit tomsething on the head. I would like to go, but then I look at tickets prices and forget it. Is there some place where unused tickets are getting sold?
 

Probably more are watching at home right now replacing in person attendance, but lack of in game attendance will eventually erode the fan base as a whole. If you get to a couple of games a year, you are probably going to make sure that the ones you don't you catch on TV, computer, or phone, but once you completely stop any actual attendance you slowly just drift away. When my group started to whittle down, I saw this very thing. Right away those guys were watching every Saturday on TV, but then it turned into me texting from the stadium saying "Did you just see that?" and I started to get back more "No what's up?"

It's natural when you lose the intense connection of attendance it is much easier to drift to casual fan and then eventually to not at all.

That makes a lot of sense and we all have great memories attending games which helps to keep that connection. I’m in the camp of lower prices and try fill the stadium to help the experience. Maybe there really aren’t enough fans to fill it even if people were enticed with gift cards or cash - maybe a winning team is the only antidote. Next year could be the inflection point.
 

. TV revenue is shared and it's true it pays the bills but ticket sales are the gravy.

What are the concessions sales? I am horrible at math and business so I'll let you guys help me figure this out...
Would it be possible that if you lowered ticket prices more people would come to the games and more concessions and souvenirs would be sold, as opposed to high ticket prices and no one coming to games therefore not much in concessions sales?
I imagine there's a line somewhere in there regarding cost of ticket vs. revenue from concessions, etc. that needs to be taken into consideration but I don't know. Doesn't sound like the U does either.
 

I suspect that, if the Gophers seriously considered a significant drop in ticket prices, there would be some push-back from the other B1G schools. Because if one school does it, there will be pressure on other schools to follow suit. Unless the new U of MN president is a real maverick (which I doubt), I don't see the U going out on a limb like that.
 

I hate to say it, but he is spot on regarding our ticket prices. I went to the Northwestern ticket website (not Stub Hub or anything similar) prior to their final home game of the season against Illinois, and the ticket range was shocking: $3.00 for the cheap seats and $28 for the most expensive ones. And this is in Chicago folks. We had friends that wanted to buy 4 tickets to this year's Iowa game and the tickets were $85/each. Needless to say, they didn't go. Somebody in the Athletic Dept. needs to get a better understanding of the principle of supply and demand. Lower the dang prices and fill the seats - *duh*

I'm curious, did these low prices get people in the stands? The few times I saw Northwestern at home on TV this year the stands didn't look full, but that might not tell the whole story. A stadium can be sold out and still have a lot of no shows.
 





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