U of M athletic office announce price drops in tickets for 2019-20

The U needs to re-brand the donations as "advertising" and give you a nice 5 second "ad" on the video board in exchange for your "donation". Boom. Deductible. I'm surprised schools aren't already doing this.
How about the program they try to sell to me every game?!
 

We are in the first couple rows of section 209 and our overall price went down.

Last year we paid $1950 for two tickets, including the seat gifts. This year is will be $1780.

So no kick in the nuts for me. So we pay a seat donation and our ticket price went down. Not everyone got screwed!
 

Just saw preview for KARE 10pm news: "Cheaper Gopher tickets coming your way!"
 

Yup. Shaver just delivered the story and made it sound like all season tickets had dropped by at least $100
 

I saw a tweet somewhere - might have been from Gopher Lady - who said someone from the U clarified that the intent of the promotion is to get new season ticket holders in the portions of the basketball and hockey seats that have been sitting empty. That is the real motive - try and get people to buy season tix for seats that are currently going unused.

I do agree with others that the way it was announced is somewhat misleading. The headline makes it sound like fans will save money on season ticket prices, but the press release says nothing about the increase for 'donations' in some sections. likewise, the story in the Strib had no mention of donations being increased.

So, it really comes down to this:

"hey, you see those empty seats in the second deck. you can buy season tickets in that section and save some money. And the rest of you, your season ticket price is going down, but your donation is going up, so your overall price will be the same."

except that doesn't sound as cool as "Gophers cut price of season tickets."
 


Yup. Shaver just delivered the story and made it sound like all season tickets had dropped by at least $100

That’s good right? I know it’s not 100% correct but getting positive coverage on the local news shows is what this team needs.
Plus for someone like me who has football season tickets this is a way to maybe do both. Fill these places up and get some new fans in there.
 

I had Gopher men's basketball season tickets from 1993-94 to 2015-16 and then dropped them. It hurt to do so, but the decision was made on the basis of the following:

- Too many nonconference games against low quality opponents. If we win by 20, the game is dull with no fan atmosphere and if we struggle, the game and crowd mood are ugly.

- Unfriendly scheduling to fans with so many games crammed into short periods of time in November and December plus TV 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM midweek Big Ten tipoffs that are difficult to make on time or end too late on a work night.

- All credit to the Gophers for making efforts to fix this lately, but having so few home nonconference games against power conference teams got very old. I'm not asking for Kentucky or Kansas, but what about Alabama and Kansas State and what about more often? This is an institutional problem for college basketball that won't likely change any time soon.

- The one and dones have sapped my general interest in college basketball. Every season starts with last year's superstars gone and a new crop on board. By the time the tourney is over and you know who the elite stars are again, they're all heading to the NBA and it starts over. This obviously goes beyond the Gophers who, Kris Humphries aside, haven't had to deal with this. However, I think about coming of age as a fan in the 1980s and 1990s and realize that most of the top stars that I watched develop as players and form real rivalries over 3 and 4 year college careers or even 2 year careers would nowadays mostly bolt after 1.

- Going back to atmosphere, attendance fell off after the academic scandal and, apart from the odd game and occasional seasonal bumps, it has never recovered. Toss the Wisconsin game with all the Badgers fans and not one Williams Arena game got a crowd over 12,000 this past season. That includes the make or break game against Purdue. Those empty rows partly sap the atmosphere with all the open space. The open space also made me wonder why I was buying a full season when it was easier to skip the inconvenient or unappealing games since tickets are nearly always available. It makes me wonder if as part of a future renovation of the Barn, and one will have to come soon because the last big one was in 1993, it would be best to downsize the place by eliminating all bench seats outside of the student section or perhaps doing something more substantial like leaving the roof and walls standing, sending the Gophers for a season to Target Center, and then gutting the place to radically redo The Barn.

I think this got a bit off track, but long story made short, price isn't why I don't have season tickets anymore. It is a much bigger situation. That said, I hope the price decrease gets more bodies in The Barn for 2019-20.
 
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Ironically, I think the only people that really got hosed financially (new season-ticket price + new seat donation fee price) were U employees who have seats with seat donation fees. They're actually paying more than they did last year. Thanks for working here, and thanks for your support of our athletic program(s)!
 
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100%. I will be one of those people and this option is a great deal.

Instead of spending $300 or so on select individual single game seats, I will pay $340 and have a season ticket in the upper deck.

Yeah there were a few games last season I wanted to bring my daughters then u see the cheapest ticket is around $50 for the worst seat in the building and it’s a quick hell no. But if I can get tickets now for $20-$25 you bet I will be at gophers game with family! It’s amazing the people who bitch about them trying to sell 2000-4000 more tickets that go unused every game. Seems like a very smart idea to try and build new fans families would could become long term fans.
 

Are you kidding me? Every single pricing zone in every stadium in the country for every sport has a cut off where someone 1 row behind another is going to be paying a lesser price. They are called price zones for a reason. Cannot believe I am having to explain this! And can you like this next year's single game ticket prices for your section for each game? Otherwise, you are not sure yet if you will be getting a discount or not.

It’s unbelievable that you do have to explain it. Sounds like you should move up a row then instead of bitch and cry!
 

That’s good right? I know it’s not 100% correct but getting positive coverage on the local news shows is what this team needs.
Plus for someone like me who has football season tickets this is a way to maybe do both. Fill these places up and get some new fans in there.

Shocker people would be mad at maybe u buying another season ticket that goes unused! Been very positive on my friends so far. My cousin who has never been a season ticket holder just said I am probably going to get one now. I will definitely be at 2-4 games if signal games prices are in the 20-25 range. Another huge basketball nut told me the same thing last night. If there is anyone who doesn’t think they will be selling more tickets because of this great idea is crazy!
 

City Pages: The Minnesota Gophers cut ticket prices... while shooting themselves in the foot

So last week, the Athletic Department took a bold step to address its unwanted supply and retreating demand. It cut prices for basketball and hockey. Season tickets for hoops will now begin at $340. For hockey: $500.

By dropping season ticket prices, it could also drop single-game prices, hopefully winning back fans repelled by pro fees for middling collegiate fare.


But the university always seems to have a gun pointed at its foot. This moment was no different. It couldn't resist running a sleight of hand on its most loyal fans.

While official prices declined, “scholarship seating” fees – the university’s version of a seat license – rose correspondingly, meaning most season ticket holders won't see any savings at all.

Take, for example, a primo season seat for men’s hockey. Last year, it would have cost $700 per ticket, with a $300 mandatory gift. Total: $1,000

Next season that same seat will sell for $500, but with a $500 “scholarship seating” fee. Total: $1,000.

“Our ticket price went down by $300!!!” one commenter wrote. “Our per seat contribution went up by... $300. Thanks?”

The U had taken a page from the cable industry's manual on customer relations. New customers get tempting discounts, while existing ones are taken for everything they can get. At Minnesota’s greatest center of higher thought, they actually built a disincentive to customer loyalty. The new prices mean you can now pay considerably less at the door. And you can skip contests against stiffs that are scheduled only to pad records and home-game revenue.

The U, of course, is motivated by a dilemma. Unlike most schools, it sits within a major city, forced to compete against all manner of pro teams. It doesn’t have the luxury of a country locale where it’s the only game in town.

Nor does it have the prestige or athletic history to measure its donors by the tonnage. Yet it still must compete in the arms race of college sports, playing with an anchor roped to its foot.

http://www.citypages.com/news/the-m...ile-shooting-themselves-in-the-foot/508993991

Go Gophers!!
 



City Pages:

The U had taken a page from the cable industry's manual on customer relations. New customers get tempting discounts, while existing ones are taken for everything they can get. At Minnesota’s greatest center of higher thought, they actually built a disincentive to customer loyalty. The new prices mean you can now pay considerably less at the door. And you can skip contests against stiffs that are scheduled only to pad records and home-game revenue.

http://www.citypages.com/news/the-m...ile-shooting-themselves-in-the-foot/508993991

Go Gophers!!

The cable analogy makes zero sense. The new customers that buy the newly reduced $340 seats are upper deck benches. Old customers can buy them for the exact same price and forgo their chairback/donation seats.
 

The cable analogy makes zero sense. The new customers that buy the newly reduced $340 seats are upper deck benches. Old customers can buy them for the exact same price and forgo their chairback/donation seats.
Get rid of all the chair backs. Put back the benches. Drop the d@mn prices. This ain't disney world.
 






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