Am I Wrong? - Ticket Prices Crazy?

Ticket prices are just crazy everywhere right now. Just went to an Astros/Yankees game in Houston and sat high up in right field for $85. I get it, its the Yankees, but please. I found a place to park for $20 but there were plenty of lots for $40-50. Hot dog, pretzel and peanuts was $20. Inflation is alive and well in the event and entertainment world.
 

It is called capitalism.
If the perception is the price is too high for the perceived value the product will not sell or be discounted to sell.
One should remember the season pass fiasco of a few years ago when one good season in the midst of mediocrity caused the AD too steeply raise the price.
The result was a severe drop off in sales that is just beginning to recover.
 

Agree no nosebleeds at The Bank.

However, we were on Goodyear Blimp watch in the upper end of the expansion at Nebbie. There were sherpas handing out portable oxygen bags if needed...:p
Oh yes, I was shocked at the height of that area in Nebbie. We were high up in the endzone but could look up to see that expansion area. The fans looked so small.
 


Ticket prices are just crazy everywhere right now. Just went to an Astros/Yankees game in Houston and sat high up in right field for $85. I get it, its the Yankees, but please. I found a place to park for $20 but there were plenty of lots for $40-50. Hot dog, pretzel and peanuts was $20. Inflation is alive and well in the event and entertainment world.
And has been for 7-10 years.

Gopher football stopped becoming a cheap entertainment option around 2012-2014

It’s still way cheaper than Vikings but it isn’t cheap
 


And has been for 7-10 years.

Gopher football stopped becoming a cheap entertainment option around 2012-2014

It’s still way cheaper than Vikings but it isn’t cheap
Twins are about the only "cheap" ticket left in town.
 






My admin just told me $200-$300 a ticket for Delta club against the Rangers 😂
Currently $67 on stub hub for delta sky 360. Thomson Reuters champions club are the only seats that would ever be over $200. Those are right behind home plate and include valet parking and all food and beverage.

Upper deck twins seats routinely under $20.
 

If it wasn’t for television revenue, your $70 ticket would be $200.
 

And has been for 7-10 years.

Gopher football stopped becoming a cheap entertainment option around 2012-2014

It’s still way cheaper than Vikings but it isn’t cheap
Section 246 $250 for season. Tough to beat
 

Resale tickets here are a lot more expensive than some other B1G markets though.
Last year we were supposed to go to the game at NW (boy tested positive for covid the day before so no-go.) Tickets were dirt cheap. I know it's NW, who can't draw flies, but I happened to look at some other away games, and those tickets were all much cheaper as well. Same with hoops when I got tickets to the Illinois game at the barn this year. I noticed that resale for away games was quite a bit lower.
 



No one wants to hear this, but since math was brought up:

40k * $70 = $2.1M
55k * $35 = $1.925M

You have to ask yourself what it's "worth", in all sense of cost and benefits, to have a full stadium vs "only" 40k.


I assume these are just single ticket prices. So it's never going to work out like I did above, because the stadium isn't full of single-game ticket folks. It's mostly season and Pass holders, where the per game cost is much lower.
 

How much was a ticket back in the 60s?
I did a quick google search and found this season ticket for 1963.

5 games for $22.50 which is $4.50 per game. According to this inflation calculator, that comes to about $43.50 per game in 2022 dollars. This was coming off a Top 10 (6-2-1) season in 1962.

s-l1600.jpg
 

Been a Gopher fan all my life, attended many basketball and football games. Daughter a grad. No doubt more difficult for students at that price. However, I have never felt or feel taken advantage of by prices at Minnesota. You just can't beat the entertainment value. Don't want to look back some day and say I never attended any of the games because I had to pay a little more for a ticket. In fact if they continue to put a winning product on the field/floor I will gladly pay a little more.
 

If you think tickets at the Bank aren’t cheap, check the price on 4 lower level tickets to the Minnesota game at Penn State.
 

This is the normal thing for Minnesotans. We always think we're getting ripped off.

Then you actually go look at what it's like in the other Big Ten states ....
 


Twins are about the only "cheap" ticket left in town.
That's pretty common among the MLB.

The sheer volume of games makes cheap baseball a tradition most places.

Even places known for higher prices, if you try you can find cheap tickets.
 


I did a quick google search and found this season ticket for 1963.

5 games for $22.50 which is $4.50 per game. According to this inflation calculator, that comes to about $43.50 per game in 2022 dollars. This was coming off a Top 10 (6-2-1) season in 1962.

s-l1600.jpg
Pretty sure I had a season ticket upper deck end zone in the last year of the metronome for like 120
So like 2008?


Inflation calculator says I should be able to find a season ticket for 23 dollars per ticket.

Granted, program better now. Stadium better and smaller.


Huge increase in prices.

What I don’t get,
40k tickets at 90 bucks = 3.6 million
50k tickets at 75 bucks = 3.75 million plus the extra people buy concessions.

Meanwhile, less than 20% of the budget is gate. I think that the university is being short sighted. They are running a short term maximization of profit model to price their tickets. But there is value added long term to having the stadium full each week. (Future fans, better on tv, recruiting, etc). They are pricing the ticket to maximize revenue. But they are missing some harder to measure variables to make a small amount of money more when you consider the new tv deal is going to be 100 million per year.
 

Pretty sure I had a season ticket upper deck end zone in the last year of the metronome for like 120
So like 2008?


Inflation calculator says I should be able to find a season ticket for 23 dollars per ticket.

Granted, program better now. Stadium better and smaller.


Huge increase in prices.

What I don’t get,
40k tickets at 90 bucks = 3.6 million
50k tickets at 75 bucks = 3.75 million plus the extra people buy concessions.

Meanwhile, less than 20% of the budget is gate. I think that the university is being short sighted. They are running a short term maximization of profit model to price their tickets. But there is value added long term to having the stadium full each week. (Future fans, better on tv, recruiting, etc). They are pricing the ticket to maximize revenue. But they are missing some harder to measure variables to make a small amount of money more when you consider the new tv deal is going to be 100 million per year.
When they had cheap tickets for the big ten hockey playoffs Mariucci was sold out and electric. May have won over some new fans.
 

It is called capitalism.
If the perception is the price is too high for the perceived value the product will not sell or be discounted to sell.
One should remember the season pass fiasco of a few years ago when one good season in the midst of mediocrity caused the AD too steeply raise the price.
The result was a severe drop off in sales that is just beginning to recover.
I like the radio broadcast...
 

this has been an argument for years.

would you rather have 100 fans paying $100 each, or
1,000 fans paying $10 each.

each option produces $10,000 in revenue.

But the 1,000 fans will - in many people's opinion - create a better game atmosphere and potentially result in 10 times the concession sales.

I don't know if there is a good way to do it, but I would like to see some version of "rush" seating -
starting, say 30 minutes before kickoff, any remaining unsold seats are offered first-come, first-served for a reduced price. Maybe offer that for fans under 21 - try to get more young people watching Gopher FB.
 

So many options to get tickets. Get them early or get them late. Get them through the U or a 3rd party vendor. etc. If you get season tickets, it's about $50 per game. Any way you look at it you are going to pay more for these three games and less for others.
 

When they had cheap tickets for the big ten hockey playoffs Mariucci was sold out and electric. May have won over some new fans.
Yeah. Sometimes organizations need to listen to common sense rather than their finance guy.

A formulaic model can tell you optimal ticket price. But 50k fans at every game is worth a lot of dollars in 2035 that 35k fans doesn’t capture. And the model doesn’t account for that.
Or the apparel that is sold outside the event because it’s a “hot ticket”
 

Pretty sure I had a season ticket upper deck end zone in the last year of the metronome for like 120
So like 2008?


Inflation calculator says I should be able to find a season ticket for 23 dollars per ticket.

Granted, program better now. Stadium better and smaller.


Huge increase in prices.

What I don’t get,
40k tickets at 90 bucks = 3.6 million
50k tickets at 75 bucks = 3.75 million plus the extra
people buy concessions.

Meanwhile, less than 20% of the budget is gate. I think that the university is being short sighted. They are running a short term maximization of profit model to price their tickets. But there is value added long term to having the stadium full each week. (Future fans, better on tv, recruiting, etc). They are pricing the ticket to maximize revenue. But they are missing some harder to measure variables to make a small amount of money more when you consider the new tv deal is going to be 100 million per year.
That's assuming the $15 decrease brings in 10k more fans, which I don't think is sure enough to assume.
 

I think they should offer Vets and enlisted discounted tickets. Also local High school/ Middle schools football players discounted or free. Of course this would be for games they know wont sell out. We need to bring in a younger fan base.
 

That's assuming the $15 decrease brings in 10k more fans, which I don't think is sure enough to assume.
Yeah that’s true.
Let’s say 50k at 40 bucks = 2 million

So for 1.5% of your football revenue in the short term you can have a full house and the perception of a hot ticket.

Doesn’t matter what the price is.
If what it takes to get the place full is free tickets…IMO it would be worth it. The full stadium is worth more than the pricing model that has it 70-80% full in the long run
 




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