STRIB on Student Attendance @ Games (lack thereof)

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Since they are scanning tickets, can't they keep track of how often each student season ticket is used? If your student season ticket isn't used at least 5 out of 7 games, then you can't get one the next season.
 

Maybe this is a stupid question, but could you get a parking pass if you bought a student ticket? One guy commented on how cheap it was to tailgate at the dome compared to TCF. By my math, it has cost my group 1/2 as much to park this year as it did last, so that comment doesn't hold a lot of water with me.
 

No, it was a lot cheaper to tailgate by the dome. What kid in their right mind is going to LEAVE campus to tailgate for a game ON campus. Taking a bus to the State Fair lots is stupid if you are a student, and there is no place to tailgate around the stadium that any kid could afford.
 

He's another potentially crackpot idea - raise the price of student tickets. Right now, student tickets are so cheap that even those with the most casual interest in football consider them worth buying. And because they are not all that interested, they don't go. If you raised the price, only those who were more interested would buy tickets, and they would be much more likely to actually show up.

I'm not necessarily saying that we should do it, but we should put all the ideas out there, crackpot or not. At $77 per person, that comes out to $770,000 in revenue from student tickets. There is a value in that, but there is a definate PR value if nothing else from having a full student section. It could be free for the first 10,000 students. That would cost us $770,000, but would give us a chance to have a full student section, and would encourage students to arrive early.

What we have now is a "dog in the manger" situation. In one of Aesop's fables, a dog takes a nap in the manger, from which the cows are supposed to eat their hay. The hay is no use to the dog, he doesn't even find it all that comfortable, but the dog is depriving the cows of their dinner. There are probably plenty of students that would like to attend, but can't because the tickets are held by people who aren't interested in attending.

I've noticed that those students who show up early, and get the front seats are likely to stay for the whole game. The late arrivals tend to leave the earliest as well.
 


RodentRampage said:
He's another potentially crackpot idea - raise the price of student tickets. Right now, student tickets are so cheap that even those with the most casual interest in football consider them worth buying. And because they are not all that interested, they don't go. If you raised the price, only those who were more interested would buy tickets, and they would be much more likely to actually show up.

I'm not necessarily saying that we should do it, but we should put all the ideas out there, crackpot or not. At $77 per person, that comes out to $770,000 in revenue from student tickets. There is a value in that, but there is a definate PR value if nothing else from having a full student section. It could be free for the first 10,000 students. That would cost us $770,000, but would give us a chance to have a full student section, and would encourage students to arrive early.

What we have now is a "dog in the manger" situation. In one of Aesop's fables, a dog takes a nap in the manger, from which the cows are supposed to eat their hay. The hay is no use to the dog, he doesn't even find it all that comfortable, but the dog is depriving the cows of their dinner. There are probably plenty of students that would like to attend, but can't because the tickets are held by people who aren't interested in attending.

I've noticed that those students who show up early, and get the front seats are likely to stay for the whole game. The late arrivals tend to leave the earliest as well.
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I agree with raising prices, it adds value to your tickets, right now no one cares if they go unused.
As far as the "dog in the manger" situation, there are 0 students who want to go but can't get tickets. Other than the Air Force and Wisco games, you can't give away your tickets for free, no students want them who doesn't already have them.
 

Chadypu said:
I agree with raising prices, it adds value to your tickets, right now no one cares if they go unused.
As far as the "dog in the manger" situation, there are 0 students who want to go but can't get tickets. Other than the Air Force and Wisco games, you can't give away your tickets for free, no students want them who doesn't already have them.
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I'm highly skeptical that there are zero students who want the tickets. Is anyone seriously trying to give them away? Asking around to your friends gives you a pretty small market for the tickets, your friends are probably doing the same things you're doing. People have little incentive to go to any effort to give tickets away.

Maybe the student section needs to be reduced, 10,000 might just be too much. I just hope that those who aren't showing up decide not to renew next year.

Maybe a later start would help. BTN isn't using the 2:30 slot, maybe we should have our games then. I know, it's been decided that it's more profitable to get the games on ESPN at 11 than to have them on BTN at 2:30. That doesn't say a lot for the BTN.
 

RodentRampage said:
I'm highly skeptical that there are zero students who want the tickets. Is anyone seriously trying to give them away? Asking around to your friends gives you a pretty small market for the tickets, your friends are probably doing the same things you're doing. People have little incentive to go to any effort to give tickets away.

Maybe the student section needs to be reduced, 10,000 might just be too much. I just hope that those who aren't showing up decide not to renew next year.

Maybe a later start would help. BTN isn't using the 2:30 slot, maybe we should have our games then. I know, it's been decided that it's more profitable to get the games on ESPN at 11 than to have them on BTN at 2:30. That doesn't say a lot for the BTN.
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I don't remember what thread it's in, but somebody stated that BTN can't broadcast games at 2:30. ABC/ESPN has an exclusive deal with the Big Ten for 2:30 games.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Since they are scanning tickets, can't they keep track of how often each student season ticket is used? If your student season ticket isn't used at least 5 out of 7 games, then you can't get one the next season.
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Brilliant idea. Then, ten years from now, we would have no students in the student section because they all would be banned.
 



RodentRampage said:
He's another potentially crackpot idea - raise the price of student tickets. Right now, student tickets are so cheap that even those with the most casual interest in football consider them worth buying. And because they are not all that interested, they don't go. If you raised the price, only those who were more interested would buy tickets, and they would be much more likely to actually show up.

I'm not necessarily saying that we should do it, but we should put all the ideas out there, crackpot or not. At $77 per person, that comes out to $770,000 in revenue from student tickets. There is a value in that, but there is a definate PR value if nothing else from having a full student section. It could be free for the first 10,000 students. That would cost us $770,000, but would give us a chance to have a full student section, and would encourage students to arrive early.

What we have now is a "dog in the manger" situation. In one of Aesop's fables, a dog takes a nap in the manger, from which the cows are supposed to eat their hay. The hay is no use to the dog, he doesn't even find it all that comfortable, but the dog is depriving the cows of their dinner. There are probably plenty of students that would like to attend, but can't because the tickets are held by people who aren't interested in attending.

I've noticed that those students who show up early, and get the front seats are likely to stay for the whole game. The late arrivals tend to leave the earliest as well.
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77$ is a LOT of money when you consider how high tuition at the U is now. I'm sick of ignorant Gopher holers who think that student tics are so 'cheap'. Newsflash, Tuition is high and students have very little income. Wake up!
 

AhliBobwa said:
77$ is a LOT of money when you consider how high tuition at the U is now. I'm sick of ignorant Gopher holers who think that student tics are so 'cheap'. Newsflash, Tuition is high and students have very little income. Wake up!
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I wouldn't call them "cheap" necessairly, but I really don't think a lot of students are breaking the bank for these tickets. Otherwise, I would hope you'd see more of them out there, cause if they're hurting for money and then they just waste it on tickets that they end up using like twice in the year, that doesn't make any sense if you are already low on cash.
 

thestl said:
Brilliant idea. Then, ten years from now, we would have no students in the student section because they all would be banned.
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Maybe not ban them, but those who don't show up could have a lower priority for tickets than those who do show up. You could have a point system, show up to all seven games, you get seven points. Those students with seven points get their orders filled first. Those with zero points get their orders filled last.
 

AhliBobwa said:
77$ is a LOT of money when you consider how high tuition at the U is now. I'm sick of ignorant Gopher holers who think that student tics are so 'cheap'. Newsflash, Tuition is high and students have very little income. Wake up!
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Yeah, that's why there are absolutely no businesses in Dinkytown, students don't have any money to spend at all. :rolleyes:

If students are spending the $77 to buy tickets, but aren't interested in attending games, then it seems that price isn't all that a significant factor to them.

I wouldn't be even averse to making it free for students if that would mean a full student section. It would cost about $770,000 in lost revenues, but it might be worth the PR advantage of a full student section.

Just putting out ideas.
 



I wonder if attendance is somehow correllated with class (seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen). Upper classmen have dealt with the agony of the past three years - crap to mediocre teams - and likely have opinions influenced by students who preceded them that were witness to average teams (at best). All in the crap environment that is/was the Metrodome.

This year's Freshmen class really only knows the on-campus experience, which to me seems to be awesome even with some of the disappointments we've had this year.

What I'm trying to say is that if they can determine that the upper-classmen (or lower) are less likely to attend (or more likely to leave) and if there is a correlation, then make more tickets available to the Freshmen (new, fresh, unpolluted minds!).

(I say Freshmen only because my theory is that these folks have been showing up; I have no basis for this, just a gut).
 

TCF=UnitedWeStand said:
I wonder if attendance is somehow correllated with class (seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen). Upper classmen have dealt with the agony of the past three years - crap to mediocre teams - and likely have opinions influenced by students who preceded them that were witness to average teams (at best). All in the crap environment that is/was the Metrodome.

This year's Freshmen class really only knows the on-campus experience, which to me seems to be awesome even with some of the disappointments we've had this year.

What I'm trying to say is that if they can determine that the upper-classmen (or lower) are less likely to attend (or more likely to leave) and if there is a correlation, then make more tickets available to the Freshmen (new, fresh, unpolluted minds!).

(I say Freshmen only because my theory is that these folks have been showing up; I have no basis for this, just a gut).
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The bolded makes a lot of sense to me. I think the key factor to improving attendance (besides winning) is time in the new stadium. In 4-5 years none of the undergrads with tickets will have known anything besides football on campus while at the U. That plus the lack of "newness" should mean improved attendance (though 11am games against D-1AA teams will always have empties).
 

Marketing Issue?

Am I wrong to think maybe a punitive/punishment method isn't the best way to get students to show up? Most students don't feel any real connection to the football program and it sure doesn't feel like the athletic department has done much to help.

The football program and fan experience need to become a point of pride for the students- It's up to the University to figure out how to do that. It's obvious the team doesn't mean much to a segment of the student season ticket holders--- do you really think the threat of taking away their tickets is going to make them show? Do we want what should be a section of craziness to be replaced by a section of people who get upset with fans who like to stand the whole game?

I'm not sure what the answer is--- but I'm sure the U would be willing to hear any ideas. (Or not...)
 

I don't think we should be punishing the no-shows, but rewarding the ones who do show up. Perception does matter. The more full the student section is, the more students are likely to want to come to the games. If the tickets are in the hands of those students most inclined to attend, the better. So, how do we get the tickets in the hands of those who want them the most?
 

I think the key to increasing student attendance will get ironed out eventually.
The apathy aspect of it all is going to weed out those who simply have a fleeting interest in going to games. The stadium won't be brand new next year, students now know they can't scalp their tickets as easily as in the dome, they have experienced the cold weather, this will weed out the students who just don't care that much.
The incoming freshmen should get a chunk of tickets next year, this years freshmen will hopefully continue to show up and make a day of it all, apathetic juniors and seniors will graduate, hopefully dedicated new alumni will buy regular season tickets.
Eventually it will all work itself out, unfortunately everyone wants perfection right now, same with the team, same with the stadium.
 

Just a thought to add to the discussion. Hope I'm not being repetitive. Some colleges / universities charge all enrolled students. First ones there get the general admission seats, the ones who don't head for BWW or some such place. ALL students support athletics, at least financially. No numbered tickets to print, just swipe student ID's, saves money. Creates competition for seats. Addresses late arrival issue. Obviously some down sides, as with anything else, but works well at schools I'm familiar with.
 

AhliBobwa said:
77$ is a LOT of money when you consider how high tuition at the U is now. I'm sick of ignorant Gopher holers who think that student tics are so 'cheap'. Newsflash, Tuition is high and students have very little income. Wake up!
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so little income that blarney's, the library and mesa are absolutely packed every weekend. i know people who spend more than $77 dollars on a night of drinking. don't go to the bars one weekend and there is your $77.
 

maxwellsmart said:
Just a thought to add to the discussion. Hope I'm not being repetitive. Some colleges / universities charge all enrolled students. First ones there get the general admission seats, the ones who don't head for BWW or some such place. ALL students support athletics, at least financially. No numbered tickets to print, just swipe student ID's, saves money. Creates competition for seats. Addresses late arrival issue. Obviously some down sides, as with anything else, but works well at schools I'm familiar with.
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The main downside is the loss of $770,000 in student ticket revenue. That's a significant amount of money, but it can be measured against the PR benefits of a full stadium. The games are more than just about ticket revenue, it's advertisement for the U, and it looks bad if the student section is empty. It gives students incentive to show up early. At Wall Drug, they have coffee for 5 cents. You can get free coffee anywhere, but 5 cent coffee, that's special. If students already have tickets in their pocket, their choice is whether to go or not to go. But if the choice is show up early or you might be denied entry, that's a different choice.

If you made it free, you could open rush tickets to the general public if students haven't filled the student section by the second quarter. It would be tricky to coordinate, you would have to have the ticket booth networked to the stations for swiping student IDs.
 

The student tickets were just too cheap. The $80 price-point makes one or two games a painless throw-away for most. Experiencing the inagural game itself was worth that to most students. The U should expect that demand for student tickets is goingt to drop in Year #2. Few people paid $275 for the "newness" of the experience, but many paid $80 for it.

Here's a few solutions:

Next year, give graduating students the option to buy student-section tickets for $150. Another idea is to allow incoming students (i.e. high-school seniors) to sit in the upper-deck of the student section. I'm not sure how it would be possible to distribute tickets to this group, but I think that's a segment of the market with a lot of potential for the U.

What I'm afraid is going to happen:

The requirement to present a U Card is simply going to be waived, which will ultimately make the problem worse and create a host of new issues. Offering student tickets to the general public is a marketing idea that is soooooooo bad, only moving the team to the Dome in the early 80's could rival it as a brand-killer.
 

Sell some of the tickets cheap to HS football players

Sell 2,000 or so tickets to HS football players at a discount. They have to come with a coach and book in advance. Coach gets in free. Think of this as adverising. For most HS football players this would be a big deal - the only way they are going to see a D1 game. This would build loyality amoung coaches and players.
 

maxwellsmart said:
Just a thought to add to the discussion. Hope I'm not being repetitive. Some colleges / universities charge all enrolled students. First ones there get the general admission seats, the ones who don't head for BWW or some such place. ALL students support athletics, at least financially. No numbered tickets to print, just swipe student ID's, saves money. Creates competition for seats. Addresses late arrival issue. Obviously some down sides, as with anything else, but works well at schools I'm familiar with.
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I know this is the system at places like St. Cloud State, but I wonder how much more manageable it may be at a significantly smaller school than it might be at Minnesota.

Ultimately, it seems like an intriguing idea, but considering there were already grumbles about having student fees going into the stadium construction, I can't imagine it would be anything but a PR nightmare if all students were charged for sports rather than having the option.
 

Converting one of the student sections to a general admission "recent grad section" that sells for $190 and automatically puts you on the waitlist for $275 regular tickets would be another solution.

Transitioning students to $275 tickets could be either a problem or a marketing opportunity for the U, depending on how they approach it.
 

The requirement to present a U Card is simply going to be waived, which will ultimately make the problem worse and create a host of new issues. Offering student tickets to the general public is a marketing idea that is soooooooo bad, only moving the team to the Dome in the early 80's could rival it as a brand-killer.
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Empty sections in the student section seems a whole lot worse. It would only involve the less desirable seats in the corners (the students who did show up would have already filled in the more desirable seat). If there is no students in a section, is it really a student section at all?
 

Goldmember said:
Converting one of the student sections to a general admission "recent grad section" that sells for $190 and automatically puts you on the waitlist for $275 regular tickets would be another solution.

Transitioning students to $275 tickets could be either a problem or a marketing opportunity for the U, depending on how they approach it.
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That seems like a decent idea. Perhaps converting the two sections in the upper corners to this would work, they are the least likely for students to fill. Make it available to recent grads at a price lower then regular tickets, but higher than student tickets. Any tickets that aren't sold in this section could be opened for the general public to buy on a per-game basis.
 

The rub on selling seats that are in the current student section is the amount of student fees -- now and in the future -- that go toward the stadium. That will, at least politically and maybe legally, difficult to just sell those tickets.

The U needs to figure out a way to engage students and get them to show up.
 

How about selling 2,000 standing room only seats for each sold out game?? They can fill in the empties.
 

I am a student, and anyone of you who wants to dramatically raise student ticket prices can find something to suck on...I love how the minority always has to hurt the majority. I always walk into a seat right when kickoff is happening, so I guess I show up late, but I stay for the whole game. We are stuck in a trend right now with students having the same mentality as the metrodome teams and how much they sucked.

Gopher Football used to mean, go to the dome early, tailgate hard and late, then walk into the dome to watch not so awesome football and then leave whenever you got tired of the crappy atmosphere. This idea will eventually change but it won't be overnight, I seriously would like all you haters to shut up and pick on the people that actually change the outcome of gopher football. Because even when students leave early, we keep getting commended as a whole on how great of at atmosphere the stadium is late in games...
 

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