Ticket situation - how sad is this?

GopherLady

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Last night I had a friend offer me 4 free courtside tickets plus a parking pass, club room tickets, etc, for free. This was at the very last minute - and I was coming back from being out of town - so we barely managed to get the ticket hand-off. Since there was no time to coordinate giving my tickets away, I figured we could just sell them at The Barn, and get there a few minutes early. I have a promise to myself to never let a ticket go un-used, it's one of my biggest pet peeves. I actually dropped my friend off to sell our pair while I was parking. I thought since the face on these was $70, I could for sure get $40 or at least $30 for them. When I arrived, he said he couldn't sell them to anyone, he ended up getting $10 from a scalper for the pair. Then Moonlight came to meet us (I was giving her the other 2 free tickets) and she said she could not even give her two seats away. I sat there in the atrium of The Barn, yelling "who wants free tickets?" and there were no takers! We literally couldn't even give them away. Finally, this teenage kid came up to me and wanted them. I found out after the fact, he was a scalper.

I know it was cold last night, and I know it was last minute - but it saddens me that you can't even give tickets away to the thing I love the most, Gopher Basketball. I really hope at some point, the U does something to appreciate their season ticket holders - we get no discount on the games, have to pay $35 to play St. Cloud State, and quite honestly - I could have probably gone to just about every game this year, and paid about 1/2 of what I do for being a season ticket holder.

We're in our 3rd season into having Tubby as our coach, and there is already this little demand? And don't even get me started on football...as that mystique wore off and tickets weren't highly in demand by the 4th home game.
 

I'm sure the cold had something to do with it but I understand your frustration
 

GL- Our group had extras too. Same situation-no sale.

Minnesotans are fickle fans. I think after the MSU game there is a little Gopher fatigue among the less stalwart fans. Plus- even though NW is a pretty good team - playing them is not considered a big deal by the casual basketball fan. I have to admit- I was a lot less fired up for the NW game than the MSU game and I am as die hard as it gets with Gopher buckets. In the last 40+ years I have missed the broadcast or attendance of their games very few times. I have to say this is one of the most dissapointing seasons- so far- of any I have witnessed. The results versus the expectations added to all the day to day uncertainty have taken a little of the joy out of this season.

That being said I still hold out a lot of hope for Tubby and the boys to turn this thing around.
 

If I was in your yelling vicinity I would have taken them in a heartbeat. Seriously, with Twins and Gopher football taking up all of my sporting-event money, I really don't have many opportunities for Gopher Hoops.
 

Football, Hockey and Basketball.......the same story with all three. None of them lives up to the hype. Why should I or others emotionally and consequently financially invest in any of these sports when they lose games they should win and don't win big games that mean something. I'm a Football season ticket holder btw.
 


Its very sad

The Twin Cities has perhaps the poorest sports fans in the country. No staying power.
 

What's really sad

is the dolts who come to the game and then leave with a minute left and it's a 2-point game. Most of the row sitting behind me left when it was a 2-point game. What's the point of showing up if you don't want to see the finish of a tight game?
 

Last night I had a friend offer me 4 free courtside tickets plus a parking pass, club room tickets, etc, for free. This was at the very last minute - and I was coming back from being out of town - so we barely managed to get the ticket hand-off. Since there was no time to coordinate giving my tickets away, I figured we could just sell them at The Barn, and get there a few minutes early. I have a promise to myself to never let a ticket go un-used, it's one of my biggest pet peeves. I actually dropped my friend off to sell our pair while I was parking. I thought since the face on these was $70, I could for sure get $40 or at least $30 for them. When I arrived, he said he couldn't sell them to anyone, he ended up getting $10 from a scalper for the pair. Then Moonlight came to meet us (I was giving her the other 2 free tickets) and she said she could not even give her two seats away. I sat there in the atrium of The Barn, yelling "who wants free tickets?" and there were no takers! We literally couldn't even give them away. Finally, this teenage kid came up to me and wanted them. I found out after the fact, he was a scalper.

I know it was cold last night, and I know it was last minute - but it saddens me that you can't even give tickets away to the thing I love the most, Gopher Basketball. I really hope at some point, the U does something to appreciate their season ticket holders - we get no discount on the games, have to pay $35 to play St. Cloud State, and quite honestly - I could have probably gone to just about every game this year, and paid about 1/2 of what I do for being a season ticket holder.

We're in our 3rd season into having Tubby as our coach, and there is already this little demand? And don't even get me started on football...as that mystique wore off and tickets weren't highly in demand by the 4th home game.


WOW!! Wish i had friends like yours. Was at the game last night, wifes Aunt was nice enough to let us use her tickets. But if anyone ever needs to get rid of thier tickets just let me know. Will always take FREE tickets and pay too i guess ;)

GO GOPHERS
 

BGA is spot on.

For a couple days I had a craigslist posting and usually you get some lowball offers some inquiries. I got nothing from Craigslist. That was pretty shocking.

So to us diehards the game had huge bubble/B10 implications, but it was clear fans were fatigued from the weekend. Even friends that are fans or some that have student tickets had trouble mustering the energy to get to the game. However, I will say the student section was pretty well populated.

Clearly there is a little disappointment with the team, but I don't think the game yesterday is the right litmus test for demand.
 



is the dolts who come to the game and then leave with a minute left and it's a 2-point game. Most of the row sitting behind me left when it was a 2-point game. What's the point of showing up if you don't want to see the finish of a tight game?


Yea, i could not believe everyone who was leaving. I felt bad for a 7-9 year old that was leaving with who he was left with like a minute left. He just looked kind of sad :( I mean it is your ticket do what u want with it, but might as well leave at haftime.
 

I think there are several factors at play here. Certainly there were specifics last night that may have impacted ticket demand (weather, start time, opponent, etc.)

However, I think - in general - we're starting to see a small shift towards fewer people attending games. And, it isn't just here. Did you know our game at Michigan State was not sold out? The Breslin Center did not sell out a Big Ten game against Tubby Smith. Iowa has huge issues right now. Ohio State isn't selling out.

There are several reasons for that, and in my opinion, athletic departments all over the country are going to have to figure out how to maximize their ticket sales because of it. My own opinion is that there are many small reasons for this -- none of these by themselves necessarily rises to the level of a single good reason to miss a game, but several combined do make a difference.

1) Obviously, the down economy is some of the reason people aren't going. People either don't have money or are saving what they do have. I know you were trying to give away free tickets last night, but no one is driving to the Barn in hopes that someone is handing out free tickets. So, that could be why you had no takers.

2) HD TV has made a huge difference in the home viewing experience. Why pay $35 per ticket, $15 to park, $40 on concessions, spend an hour waiting in traffic to get to the University Avenue parking ramp and then another hour waiting in traffic to get home, when you can get an unbelievable at-home experience on an HD TV, spend time with your kids at home, have the convenience of your bathroom, etc. My parents used to go to several games a year. Now, they simply prefer watching on their 52-inch HD TV better and not hassling with everything else. My dad hasn't been to a game in 3 years or so. And, he's still a great fan. Follows closely, loves the team, hurts when they lose. loves it when they win. But, he finds more enjoyment in watching from home.

3) People are just more busy now. School activities, kids actitivies, church nights, fundraisers, etc. Not to mention many, many other things going on that are entertainment alternatives. Heck, the simple advent of cable TV over the past 20 years has changed things. Some people might just want to stay home. There are simply just more conflicts now that there were 20 years ago. Plain and simple.

4) Fluctuating start times. It used to be 7pm was the standard barer. Now, we have 5:30pm tips, 6pm tips, 7pm tips, and 8pm tips on weeknights. We never used to play Sunday games. We have 4-5 this year (not all at home). Some Saturday night games, some Saturday daytime games, etc. When you factor in Reason #3 and Reason #4 - it literally becomes a chore planning around the Gopher schedule.

5) Saturation. We get every game on TV. It used to be in some cases to watch the game you had to go. Not anymore. And, now it is not just a saturation of Gopher basketball. There's college hoops on every day/night of the season from November to March. Basketball fatique plays a role for the general fan.
 

Football, Hockey and Basketball.......the same story with all three. None of them lives up to the hype. Why should I or others emotionally and consequently financially invest in any of these sports when they lose games they should win and don't win big games that mean something. I'm a Football season ticket holder btw.


Rick, not to make an example out of you personally, because you are obviously invested very much by being a season ticket holder... I think, however, your post illustrates the very fan perspective that Gopher Lady and others are frustrated by. This perspective is that a team literally owes something in return to their fans... something other than sweat, hard work, and almost every waking moment of their lives that they give to their profession. This perspective assumes that fan bases everywhere will invest themselves only in direct proportion to previous wins and losses. Yet, strangely, there are examples all over the country of fan bases that "emotionally and consequently financially" invest in teams regardless of their recent performance.

The argument seems to be: "since the team isn't doing what I want, why should I or others invest?" There are two potential counterarguments: 1) If you are a big enough fan, you will invest (emotionally or financially) anyway, because by some definitions, "fans" support their team whether they win or lose, and 2) the more people that invest (emotionally or financially) in a team, the better the team will do. This can mean anything from drowning out an opposing QB's audibles on 3rd down to giving millions to build a new stadium.
 

I think there are several factors at play here. Certainly there were specifics last night that may have impacted ticket demand (weather, start time, opponent, etc.)

However, I think - in general - we're starting to see a small shift towards fewer people attending games. And, it isn't just here. Did you know our game at Michigan State was not sold out? The Breslin Center did not sell out a Big Ten game against Tubby Smith. Iowa has huge issues right now. Ohio State isn't selling out.

There are several reasons for that, and in my opinion, athletic departments all over the country are going to have to figure out how to maximize their ticket sales because of it. My own opinion is that there are many small reasons for this -- none of these by themselves necessarily rises to the level of a single good reason to miss a game, but several combined do make a difference.



1) Obviously, the down economy is some of the reason people aren't going. People either don't have money or are saving what they do have. I know you were trying to give away free tickets last night, but no one is driving to the Barn in hopes that someone is handing out free tickets. So, that could be why you had no takers.

2) HD TV has made a huge difference in the home viewing experience. Why pay $35 per ticket, $15 to park, $40 on concessions, spend an hour waiting in traffic to get to the University Avenue parking ramp and then another hour waiting in traffic to get home, when you can get an unbelievable at-home experience on an HD TV, spend time with your kids at home, have the convenience of your bathroom, etc. My parents used to go to several games a year. Now, they simply prefer watching on their 52-inch HD TV better and not hassling with everything else. My dad hasn't been to a game in 3 years or so. And, he's still a great fan. Follows closely, loves the team, hurts when they lose. loves it when they win. But, he finds more enjoyment in watching from home.

3) People are just more busy now. School activities, kids actitivies, church nights, fundraisers, etc. Not to mention many, many other things going on that are entertainment alternatives. Heck, the simple advent of cable TV over the past 20 years has changed things. Some people might just want to stay home. There are simply just more conflicts now that there were 20 years ago. Plain and simple.

4) Fluctuating start times. It used to be 7pm was the standard barer. Now, we have 5:30pm tips, 6pm tips, 7pm tips, and 8pm tips on weeknights. We never used to play Sunday games. We have 4-5 this year (not all at home). Some Saturday night games, some Saturday daytime games, etc. When you factor in Reason #3 and Reason #4 - it literally becomes a chore planning around the Gopher schedule.

5) Saturation. We get every game on TV. It used to be in some cases to watch the game you had to go. Not anymore. And, now it is not just a saturation of Gopher basketball. There's college hoops on every day/night of the season from November to March. Basketball fatique plays a role for the general fan.

Many good points. I would add that mega contracts for coach's could become a thing of the past. Very few schools can afford them because the revenue is no longer there. I'm less concerned about Tubby leaving than at any point in the last two years because I don't think he's likely to see as good a contract as he currently has in the open market and, even though Monson was a failure, finding a good young coach who would jump at a $750K job is very plausible.

As GL discussed, the schedule has been a pet peeve of mine for several years and the quality of opponents has been so diluted that going to the barn is not as special as it once was. It's gone from a happening and an opportunity to just another commodity to be evaluated on a game by game basis.

Finally, why did they announce a sellout last night when there were at least 1,000 empty seats in the second deck and lower corners? Those are single game tickets so that can't base the attendance on a "tickets sold" situation as the Timberwolves do.
 



The Twin Cities has perhaps the poorest sports fans in the country. No staying power.

The three worst, to me, are:

1. Atlanta
2. Miami
3. Twin Cities

If I counted how lame our student section was for Gopher football this year, I would probably swap places with Miami, but I don't consider student sections to be part of the greater fan base.
 

I'm a season ticket holder and i went through two dozen people before I found someone to take my extra ticket. Notice I said take not buy.
My wife and I had a baby this past August and we both can't go most games due to getting a sitter. I have asked countless people of they wanted to buy any games from me and I have very little success.
1. Most want Saturday games...and I think we have 4?
2. Tuesday @ 8pm? Worst start time in all of sports. I can see 8pm on a Saturday?
 

It's sad that there aren't approx. 12,000 (quality seating of the Barn?) fans of the U's team. Some of you have blasted the UK fans for being nuts (admittedly we are passionate). As example, the special College Game Day (TV Show) seating on the Saturday of the Tennessee game sold out Monday- in minutes after going on sale. Mind you, this is not for the game, but for the TV lead-in that starts at 11am. Everyone will have to leave after the show to clear Rupp Arena for the tickets holders of the game (my daughter and I included) starting at 9pm EST.

Which would you rather have...an always passionate fan base (win or lose) who cheered on their team ....or pathetically empty seats? I'll take the excitement and the passion as will the other 24,000 ticket holders for Rupp Arena.

Back to being a fan. The "less-than-expected" years of UK basketball have been well-documented, but the fans still came as supportive as ever. We came for our team. And they knew we were there and always would be. That's tradition.
 

It's sad that there aren't approx. 12,000 (quality seating of the Barn?) fans of the U's team. Some of you have blasted the UK fans for being nuts (admittedly we are passionate). As example, the special College Game Day (TV Show) seating on the Saturday of the Tennessee game sold out Monday- in minutes after going on sale. Mind you, this is not for the game, but for the TV lead-in that starts at 11am. Everyone will have to leave after the show to clear Rupp Arena for the tickets holders of the game (my daughter and I included) starting at 9pm EST.

Which would you rather have...an always passionate fan base (win or lose) who cheered on their team ....or pathetically empty seats? I'll take the excitement and the passion as will the other 24,000 ticket holders for Rupp Arena.

Back to being a fan. The "less-than-expected" years of UK basketball have been well-documented, but the fans still came as supportive as ever. We came for our team. And they knew we were there and always would be. That's tradition.

No one will disagree that UK has a strong following, but I think it is unfair to compare the UK following to the U of M's. We have SEVEN big time teams in the metro area, Lexington has two. Of the seven teams, the only one with historical and current success comparable to UK is Gopher Hockey, (probably the least watched of the 7 just due to the "obscurity" of college hockey)

If Minnesotans are so fickle how come we every Wild game EVER has been essentially sold out?
The Twins and Vikings have an excellent following considering that they never do anything in the playoffs.

Comparing sports followings in big cities and small cities is apples and oranges, in my opinion.

Not trying to start an argument or anything, just raising some points.
 

Last night I had a friend offer me 4 free courtside tickets plus a parking pass, club room tickets, etc, for free. This was at the very last minute - and I was coming back from being out of town - so we barely managed to get the ticket hand-off. Since there was no time to coordinate giving my tickets away, I figured we could just sell them at The Barn, and get there a few minutes early. I have a promise to myself to never let a ticket go un-used, it's one of my biggest pet peeves. I actually dropped my friend off to sell our pair while I was parking. I thought since the face on these was $70, I could for sure get $40 or at least $30 for them. When I arrived, he said he couldn't sell them to anyone, he ended up getting $10 from a scalper for the pair. Then Moonlight came to meet us (I was giving her the other 2 free tickets) and she said she could not even give her two seats away. I sat there in the atrium of The Barn, yelling "who wants free tickets?" and there were no takers! We literally couldn't even give them away. Finally, this teenage kid came up to me and wanted them. I found out after the fact, he was a scalper.

I know it was cold last night, and I know it was last minute - but it saddens me that you can't even give tickets away to the thing I love the most, Gopher Basketball. I really hope at some point, the U does something to appreciate their season ticket holders - we get no discount on the games, have to pay $35 to play St. Cloud State, and quite honestly - I could have probably gone to just about every game this year, and paid about 1/2 of what I do for being a season ticket holder.

We're in our 3rd season into having Tubby as our coach, and there is already this little demand? And don't even get me started on football...as that mystique wore off and tickets weren't highly in demand by the 4th home game.

The scalpers down at the game always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Whenever I go down looking for tickets I never find the people looking to give up a few extras, only scalpers that try to convince me OSU/Gopher tickets are worth $80 each. There needs to be a scalper free scalping zone for people that are fans and want to go to the game. It would be a lot less work for people looking to buy.
 

It's sad that there aren't approx. 12,000 (quality seating of the Barn?) fans of the U's team.

The problem with Minnesota is that it has a lot of fans outside the metro area. Living 90 miles away makes it difficult to go to any games that aren't on Saturday or Sunday. Even when the games start at 6 on weeknight that means i have to leave work about an hour early to make it there in time for tip off. I would love to be able just to swing by the barn and watch the games in person, but until there is a train or something connecting out-state areas to the metro it just isn't possible to random games.
 

And CollegeBBall - We are focusing on the secondary market. Last night I'd wager there were over 11,000 people there. Easy buddy. A few extra no-shows and fewer in the nosebleeds, but otherwise the showing was good. And the Students showed up well, too.
 

hey Lady, call me next time! j/k....we obviously couldn't have made it and I know you had no time. I'm just teasing...

I hear you though...how obnoxious that tix I WISH I could afford, other people don't give 2 craps about. I wish college bball were more popular in MN. even if we were consistently better, I think we would take a backseat to the pro teams here.
 

GL- Our group had extras too. Same situation-no sale.

I was first trying to sell my tickets at The Library - and a number of people there said they had extras too.

If I was in your yelling vicinity I would have taken them in a heartbeat. Seriously, with Twins and Gopher football taking up all of my sporting-event money, I really don't have many opportunities for Gopher Hoops.

Trust me, if I hadn't gotten the tickets at 7:15p.m., I could have posted here, on my Facebook, wherever...but with that time restraint, there was no way someone could get down there unless they were already on campus, or very close.

is the dolts who come to the game and then leave with a minute left and it's a 2-point game. Most of the row sitting behind me left when it was a 2-point game. What's the point of showing up if you don't want to see the finish of a tight game?

I just don't get that! You come to the game, spend the $, park, probably buy food...and you leave a 2 point game? I heckle those people every time and will continue to do so.

Rick, not to make an example out of you personally, because you are obviously invested very much by being a season ticket holder... I think, however, your post illustrates the very fan perspective that Gopher Lady and others are frustrated by. This perspective is that a team literally owes something in return to their fans... something other than sweat, hard work, and almost every waking moment of their lives that they give to their profession. This perspective assumes that fan bases everywhere will invest themselves only in direct proportion to previous wins and losses. Yet, strangely, there are examples all over the country of fan bases that "emotionally and consequently financially" invest in teams regardless of their recent performance.

The argument seems to be: "since the team isn't doing what I want, why should I or others invest?" There are two potential counterarguments: 1) If you are a big enough fan, you will invest (emotionally or financially) anyway, because by some definitions, "fans" support their team whether they win or lose, and 2) the more people that invest (emotionally or financially) in a team, the better the team will do. This can mean anything from drowning out an opposing QB's audibles on 3rd down to giving millions to build a new stadium.

Exactly! And obviously that is the Minnesota mentality - but that's why I tried so very hard to bring my Wisconsin mentality to Gopher athletics. They will never understand that you need to build a fanbase - by that, make the game fun, make the experience a good time, then when you have losing seasons, people will still come because they enjoy the game experience and atmosphere. And you HAVE to appreciate your season ticket holders. I remember this great post by anonymous...

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Bleed alerted me to this topic since he gets to hear me rant about this topic.

I, honestly, think that the Gophers completely take advantage of the loyal Gophers fan base. How? Let me count the ways:

1. There is no discount given to buy season tickets (or premium for buying single-game tickets). That isn't the case with Twins, Wolves or Wild. The season ticket price shouldn't be face value times number of game.

2. If that is the pricing model that the U wants to use, that is fine. But I think that there should be some value added for the season ticket holders. For example: Let's say you can't go to the Stephen F. Austin game. You should be able to trade those tickets to the ticket office and get two more tickets for, say, the Brown game. You can do that if you have Guthrie season ticket. I'm not saying trade in Tennessee Tech for Michigan State, but there should be some flexibility.

3. What about some sort of voucher for discounts on concessions for season ticket holders? Or a separate entrance? Or the ability for season-ticket holders to be able to drop off other people on a bad night on the pad right outside the University Ave. entrance if you have special tag.

4. What about some sort of loyalty program. I know it is all about cash, but wouldn't it have been nice for season-ticket holders of a certain length to get a free piece of the WA floor? Or get one at a reduced rate?

Some of those are simply ideas. But the attitude from the athletic department is one of extreme arrogance. If you want to charge among the highest prices in the Big Ten for your tickets, there needs to be some return on the investment. It doesn't have to be expensive. Use a little creativity.
 

there should be a ticket-exchange thread for every home game on this site.
i have used craigslist this year... i would come here first if there was a thread.
 

there should be a ticket-exchange thread for every home game on this site.
i have used craigslist this year... i would come here first if there was a thread.

I thought you were going to "try the next door," baller???

(Good idea though.)
 



There is, but people don't ever seem to sell discounted tickets. I know season ticket holders want to recover as much money as they can, but I'm not paying over face value to a Tuesday 8 pm tip against Northwestern. Sorry, not happening. Now you put that pair on here for 40 or 50 bucks...then we talk.


Big games I understand, but sellers also have to realize what the market is too....
 

The Twin Cities has perhaps the poorest sports fans in the country. No staying power.

The Twin Cities is the second smallest metro area to have all four professional sports teams (Denver is the only one smaller). Add in the fact that there is a Big Ten university in town as well which has three popular sports (football, basketball, and hockey), I think the teams get supported fairly well.

I've said this many times before but I believe Minnesota doesn't have nearly as many "die-hard" fans compared to other locations because we have so many options and they're all within 10 miles of each other. It's hard for someone like myself to say who my favorite team is because I follow the Vikings, Twins, Gophers football, and Gophers b-ball so closely. It's hard for me to invest solely in only one or two of those teams, even if I still were living in MN.

Living in IA it's easy to see why there are so many die hard hawkeye fans. Yes people are Cubs, Cardinals, or Bears fans but the hawkeyes are the only team they can call theirs. If you grew up in the Madison area, you may be a Packers or Brewers fan but more than likely your heart and soul is with the badgers. That's where you will spend most of you money on tix, etc.

I remember seeing awhile ago how the Twin Cities is the most oversatturated metro area in the country in terms of sports and advertising. With so many pro and major college teams in such a small area, it's hard to get the top dollar for advertising, season tix, and selling suites. That's especially true now with two new stadiums, and the Vikings trying for a third.
 

There is, but people don't ever seem to sell discounted tickets. I know season ticket holders want to recover as much money as they can, but I'm not paying over face value to a Tuesday 8 pm tip against Northwestern. Sorry, not happening. Now you put that pair on here for 40 or 50 bucks...then we talk.


Big games I understand, but sellers also have to realize what the market is too....

Quite honestly - I think that an 8pm tipoff on a Tuesday should be the one to get face, I don't think people expect more, but that's fair. It's the 10 NC games that you spend $350 on that you have to give away. And actually, getting face is happening - I've sold all of my conference tickets for face, including one last night (that was before we got the 4 extras).

Also - I think if someone posts asking face, you email them and say, how about $40 or $50, and there isn't a buyer...I can't imagine someone not selling them. $40 is better than nothing!
 

Anytime your getting rid of your tickets let me know I would love to cheer loud for Tubby and this squad!
 





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