A rehash of the discussion on buying Bowl tickets

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

I have a hard time with the argument from some that you HAVE to buy your tickets through the University just to make it look like the Gophers travel well. As has already been mentioned, these tickets aren't always the greatest, you have less choice on where they are, they usually aren't the cheapest way to buy tickets, and they frequently involve being included in the travel costs as well.

It's already been beaten to death, the south/southwest is LOADED with transplants, snowbirds, retirees, whatever you want to call them. The other Big Ten schools are no different.

I wasn't sure if I was going to go or not, since I've already driven about 4,000 miles this month with driving to other sporting events (Gophers-Louisville for basketball and the Vikes-Cards game as well). PHX is around a 5 hour drive for me from Vegas.

However, I just got 4 free tickets from a company we do business with so I'm likely going to make yet another drive, down and back same day (yuck), but I'm going to be there to support my team. At least they appear to be on the Gopher side of the field.

So does this mean I'm any less of a fan for not buying my tickets through the ticket office?

It bothers me to hear this argument that it doesn't help MN's travel perception. The money for these bowls is hardly in the ticket sales. It's the money you spend on the trip and I have to admit, I'll probably spend a few bucks on the event even with free tickets. Furthermore, I'm sure actually seeing a stadium with thousands of maroon and gold clad fans does more for the travel perception than how many tickets are purchased from the school's allotment.

 

[the accomplice]

you can't feel bad . . .

. . . about buying tickets through a different source ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU ARE GOING TO THE GAME. I went to the game two years ago and bought my tickets through the Insight office. This year, I bought through the Gopher ticket office (and bought extra to try to 'inflate' the numbers).

By kickoff I'll know which was the better move!!


Go Gophers.

 

[ditt1605]

It's not the fact that you are or are not a good gopher fan by where you got your tickets, it's that the bowl comittees use that school allotment to judge how many people are "fans" from that specific school; And by "fans", I mean out-of-towners who are going to spend money.

If the idea for the game is to get a boost of income to the area, you really can't count those that live in the area as they already spend their money there. Using the what the school sold directly would give them a better idea of how many people probably had to travel to the game (and stay in a hotel, rent a car and eat out for a few days).

I agree that they should take a look at who is actually at the game and cheering for each team, but that really won't give them an idea of who's coming in from out of town and who lives in the area that's a fan.

What they should do is either split the ticket sales 50/50 between the schools and have them return what they don't sell for the organizers/other school to sell off or when someone orders a ticket directly from the organizer have them select which team they are paying to see. However, these will most likely never happen.