Comparing B1G Football Season Ticket Prices: A Comprehensive Overview

[MNVCGUY]

I've been trying to avoid posting on the ticket price increases to take the time to wrap my head around it. An increase in ticket prices and donations is acceptable.... But, an increase this large just seems insane to me. I know there are a lot of diehards that will pay this but I feel like there are a lot of fans that stuck with this program through a lot of extremely sh!tty years that won't be able to justify this huge increase or may not be able to afford it. I really don't know what the athletic department was thinking on this one... Its such an insane increase in such a short amount of time.

Totally agree that the increase itself isn't the problem it is the level of increase that is the issue. I think if it was just the 2015 pricing some would complain but most would accept it and continue on with what they are currently doing. The issue comes with the 2016 and 2017 increases which take things to a whole new level. My parents are huge fans, they have 4 seats in section 244 and they love going to the games. Based on these increases they see two options, 1)drop down to 2 tickets or 2)drop the tickets entirely and take their chances getting tickets on the open market for the games they really want to go to. They have had their tickets for years and the thought of dropping them is really tough for them but at the same time looking at paying an additional $1000 above and beyond what they are currently paying is just too much.

 

[BleedGopher]

Good post vinko bogataj.

Go Gophers!!

 

[GopherHomer]

There have been many threads on Gopherhole trying to figure out why the University of Minnesota has struggled on the football field for the last half century or so. I think to find the answer, some of you need to look in the mirror. If all this complaining is legit, it appears that our fanbase is just not willing to support the team at elite levels. The best was the post about how our prices should be at the level of Purdue, Indiana and Northwestern...I sincerely hope that person has never openly wondered why we can't compete with the big schools. For f*cks sake, the increases are tax deductible.

 

[Iceland12]

There have been many threads on Gopherhole trying to figure out why the University of Minnesota has struggled on the football field for the last half century or so. I think to find the answer, some of you need to look in the mirror. If all this complaining is legit, it appears that our fanbase is just not willing to support the team at elite levels. The best was the post about how our prices should be at the level of Purdue, Indiana and Northwestern...I sincerely hope that person has never openly wondered why we can't compete with the big schools. For f*cks sake, the increases are tax deductible.

So how much have you donated, or what percentile are you on the Gopher Points lists and how much of a cost increase are you looking at?

Here's the list that vinko posted. So you can add Iowa, WI, Penn State and MSU to your list. You being a troll or do you really have no clue at all?

School BaseTicket Donation Total Variance Avg@7Gm Variance PerGameCost for 4
Nebraska $392.00 $1,000.00 $1,392.00 $797.33 $198.86 $163.29 $795.43
Minnesota $310.00 $500.00 $810.00 $215.33 $115.71 $30.76 $462.86
Michigan $455.00 $350.00 $805.00 $210.33 $115.00 $30.05 $460.00 **
Penn State $355.00 $100.00 $455.00 $(139.67) $65.00 $(19.95) $260.00
Iowa $395.00 $50.00 $445.00 $(149.67) $63.57 $(21.38) $254.29
Wisconsin $315.00 $100.00 $415.00 $(179.67) $59.29 $(25.67) $237.14
MichiganSt $308.00 $100.00 $408.00 $(186.67) $58.29 $(26.67) $233.14
Purdue $273.00 $100.00 $373.00 $(221.67) $53.29 $(31.67) $213.14
N'western $249.00 $- $249.00 $(345.67) $35.57 $(49.38) $142.29
Averages: $339.11 $255.56 $594.67 $84.95 $339.81

 

[DoubleB]

Here is my situation
I graduated in 88 and have tickets since 94 and had student tickets while attending the university, I have donated to the Williams fund in the past but by no means am I close to having a building named after me.

what i see is exactly what others are saying. this will indeed change the gopher game day faces. the U will lose some loyal fans that have been there supporting this program through some very poor decision made by the AD to bring in coaches that sucked.
the program has been improving and as a reward to us fans they raise the tickets/donations. one reason Nebraska can charge the higher prices is that they have a waiting list for season ticket holders. to my knowledge the UoM does not have such waiting list. If the price hikes cause people to leave where will the new fans come from sitting in those seats? like it or not we have other sports in the area to spend money on. there is a loyal fan base for the gophers but we are not so populated that there are waiting lists. and yea the students are not coming out in every stadium across the country as they once did.

I don't mind paying a little more(help keep a good coach or get facilities upgraded) and the first bump is acceptable to me (at this time ) but the 2nd and 3rd will cause me to most likely dump the tickets i have had since 94.

here is my huge issue. I am in Sales and brought an offer to the U of MN athletic department that for services they are currently buying i was going to save them over 100,000.00 over a two year period. they told me how nice this was but due to timing was not able to pull the trigger. they initiated the request for the quote and yet did nothing to save money for the programs. now I understand that my hundo thousand is petty compare to what they will achieve with the price hikes but how many other areas is the program over spending?

well to take the increase in tickets knowing how i could have saved the Athletic program some real money makes for a double edge sword

 

[Gopher07]

Top ticket price (non-club) per university:

Nebraska: $2,892
Michigan: $2,555
(Minnesota 2017: $1,310)
(Minnesota 2016: $1,110)
Iowa: $995
(Minnesota 2015: $960)
Penn State: $955
Michigan State: $908
Wisconsin: $715
Purdue: $523
Northwestern: $299

Lowest donation- or scholarship-level ticket prices:

Nebraska: $542
Michigan: $530
(Minnesota 2017: $460)
Penn State: $455
Iowa: $445
Wisconsin: $415
(Minnesota 2016: $410)
(Minnesota 2015: $385)
Purdue: $373
Michigan State: $333
Northwestern: N/A, no scholarship-level seating

 

[tinyarch]

We should be comparing our prices to Purdue, Indiana, Northwestern, etc.

We haven't won a B10 title since 1967. We have no business comparing ourselves and our ticket prices Neb, Mich, OSU. Even Iowa, which has been substantially more successful than the Gophers in the past 15 years looks like a bargain compared to the 2017 TCF prices.

We can do this. However, should we then compare facilities to these schools as well?

The football program is looking to upgrade facilities to be on the same tier as NE, MI, and OH, yet those three (not to mention PSU) have stadiums that are nearly twice the size of TCF. Those schools can generate the same revenue for a much lower price, purely because of volume.

That being said, the market for sporting events is much more competitive here in the Twin Cities. What strategy would people offer the U to raise revenues and compete with the elite football programs if the U does not raise ticket prices? What are the alternative solutions?

 

[RailBaronYarr]

Does anyone know if Parking Passes are also going to be raised? Currently, donations can be applied to parking passes- so not much of a change for my group. We definitely will be dropping our extra 'bring a friend to the game ticket' though.

My obligatory urbanist take says this is a route the U should have explored to soften the blow to many of the folks out there who are on the fence of affording the increases.

The AD needs to work out a better system of direct revenue sharing from the parking fees first (so they don't need the fancy donation work-around to keep that revenue in-house). Then jack up parking prices. We have a wonderful, viable alternative to getting in/out of campus for games now - the LRT. If they reduced the ticket price/required donation increase by X amount but balanced that with an increase in parking, many people might be able to keep their seats but forego parking and choose to LRT it in instead. A healthy bar atmoshpere is just as important as a traditional lot tailgating one (or the U could explore other options for campus tent-gaiting/etc as have been discussed here in the past).

Parking lots directly adjacent to the stadium in a very urban campus are a huge luxury (one that will be going away soon as the Medical District grows). Charge the existing corporate and wealthy ticket holders who value proximity in parking more and reduce the burden on everyone else.

 

[GopherHomer]

So how much have you donated, or what percentile are you on the Gopher Points lists and how much of a cost increase are you looking at?

Here's the list that vinko posted. So you can add Iowa, WI, Penn State and MSU to your list. You being a troll or do you really have no clue at all?

School BaseTicket Donation Total Variance Avg@7Gm Variance PerGameCost for 4
Nebraska $392.00 $1,000.00 $1,392.00 $797.33 $198.86 $163.29 $795.43
Minnesota $310.00 $500.00 $810.00 $215.33 $115.71 $30.76 $462.86
Michigan $455.00 $350.00 $805.00 $210.33 $115.00 $30.05 $460.00 **
Penn State $355.00 $100.00 $455.00 $(139.67) $65.00 $(19.95) $260.00
Iowa $395.00 $50.00 $445.00 $(149.67) $63.57 $(21.38) $254.29
Wisconsin $315.00 $100.00 $415.00 $(179.67) $59.29 $(25.67) $237.14
MichiganSt $308.00 $100.00 $408.00 $(186.67) $58.29 $(26.67) $233.14
Purdue $273.00 $100.00 $373.00 $(221.67) $53.29 $(31.67) $213.14
N'western $249.00 $- $249.00 $(345.67) $35.57 $(49.38) $142.29
Averages: $339.11 $255.56 $594.67 $84.95 $339.81

I AM being a bit of a troll to be honest, because I think the people who are complaining the most are being a bit disingenuous. The dramatic increases are at the very high end. There are still plenty of places to sit in the stadium that are right in line with the rest of the conference. You have obviously given quite a bit of money and are proud of it (which is fine), my guess is that you can easily afford the increase...and if not, I apologize but I'm sure someone else will take your place.

 

[Gophers09]

Wow, thanks for pulling that all together. Really good information.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

It's real simple. The administration is selling Northwestern level expectations at Ohio State prices.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

I AM being a bit of a troll to be honest, because I think the people who are complaining the most are being a bit disingenuous. The dramatic increases are at the very high end. There are still plenty of places to sit in the stadium that are right in line with the rest of the conference. You have obviously given quite a bit of money and are proud of it (which is fine), my guess is that you can easily afford the increase...and if not, I apologize but I'm sure someone else will take your place.

Disagree. We sit in 237, row 23 (pretty high up). They're the last section with chairbacks but did not require a donation. I recognize we were getting a pretty nice deal by paying the same as the folks one section to our right for a marginally better view and certainly better comfort (I was in 236 a couple years back and bought the padded seat backs - the move was definitely welcome and ended up saving money by not paying $40/seat). My point being, these seats are OK but not great. They're on the 3 yard line, quite high up. No, there are no bad seats in TCF, but outside the student section these are in the bottom half IMHO.

With that said, our tickets this year cost $330 each (plus the handling fee). By 2017, that jumps to $580 (plus whatever mystery handling amount). That's a 75% increase in 3 years. Keep in mind they increased our prices this year by $55 coming into this year (they were $275 in 2013, I have the myGophersports account log to prove it), so it's not like they've kept things flat since 2009. That makes for a 110% increase in a 4 year span. That's a 4-year CAGR of 20.6%. Even if you dig back to 2009 (where ticket prices held flat for several years, to be fair), that's a 9.8% averaged annual growth rate.

Things that haven't grown that fast since 2009:

- My salary
- Inflation (CPI or the government index)
- US GDP
- My 401k
- Total athlete scholarship cost increases (acc. to the Gopher site 09/10 - 14/15 is 2.15% CAGR)
- Tuition cost increases (acc. to the Gopher site 09/10 - 15/16 is 3.22% CAGR)
- Pent-up demand for season tickets to Gopher Football games (waiting list is still 0, to my knowledge), existing STHs have remained basically flat (to falling in the student section)

 

[bottlebass]

If your 401K didn't beat a 9.8% growth rate since 2009 you are doing something way wrong...

 

[Maximus]

Top ticket price (non-club) per university:

Nebraska: $2,892
Michigan: $2,555
(Minnesota 2017: $1,310)
(Minnesota 2016: $1,110)
Iowa: $995
(Minnesota 2015: $960)
Penn State: $955
Michigan State: $908
Wisconsin: $715
Purdue: $523
Northwestern: $299

Lowest donation- or scholarship-level ticket prices:

Nebraska: $542
Michigan: $530
(Minnesota 2017: $460)
Penn State: $455
Iowa: $445
Wisconsin: $415
(Minnesota 2016: $410)
(Minnesota 2015: $385)
Purdue: $373
Michigan State: $333
Northwestern: N/A, no scholarship-level seating

When those schools increase their prices in 2015 or 2016 or 2017, Minnesota won't be near the top.

 

[supadupafly]

When those schools increase their prices in 2015 or 2016 or 2017, Minnesota won't be near the top.

Hey.....stop being rational about this and introducing sound reason into these rant threads. It only makes them scream bloody hell that much louder.

 

[Iceland12]

When those schools increase their prices in 2015 or 2016 or 2017, Minnesota won't be near the top.

And it won't cost you a dime regardless right?

 

[vinko bogataj]

We can do this. However, should we then compare facilities to these schools as well?

The football program is looking to upgrade facilities to be on the same tier as NE, MI, and OH, yet those three (not to mention PSU) have stadiums that are nearly twice the size of TCF. Those schools can generate the same revenue for a much lower price, purely because of volume.

That being said, the market for sporting events is much more competitive here in the Twin Cities. What strategy would people offer the U to raise revenues and compete with the elite football programs if the U does not raise ticket prices? What are the alternative solutions?

This is not a shot at you, but a general comment. But the cited reason for these changes has nothing to do with facilities. The stated reason is to shore up the cost of attendance, hence the reason it is referred to as "Scholarship Seating". Certainly, one can cite the secondary impacts on the facilities drive, but there is NOT ONE WORD about this increase funding facilities in any of the statements from the University. Per the University itself, this is about scholarship and cost of attendance.

The second paragraph is an excellent question and thought process. If you figure that they sell all 28,000 donation seats they are adding to the donation area and net an additional $350 average on all seats, that equates to $9,800,000 per year. Using the most basic math, if we have 9,000 donation seats presently with an average of $225, that means we are presently making around $2,025,000 per year. So effectively, your revenue goes from $2,025,000 to $11,825,000 (present income + additional net). In fairness, they have to expect some run off- which if you look at the numbers they could plan to lose over half of the donation seats and still exceed revenues if they were evenly disbursed (in effect, 14,000 seats at an average of $500 per seat is still $7,000,000 in revenue. Looking at it from that end, it is extremely unlikely they would roll this back short of it being a complete and unmitigated disaster. From a revenue standpoint this is a definite win for the University. Hard to imagine they have anywhere they could raise even near the low estimated income of an additional $7,000,000.00. With this in mind, it is hard to imagine any sort of rollback of the plan.

The unfortunate part is the impact on long time fans who have stuck with the program through thick and thin. We lost one family from our group who simply can't make the commitment to their seats and were told they likely wouldn't have high enough Gopher points to move to the no donation section. Sucks, they have been with us for 15 years and live and die with the team, but an extra $1000 per year for their 2 seats roughly triples their cost from $620 to $1620 (section 137). But for them they have to make an economic choice and this equates to roughly 1% of their annual household income. I would guess that you will see a lot of visiting fans in the corporate seats like at Mariucci for rivalry games (UW/Neb/Iowa) and those sections will look a lot like the Twins Champions Club seats for most other games. We are planning to keep our own tickets, but our cost in section 137 goes from $1240 to $3240 per season for 4 seats so we may move seats. Given my Gopher points, I suspect I can easily bump most other movers--not ticketholders who stay-- from any cheaper section I want to have (likely a $150 or $250/seat section). Will be very interesting to see how this plays out. That said, I can tell you my attitude will change from "I love the U as an alum and longtime fan and want to see us growing the program like we are presently to "Hey Norwood- FU- GET US TO THE NATIONAL TOP 15 ON A CONSISTENT BASIS or I will spend a ton of time and money calling for your incompetent arse to be fired!". Serving notice on your clients is generally a quid pro quo proposition.

 

[vinko bogataj]

When those schools increase their prices in 2015 or 2016 or 2017, Minnesota won't be near the top.

Per my math on page 1, that could happen. Michigan will likely be higher with any slightly increase, but each other school would have to nearly double or more their present structure. While the others could happen it would be unlikely to increase that much. In fairness, most would not have to increase that much since they sell significantly more tickets so they can reach a similar final net with a lesser increase spread amongst more people. For that reason, I would be shocked if our tickets were not still sitting at the 4th highest cost in the league (behind Nebraska, OSU, Michigan) with a significant gap between numbers 4 and 5 (which would presently be roughly half the cost).

 

[Gopherdrummer]

One thing to keep in mind is the number of seats available in TCF compared to other B1G stadiums. More seats mean more overall revenue, and most other B1G schools sell out every game. So the U's prices may be higher because they are trying to generate that same amount of donation revenue.

However, this argument loses weight as soon as you point out that TCF doesn't sell out on a season ticket basis. The business case does not add up in terms of trying to keep customers. Win the B1G title a few years in a row and start a wait list, and you now justify the increase.

 

[Gopherdrummer]

This is not a shot at you, but a general comment. But the cited reason for these changes has nothing to do with facilities. The stated reason is to shore up the cost of attendance, hence the reason it is referred to as "Scholarship Seating". Certainly, one can cite the secondary impacts on the facilities drive, but there is NOT ONE WORD about this increase funding facilities in any of the statements from the University. Per the University itself, this is about scholarship and cost of attendance.

I bet that cost of attendance includes projected operating costs for the brand new facilities, staff, maintenance, etc.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

Per my math on page 1, that could happen. Michigan will likely be higher with any slightly increase, but each other school would have to nearly double or more their present structure. While the others could happen it would be unlikely to increase that much. In fairness, most would not have to increase that much since they sell significantly more tickets so they can reach a similar final net with a lesser increase spread amongst more people. For that reason, I would be shocked if our tickets were not still sitting at the 4th highest cost in the league (behind Nebraska, OSU, Michigan) with a significant gap between numbers 4 and 5 (which would presently be roughly half the cost).

Minor quibble with that math, but shouldn't 137 be $330 base ticket price rather than $310?

Like you said, I doubt that given the current college football ticket landscape (declining/struggling), recent increases at schools like Mich as a result of their stadium improvements, PSU/Iowa's recent struggles on the field (& PSU's other stuff), that we'd see MN drop out of the top 3-4 in the conference. Other schools may increase some, but I doubt more than 5% a year. We'd be in the upper echelon with OSU/Neb/Mich with a large gap to the next group. As excited as I am that we won 8 games 2 seasons in a row and the future looks fairly bright, we're definitely not to the level that a national championship is a reasonable annual expectation for our team like NE/OSU. Add in competing sports interests in our market, the dilution of our total base of willing fans through alum transplants, and I just can't see how this will fly from a price sensitivity standpoint.

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

Since many of us are sharing our situation, I'll share mine as well.

I was a student season ticket holder for all of my 4 years at the U (football and basketball), then after a decade hiatus (grad school out of MN, young kids, etc), I dove back into the being a season ticket holder for football in the inaugural year at TCF Bank in 2009, and have bought the same 2 seats every year since. I love my seats, and love being a season ticket holder. There is something comforting about knowing that you have the same 'home' every game, and we have a good group of fans sitting with us.

I didn't mind the increase in the price of tix last season (I think it jumped from $275/seat to $310), especially since the prices were held constant for several years prior. My seats were out of the 'donation required zone' in past years, and have always felt very lucky about that, since they really are great seats (1st row 219). This changes starting in 2015 under the new structure, as I become part of 'Zone 6'. What bothers me is that every year since 2009, I've donated to the U in multiple ways (Golden Gopher Fund, Alumni Assoc, CSE). Now, with this escalating seat license, that money basically will end up going there. I was planning on making a modest facilities donation in 1st quarter 2015. Now I am much less likely to do so. I know not everyone who is a season ticket holder also donates in addition, but to me this feels like a real slap the face. I take it as, "your past donations don't mean much to us, so now we are going to just squeeze you on the season tickets, because we know you want that most".

What bugs me most about this is the timing. I knew a major increase was coming at some point, but to do this a few days after yet ANOTHER painful loss to Wisconsin seems folly. I was emotionally exhausted after that game, and needed a couple day break from Gopher football. Had we won that game and were heading to Indy, this increase might have gone over a little better. This seems like the move you make AFTER we do something more significant than 5-3 in conference, and almost making a championship game.

All that said, I understand we need to boost revenue if we expect to get the new football facilities built and retain Kill and his staff long-term. Teague is pricing out the casual fans who were just starting to buy in. And he's pricing out way too many folks who had Gopher season tix because they were a solid deal for your entertainment buck, as an alternative to overpriced and decaying NFL product. I expect to see a lot more empty seats between the 20s in 2015.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

I bet that cost of attendance includes projected operating costs for the brand new facilities, staff, maintenance, etc.

Yes. This. The whole scholarship donation thing is a total smokescreen. The Athletic Dept has a singular budget. Yes, paying scholarships for student athletes is part of it. But so are coach salaries, facilities O&M, tutor/trainer/etc staff, on and on. They may be saying these donations go toward scholarships, but it's a simple shell game of dedicating one revenue stream for one cost while shifting previous revenue streams that covered those (scholarship) costs into the expanded operating costs the AD sees.

 

[TexasAggie11]

Slightly off-topic, but I'm going to leave this here for y'all to look at. Things could be much, much worse.

PER-SEAT DONATION

TICKET PRICES
$545 - Club
Z1 - Z27
$510 - Armchair
Rows 35-40 in 101-111
Rows 1-11 in 201-207, 210-216 & 208-209
Rows 1-31 in 306-311, 116-132 & 401-426
$475 - Bench
All regular seating not including Club, Armchair & Upper Bench price levels
$325 - Upper Bench
Above Row 20 in 501-524 & 341-350

The RED seating area is $5010 per seat.
The GREY seating areas (several stories in the air) are $350 per seat.

 

[Ned Braden]

Since many of us are sharing our situation, I'll share mine as well.

I was a student season ticket holder for all of my 4 years at the U (football and basketball), then after a decade hiatus (grad school out of MN, young kids, etc), I dove back into the being a season ticket holder for football in the inaugural year at TCF Bank in 2009, and have bought the same 2 seats every year since. I love my seats, and love being a season ticket holder. There is something comforting about knowing that you have the same 'home' every game, and we have a good group of fans sitting with us.

I didn't mind the increase in the price of tix last season (I think it jumped from $275/seat to $310), especially since the prices were held constant for several years prior. My seats were out of the 'donation required zone' in past years, and have always felt very lucky about that, since they really are great seats (1st row 219). This changes starting in 2015 under the new structure, as I become part of 'Zone 6'. What bothers me is that every year since 2009, I've donated to the U in multiple ways (Golden Gopher Fund, Alumni Assoc, CSE). Now, with this escalating seat license, that money basically will end up going there. I was planning on making a modest facilities donation in 1st quarter 2015. Now I am much less likely to do so. I know not everyone who is a season ticket holder also donates in addition, but to me this feels like a real slap the face. I take it as, "your past donations don't mean much to us, so now we are going to just squeeze you on the season tickets, because we know you want that most".

What bugs me most about this is the timing. I knew a major increase was coming at some point, but to do this a few days after yet ANOTHER painful loss to Wisconsin seems folly. I was emotionally exhausted after that game, and needed a couple day break from Gopher football. Had we won that game and were heading to Indy, this increase might have gone over a little better. This seems like the move you make AFTER we do something more significant than 5-3 in conference, and almost making a championship game.

All that said, I understand we need to boost revenue if we expect to get the new football facilities built and retain Kill and his staff long-term. Teague is pricing out the casual fans who were just starting to buy in. And he's pricing out way too many folks who had Gopher season tix because they were a solid deal for your entertainment buck, as an alternative to overpriced and decaying NFL product. I expect to see a lot more empty seats between the 20s in 2015.

My situation mirrors yours, GBG, and I couldn't agree more with your assessment. I have season tickets for both men's hockey and football and I will likely have to drop one. As others have said, some increase is necessary and expected so the 2015 changes are potentially feasible; I just don't see how I can justify the 2016 and 2017 increases and I have voiced this to Mr. Teague and President Kaler.

 

[TAW]

Top ticket price (non-club) per university:

Nebraska: $2,892
Michigan: $2,555
(Minnesota 2017: $1,310)
(Minnesota 2016: $1,110)
Iowa: $995
(Minnesota 2015: $960)
Penn State: $955
Michigan State: $908
Wisconsin: $715
Purdue: $523
Northwestern: $299

Lowest donation- or scholarship-level ticket prices:

Nebraska: $542
Michigan: $530
(Minnesota 2017: $460)
Penn State: $455
Iowa: $445
Wisconsin: $415
(Minnesota 2016: $410)
(Minnesota 2015: $385)
Purdue: $373
Michigan State: $333
Northwestern: N/A, no scholarship-level seating

My seats in Camp Randall are the equivalent of 144 or 145 and I pay no additional seat license, just the ticket value.

 

[golden boy]

If they expect us to pay Wisconsin and MSU level prices, they sure as heck better be ready for our fanbase to have Wisconsin and MSU level expectations.

Not to mention that those schools, as has been hit on all day here, have a captive audience in their city. I'd like to see our ticket prices compared to U of Washington. Seattle doesn't have hockey/basketball at the pro level I guess, but I'm trying to think of a university in a similar situation to MNs in a competitive environment for eyeballs and $s.

 

[Gopher07]

Not to mention that those schools, as has been hit on all day here, have a captive audience in their city. I'd like to see our ticket prices compared to U of Washington. Seattle doesn't have hockey/basketball at the pro level I guess, but I'm trying to think of a university in a similar situation to MNs in a competitive environment for eyeballs and $s.

Washington sells a whole heck of a lot more season tickets than we do (sold ~44,000 last year). That said, the only info I can find is for 2013 at the moment. Much of the stadium was $299-$499 per seat (no donation), with some better seats getting anywhere from a $250 donation per, to $750 donation per (plus $499 ticket cost).

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...13-14/misc_non_event/13fb_renewalbrochure.pdf

Pitt - another major metro school - has their 50-yard-line and "good" seats with anywhere from a $50-$100 donation (in addition to $199 ticket price).

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/tickets/pitt-season-tickets-m-footbl.html

Stanford - in a metro area, though not in the heart of one, only requires an annual gift for a small portion of their seats (club seats on the 50 yard line).

http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208602060

 

[e.bigelow]

Since many of us are sharing our situation, I'll share mine as well.

I was a student season ticket holder for all of my 4 years at the U (football and basketball), then after a decade hiatus (grad school out of MN, young kids, etc), I dove back into the being a season ticket holder for football in the inaugural year at TCF Bank in 2009, and have bought the same 2 seats every year since. I love my seats, and love being a season ticket holder. There is something comforting about knowing that you have the same 'home' every game, and we have a good group of fans sitting with us.

I didn't mind the increase in the price of tix last season (I think it jumped from $275/seat to $310), especially since the prices were held constant for several years prior. My seats were out of the 'donation required zone' in past years, and have always felt very lucky about that, since they really are great seats (1st row 219). This changes starting in 2015 under the new structure, as I become part of 'Zone 6'. What bothers me is that every year since 2009, I've donated to the U in multiple ways (Golden Gopher Fund, Alumni Assoc, CSE). Now, with this escalating seat license, that money basically will end up going there. I was planning on making a modest facilities donation in 1st quarter 2015. Now I am much less likely to do so. I know not everyone who is a season ticket holder also donates in addition, but to me this feels like a real slap the face. I take it as, "your past donations don't mean much to us, so now we are going to just squeeze you on the season tickets, because we know you want that most".

What bugs me most about this is the timing. I knew a major increase was coming at some point, but to do this a few days after yet ANOTHER painful loss to Wisconsin seems folly. I was emotionally exhausted after that game, and needed a couple day break from Gopher football. Had we won that game and were heading to Indy, this increase might have gone over a little better. This seems like the move you make AFTER we do something more significant than 5-3 in conference, and almost making a championship game.

All that said, I understand we need to boost revenue if we expect to get the new football facilities built and retain Kill and his staff long-term. Teague is pricing out the casual fans who were just starting to buy in. And he's pricing out way too many folks who had Gopher season tix because they were a solid deal for your entertainment buck, as an alternative to overpriced and decaying NFL product. I expect to see a lot more empty seats between the 20s in 2015.

My situation is close to this GBG. Student Season ticket holder since 2003. Then became a regular season ticket holder after graduation in 2008. I started out as a regular ticket holder with just two tickets the first year in TCF with my father and I. Slowly, as I have had increased demand to go to games from family/friends out in here in West Central MN wher I grew up, that number of season tickets has grown from 2 tickets to 6 tickets together in the same row and section.

Now, keep in mind, being from West Central MN, I trek 3 + hours to every single home game, so there is at least an addtional $100 expense every weekend. What this will now force myself to do, is to drop one ticket for the upcoming 2015 season, an addtional ticket for the 2016 season, and who knows beyond that. This is all simply due to cost of attending. I am young (30 years old) and have a decent job (Branch Manager of a bank) so it isn't as though I am hard up for money. I just can not rationalize the additional costs in keeping all six tickets.

I am going to try to get friends to possibly buy one or more tickets from me to help defray myself from having to pay for the entire cost out of pocket up front myself, but I am unsure if I will be able to do that.

Best case scenario, we keep 4 tickets in 103 with a $1,000 donation on top of the price by 2017. Worst case, We go down to two tickets or none at all and just choose the games we wish to attend on the secondary market and spend my hard earned cash elsewhere. That latter would pain me greatly as I love my alma mater & Gopher Football dearly, but I have other expenses/vacations/recreational activities that I can see spending my money on.

 

[maroonedinCA]

Not to mention that those schools, as has been hit on all day here, have a captive audience in their city. I'd like to see our ticket prices compared to U of Washington. Seattle doesn't have hockey/basketball at the pro level I guess, but I'm trying to think of a university in a similar situation to MNs in a competitive environment for eyeballs and $s.

Those cities have a tenth the population we do...