discount ticket rant -- you've been warned!

Donate To GopherHole
NateDawgUM said:
I was irked earlier today when the Minnesota Athletic Dept once again offered tickets at a steep discount just days before kickoff. I usually don't mind it when they offer deals as I prefer the atmosphere of a full stadium and don't mind a few average Joes saving a few bucks to see us play Western Illinois.

Today was different. The Gophers are 4-0 heading into a Homecoming match-up with an arch rival. Ticket demand is as high as its ever been for a game at TCF Bank Stadium with no ticket available on StubHub for under $100. That is, until the U decided to release 100 tickets for $40 to the general public. Tickets in neighboring sections were available to the general public for $75 last week, and they sold out in less than a day. Why are we suddenly offering a 47% discount when there's sky high demand?

63 tickets in that section are now available on StubHub that weren't available before the "Facebook Deal." The cheapest price is $75. You do the math. Ticket brokers and opportunistic fans snatched up those seats to pocket the spread between the market value and the price that the Athletic Department offered. For one of the poorer schools in the Big Ten, why are we leaving any money on the table? Yet, once the facilities fundraising drive is in full effect, the U will gladly take your $3500 donation.

That's only part of the problem. The second problem is that by undercutting season ticket holders, you're discouraging casual fans from purchasing season tickets. I'm a die hard, I will buy season tickets every year even though I live 400 miles away. Our tickets are cheap, I'll spend more money on flights, hotels and booze this season than I will on tickets. I generally give away the tickets for games I'm unable to attend in person. I consider the whole thing a donation to the Gophers.

However, how do you get casual fans to purchase season tickets? You have to give them a reason. Most fans will purchase season tickets if they feel it's the best way to get into the games in which they're interested. If they're only truly interested in the Big Ten games, but they see that scalping will cost them at the very least $294 (current StubHub market value) or, the same price as season tickets, they might be inclined just to purchase season tickets. People with season tickets are more likely to go to cupcake games because the tickets are in their possession, so why not?

But these fans know that if they wait until the last minute, the U will offer a discount to the good games. I mean, if they're giving a discount for an undefeated team, playing against Iowa on Homecoming, there are always going to be deals.

Furthermore, the University needs to be more creative about these early season cupcake games to create less supply on the secondary market. If there was an option while buying season tickets to purchase (for a discount) and donate tickets to a local school district or youth group to attend these games, I'm sure many people would gladly take the offer. Grow the fan base from a young age, cut down on empty seats and sell more tickets! It's a win, win, win.

Instead the U leaves money on the table, disincentives season tickets and donates profits to ticket brokers. Meanwhile, over at Northwestern, the Wildcats are using dynamic pricing and have a face value of $126 - $195 for their high-demand Ohio State game in two weeks.

And that's all I have to say about that. Twitter fights and message board wars zap my energy.
Click to expand...



Is this another example of our new Norwood in action? Certainly anything and everything related to the Athletic Department stops at his desk. How could our AD allow this to happen? Someone NEEDS to ask our new Norwood why he wants to operate the sale of tickets this way...
 

imthewalrus said:
Blah, blah, blah
Click to expand...

0YOfO8R.jpg
 

GopherinPhilly said:
OK...as usual the blinders go on as the rants continue. These were $40 face value tickets sold for $40 a piece exclusively announced on the Gopher Sports Facebook page. And the problem is????????
Click to expand...

I read through the thread from beginning to end for entertainment and I was ready to start shouting at my computer right before I read this. Great stuff, I have no idea why people are going off about this..
 

NateDawgUM said:
I was irked earlier today when the Minnesota Athletic Dept once again offered tickets at a steep discount just days before kickoff. I usually don't mind it when they offer deals as I prefer the atmosphere of a full stadium and don't mind a few average Joes saving a few bucks to see us play Western Illinois.

Today was different. The Gophers are 4-0 heading into a Homecoming match-up with an arch rival. Ticket demand is as high as its ever been for a game at TCF Bank Stadium with no ticket available on StubHub for under $100. That is, until the U decided to release 100 tickets for $40 to the general public. Tickets in neighboring sections were available to the general public for $75 last week, and they sold out in less than a day. Why are we suddenly offering a 47% discount when there's sky high demand?

63 tickets in that section are now available on StubHub that weren't available before the "Facebook Deal." The cheapest price is $75. You do the math. Ticket brokers and opportunistic fans snatched up those seats to pocket the spread between the market value and the price that the Athletic Department offered. For one of the poorer schools in the Big Ten, why are we leaving any money on the table? Yet, once the facilities fundraising drive is in full effect, the U will gladly take your $3500 donation.

That's only part of the problem. The second problem is that by undercutting season ticket holders, you're discouraging casual fans from purchasing season tickets. I'm a die hard, I will buy season tickets every year even though I live 400 miles away. Our tickets are cheap, I'll spend more money on flights, hotels and booze this season than I will on tickets. I generally give away the tickets for games I'm unable to attend in person. I consider the whole thing a donation to the Gophers.

However, how do you get casual fans to purchase season tickets? You have to give them a reason. Most fans will purchase season tickets if they feel it's the best way to get into the games in which they're interested. If they're only truly interested in the Big Ten games, but they see that scalping will cost them at the very least $294 (current StubHub market value) or, the same price as season tickets, they might be inclined just to purchase season tickets. People with season tickets are more likely to go to cupcake games because the tickets are in their possession, so why not?

But these fans know that if they wait until the last minute, the U will offer a discount to the good games. I mean, if they're giving a discount for an undefeated team, playing against Iowa on Homecoming, there are always going to be deals.

Furthermore, the University needs to be more creative about these early season cupcake games to create less supply on the secondary market. If there was an option while buying season tickets to purchase (for a discount) and donate tickets to a local school district or youth group to attend these games, I'm sure many people would gladly take the offer. Grow the fan base from a young age, cut down on empty seats and sell more tickets! It's a win, win, win.

Instead the U leaves money on the table, disincentives season tickets and donates profits to ticket brokers. Meanwhile, over at Northwestern, the Wildcats are using dynamic pricing and have a face value of $126 - $195 for their high-demand Ohio State game in two weeks.

And that's all I have to say about that. Twitter fights and message board wars zap my energy.
Click to expand...

Boo Hoo. We need a sellout.
 

Two comments

1. The reason there are so many tickets on the secondary market is because of the bundling with the conference games. If you don't like it, ask the U to stop doing it.

2. As far as trying to offer the the tickets to corporate sponsors, corporations don't care who their customers root for. It is likely a decent number if those tickets would end up in Iowa fans hands.
 



thnx to your complaint I was able to afford a seat to the game at $40. That's one more person cheering for the Gophers. Do you want to cry about principle or cheer the Gophers on to a win????
 

You people really need to get a grip. I'm guessing the whiners have no grasp of what a tough sell gopher football is to the general population. We have a solid base of fans who've shown up through the tough times. There are three big things that hurt our attendance. We're in a large urban area, we compete with 4 pro sports teams limited entertainment dollars, and lastly even though have a large enrollment, we're heavy on grad students (who most likely remain loyal to their undergrad school if they're even sports fans) and many undergraduates live off campus. The facebook "sale" is just away to reach and reward social media followers and build the fan base. Had they not done it, those tickets may have remained unsold despite increased interest in this game since many people go straight to the secondary market hoping for better deals. Year after year people complain ad nauseum about ticket sales and marketing here. I doubt any of you have any actual experience in marketing and definitely none in marketing a major college football team. We sold out and we sold those tickets for what they were worth.
 

Damn the U and Teague for selling tickets at face value! I bet this is Obama's fault
 



NateDawgUM said:
Meanwhile, over at Northwestern, the Wildcats are using dynamic pricing and have a face value of $126 - $195 for their high-demand Ohio State game in two weeks.
Click to expand...

Seriously though, i agree the U needs to look into this, if only for the rivalry games.
 

Gopher FB success will = PSLs throught the place. o will we hear crowing. badgers did it back in 1993 and for a couple seasons the locals went nuts cuz they had tickets since the 60s and refused to renew. Yokels from Lacrosse and outstate bought em up.
 

Gold Vision said:
There are reasons to have a fire sale like this beyond selling a few tickets quickly.
Click to expand...

"Oh my God, we're having a fire (sale)! Oh, the burning!"
 

http://i.imgur.com/0YOfO8R.jpg


When you see this effort following in posts right behind my posts you will KNOW it was created by a wild animal with a keyboard shoved where the sun won't shine. You will also KNOW that the truth climbs inside the head of even an unregistered user here on GOPHERHOLE.
Blame the unwashed...the uninformed...and yes, the unregistered for this inconvenience. Who knows what evil intent this stalker may have? However, I must admit, it should increase the visibility of the occasional contrast that MUST be made... Just take it for what the poster who takes this liberty with my posts is worth: NOTHING ...absolutely NOTHING!

Note to the moderators: what do you think of this unregistered user's obnoxious tactics? Is it what you really want for the website? Is it really socially acceptable behavior on GOPHERHOLE being displayed by the wild animal with a keyboard shoved where the sun won't shine?

I, of course will just let it go and let you fine folks decide what ever you will decide. I just thought I would bring this little matter to your attention in case you had missed it...
 





imthewalrus said:
http://i.imgur.com/0YOfO8R.jpg


When you see this effort following in posts right behind my posts you will KNOW it was created by a wild animal with a keyboard shoved where the sun won't shine. You will also KNOW that the truth climbs inside the head of even an unregistered user here on GOPHERHOLE.
Blame the unwashed...the uninformed...and yes, the unregistered for this inconvenience. Who knows what evil intent this stalker may have? However, I must admit, it should increase the visibility of the occasional contrast that MUST be made... Just take it for what the poster who takes this liberty with my posts is worth: NOTHING ...absolutely NOTHING!

Note to the moderators: what do you think of this unregistered user's obnoxious tactics? Is it what you really want for the website? Is it really socially acceptable behavior on GOPHERHOLE being displayed by the wild animal with a keyboard shoved where the sun won't shine?

I, of course will just let it go and let you fine folks decide what ever you will decide. I just thought I would bring this little matter to your attention in case you had missed it...
Click to expand...

wren.....or whatever your name is in REAL life (you do remember reality don't you?)........you truly need some professional help. and i am not saying that sarcastically. i honestly believe you may have some kind of mental deficiency or disorder and it needs to be properly treated in order for you to make some progress. you are just too weird and post such strange stuff for that to not be the case.

as they say: "something ain't right with that boy". :confused:
 

Enough of this drivel! We have a sold out game against our biggest rival. Let's enjoy this!!

Also, I have heard mention that the U of M Students that didn't get tickets in time (before they sold out) are now regretting not buying them sooner. This combine with a win tomorrow is exactly what the program needs to sell more tickets!
 

I must admit that I agree with NateDawg in principle on this. I don't like that the U deeply discounted Iowa tickets, period. The game would have ended up sold out one way or another whether via brokers or direct online sales. The demand was simply there. It bothers me that this had an 'amateur hour' feel to it, on how the ticket office dealt with the demand. And I acknowledge the idea that they wanted to promote ticket sales via The Book of Faces, but still - why cut the price below face if demand doesn't dictate that you need to? As a season ticket holder, I don't mind getting undercut on the non-conference games to get more people in the door, but for a high-demand Big Ten game, that is a bit irritating. If this were 1,000 tix, I'd be fuming. That it was only 100 has me minimally upset, and more confused.

All that said, I'm happy that the game is a sell-out. So excited to get to Campus tomorrow, rain or shine! SKI U MAH!
 


Unregistered User said:
They didn't.

They sold the tickets for $40. Face value.

I believe it is illegal for them to sell them for above face value.
Click to expand...

The University could print tickets with any price on them and that price would be the "face value". How would that be illegal?

Maybe it's time for you to register.
 

Unregistered User said:
They didn't.

They sold the tickets for $40. Face value.

I believe it is illegal for them to sell them for above face value.
Click to expand...

Their Facebook post said 100 tickets available at a Special Price of just $40. Unless it is a marketing tactic to fool people into thinking they are getting a good deal on their tickets when they are actually paying face value, it looks like they discounted them.
 

Unregistered User said:
They didn't.

They sold the tickets for $40. Face value.

I believe it is illegal for them to sell them for above face value.
Click to expand...

Well, if that is the case, then I retract my irritation. Face on my upper deck corner section seat is $75, however Gophersports.com states: "Currently only single seats remain in the general seating area. These are available for $40 per ticket." (NOTE: this purchase option is not available, despite saying that it is). To be honest, I'm not even sure where this 'general seating area' is. It was stated earlier that it was in Sections 231 and 232. This is news to me. But if that's true, it certainly isn't for other upcoming home games, as no 'general seating area' seats are listed. Furthermore, if you look at the pricing for upcoming games (which are presumably NOT sold out - yet, anyways), you'll note that the cheapest prices for seats are all greater than $40, and there is no such thing listed as a 'general seating area'.

I would also point out that I never suggested that they sell for above face. That indeed would be illegal. But in this case, I feel like the U just decided these seats suddenly became $40 face value seats (aka dropped the price).
 

Discount tickets are great! Major sporting events are becoming too expensive for people to afford to attend any more. The U, and all sporting teams, get the majority of their revenue from additional costs such as parking, food, merch, and TV broadcasting. Getting people in the stands opens up the flood gates to the extra cash. Teams across the country discount tickets all the time.

I am excited for a packed house, the game, the tailgate, and for Gopher Football. Hopefully someone was able to get a ticket that otherwise could not. If they happen to be wearing black and gold, well, so it goes. Ideally a family is able to attend a game for the first time and will be cheering for the Gophers.

Go Gophers and BRING FLOYD HOME!!!!!
 


Gopher Bandanna Guy said:
Well, if that is the case, then I retract my irritation. Face on my upper deck corner section seat is $75, however Gophersports.com states: "Currently only single seats remain in the general seating area. These are available for $40 per ticket." (NOTE: this purchase option is not available, despite saying that it is). To be honest, I'm not even sure where this 'general seating area' is. It was stated earlier that it was in Sections 231 and 232. This is news to me. But if that's true, it certainly isn't for other upcoming home games, as no 'general seating area' seats are listed. Furthermore, if you look at the pricing for upcoming games (which are presumably NOT sold out - yet, anyways), you'll note that the cheapest prices for seats are all greater than $40, and there is no such thing listed as a 'general seating area'.

I would also point out that I never suggested that they sell for above face. That indeed would be illegal. But in this case, I feel like the U just decided these seats suddenly became $40 face value seats (aka dropped the price).
Click to expand...

That is the "face value" for buying tickets in that area. But the tickets they were selling were in the very last few rows, which have a face value of $40. I would assume you are much closer to the first row then those tickets. Also, dont let the "face value" on your Iowa ticket fool you into thinking YOU paid that much for that ticket. If you add up the "face value" on all of your season tickets, you would have paid a lot more than what you actually paid to the U. So think of it is the U doing you a favor in case you have to miss a game and want to sell your seat.
 

Gopher Bandanna Guy said:
...and there is no such thing listed as a 'general seating area'.

...I feel like the U just decided these seats suddenly became $40 face value seats (aka dropped the price).
Click to expand...

You are correct - they simply dropped the price. I think they're using "general seating area" to mean any location not in a donation-seat area (i.e., the majority of the stadium).

The 100 discounted tickets were sold within minutes. However, on GopherSports.com you could and can also buy single tickets for the Iowa game for the discounted $40. That currently remains true - I just went online - put in best available and it gave me a ticket in 235.

Last night I purchased a single ticket, aisle seat, on GopherSports.com for $40 (plus $5 handling although it was delivered via email). How many discounted tickets will they sell? I don't know, but it's more than the 100 advertised. Also, the U will be giving out free pairs of tickets today... again, how many? Don't know.

Looking back to last year, I was able to get the same seats, row 1 upper deck, on the aisle, for three straight games for the following prices: $10, $10 and $0 via GopherSports.com.

Last week, I "purchased" a ticket to the SJSU game for $0 (no fees either, ticket emailed to me). Row 1 in the corner of the lower level (no players or media blocking view), on the aisle. (Picture below was taken from the seat with an old iPhone.)

Will be interesting to see how the stadium looks tomorrow. Hopefully a full house with not a lot of a black jerseys.

Maybe Maturi is advising on this topic. After all, he still is getting big bucks at the U to be special assistant to the President, volunteer at the NCAA and teach.

n8bwJvR.jpg
 


One thing is for sure: Conference wins is going to make or break the WHOLE thing...

positively4thstreet said:
This is really one of the better things that's been posted here in a while.
Click to expand...

You freaks and "less is more..." types had best believe that! IF it goes the wrong way, there will be a whole lot of discontent going on...and I'll have to defend the need to keep the Coach on the job while you people will do what you always try to do...fire another coach...
 

imthewalrus said:
Is this another example of our new Norwood in action? Certainly anything and everything related to the Athletic Department stops at his desk. How could our AD allow this to happen? Someone NEEDS to ask our new Norwood why he wants to operate the sale of tickets this way...
Click to expand...

Studwell55 said:
Nate is right!
Click to expand...

Any debate must now stop. These two posts have now convinced me that the AD is 100% correct and justified. Thanks for weighing in, guys.
 

DLguy said:
That is the "face value" for buying tickets in that area. But the tickets they were selling were in the very last few rows, which have a face value of $40. I would assume you are much closer to the first row then those tickets. Also, dont let the "face value" on your Iowa ticket fool you into thinking YOU paid that much for that ticket. If you add up the "face value" on all of your season tickets, you would have paid a lot more than what you actually paid to the U. So think of it is the U doing you a favor in case you have to miss a game and want to sell your seat.
Click to expand...

If this is the case, why isn't this general seating area available for future games? I would expect it's because they want to try and first sell them at the 'face value' they have, before applying 'the new panicked face value'?

Well done for pointing out to me that as a season ticket holder I pay less than face value. All my years of taking advanced science and mathematics courses at the U and in grad school and years of having season tix, yet somehow I had no idea why my annual invoice was less than the sum of the face values. Cripes, I didn't realize that I came off as that stupid. That's some Grade A patronizing there.

Oh, and its far more a favor that I provide to the U when I buy a full home schedule worth of tickets in months in advance, as opposed to their gracious printing of the actual face value on the ticket. How ridiculous to suggest they are doing me a favor.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom