Football-friendly ticket policy angers some U students

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per MPR:

In the past, U of M has allowed students to buy season tickets each summer just for the sports they wanted.

But this summer, Werle said, students who bought a season ticket package of multiple sports received not just a discount but also first crack at men's hockey and basketball tickets.

Hockey season tickets ended up selling out through such package sales. Had they not, students would have been able to buy the remaining season tickets unbundled from football.

Kroll was one of the students who waited. He said he refused to pay $175 for a bundle of hockey and football. The price was too steep, he said, considering that hockey season tickets cost $99 last year.

After the hockey packages sold out in the summer, he was left without tickets.

"It's just disappointing," said Kroll, a 23-year-old from Pillager, Minn. "It was really fun to go to them [regularly] with my brother the last two years...and I'll miss being part of the [hockey] community."

The bundling move comes amid a slump in football student ticket sales. In 2005 the U sold just over 10,000 tickets, but by 2008 that number had dropped by more than a third. In 2009, the year TCF Bank Stadium opened on campus, they jumped to 10,200 — but began dropping again, hitting a low of 3,850 in 2012 before rising to just under 5,000 last year.

Werle said the new practice was not designed to prop up those sales.

"If we do sell more football season tickets because this gives people more incentive to buy both," he said, "I'm really OK with that."

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/10/02/athletic-tickets-university-of-minnesota

Go Gophers!!
 

At least he wasn't a total sour puss. He redeemed himself at the end of the article.

When I was a student, I found that the people who bought tickets to multiple sports were better fans and more plugged in to U athletics. If you can get more people to attend multiple sports, they're gonna be more involved as a result.
 

What a bunch of BS. College is supposed to teach you lessons that prepare you for real life. Young Mr. Kroll has learned two life lessons:

1. People who are willing to pay more for a limited resource get first chance at procuring that resource.

2. Prioritize your expenses. If hockey tickets are that important to you, stay home from drinking with your buddies for a couple weekends. If you're 23 years old and can't scrounge up $175, you're either lying or the worst money manager in the history of the universe.
 

BleedGopher said:
per MPR:

In the past, U of M has allowed students to buy season tickets each summer just for the sports they wanted.

But this summer, Werle said, students who bought a season ticket package of multiple sports received not just a discount but also first crack at men's hockey and basketball tickets.

Hockey season tickets ended up selling out through such package sales. Had they not, students would have been able to buy the remaining season tickets unbundled from football.

Kroll was one of the students who waited. He said he refused to pay $175 for a bundle of hockey and football. The price was too steep, he said, considering that hockey season tickets cost $99 last year.

After the hockey packages sold out in the summer, he was left without tickets.

"It's just disappointing," said Kroll, a 23-year-old from Pillager, Minn. "It was really fun to go to them [regularly] with my brother the last two years...and I'll miss being part of the [hockey] community."

The bundling move comes amid a slump in football student ticket sales. In 2005 the U sold just over 10,000 tickets, but by 2008 that number had dropped by more than a third. In 2009, the year TCF Bank Stadium opened on campus, they jumped to 10,200 — but began dropping again, hitting a low of 3,850 in 2012 before rising to just under 5,000 last year.

Werle said the new practice was not designed to prop up those sales.

"If we do sell more football season tickets because this gives people more incentive to buy both," he said, "I'm really OK with that."

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/10/02/athletic-tickets-university-of-minnesota

Go Gophers!!
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Yes, $175 is more expensive than $99. But you get two season ticket packages.

And this promotion was totally used to prop up football sales. Students want to go to hockey games. They could buy tickets early if they also bought football tickets. They did. And luckily for the U, and the rest of us, there has been a very healthy turnout in the student section thus far this season.
 

Sounds like a good deal to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


When I was a freshman I had Football, Hockey (both nights) and Basketball season tickets. Yes it was expensive, no I couldn't put it on my student account at the time, yes I asked my parents to help me out. Now days these kids can just add the cost to their account and probably (I am not sure) pay for it with their loans. This kid learned a valuable life lesson as dp pointed out. What the heck else are you doing on a Saturday morning/afternoon in the fall? Pony up and get on the wagon because it is one heck of a ride.
 

Buy the bundle and sell the football tickets. Welcome to the real world.

Sounds like a typical hockey fan.
 

They should have at least given students who purchased hockey tix before the chance to buy some sort of package.
 

No different than when they used to (or still do) make the adults pay for Bowling Green or Toledo to get Wisconsin or Iowa tickets.
 



The thing I didn't like about this new packaging was that those people who had no need to purchase football tickets, because of being involved with football, marching band or fall sports, were shut out from getting hockey tickets unless they paid to attend a sport they couldn't attend.
 

Gopherdrummer said:
Yes, $175 is more expensive than $99. But you get two season ticket packages.

And this promotion was totally used to prop up football sales. Students want to go to hockey games. They could buy tickets early if they also bought football tickets. They did. And luckily for the U, and the rest of us, there has been a very healthy turnout in the student section thus far this season.
Click to expand...

Stuff like this goes on all over the place. But like you said it absolutely was done to prop up football sales and it worked. Werle can say it wasn't all he wants but it is the same thing they already do when they package an in demand big ten game with a less desirable non-conf game in order to up the tickets sold to the less popular game.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Stuff like this goes on all over the place. But like you said it absolutely was done to prop up football sales and it worked. Werle can say it wasn't all he wants but it is the same thing they already do when they package an in demand big ten game with a less desirable non-conf game in order to up the tickets sold to the less popular game.
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Someone that is passionate about hockey and bought season tix in the past (twice) should have been at least grandfathered in and allowed to buy somthing. The enjoyment I had buying student tix 25 years ago has turned me into a fan that has spent well over 5 figures on University Athletics in subsequent years.
 

AuEGO4 said:
When I was a freshman I had Football, Hockey (both nights) and Basketball season tickets. Yes it was expensive, no I couldn't put it on my student account at the time, yes I asked my parents to help me out. Now days these kids can just add the cost to their account and probably (I am not sure) pay for it with their loans. This kid learned a valuable life lesson as dp pointed out. What the heck else are you doing on a Saturday morning/afternoon in the fall? Pony up and get on the wagon because it is one heck of a ride.
Click to expand...

I hope you're not a financial advisor. Lol
 




station19 said:
Buy the bundle and sell the football tickets. Welcome to the real world.

Sounds like a typical hockey fan.
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This. I have always been a Gopher hockey fan from the time I was very young, still am, and even played hockey growing up. But even with that being the case I personally find some Gopher hockey fans, particularly those who are uber-militant that hockey is all the matters at the U (which is completely false considering it is the 3rd most popular and financially relelvent of football, basketball and hockey) and have never been to any other Gopher sporting event to be some of the more insufferable, clueless, cultish dolts out there.
 

Just an fyi, this just went to student Senate and they're planning on pushing the U to reverse it's decision
 

supadupafly said:
This. I have always been a Gopher hockey fan from the time I was very young, still am, and even played hockey growing up. But even with that being the case I personally find some Gopher hockey fans, particularly those who are uber-militant that hockey is all the matters at the U (which is completely false considering it is the 3rd most popular and financially relelvent of football, basketball and hockey) and have never been to any other Gopher sporting event to be some of the more insufferable, clueless, cultish dolts out there.
Click to expand...

You see that red dot following you around...duck! My Dad and his pals were in this group. I did enjoy going to hockey games and hitting the big ten for subs before hand as much as the next guy, but I also loved football and BB games at the U and even partook in a few VB matches (for obvious reasons).
 

upnorthkid said:
Just an fyi, this just went to student Senate and they're planning on pushing the U to reverse it's decision
Click to expand...

dumb. i hope the U stands hard on this policy and keeps it in place going forward. wouldn't be surprised if at least a few of the students whining the loudest here that were shut out of hockey tickets are also types who are simply just pissed because now they can't resell some student hockey tickets on the secondary market for a profit (since student hockey ticket supply is far less than football and basketball due to a smaller venue). and likely didn't have intentions on going to all of the hockey games anyways. a personal theory sure, but one that i would bet holds some truth.
 

Can't they just meet in the middle somewhere. Maybe leave 'X' amount of tickets for people who want to buy hockey tickets only. Just save an allotted amount.
 




GophersInIowa said:
Can't they just meet in the middle somewhere. Maybe leave 'X' amount of tickets for people who want to buy hockey tickets only. Just save an allotted amount.
Click to expand...

get where you are trying to come from, but why should they be required to make an exception just for hockey? frankly some of these squeaky wheel hockey rubes can go pound sand for all i care. if you want hockey tickets obtain them the way everyone else is now required to go about it as well.....via a package.
 


supadupafly said:
get where you are trying to come from, but why should they be required to make an exception just for hockey? frankly some of these squeaky wheel hockey rubes can go pound sand for all i care. if you want hockey tickets obtain them the way everyone else is now required to go about it as well.....via a package.
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I agree. I'm just saying that might be a happy middle ground. It would be better than getting rid of the group tickets all together, that's all.
 

supadupafly said:
dumb. i hope the U stands hard on this policy and keeps it in place going forward. wouldn't be surprised if at least a few of the students whining the loudest here that were shut out of hockey tickets are also types who are simply just pissed because now they can't resell some student hockey tickets on the secondary market for a profit (since student hockey ticket supply is far less than football and basketball due to a smaller venue). and likely didn't have intentions on going to all of the hockey games anyways. a personal theory sure, but one that i would be holds some truth.
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Hard to say. But I don't see the U caving to this one until it's been in practice a few years
 

STrib's take: U students fight bundling of athletics season passes

Anthony Nixon is a die-hard hockey fan. During the Gophers season, the University of Minnesota senior and his friends attend both nights of every home series.

“We care more about hockey than we do football,” he said.

But this year, to get season tickets, he had to buy a season of football tickets, too. That meant forking over nearly $400.

It “kind of put a bad taste in my mouth,” he said.

“I was fortunate that I was able to budget for it, but not everyone was probably in that same situation.”

On Thursday, the U’s Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution opposing the new system as students rally against a ticket-bundling tactic many call unfair and overpriced.

http://www.startribune.com/local/277974031.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
 


BleedGopher said:
STrib's take: U students fight bundling of athletics season passes

Anthony Nixon is a die-hard hockey fan. During the Gophers season, the University of Minnesota senior and his friends attend both nights of every home series.

“We care more about hockey than we do football,” he said.

But this year, to get season tickets, he had to buy a season of football tickets, too. That meant forking over nearly $400.

It “kind of put a bad taste in my mouth,” he said.

“I was fortunate that I was able to budget for it, but not everyone was probably in that same situation.”

On Thursday, the U’s Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution opposing the new system as students rally against a ticket-bundling tactic many call unfair and overpriced.

http://www.startribune.com/local/277974031.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Only in Minnesota do people care about hockey more than Football.
 

supadupafly said:
I personally find some Gopher hockey fans, particularly those who are uber-militant that hockey is all the matters at the U (which is completely false considering it is the 3rd most popular and financially relelvent of football, basketball and hockey) and have never been to any other Gopher sporting event to be some of the more insufferable, clueless, cultish dolts out there.
Click to expand...

Well said. Gopher hockey tends to be more of a corporate crowd, as evidenced by the many empty seats for the non-marquee games, so maybe that has something to do with the elitist attitude some of these folks have toward other Gopher sports?

I love Gopher hockey, but between these types of fans and creating so many Gopher haters (all sports) across the state from supporters of other D1 hockey programs, it certainly has its drawbacks.
 

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