Reusse: Steep prices keeping fans away from Gophers' big three

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You can go to the Wild game for cheaper than Gopher hockey, with great regularity. Never thought I’d see that.
 

FredCoxRocks said:
What are the concessions sales? I am horrible at math and business so I'll let you guys help me figure this out...
Would it be possible that if you lowered ticket prices more people would come to the games and more concessions and souvenirs would be sold, as opposed to high ticket prices and no one coming to games therefore not much in concessions sales?
I imagine there's a line somewhere in there regarding cost of ticket vs. revenue from concessions, etc. that needs to be taken into consideration but I don't know. Doesn't sound like the U does either.
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I believe the only sales the U gets is from tickets and parking. Unless they own a part of Goldy's locker. food is an outside vendor who may pay a flat fee for being there but not percentages of profits of sales so the more people you get in it is not advantages to the U except for atmosphere and ticket pricing.

I stopped my season ticket streak when the dontation was as much as the tickets (doubling the cost to me) add to that now Trump wont let you write the portion of the ticket off I bet more will drop

Also I think you will see less Iowa And whiskey fans traveling as they will not be able to get cheap tickets.

Get used to half empty stadiums and Barns and Rinks
 


Rickman55 said:
I agree. There is no substitute for being their in person.

People can’t afford or don’t want to pay $70-$80 for ONE game a year, seriously? Put away $7 a month for a year and you can buy a ticket. You’re just cheap. What else do you “waste” that money on?

Season tickets in the non donation sections are still a bargain. If people really wanted to be at the games there’s a way to get it done. Every thing I hear in these post are pathetic excuses.
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I started to read this post and saw the $70-$80 for one game comment and thought, yeah but he isn't figuring in also paying for family and friends to attend with him? Then I finished the post and was like ahh..I get it now.
 

Price is a part of it. I have great seats at both the Kohl Center and Williams and my seats at Williams cost way more despite being in less demand. Win big and the seats will be full. We have lost for a long time.
 


A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Actually teams have found that selling too high a % of season tickets results in more no shows.

You can even see some of it at some gopher games now where between the 30s you'll see a lot of open seats....
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So according to your logic the plan is working perfectly? Keep cutting season ticket holders and we we will be in great shape!

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211 is brutal for empty seats below Row 26...where the price change (higher) kicks in...even for I-O-W-A this year.
 

Rickman55 said:
I agree. There is no substitute for being their in person.

People can’t afford or don’t want to pay $70-$80 for ONE game a year, seriously? Put away $7 a month for a year and you can buy a ticket. You’re just cheap. What else do you “waste” that money on?

Season tickets in the non donation sections are still a bargain. If people really wanted to be at the games there’s a way to get it done. Every thing I hear in these post are pathetic excuses.
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Are you kidding me? Let's say you want to take your wife. That's 140.00 right there. Then you have to pay for parking and probably want something to eat and drink during the game. Now you are talking in the neighborhood of 200.00 to go to one football game. Maybe you're rolling in piles of cash, but most of us are not.
 

GopherMike said:
Are you kidding me? Let's say you want to take your wife. That's 140.00 right there. Then you have to pay for parking and probably want something to eat and drink during the game. Now you are talking in the neighborhood of 200.00 to go to one football game. Maybe you're rolling in piles of cash, but most of us are not.
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Apparently, considering one's own financial situation and entertainment alternatives, as well as the value proposition being offered, is pathetic excuse making. Instead, everyone should pay for the tickets, whether they like them or not.

Before Rickman jumps down my throat, I had season tickets last year, I will again next year, and I showed up for every game including half of the Purdue game before changing into a suit for a wedding in the back of my mother in laws car rather than skip a full home game.
 



MNfootballfan said:
I love to complain about the price of tickets as much as anyone, but I don’t think you can use the ticket prices vs Iowa as your argument. Games vs Iowa and Wisconsin are pretty much always expensive and in demand.
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My Dad always checks the single game price before each game to see what people are paying in his section, this year they were $200+ for the Iowa game, i couldn't believe it. He is in first deck around the 20 yard line. they are pricing themselves out of the market
 


saintpauljeff said:
You can go to the Wild game for cheaper than Gopher hockey, with great regularity. Never thought I’d see that.
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I haven't paid to go to either in a while, it's cheaper to go to the Wild?

Wild games i've been to still seem pretty packed / high-ish demand.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I haven't paid to go to either in a while, it's cheaper to go to the Wild?

Wild games i've been to still seem pretty packed / high-ish demand.
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tix for the past Tues/Thurs could be had for < $25, on Sat against Calgary saw several listings for $13

I know a few season ticket holders with the Wild and they like to inform me of such deals
 



saintpauljeff said:
tix for the past Tues/Thurs could be had for < $25, on Sat against Calgary saw several listings for $13

I know a few season ticket holders with the Wild and they like to inform me of such deals
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I went to the Clagary game, exciting ending but no goal.

Tuesday I get .... and a lot of their fans come in from the west metro.
 
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I think single game ticket prices need to be made more affordable. Especially for hockey, just doesnt make a lot of sense. Once you start filling the arena then you can start modifying prices. But there are other things that go into this such as the negative media and the pro sports market that you just can't control
 

saintpauljeff said:
tix for the past Tues/Thurs could be had for < $25, on Sat against Calgary saw several listings for $13

I know a few season ticket holders with the Wild and they like to inform me of such deals
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Wish I could find those deals on the Wild. Cheapest tickets on stubhub for the next few weeks are currently at $37. Weekend games are all $60 or more.

Lots of Gopher hockey tickets listed for $12.
 

Arnold Babar said:
I used to attend one game per year with a group of 15-20 friends. We kept the beer and food venders busy the entire game and always had a great time.
This year, we looked at the price for individual tickets to the Iowa game and decided it would be just as fun to watch the game from a local bar. We all spent a fraction of the money and still had a great time.
This is not a good trend for the athletic department.
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First off, tremendous moniker you have there.

But if this was a serious post, then perhaps being a football fan is simply not for your group. I agree that tickets are overpriced. But if you cannot make the commitment to attending 1 game per season due to said prices then I don't know what to tell you.

There is no substitute to being there in person.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I suspect that, if the Gophers seriously considered a significant drop in ticket prices, there would be some push-back from the other B1G schools. Because if one school does it, there will be pressure on other schools to follow suit. Unless the new U of MN president is a real maverick (which I doubt), I don't see the U going out on a limb like that.
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This doesn't make sense. Our tickets are already priced in the mid to high end of the conference tier. We could slash ticket prices significantly and still have higher average seats than a couple other B1G schools do.
 

Whytetale said:
I paid about $2000 for 4 seats. This works out to around $70 per seat per game. I easily could get the same seats or better on the street for far less. When the U tried to sell FB tickets for less than what season tickets + scholarship fee are, some "elite" ST holders got their undies in a bundle. I buy season tickets to support the U and for the ease of the gameday experience it affords. I personally don't care if the U deeply discounted tickets to get butts in the seats. It would add to the gameday festivities and hopefully increase the fan base. I also have WBB STs the 1st home game with a huge house was great. SKI-U-MAH &RTB!!!
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Pretty much sums up my thoughts on the matter. I pay about $620 for my (2) season tickets- non donation area, including chair backs. Like you, I (and our total ticket group of 8) could find similar seats for much cheaper. We pay for season tickets to support the U, to have a consistent seat every week, and to establish an awesome fall tradition with a group of buddies.

Personally I don't mind when the U offers dirt cheap tickets to get more butts in the seats. Games are more fun with a large crowd and rowdy atmosphere. I can understand why this would piss off some season ticket holders though.

If and when PJ Fleck wins the Big Ten and we have a full house, the satisfaction of being in on the ground floor of something special will be totally worth it for me.
 

dlw4gophers said:
My guess is you had a FRACTION of the fun also. Nothing beats college game day with tailgating and a football game. Just my $.02. I will continue to attend the games
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+1

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revenue.jpg

Graph of revenue related to ticket sales (contributions not included) and contributions (seat contributions are part of this). Total revenue (ticket sales plus contributions) is still higher after seat contribution increase (2015 and beyond) and declining ticket revenue. Hard to say if lowering ticket prices and/or seat contributions would increase revenue. Probably not.
 

gopherfannnn said:
View attachment 5923

Graph of revenue related to ticket sales (contributions not included) and contributions (seat contributions are part of this). Total revenue (ticket sales plus contributions) is still higher after seat contribution increase (2015 and beyond) and declining ticket revenue. Hard to say if lowering ticket prices and/or seat contributions would increase revenue. Probably not.
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The question isn't only short term revenue maximization. Getting butts in seats builds fan loyalty, which can help increase long term revenue.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
The question isn't only short term revenue maximization. Getting butts in seats builds fan loyalty, which can help increase long term revenue.
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This is true, of course, but the person most often held accountable for athletic department revenues (the AD) is almost always evaluated on current revenues and almost never evaluated on revenue forecasts five, ten or fifteen years down the road. What's needed is an institutional commitment to the long-term view and a directive to make that the focus even at the expense of the short-term.
 

I think I spent about $2,500 for 6 tickets. We have a great time every year and I view it as a way to give back to the school and insure that my children won’t attend other B1G West schools.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
This is true, of course, but the person most often held accountable for athletic department revenues (the AD) is almost always evaluated on current revenues and almost never evaluated on revenue forecasts five, ten or fifteen years down the road. What's needed is an institutional commitment to the long-term view and a directive to make that the focus even at the expense of the short-term.
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+1
 

GopherMike said:
Are you kidding me? Let's say you want to take your wife. That's 140.00 right there. Then you have to pay for parking and probably want something to eat and drink during the game. Now you are talking in the neighborhood of 200.00 to go to one football game. Maybe you're rolling in piles of cash, but most of us are not.
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You are reinforcing Rickman"s point. If you really wanted to attend the game, there are many ways to obtain tickets. Walk around the stadium or tailgate lots before any game and you will find plenty of tickets available far below ticket box office prices. Heck, people stepping off the shuttle from St.Paul routinely have extra tickets available. I have witnessed people giving away tickets for FREE!

Price isn't the only issue at play. Fan apathy is the real issue.


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Zeppelin Gopher said:
First off, tremendous moniker you have there.

But if this was a serious post, then perhaps being a football fan is simply not for your group. I agree that tickets are overpriced. But if you cannot make the commitment to attending 1 game per season due to said prices then I don't know what to tell you.

There is no substitute to being there in person.
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Thank you for the compliment on my moniker.

I am a huge fan and have attended 40+ home games. I usually attend 1-3 games per year with family. Not everyone in the group of 20 is as serious a fan as myself and a couple others.
The point is 20 people decided not to come because tickets are overpriced.
If you want the stadium full, you need some casual fans to come as well.
It looks like we have 20-30k fans willing to pay the current prices.


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I may be alone on this, but as a season ticket holder since the mid 90’s, it is not the cost of the ticket or the donation that might make me change my mind. It is the maddening length of the game. And how much of the “game” is spent waiting for the next snap.

It is not that I don’t appreciate the gameday experience and tailgaiting. I do. But maybe twice a year in person would be about right. A full season is starting to feel like too much. And when watching on TV, you don’t have to endure “Kiss Cam.”
 

Up until the donation seating program went in, there were some poorly attended games but with a much larger season ticket base there was enough regulars to allow for even smaller spikes in Gopher interest fill the stadium. The spectacular atmosphere for the Syracuse game is an example of that but there were other full, or near full houses in those days. I fear it has dropped off far enough now that for a full stadium, it will require a much larger spike in casual fan interest because much of the base is now gone.

Justin Gaard tweeted a few nights ago that the U was aware of the problem and they were working in it. Yet, EVERYONE agrees the problem is the donation seating prices which not only effect season ticket sales but drive up prices on single game tickets as well - and season tickets are available for renewal right now and there is no price change. So, "working on it" probably means things like more opportunities to watch the cheerleaders practice. Hard to believe it could be anything that moves the needle since the needle is related to inflated prices.
 

Yep, I think they are idiots and totally unwilling to make the hard decisions that are necessary to get this situation fixed. You'd think that a school with a great business school like Carlson would use some of that great teaching that goes on there and figure it out and FIX it.... not "working on it"

Total and complete failure!!
 

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