Shama: Discounted season tix avail for U alums who have graduated within last 5 yrs

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Word said:
I wasn't referring to the programs for recent grads. I see that as a "bridge" from student season tickets to normal season tickets. I'm ok with that, as you say as a bit of a reward.

I think what a lot of people are talking about, including myself, is when you have season tickets and find out that half the people around bought their seats on Stub Hub for half of what you paid. I dropped my tickets a few years ago partially for that reason (partially because with kids in activities we were missing more games than making). I also found when we couldn't make it to a game that almost always I was taking a big hit on the price I sold them for - meaning the tickets are overpriced for the market.

I have a partial season ticket for the Twins and the same would hold true there. If it got to the point that tickets were consistently cheaper on Stub Hub I would drop my season tickets. Amazingly with as bad as they were for a few years, that never happened (it happens some nights, but other nights they sell for more). The Twins also haven't raised prices since we got our tickets - in fact our tickets dropped in price this year - a year after the Twins made it to the play-in game.
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There's also the discounted packages that are offered year in and year out by the U...
 

Word said:
Would you like it if you went through the grocery line and paid $5.99 for your Digiorno's Pizza, only to find out that all the people around you paid $3.99 for the same thing? At some point, you'll stop and ask yourself how those other people got it for cheaper, and then do the same yourself.

Or would you just say "whatever" and keep paying more for your pizza?
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It's not a good analogy. Gopher football games are a rare good and can't be found anywhere else at any price. DiGiorno's pizzas are available at tons of places and if not able to be found more cheaply, are fungible with other kinds of pizza. A grocery store couldn't get away with tiered pricing because DiGiorno's are commoditized. If you want to go to a Gophers football game, they have a market advantage because you can't find that exact good anywhere else at any price. If you don't want to pay the price they charge, then don't and find something else to do with your dollar. I don't see the point in whining about it like so many do.
 

Word said:
I wasn't referring to the programs for recent grads. I see that as a "bridge" from student season tickets to normal season tickets. I'm ok with that, as you say as a bit of a reward.

I think what a lot of people are talking about, including myself, is when you have season tickets and find out that half the people around bought their seats on Stub Hub for half of what you paid. I dropped my tickets a few years ago partially for that reason (partially because with kids in activities we were missing more games than making). I also found when we couldn't make it to a game that almost always I was taking a big hit on the price I sold them for - meaning the tickets are overpriced for the market.

I have a partial season ticket for the Twins and the same would hold true there. If it got to the point that tickets were consistently cheaper on Stub Hub I would drop my season tickets. Amazingly with as bad as they were for a few years, that never happened (it happens some nights, but other nights they sell for more). The Twins also haven't raised prices since we got our tickets - in fact our tickets dropped in price this year - a year after the Twins made it to the play-in game.
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You're also completely ignoring and discounting the value of sitting in the same seats and near the same people every game. Some value that and are willing to pay the price for it. You clearly don't, and that's fine, but again - I don't know what purpose getting all bent out of shape serves.
 

Word said:
I thought with the new Trump tax plan that for most people, these types of deductions won't really help (since they raised the standard deduction and most people won't go over that). Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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Not only that, these donations are now specifically excluded so even if you still itemize it's still out.
 


dpodoll68 said:
You're also completely ignoring and discounting the value of sitting in the same seats and near the same people every game. Some value that and are willing to pay the price for it. You clearly don't, and that's fine, but again - I don't know what purpose getting all bent out of shape serves.
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I'm not sure if that was specifically directed at me. I certainly am not bent out of shape about it. I even defended the U giving discounts to recent grads and the new discount for gopher hockey tickets.

If I had quite a bit more disposable income I would probably pay for season tickets and not worry about the losses I'm taking on the games I can't attend. I'm just not in a position to do that. I use the money I'm saving on football to pay for other sports events that I'd like to attend (Gopher hockey, volleyball, basketball and the Wild). I try to go to a couple of each of those every year.

I do think the tickets are overpriced for the experience (both football and hockey) and the secondary market backs me up. In that sense, Gopher hockey and football tickets are not a rare commoodity. If others want to pay it, that's fine and I'm glad they are supporting Gopher athletics. I am just of the philosophy that they should lower prices to boost season ticket numbers up. Don Lucia admitted that hockey tickets were way overpriced and openly wished they'd cut prices to bring more people back to the games.

Not bent out of shape - just disagree with the athletic department pricing philosophy.
 

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