StarTrib: How plunging ticket sales have changed Gophers sports

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GopherWeatherGuy said:
Because it was called the brick house? Maybe I'm not digging hard enough but I can't find anything that says Kill and staff were relating it to Memorial Stadium.

Maybe Butch Jones and Tennessee were talking about Memorial Stadium?


Maybe the Arizona Cardinals are too?

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/7/30/17631466/arizona-cardinals-brick-by-brick-tennessee-fans

Most casual college football fans think of Jones and Tennessee when hearing Brick by Brick. I know there are others that have used it too.

Like it or not RTB is synonymous with only the University of Minnesota Football today. And it will be that way as long as Fleck is here. That wasn't the case with Brick by Brick.
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https://www.twincities.com/2012/01/...over-maryland-oregon-flash-with-new-uniforms/

The uniform numbers were woven in a font copied from a leftover 1940 national championship team jersey. The numbering and lettering on the white and gold uniforms were printed with a brick pattern, symbolizing the walls of the football team’s old campus home at Memorial Stadium.

Also if you google "row the boat" the second link down is about Western Michigan (at least that's what came up for me).
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Yes, but that's not the point I'm making. Brick by Brick was the brand Kill brought in. It has also been/is currently used by other coaches and did not originate in Minnesota. Yet Kill incorporated that onto our jersey's with far less outrage. It came and went with Kill/Claeys. RTB can be tied to Ski-U-Mah just as much if not more than Brick by Brick is tied to Memorial Stadium.

RTB has not supplanted Ski-U-Mah, not even close. Fleck continues to combine the two and promote Ski-U-Mah more than many of his predecessors.
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LOL - keep trying


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Word said:
https://www.twincities.com/2012/01/...over-maryland-oregon-flash-with-new-uniforms/

The uniform numbers were woven in a font copied from a leftover 1940 national championship team jersey. The numbering and lettering on the white and gold uniforms were printed with a brick pattern, symbolizing the walls of the football team’s old campus home at Memorial Stadium.

Also if you google "row the boat" the second link down is about Western Michigan (at least that's what came up for me).
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Can't wait for his pivot...
 

HoustonTXGopher said:
At TCU kids are on the field prior to kick off. They form two lines so the players can run through them as they come out of the tunnel. The kids get to be on the field and close up to the players, what a thrill and a great tradition. You have to sell the kids on wanting to come to Gopher games. Give them an experience they won't get at a Vikings game.
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Thank you. I agree, that sounds like an amazing experience for the young kids!
 

Oh, good we have several pages of discussion on RTB vs Brick By Brick.
Either way, games still aren't sold out and weren't before.

So back on topic, I think it's a pure price issue. Even though some people are buying tickets in expensive areas, it's prohibitive for them to have their family buy tickets in those areas.
Going to support your team shouldn't be this much of a financial commitment.

The only reason you should buy season tickets is if you really like your seat and you're afraid you won't get those seats if you don't buy season tickets.
Theoretically, you should get a discount for buying the whole season, but you don't when others can get tickets cheaper than you via single game tickets.

The first step has to be selling out the stadium so people can only get tickets through the hassle of a third party broker in which the tickets become limited and sell for more than season ticket holder prices.

If you know you can buy season tickets and possibly sell a couple if you can't make the game and make some money back, then suddenly it becomes a smart decision.

Vikings games, some Vikings fans buy season tickets knowing they'll sell off the Green Bay tickets just to make a good sum of money to pay off the majority of their season tickets.
 


Face The Facts said:
Oh, good we have several pages of discussion on RTB vs Brick By Brick.
Either way, games still aren't sold out and weren't before.

So back on topic, I think it's a pure price issue. Even though some people are buying tickets in expensive areas, it's prohibitive for them to have their family buy tickets in those areas.
Going to support your team shouldn't be this much of a financial commitment.

The only reason you should buy season tickets is if you really like your seat and you're afraid you won't get those seats if you don't buy season tickets.
Theoretically, you should get a discount for buying the whole season, but you don't when others can get tickets cheaper than you via single game tickets.

The first step has to be selling out the stadium so people can only get tickets through the hassle of a third party broker in which the tickets become limited and sell for more than season ticket holder prices.

If you know you can buy season tickets and possibly sell a couple if you can't make the game and make some money back, then suddenly it becomes a smart decision.

Vikings games, some Vikings fans buy season tickets knowing they'll sell off the Green Bay tickets just to make a good sum of money to pay off the majority of their season tickets.
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At USBank, to be able to buy Vikings season tickets you have to own the seat license. So it’s like the donation, only one time. Maybe that model would work better at TCF?
 

Men's basketball and hockey should consider beer sales to increase attendance and revenue. Kind of a drag to go to Mariucci on a Friday/Saturday night suds free. I was never a big proponent of it, but honestly the thought of sitting at TCF Bank for the New Mexico St or Miami (OH) games without being able to enjoy a Fulton or Surly...uh no thanks.
 

https://twitter.com/tomdienhart1/status/1070766541489213441?s=21

“Ticket prices going up for @HuskerFBNation. Public season ticket for 7-game home schedule in 2019 will cost $420, an average of $60 per game. The increase of $3 per game is first increase in season ticket prices since 2015, per school release.”

Interesting comparison to a division foe that is “the show” in town.
 

Commented in the ticket renewal thread they should consider some type of "amnesty" for previous season ticket holders over the 10 years at TCF. The amnesty would be some mechanism to secure some measure of their accrued Gopher Points up to the time they dropped their tickets. This would have to be a targeted effort with a relatively short window...maybe 30 days to commit. They'd have to get in line for securing their seats...but would get whatever benefits X number of points might afford.
 




BilldGopher said:
Commented in the ticket renewal thread they should consider some type of "amnesty" for previous season ticket holders over the 10 years at TCF. The amnesty would be some mechanism to secure some measure of their accrued Gopher Points up to the time they dropped their tickets. This would have to be a targeted effort with a relatively short window...maybe 30 days to commit. They'd have to get in line for securing their seats...but would get whatever benefits X number of points might afford.
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Umm, how will that go over with those that have continued to renew with the incentive of moving up the point list only to go back down due to "amnesty".
 

Ope3 said:
Umm, how will that go over with those that have continued to renew with the incentive of moving up the point list only to go back down due to "amnesty".
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Point well taken. I think even most of the season ticket holders that have held their seats acknowledge the strategy and roll-out of the "donations" hikes was done poorly. Thanks Norwood...

I'm pretty stubborn and held my nose and paid up even though I would have preferred a strategy that was more geared to increasing the core "butts-in-the-seats" fanbase while hopefully improving the product on the field and gameday experience.

I agree any such concept should not displace anyone who held their seats from day one. That one principal probably dooms the idea given that there were folks with very high Gopher Scores who gave up their tix. Even if they only got half of their original score back they'd overshoot someone who started with tickets three years ago.

Regardless, this amnesty idea is targeted at those individuals who disagreed with the University's strategy and demonstrated it by dropping their tickets. It is not what I did but I can respect it. Probably at best it would attract a thousand or so former ticket holders, but that's something.

Just an idea. Doesn't mean it's a good one or feasible.
 

BilldGopher said:
Point well taken. I think even most of the season ticket holders that have held their seats acknowledge the strategy and roll-out of the "donations" hikes was done poorly. Thanks Norwood...

I'm pretty stubborn and held my nose and paid up even though I would have preferred a strategy that was more geared to increasing the core "butts-in-the-seats" fanbase while hopefully improving the product on the field and gameday experience.

I agree any such concept should not displace anyone who held their seats from day one. That one principal probably dooms the idea given that there were folks with very high Gopher Scores who gave up their tix. Even if they only got half of their original score back they'd overshoot someone who started with tickets three years ago.

Regardless, this amnesty idea is targeted at those individuals who disagreed with the University's strategy and demonstrated it by dropping their tickets. It is not what I did but I can respect it. Probably at best it would attract a thousand or so former ticket holders, but that's something.

Just an idea. Doesn't mean it's a good one or feasible.
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My group stuck it out and paid up and moved up. We sat in 111 this year about 15 rows from the field. Let's treat it like insurance..you gotta pay to get back into your age band so if you left 3 years ago you need to kick in 3 years worth of ticket $. It appears like the MN fan base is the poorest in the big ten.
 



Ope3 said:
Umm, how will that go over with those that have continued to renew with the incentive of moving up the point list only to go back down due to "amnesty".
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I don't think anyone is talking about giving the people who dropped credit for the years they didn't pay, just letting them pick up where they left off.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I don't think anyone is talking about giving the people who dropped credit for the years they didn't pay, just letting them pick up where they left off.
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Are any former season ticket holders clamoring for their lost Gopher points? Unless the ticket prices are lowered significantly, I doubt many will return. I know several people who have given up their tickets. All have said they don't think they will buy tickets again, even with lower prices. If Coyle and Company can resolve this issue, kudos to them. Winning the Big 10 West would help. I hope that happens.
 

Just win. All the men's teams have been pretty bad for quite a while. When nearly all the games are on TV, why go?

Minnesotans are notorious band wagon jumpers. There are very few teams in town that have a large rabid following. Most "fans" couldn't name 5 players on any single one of the area sports teams. They love to bitch when they suck, and wear all the gear when they win. And generally, they don't go to the games.

That includes the Holy Vikings. Without corporate buy-outs of tickets, most Viking games in the 80's and 90's would not have been on TV. They draw well now, but we'll see what happens after 2019 if they have another average season.

Minnesotans love winners and hate losers. Both with passion and both with passive aggression. It's the Minnesota Way.
 

highwayman said:
Just win. All the men's teams have been pretty bad for quite a while. When nearly all the games are on TV, why go?

Minnesotans are notorious band wagon jumpers. There are very few teams in town that have a large rabid following. Most "fans" couldn't name 5 players on any single one of the area sports teams. They love to bitch when they suck, and wear all the gear when they win. And generally, they don't go to the games.

That includes the Holy Vikings. Without corporate buy-outs of tickets, most Viking games in the 80's and 90's would not have been on TV. They draw well now, but we'll see what happens after 2019 if they have another average season.

Minnesotans love winners and hate losers. Both with passion and both with passive aggression. It's the Minnesota Way.
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I blame it on high taxes. People don't have enough expendable income. There's 2 billion in State revenue saying I'm right. [emoji6][emoji848][emoji849]
 


1967 2.0 said:
Doesn't help when your ticket sales supervisor is stealing nearly 400K over five years from the athletics department...How does his wife remained employed as the U of M Events Director? Find it difficult to believe the extra income was not noticed.

https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/...isor-admits-stealing-361k-from-gopher-sports/
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She's not the "U of M Events Director" (that position doesn't exist) - and why should she be fired for her husband's malfeasance?
 

1967 2.0 said:
Doesn't help when your ticket sales supervisor is stealing nearly 400K over five years from the athletics department...How does his wife remained employed as the U of M Events Director? Find it difficult to believe the extra income was not noticed.

https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/...isor-admits-stealing-361k-from-gopher-sports/
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I can't imagine it was being declared anywhere as income, unless he was filtering it through a "side business"...I've seen nothing on that though. I think if you keep individual deposits small enough, you may avoid detection by the bank.
 
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Agreed, my comment was more upon how does the U conduct an investigation and find that the wife is not involved in at least knowing about the stolen 400k? She remains an event director at the university. You would think a spouse might notice something about spending habits with that amount of stolen money coming in. I'm a bit surprised the articles I've seen haven't commented on that.

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1967 2.0 said:
Agreed, my comment was more upon how does the U conduct an investigation and find that the wife is not involved in at least knowing about the stolen 400k? She remains an event director at the university. You would think a spouse might notice something about spending habits with that amount of stolen money coming in. I'm a bit surprised the articles I've seen haven't commented on that.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
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I agree. But you know how politically correct the "U" is... If her dismissal would not hold up in court, they are not going to move forward. If this had occurred at TJ's Truck Stop and Diner, she would be gone.
 

dpodoll68 said:
She's not the "U of M Events Director" (that position doesn't exist) - and why should she be fired for her husband's malfeasance?
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If you follow the link that is exactly how the Pioneer Press reported her position with the university. If you Google her name you will find the same. If, by chance, her position changed since then, it hasn't been reported in the latest news reports. As to why she should be held accountable for her husbands malfeasance, I am not implicating her. I find it curious, and somewhat hard to believe that she did not notice how several hundred thousand stolen dollars might impact their standard of living. As a taxpayer and frequenter to many gopher sport related events, it is perfectly legitimate to wonder (and wish to know) how an investigation did not implicate her as well.
 

1967 2.0 said:
If you follow the link that is exactly how the Pioneer Press reported her position with the university. If you Google her name you will find the same. If, by chance, her position changed since then, it hasn't been reported in the latest news reports. As to why she should be held accountable for her husbands malfeasance, I am not implicating her. I find it curious, and somewhat hard to believe that she did not notice how several hundred thousand stolen dollars might impact their standard of living. As a taxpayer and frequenter to many gopher sport related events, it is perfectly legitimate to wonder (and wish to know) how an investigation did not implicate her as well.
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Look no further from your interview room
to find the answer to her economic boom.
Within your walls of fandom
you will find the greenbacks abandoned.
 

Always a treat to hear from the elusive Beavcoon. If I find that 400k inside the walls of the interview room I will definitely upgrade my seats for next year!
 

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