TCF=UnitedWeStand
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He's another potentially crackpot idea - raise the price of student tickets. Right now, student tickets are so cheap that even those with the most casual interest in football consider them worth buying. And because they are not all that interested, they don't go. If you raised the price, only those who were more interested would buy tickets, and they would be much more likely to actually show up.
I'm not necessarily saying that we should do it, but we should put all the ideas out there, crackpot or not. At $77 per person, that comes out to $770,000 in revenue from student tickets. There is a value in that, but there is a definate PR value if nothing else from having a full student section. It could be free for the first 10,000 students. That would cost us $770,000, but would give us a chance to have a full student section, and would encourage students to arrive early.
What we have now is a "dog in the manger" situation. In one of Aesop's fables, a dog takes a nap in the manger, from which the cows are supposed to eat their hay. The hay is no use to the dog, he doesn't even find it all that comfortable, but the dog is depriving the cows of their dinner. There are probably plenty of students that would like to attend, but can't because the tickets are held by people who aren't interested in attending.
I've noticed that those students who show up early, and get the front seats are likely to stay for the whole game. The late arrivals tend to leave the earliest as well.
I agree with raising prices, it adds value to your tickets, right now no one cares if they go unused.
As far as the "dog in the manger" situation, there are 0 students who want to go but can't get tickets. Other than the Air Force and Wisco games, you can't give away your tickets for free, no students want them who doesn't already have them.
I don't remember what thread it's in, but somebody stated that BTN can't broadcast games at 2:30. ABC/ESPN has an exclusive deal with the Big Ten for 2:30 games.I'm highly skeptical that there are zero students who want the tickets. Is anyone seriously trying to give them away? Asking around to your friends gives you a pretty small market for the tickets, your friends are probably doing the same things you're doing. People have little incentive to go to any effort to give tickets away.
Maybe the student section needs to be reduced, 10,000 might just be too much. I just hope that those who aren't showing up decide not to renew next year.
Maybe a later start would help. BTN isn't using the 2:30 slot, maybe we should have our games then. I know, it's been decided that it's more profitable to get the games on ESPN at 11 than to have them on BTN at 2:30. That doesn't say a lot for the BTN.
Since they are scanning tickets, can't they keep track of how often each student season ticket is used? If your student season ticket isn't used at least 5 out of 7 games, then you can't get one the next season.
He's another potentially crackpot idea - raise the price of student tickets. Right now, student tickets are so cheap that even those with the most casual interest in football consider them worth buying. And because they are not all that interested, they don't go. If you raised the price, only those who were more interested would buy tickets, and they would be much more likely to actually show up.
I'm not necessarily saying that we should do it, but we should put all the ideas out there, crackpot or not. At $77 per person, that comes out to $770,000 in revenue from student tickets. There is a value in that, but there is a definate PR value if nothing else from having a full student section. It could be free for the first 10,000 students. That would cost us $770,000, but would give us a chance to have a full student section, and would encourage students to arrive early.
What we have now is a "dog in the manger" situation. In one of Aesop's fables, a dog takes a nap in the manger, from which the cows are supposed to eat their hay. The hay is no use to the dog, he doesn't even find it all that comfortable, but the dog is depriving the cows of their dinner. There are probably plenty of students that would like to attend, but can't because the tickets are held by people who aren't interested in attending.
I've noticed that those students who show up early, and get the front seats are likely to stay for the whole game. The late arrivals tend to leave the earliest as well.
77$ is a LOT of money when you consider how high tuition at the U is now. I'm sick of ignorant Gopher holers who think that student tics are so 'cheap'. Newsflash, Tuition is high and students have very little income. Wake up!
Brilliant idea. Then, ten years from now, we would have no students in the student section because they all would be banned.
77$ is a LOT of money when you consider how high tuition at the U is now. I'm sick of ignorant Gopher holers who think that student tics are so 'cheap'. Newsflash, Tuition is high and students have very little income. Wake up!
I wonder if attendance is somehow correllated with class (seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen). Upper classmen have dealt with the agony of the past three years - crap to mediocre teams - and likely have opinions influenced by students who preceded them that were witness to average teams (at best). All in the crap environment that is/was the Metrodome.
This year's Freshmen class really only knows the on-campus experience, which to me seems to be awesome even with some of the disappointments we've had this year.
What I'm trying to say is that if they can determine that the upper-classmen (or lower) are less likely to attend (or more likely to leave) and if there is a correlation, then make more tickets available to the Freshmen (new, fresh, unpolluted minds!).
(I say Freshmen only because my theory is that these folks have been showing up; I have no basis for this, just a gut).
77$ is a LOT of money when you consider how high tuition at the U is now. I'm sick of ignorant Gopher holers who think that student tics are so 'cheap'. Newsflash, Tuition is high and students have very little income. Wake up!
Just a thought to add to the discussion. Hope I'm not being repetitive. Some colleges / universities charge all enrolled students. First ones there get the general admission seats, the ones who don't head for BWW or some such place. ALL students support athletics, at least financially. No numbered tickets to print, just swipe student ID's, saves money. Creates competition for seats. Addresses late arrival issue. Obviously some down sides, as with anything else, but works well at schools I'm familiar with.
Just a thought to add to the discussion. Hope I'm not being repetitive. Some colleges / universities charge all enrolled students. First ones there get the general admission seats, the ones who don't head for BWW or some such place. ALL students support athletics, at least financially. No numbered tickets to print, just swipe student ID's, saves money. Creates competition for seats. Addresses late arrival issue. Obviously some down sides, as with anything else, but works well at schools I'm familiar with.
The requirement to present a U Card is simply going to be waived, which will ultimately make the problem worse and create a host of new issues. Offering student tickets to the general public is a marketing idea that is soooooooo bad, only moving the team to the Dome in the early 80's could rival it as a brand-killer.
Converting one of the student sections to a general admission "recent grad section" that sells for $190 and automatically puts you on the waitlist for $275 regular tickets would be another solution.
Transitioning students to $275 tickets could be either a problem or a marketing opportunity for the U, depending on how they approach it.