The Barn vs other venues

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

As I was flipping around channels last night, watching bits and pieces of various games in the BT/ACC Challenge, one thing jumped out to me. I know this is nothing new to any of the fans on this board but it just happened to be much more striking when you go immediately from games in Purdue, MSU, OSU, etc. to seeing the scene on TV from the Barn.

The most glaring difference?

Most of those other venues you see a major portion of the lower level filled with students and loud, raucous fans. At Williams? I can barely see the small section of students that are jammed off to the side, behind one of the baskets.

What is the answer to this situation? I know, the people who are old enough to remember when there were no cars have paid their dues and "deserve" to have those high dollar seats that they've owned since the FDR administration. I understand that.

But there has to be some kind of middle ground, doesn't there? Why is it different in so many other venues? Or does it just seem like it?

I'm sure we have a bunch of people on the board who are familiar with the season ticket process, how seats are determined, priorities/preference, etc. I would really love to hear some insight on this, from somebody who really doesn't KNOW.

People want the Barn to be loud and crazy, but if you can't touch a seat in the lower level, how is that ever going to happen again? Maybe I'm just overreacting, and I'm sure I'm being insensitive to some of our more senior fans but I think it's a valid question.

 

[bga1]

As I was flipping around channels last night, watching bits and pieces of various games in the BT/ACC Challenge, one thing jumped out to me. I know this is nothing new to any of the fans on this board but it just happened to be much more striking when you go immediately from games in Purdue, MSU, OSU, etc. to seeing the scene on TV from the Barn.

The most glaring difference?

Most of those other venues you see a major portion of the lower level filled with students and loud, raucous fans. At Williams? I can barely see the small section of students that are jammed off to the side, behind one of the baskets.

What is the answer to this situation? I know, the people who are old enough to remember when there were no cars have paid their dues and "deserve" to have those high dollar seats that they've owned since the FDR administration. I understand that.

But there has to be some kind of middle ground, doesn't there? Why is it different in so many other venues? Or does it just seem like it?

I'm sure we have a bunch of people on the board who are familiar with the season ticket process, how seats are determined, priorities/preference, etc. I would really love to hear some insight on this, from somebody who really doesn't KNOW.

People want the Barn to be loud and crazy, but if you can't touch a seat in the lower level, how is that ever going to happen again? Maybe I'm just overreacting, and I'm sure I'm being insensitive to some of our more senior fans but I think it's a valid question.

The only way they could do it is to give the student something like 6 rows down the long side plus some room behind the bucket on one end. The problem is that the students stand the whole game (a good thing). So a paying premium set customer that sits behind them has to be at least 2 feet raised. That would mean that about 3 rows of seats would have to go bye bye. Just a wild guess but that might cost about 150 prime seats to capacity or about $150,000 per year plus another 300 seats that would not longer be premium ($400 extra) or another $120,000 per year. So you might be talking about a $250K to $300K per year revenue loss plus the renovation costs on a one time basis.

I love the Barn but I wonder if they have put any serious consideration into a new arena that would include the practice facility, a correctly designed student area and the whole shooting match all in one. It seems like we are looking at a potential $15 million practice facility, plus scheduled renovations on the Barn for $10-$20 million - maybe they should be considering the bigger picture. Get the deal in with the Viking package??

Then your premium seating program would have some real pop to it and the ante could be upped a bit as well.
Just a thought.

 

[sidefx182]

They should get rid of those 3 rows like you suggested and get a sponsor to pay to have their logo behind the students "TCF BANK BARNYARD". That should cover the cost of not being able to sell those seats.

 

[bga1]

They should get rid of those 3 rows like you suggested and get a sponsor to pay to have their logo behind the students "TCF BANK BARNYARD". That should cover the cost of not being able to sell those seats.

Good idea - but not sure TCF or anybody else would pay for a banner that someone is always standing in front of.

 

[sidefx182]

Yeah, I'm not sure they would either. But it would be worth a shot. Plus, the kids would be on camera all the time so the announcers would say "The "insert sponsor" Barnyard is going crazy". Plus, they could put it on rail in front as well. They would find a way to make it work if someone wanted to spend the money.

 

[DLguy]

Watching the North Carolina game last night, and I dont even recall seeing any students in the picture. And those who had seats seemed about as rowdy as our long time ticket holders.

Watching the Ohio State-Duke game, the way they have their student section set up with 5 rows, and then losing the next 3 rows with some banner just looks aweful.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

Between student/season ticket holders I believe the total is a tad under 10,000 which is about 4500 under capacity. Plain and simple fact is the students ( 1,200-1,300 sold) arn't showing up and the general public has been in a funk since Clem left. How many games have been sold out since Tubby started? Why would you even consider a new arena? Look at TCF Stadium, in just its 3rd year the band outnumbered the students at the last game. Sometimes going back too "old" is good. If Tubby leaves and I'm the new AD the first phone call I make is to Eric Musselman. I ran into Eric 3-4 years ago in Phoenix and I asked him if he had a chance to coach the Gophers would he bring back the pre-game warmup show? He said, absolutely!!

 

[station19]

What is the answer to this situation? I know, the people who are old enough to remember when there were no cars have paid their dues and "deserve" to have those high dollar seats that they've owned since the FDR administration. I understand that.

I don't think that is quite true.

I haven't been a season ticket holder for about ten years, but if my memory serves me correctly:

The seats along the sidelines on the lower level were held by long time season ticket holders until the remodel and start of the preferred seating in 92 or 93. As of about 90 or 91 all tickets were $12. The longer you had tickets the better seats you could have. Those sideline tickets were long time die hard fans.

When the preferred seating was instituted the price went up. Four sections near the free throw line were $500 extra per seat and the two sections at midcourt were $750 extra per seat. Many of those long time fans were displaced because they didn't want to spend the extra money or could not afford it. There were many upset long time ticket holders and the energy in those sections declined. Even Sid talks about it often. He used to know everyone near the court, but it all changed.

Many of those seats are now held by corporations(and given to clients) or by people that have more income than many of the long time die hard. Many of the new people sitting there are not the avid fans of yesteryear.

I might have some of my figures wrong please correct me if my memory is shaky.

EDIT our seats were in section 115? row 14 preferred. Fabulous seats

 

[sal]

Students have every opportunity in the world to sit in the lower bowl of Williams in the student section at a very reasonable price...and mostly they don't. Keeping Williams loud has been up to (going back to the early '80s for me) the rank and file season ticket holders who buy tickets year in and year out. With some "buzz" you have casual fans that will come and participate if things are going well. Greater student attendance would be great but you can't make them show up. It remains a conundrum for the Athletic department. Oh ya, the points system starts next year and if I'm selling tickets I'm a little nervous right now.

 

[alchemy2u]

Go ahead and give the students the whole section behind the benches or the lower level. Then we can watch the team play in front of an empty house when the students don't show up for the games! The students have already let the football team down by leaving the seats empty and letting them be sold to the visiting teams.

 

[Tully55]

I know by saying, "Well back in my days" will date me as an old fart, but when I was going to the U back in the early-mid '70s, the student general admission ticket got you any seat in the balcony. My buddies and I always arrived an hour or so ahead of door opening and when the bell rang we raced up the stairs to get our seats, second row of the balcony on the center line.....EVERY GAME. So rowdy students were never close to the floor even back in the horse and buggy days. What made the Williams a fearsome place to play for visiting teams and an incredible noise producer from the fans were some pretty awesome teams.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

You could also have homemade signs back then. They outlawed the signs after the Ohio State brawl.