As I have said before, MN fans are front-runners. And - the Gopher FB program, by virtue of the relative lack of success over the last 50 years, has a very fragile fan base.
Fleck - just based on his personality - may sell a few tickets to the curious. But, long-term fan support is going to be driven by results, media reaction, and the cost of tickets. Win games, generate positive buzz in the media, and people will come out IF they feel the entertainment being provided is worthy of the ticket price.
But, this is still MN and you are dealing with MN fans. I mean it when I say this - the Gophers could go 12-0, and they could still have empty seats IF people think the ticket price is too high compared to the perceived entertainment value of the games.
I understand why Teague made the jump in the donation levels - but he made a fundamental miscalculation, based on not understanding the MN fan base. Norwood Teague (and whoever signed off on that move) cost this program - potentially - a generation of fans. It may take years to repair the damage - unless the team does something really extraordinary on the field.
The bottom line is that Gopher FB does not sell out games unless the opposing fans purchase a certain % of the tickets. That is a fact. Can Fleck change that? remains to be seen.
