While I still will attend football games next fall...my season ticket group is going from 9 down to 4 next year based on what my members have told me in the last 24 hours.
Well I am not sure if they care about the product anymore. Hence them dropping the tickets.They should be really proud of their support of the program. Starving an entity of money and interest is how you help it to get better.
Well I am not sure if they care about the product anymore.
They should be really proud of their support of the program. Starving an entity of money and interest is how you help it to get better.
This is an interesting point. I think it comes down to how you define the product. For me, it's about meeting friends hours before the game and tailgating, watching the students go crazy before the 4th quarter, the marching band and cheerleaders, Goldy's antics, high fiving strangers when the Gophers score a touchdown and hopefully seeing the team win (which they did in all but one home game this year).
With my definition of the product, it was a very enjoyable season. And for me, it is money well spent to keep my season tickets.
If you define the product strictly as whether the team won the games you expected them to win in the manner you expected based on some pre-season, concept of how the Gophers stack up against every team on their schedule, I can see where this year was disappointing at times.
I've been a Gopher fan too long to be angry over a season where the football team went 8-4 and will be playing in a decent bowl game. Let alone angry enough to drop my tickets.
As with any purchase, you weigh the value of the purchase versus the cost. And that decision will be different for every person, based on the value they assign to the product, and the impact on their budget.
One person perceives Gopher Football as having a lot of value, and determines the cost is reasonable and justifiable within their personal budget.
Another person may very well perceive Gopher Football as diminishing in value, and determines they cannot justify the cost based on their budget priorities.
Neither choice is "wrong." It is a personal choice.
The Gopher Men's basketball team is playing in Sioux Falls this Saturday - about 90 miles from where I live. I thought about going - but the tickets are $52 - and I decided I cannot justify spending that money, when I have other needs (food, medicine, health insurance, etc.)
Some may say that makes me a bad fan. If they want to spend the money for tickets, more power to them. But for me and my budget, I said no.
This is an interesting point. I think it comes down to how you define the product. For me, it's about meeting friends hours before the game and tailgating, watching the students go crazy before the 4th quarter, the marching band and cheerleaders, Goldy's antics, high fiving strangers when the Gophers score a touchdown and hopefully seeing the team win (which they did in all but one home game this year).
With my definition of the product, it was a very enjoyable season. And for me, it is money well spent to keep my season tickets.
If you define the product strictly as whether the team won the games you expected them to win in the manner you expected based on some pre-season, concept of how the Gophers stack up against every team on their schedule, I can see where this year was disappointing at times.
I've been a Gopher fan too long to be angry over a season where the football team went 8-4 and will be playing in a decent bowl game. Let alone angry enough to drop my tickets.
These are great individual posts and stories and no one can disagree with any one person's reasons for continuing to attend Gopher football games. I hope everyone that has the financial means and time to dedicate to the games buys tickets.
However, the administration must be concerned with the macro as well as the micro; the macro would say our ticket base - season and non - is in danger of declining, perhaps substantially.
The causes are probably too numerous to mention them all, but could include a lack of rivalry wins, a lack of "signature" wins (however we define that), the price increases, the longer-term trend of declining national attendance (due to better viewing options at home/elsewhere), and even, potentially, the marketability of the head coach (which was a big chip during Kill's time - he himself was marketed to an extreme level). I know the administration is hard at work on figuring it all out because they can't afford to let the biggest moneymaker decline too much without a substantial hit to the other programs as well. I hope they get the right mix, and soon.
They should be really proud of their support of the program. Starving an entity of money and interest is how you help it to get better.
No, it's how a consumer can effect change. It's done in the political world all the time.
I thought empty seats were due to the price increases.... or the color of the logo on the field.... now it is Tracy.
Other way around. You have to buy to get influence in the political world.
Sparlimb;1289037I'm a Minnesota fan said:I have not lived in Minnesota for 18 years and have not lived in the US in 5+ so attending home Gopher games in person has never been a strong suit for me - however, always attended when they traveled to the West coast. So, I measure my support in terms of merchandise purchased and time spent watching the game despite the 12 hour time shift (I know, no financial gain for the U). I watch every game that has a broadcast option and will continue to do so - I tend to buy a lot of Gopher gear but my patterns don't change regardless of w/l record. The only way I can show my satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the programs is my annual giving - which is to the U. But even there, I don't hold back because I am upset about the team's w/l record. So, the only fans that really matter in terms of the admin caring what we think is those attending games or choosing not to attend games. So, I thank these people for being the spokesmen for those of us that don't have a voice otherwise.
Regardless of any anecdotal evidence posted here, attendance will be up by a few thousand next year.
It's just a more compelling slate of home games.
Spot on - great post HopHead. Of course we'd all love to see the Gophers win more games and I am confident the "good ol' days" are ahead of us, but its more than the score at the end of the game for me. It's about being with my friends. IAM4Goldy and I have season tickets together and I know the home Saturday's (and one road game a year as well), he and I will be together, often with our kids. It's time that we have together, making memories, etc. If we dropped the tickets, I know I'd see him much less, in spite of our best intentions.
I love taking my kids to games, as my Dad took me. I love even more taking them to road games because it's an awesome concentrated amount of time together that we'll never forget.
When I look back at my life with my Dad (who passed away a year ago), after the times that matter in life (weddings, new babies, graduations, etc.) the best memories I have with him are at sporting events (most often Gopher games) and I hope my kids have those same memories with me.
Go Gophers!!
$52 ... in Sioux Falls?
Wow....
Untrue. How many boycotts of companies have caused them to change their view on things like fair hiring practices, sweat shops or equal rights? It happens all the time. I've been saying it for the last 2 weeks. Until we get a team that inspires me, I won't be spending big bucks to see the team. I'm a Minnesota fan, always will be. I want us to win, but I also want a team to be proud of.
Those games are always crazy. Bought a couple of extras and sold them for 50% over face value. Helps that the capacity is small.
I look at it from this point of view---I like to see the opposing teams...I know what we have on our side, but love watching Nebby, Sconny OSU come in here...much more so than a grand valley state or even western MI. If, and I know it is a big if, if the B1G could get ND, they most likely they would be in the east, I would love to transition over to the east...I know it won't happen of course, and given our current state of affairs, we can kiss bowl games good bye with that type of schedule, but can you imagine having ND, OSU, MICHY, MSU all coming into your stadium every other year...now that would be cool, practically a bowl game every week at home. Much more satisfying than Purdue, and Rutgers coming to town.