[NU Sports] Tipping Point Near ?

[Joe Thiegs]

Well, we make a pilgrimage once a year to Evanston to take in a Big Ten game
and visit campus, and since I left private practice to jump into the
non-profit world two years ago, I admit I've been cringing a little at the
conference single-game ticket prices.  We try to do our Chicago trip on
something of a shoestring budget, driving down and staying with NU friends,
which is both less expensive and more fun than staying in a hotel.  Last
year my wife and I left the kids at home and spent a little more for a
Reunion Weekend at Homecoming--where it was great to run into listmates Alan
Wolfson, Jim Bendat, and Ryan Farney (Ryan and I graduated the same
year)--but generally we bring the kids, which doubles the ticket cost.  Two
years ago we opted to leave our year-old daughter with my sister rather than
take her to the game, despite the fact that we would have liked to have
brought her and the fact that she had a very, very cute NU cheerleader
outfit and hair ribbons, because I simply couldn't justify spending $50 for
a kid that young when she wouldn't even remember the game.  We did end up
shelling out $50 for a ticket for our then 3-year-old son, who I'm sure
won't remember the game either.  That was the 51-48 Wisconsin thriller, so
at least I can't say we didn't get our money's worth.  

Of course, the ticket price being $50 rather than, say, $35 won't make a
difference to me in determining whether I go, but I'm not just a casual fan.
I think the subject line raises a valid concern although I don't know what
that tipping point is.  If we're selling out every game it's a lot easier to
justify.  Since we aren't selling out regularly, I'd prefer that the Ticket
Office provide additional incentives for more NU-affiliated people to attend
than to simply price all single-game tickets higher.  Minnesota did
something new and interesting last year for the Iowa game.  Ticket sales for
that game (maybe others too) were only open to alumni and alumni association
members until a certain date--in mid- or late-August, I think--at a price
that was a decent deal.  Then, after that date, tickets went on sale to
anyone, but if you bought a ticket to the Iowa game it was $65 and you got a
ticket to the North Dakota State game too.  Not a bad idea, I think, and
I'll be interested to see if they do the same thing again this year for the
Wisconsin game.

If NU doesn't do something like that, I wish the Ticket Office would offer a
15% or 10% discount on single-game tickets to alumni or NAA members (what do
you think, Alan?), which shouldn't cut too deeply into season tickets (a 29%
discount) and should lead to more purple in the stands as opposed to
cardinal, scarlet, gold, blue, green, white, or what-have-you.  The NU
family package is a fantastic deal but didn't make sense for us given that
we only can go to one game each year.  It will get even more expensive for
us when child number three comes along (in September) . . . .  :)

-Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of mlinhardt at netzero.net
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 5:56 AM
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Cc: maureen.linhardt at plexus.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Tipping Point Near ?

We should keep raising prices as given the fact students are free and 
the dedicated fans buy season tickets the single game purchasers are 
by majority opposing fans.  If you want to make sure no NU fans have 
to pay more offer more multi-game packs where the overall game price 
is highly discounted.

I would say Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa 
should command the super-premium prices -- maybe not $60, but next 
year at least $55 while the rest should be the average of the away 
tickets at the other schools somewhere around $44 based on the 3 non-
tOSU big ten away games.

If you keep single game prices artificially low it only benefits 
opposing fans and there is clearly no reciprocity offered either by 
price or equivalent seats.  I have yet to have any NU-bought away 
ticket in the equivalent sections we offer the visitors at Dyche.

-- John Labbe <johnl at mac.com> wrote:
<snip>
Regarding whether the "average fan" is getting priced out of the game, 
I don't really buy it.  Clearly, Ohio State and others are continuing 
to sell out their stadiums.  I've been to a lot of college football 
games at a lot of different venues, and so far as I can tell, most 
people in attendance are alumni and their families.  It seems to me 
that's the average fan and somehow they're coming up with the money to 
buy the tickets.

Having said all that, I do wish we could pack a few more people into 
Ryan Field for our early season games.  But I just don't see that 
lowering the ticket prices is the way it's going to happen.  The 
non-conference tickets are already only $30 or $20 for the endzone.  
There are plenty of people who aren't attending who could afford that 
price point, but just don't have the interest.  Notably, some of our 
early season games back in the mid to late 90s were pretty well 
attended.  That shows what back to back Big Ten titles can do for 
attendance.




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