[NU Sports] Attendance

[Michael Vance]

Roy Lamberton wrote:
> My casual observation on attendance:
>
> 1. The 11 AM time makes it virtually impossible to fly into Chicago from the
> east coast for a game without arriving Friday night and staying until Sunday
> morning. A return to the 1 PM start would make it a LOT easier for out of town
> people AND those on the south side of Chicago to get to games.
>   

A friend of mine does it a couple of times a season and it's painful.  
He has to take a 7am flight out of LaGuardia to make it to tailgating, 
and if that's at all late, he only makes kickoff.

> 3. Provide a way for NU people to sell their tickets [with parking] to other NU
> people. The Naval Academy has a ticket share system that is run through their
> official web site. I was able to get tickets a couple of weeks ago, to see the
> sold out Navy - Delaware game. My seats were 10 rows behind the Navy bench.
>   

I have to admit, based on my own experience trying to sell some of my 
tickets the past two seasons, I simply wonder what the demand is, even 
among alumni and other die-hard fans.  For two seasons now, I've offered 
up my seats on the list.  Of the seven home games this year, I only sold 
*one* to a list member and that was somewhat last-minute.  These are row 
39, 50-yard line seats, with seat backs and right of first refusal on a 
parking pass!  The only thing that hurts is that they are on the 
"visitors" (East) side.  That's a misconception anyway, because when 
you're at midfield, everyone's a season ticket holder.

Point being, we have the most die-hard NU fans around right here on the 
list, and I've still had trouble selling my tickets. Granted, most list 
members who can make games regularly already have season tix of their 
own, and I do keep a few games for myself.  But my wife wanted me to 
stay home for the Iowa game this year to watch her Spartans against 
Michigan on TV.  I told her I would if someone bought the tickets.  
Didn't happen.  Iowa!  The hated Hogeyes!


> Now, if the college is not in the major city,
> they'll do fine if they win [Michigan and MSU for example]

Ann Arbor and East Lansing are far enough away from Detroit that they 
can draw on their own, although a lot of fans certainly do still make 
the trip.  Doesn't hurt that the Lions have always sucked.

-Michael