University of Michigan athletics to launch student loyalty program
The student section cheers senior football players before a Nov. 26, 2011 game against Ohio State University.
David Ablauf, associate athletic director for media and public relations, confirmed that the athletic department is "exploring a student loyalty program" but said that officials "haven’t finalized a model for the program" or set a launch date.
Loyalty programs are designed to boost attendance at athletic events by offering students incentives —usually in the form of priority seating at football and basketball games— to go to games early or attend low-traffic events.
A recent U-M job posting for an assistant director of marketing position notes that athletics is establishing "a best in class student loyalty program" and that the employee would be responsible for overseeing the launch, "develop[ing] student profiles, rewards and redemption" and "develop[ing] strategies to increase student loyalty acquisition and engagement."
Ablauf declined to comment further on the loyalty program, saying "we haven't finalized a program and the details yet."
A handful of other Big Ten schools, including Michigan State and Penn State universities, have already established loyalty programs.
Programs can take a variety of forms. Some models encourage students to show up to games early so the student section isn't sparse.
For example, MSU's basketball Izzone loyalty program uses student ID swipe cards to track when students arrive at a game. If they arrive early, they receive points and if they arrive late or not at all, they are penalized. The number of points a student accumulates at the end of season dictates his or her priority order for the next season. In short, if students show up early to games they have a higher chance to snag priority seating next season.
According to MSU, the program has boosted game attendance from a few dozen students in the mid-1990s to more than 3,000 students nowadays.
At Michigan Stadium, the student section doesn't usually fill up until after the first quarter, leaving hundreds of empty seats in the northwest corner of the Big House. Athletic Department Director Dave Brandon has criticized poor pre-game student attendance in the past.
During a talk before business students in November, Brandon lamented that some of the pre-game stunts during football season didn't go as planned due to hundreds of students showing up late to games. He joked that during an Oct. 29 stunt, 'Rocket Man' delivered the game ball after arriving via jet pack, but was "flying toward an empty student section."
"Have one less drink Friday night," he said then, imploring students to show up to football games earlier.
Other models incentivize attendance at non-revenue sports that generally draw smaller crowds than football, basketball or hockey.
For example, Penn State's loyalty program offers students points for attending men's and women's soccer, field hockey, volleyball, gymnastic, lacrosse, baseball, basketball and men's wrestling matches. The top 250 point earners receive guaranteed football tickets and priority seating for next season and the top 10 point earners receive free football tickets.
Last year, Brandon told AnnArbor.com he wants to raise attendance at non-revenue events by ten percent across the board. He also recently announced that the athletic department plans to spend $250 million to upgrade facilities for non-revenue sports, after spending $500 million to upgrade football, hockey and basketball facilities in recent years.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
Rem_Uffer
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 2:20 p.m.
Is the main concern the NOON game times, or is it that way for 3:30PM game times? It seems the later the game time the more students show up. The night game was filled start to finish and loudest crowd in history of any campus. I think slashing prices and providing incentives like PSU would work. Students are poor and their tickets should remain low, after all these events are also suppose to deepen their experience. Otherwise the department needs to get a couple hunderd volunteers to fill up the student section for the first quarter so we don't look like Sparty on Saturdays.
Somargie
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 4:34 a.m.
Wow..the world's greatest university sports program (UM) once again plan to copy something else from Michigan State University, a sports program school, that they and their rabid minions constantly criticized or fail to mention at every opportunity. First it was their stadium (luxury box seats) and now it their student loyalty program. Oh, wait a minute...the UM program will be of course the "best" and their minions will no doubt spin that tale again, again, again, again, again, again, again to pump up their brilliance of innovation.
1bit
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 10:39 a.m.
Sparty invented luxury boxes? And loyalty programs? You must have gotten an A in Revisionist History 101.
JRMjr
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:47 p.m.
Schedule good teams and people will show up. Thats the bottom line. Also, I guess the problem is solved when you have home games in Dallas... There is ZERO price sensitivity here... student loan dollars (or rich parents) are paying so cheap or expensive ticket pricing is irrelevant. Early or late kickoff? Also irrelevant since they will be too tired or too drunk, it will be too warm or too cold, blah blah blah.
MRunner73
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 6:30 p.m.
Too much over analysis by some of the above. Bottom line: School spirit. Today's student finds it difficult to get going much before noon on a Saturday. It is unfair to say they are out drinking late on a Friday or starting early on Saturday. My guess is if the weather is not too hot (early in season), too cold (late in season), too wet (anytime), and there is a 3:00 PM kick off, they just might show up when the game starts. Good luck to the Athletic Department on the incentive idea but times have changed and today's students are not the same as the previous generations before them.
Matt D
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 6:25 p.m.
FROM A STUDENT who graduated last year, their are 3 real problems with students being late to the games. The main reason #1 is the "pre-game" activities of drinking around campus. Having attended many of these, they are the sole reason that many come out on Saturdays to see the game -- simply put, everyone knows it's a huge party with free alcohol everywhere, and a lot of "band-wagon" fans that view these parties more as the main attraction and the game as a secondary event if they maybe feel up to going (looking at you sororities). The #2 reason is bad opponents. I'm sorry, but when we're playing EMU, Delaware St., Western Mich etc. I'm sorry but the drive for me to get to the stadium just isn't as high. I'm a huge Mich fball fan so i always go, but I can see where wanting to study or simply skip the game can save you from the exhaustion of standing for 3 hours. Mix reason #1 with reason #2 and suddenly you're too drunk or just decide you'd rather continue partying and watch the game on TV. And finally the #3 reason is the GAME TIME. 12pm games are great for Mom and Dad, but don't work well with students schedules. Most students stay out late on Friday nights (2am+), and while some are drinking, others are studying/casually hanging out with friends. But I'm not sure when Mom and Dad forgot that kids LIKE to sleep in on the weekends, and honestly, this can/will make you late for a game. COmbine #3 with #1 and it can be very hard to wake up at 9am so I can get ready, go pre-game, and then make it to the stadium by 12pm. I think you see pretty consistently that 330pm/night games get a lot more crowd into the game near kickoff than games at 12pm or with less desirable opponents. This new system I think would work really well as long as it's ONLY football related. As a student I CANT be subjected to going to other sports just for the sole reason to obtain good fball tickets.
MRunner73
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 6:36 p.m.
You made my point and I agree but you should think about my first point: School spirit. Support your fellow student athletes, the Marching Band members and all those who compete for the Block M in all other sports. Bad oppenents or not, show up on time and cheer for the Maize and Blue. Just think if the football team members felt the same way; let's not play hard the first half, put in the 3rd and 4th stringers to start the game. It just doesn't work. School spirit...repeat over and over again.
LatersBaby
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:57 p.m.
EMU events are often free for students but still the attendance is low. I think attendance mirrors how well the team is doing...so players step your game up if you want that roaring UofM crowd!
Veracity
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 5:20 p.m.
Poor performance and Rynearson Stadium ... do I need to say more?
Floyd
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 2:52 p.m.
Give them a sweet uniform - like brown shirts and yellow armbands, and maybe reduced tuition. Perhaps a slight bump to their gpa would help too. How does the Chinese government make all those "student protesters" show up to foreign embassies on time? We could learn from their playbook.
Veracity
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 5:18 p.m.
We can't shoot every third late arrival like the Chinese do.
cgerben
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 1:43 p.m.
Or we could just live in America where once you buy a ticket you can use it (or not) however you please.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 5:40 p.m.
You're being silly. If two students are paying the same price for football tickets - the ones who show up consistently should get better seats. It's no so much about punishing the ones who don't show up, it's more about rewarding the ones who consistently do. If you're mad about being "punished" the underclassman are already being punished with ticket location because of their seniority. I take it you have a problem with that as well? The athletic department is an entirely different entity financially from the academic University of Michigan. It has a brand to protect, it has athletes that need their scholarships paid for, facilities to recruit those athletes and good sports teams to put fans in the seats. If fans who have purchased tickets aren't showing up, and there's a large enough demand, it's the athletic department's responsibility to protect the image of their brand and fill the seats with people who actually want to be there.
cgerben
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 5:14 p.m.
You just answered yourself: "punishing" those won't don't use their tickets? Are you kidding me? Why don't the dorm cafeterias also start a food loyalty program where people are punished for not eating their vegetables and are then given lesser quality food. Ridiculous. The University is not a corporation and shouldn't treat its students like consumers.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:23 p.m.
What, exactly, is preventing a student from using their ticket how they'd like? Nothing they're doing is preventing students from doing what they like with their ticket. What they're doing is rewarding students who consistently show up to events and punishing ones who don't. They aren't taking away their tickets - they're just going to give them the worst seats. The flip side is that how fair is it for a freshman, who shows up 30 minutes early to every game, to have to sit in row 70 of the big house and pay the same per ticket as a senior who shows up to half the games and the other half 30 minutes late who gets to sit in row 10 just because he's a senior?
xmo
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 1:12 p.m.
It is interesting that the "MICHIGAN" brand is having some issues? I always thought that MICHIGAN was suppose to be the leader but it looks like they are playing Catch up to Little Brother!
Blue Marker
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 8:25 p.m.
xmo, MSU has a program exactly like this for the Izzone! So don't let facts keep you from blabbering what ever comes into that head of yours. Link: mgoblog.com (today's page)
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 6:58 p.m.
I can't wait until Michigan finally does regain the rivalry and MSU fans go back to talking up their basketball program. It's an inevitable outcome - so enjoy the wins while you can I guess.
xmo
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 6:03 p.m.
I can hardly wait to make it five in a row!
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:24 p.m.
Little brother can't even fill up their stadium, let alone their student section. No room to talk in this situation.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 1:28 p.m.
"Little brother" has a hard time filling a 75,000 seat stadium. But things are looking up, they have TWO straight winning seasons. and it looks promising they might actually string together 3 straight winning seasons. A feat they haven't accomplished in 22 years.
Forever27
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:57 p.m.
This is a good move. The student section was a sad display last year and it can't all be blamed on Rich Rod anymore. The team was 11-2 and the student section was usually only 3/4 full at kickoff.
A2lover
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:54 p.m.
How about people, once they've bought a ticket, decide when they attend an event. Next the U of M will give points if a student turns up for class, then bonus points if they show up early. Utterly ridiculous thinking by U of M. And we may have been 11 - 2 but it wasn't pretty much a given the Wolverines would wind, once Rich Rod bitten, twice current coach shy.
Scott Laux
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:53 p.m.
Ouch- sounds like being tracked at the supermarket. And who can blame students for not wanting to go and watched non-revenue sports. Maybe they have better things to do- like study; maybe getting some exercise for their own bodies. Corporate Dave strikes again.
Ross
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:40 p.m.
If they start asking for a mandatory "donation" to keep good student section tickets, then all ethical sportsmanship will truly be lost from this "game".
A2lover
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:39 p.m.
So now they are blackmailing and coercing students to go to football games! When a person (student or otherwise) buys a ticket to a game they have the right to show up whenever they please. This Kafka-like approach to filling seats when the U of M wants them filled is typical of the arrogant, myopic behavior that pervades the upper management of the university, and the "one less drink on a Friday night only" is certainly an an indication of an out-of-touch, juvenile statement. If they really want to ensure the sections are filled early, close the gates 10 minutes after the start of the game and post security people at every gate so as to open them in an emergency. But, really, to insist that 114,000 attendees have their butts in the seats early or by the kick off is an insult to the fans and students who pay dearly for tickets. Hopefully, as the team gets better people will be there on time, as the play will be creative and exciting. Perhaps the "arrive late" habit was created by Rich Rod's appalling direction and coaching of the team.
Blue Marker
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 8:20 p.m.
General Admission, which is what you're suggesting, has had some problems in the past. Especially when you're talking about people who may be drinking prior to coming to the game. It is the simplest way to reward those who show up early but I'll bet the potential for trouble is the AD hesitation to Gen Admin.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:27 p.m.
Dcam, They should be "punished" in the sense that they should get worse seats. If you show up late - you should have to sit as far back as the stadium has filled in. You shouldn't get to show up 30 minutes late and go to row B because you're a senior. People in the standard sections have to pay thousands more in donations to sit in the closer seats; students all pay the same and get situated based on their seniority. It's stupid. Some poor freshman who shows up to every game is sitting in row 70 and some senior gets to sit in row 10, despite showing up 30 minutes late to every game. That's what I mean when I say "punished". First come first serve is essentially what I was suggesting. Their punishment comes at mercy to how full the stadium is when they get there.
Dcam
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:01 p.m.
Rewarding students who consistently show up early is perhaps within the bounds of reasonable practices, but when you say the ones who don't should be punished is ridiculous. Punished for what, being late to a sporting event? A simple solution would be to let people sit where they choose in the section at arrival time, why is that so difficult? First come, first serve means people will reward themselves with good seats or punish themselves based on their lack of promptness. It will also be self-serving incentive for those habitual late arrivals to get there sooner.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:58 p.m.
How is this blackmailing? This is rewarding the students who actually show up and punishing the ones who don't. It's rewarding fans who do show up every game and to every event and giving them the best seats in the stadium/arena and pushing the fans who consistently show up late, or not at all, into the worst seats. Students do not buy regular tickets. They buy tickets that are more than 50% discounted so that they'll be able to attend. It's not even about getting students there before kickoff. Having students show up before the start of the 2nd quarter would be a good start.
1bit
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:20 p.m.
Not sure what the fuss is here in the comments, but the problem is simple: the student section is not full prior to the end of the first quarter. So, create an incentive program so that students show up on time. What's the big deal? The students add a great deal to the stadium experience and it would be great if they show up (apologies of course to the ones that actually come on time).
YpsiVeteran
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 8:25 p.m.
Hail2, I do get it, I just don't agree with it. Your idea (I believe it was you) to just make all the seats in the student section general admission/first-come first-served would accomplish their supposed goal of filling up the front seats for the cameras without any further effort needed, and certainly without yet another $100K+ marketing position to "handle" it. That would be too easy, however. The U will undoubtedly contrive some colossal program, that requires several new staff departments to be created, whereby any student who wants to attend must have a chip implanted in their forearm so they can be properly "rewarded" and "punished" for tardiness to games, missed games, etc. Your sentence, about the U "awarding" seats to students, seats students are, in fact, paying for, pretty much sums up what's objectionable about the U's attitude.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 6:57 p.m.
ypsi, The AD isn't saying that they're taking away their ticket. Their seat is just determined by how good of a fan they are. Everyone in the student section pays the same amount so there must be a determining factor on how they award seats to the students. I truly don't think your or scott actually understand the issue. Right now they determine seating by the seniority of the ticketholder, all they're talking about doing is determining the seats and ability to buy tickets based on one's loyalty points and/or first come first serve (which is a similar concept).
YpsiVeteran
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 5:57 p.m.
Scott is right. Once a ticket is purchased, it's the property of the buyer, to do with as he or she chooses. Who is the AD, or anyone else, to dictate when a person, or even if a person, shows up to use a ticket they paid for. If the athletic department is so worried about it, maybe they should require a signed attendance contract before allowing a student to purchase a ticket. Or, maybe they should stop pretending they give a crap about any students attending at all, and just sell the tickets at full price, which is what they really want to do anyway.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:14 p.m.
Scott, buying tickets is not a "Right". It's a "privilege".
Rob Pollard
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 2:16 p.m.
"Freedom of choice"? Is there some law at UM that requires you, as part of your degree, to get tix to football, basketball, etc? There are more students that don't have tix than do (UM has more than 40,000 students, and well less than 1/2 of that attend football games), so clearly plenty of students aren't being "coerced" into anything. However, if students want the university to continue to set aside ~10,000 tix at a discounted rate (which I think they should do; in fact I think student tix are overpriced, but that's another discussion), they actually have to USE the tix. I can't remember, aside for huge games like ND, when the student section was completely full, no matter the time of the game. If students don't want to do this, no one is forcing them (literally).
Forever27
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 2:13 p.m.
Scott, if you think that scanning the time that a student shows up to the game is the end of all personal liberties, you've got a serious issue with priorities.
Scott Laux
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:57 p.m.
The big deal is called freedom of choice. students do things because they are attracted to the event, not because they are coerced, tracked, monitored, and manipulated to do so.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:10 p.m.
some students, admittedly not a huge number, show up late because they are actually studying. They like going to the games as a bit of a diversion from the reason they are at UofM....to get a degree.
PersonX
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 1:47 p.m.
Good point. In an ideal world universities, as is the case in most countries, would not be saddled with semi-professional sports teams. There is plenty of entertainment around us and universities should focus on education, period.
smokeblwr
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:01 p.m.
I blame the preponderance of smart phones and beer pong. Both these things seem to occupy undergraduates time. Whenever I am on campus kids are either smartphoning or beer ponging. Sometimes both at the same time. That leaves little room for anything else.
semperveritas
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:49 a.m.
so in this athletic administration students must not only buy tickets but show up at a time designated by dave brandon and his promotions team ......? evidently if students don't submit to the new dictum the promotions will look lamer than they already are. the GAME is the thing not some barnum/bailey stunt aimed at making our ringmaster look good.
Scott Laux
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 1:03 p.m.
Even bigger than the game is the cash. The only veritus Brandon subscribes to is money is God.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:11 p.m.
To some extent the students are responsible, when they buy tickets at a discounted price, to show up to the games or give up their ticket to someone who actually wants to go. Simply making it first come first serve would alleviate most of the problems with tardiness and no shows.
heartbreakM
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:44 a.m.
I don't quite understand why the student section is not filling up early on time. It is not a matter of a Friday night drink, but possibly related to the pregame drinking that the student body cannot pull away from. I don't remember such tardy arrival until about 4 to 5 years ago but who knows? I agree with the above comment that if the students cannot get to the games, take away some of their tickets and sell them to alumni who would love to buy them and get there. And look into the relationship of alcohol binge drinking and getting to the games as well as general poor performance, academic and otherwise.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:09 p.m.
Well, for one, they keep increasing the size of the student section. This might have something to do with it. The more tickets you have out there, and the more students who have access to them, the more students you're going to have skipping out on the game for one reason or another. They've added I think more than an entire section to the student section since 5 years ago.
jpud
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:33 a.m.
Hopefully the President or Regents will reign in this insanity. The students should not be incentivized to waste more time in an extracurricular activity than they would otherwise wish to spend....the AD has a twisted view of a Michigan college student if he thinks they are all out drinking on a Friday night...let's get an AD who honors the scholars at Michigan rather than devalues their hard work in academics. We had an AD who allegedly had inappropriate physical contact with students who were guarding the press box, now we have an AD who asks the students to have on less drink on Friday night so they can show up for some stupid stunt he is organizing. Doesn't he realize that many of the students are studying hard to be the leaders and best in their area of academic interest? As far as rewarding students who donate more money, this is a business proposition run-a-muck.
Blue Marker
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 8:14 p.m.
I like the idea. I don't like fans showing up late to the game. There are few things worse then getting all settled into your seat and here comes 4 people who decided to show up 4 minutes until halftime. I know it's a free country but there is etiquette. And the students are the worst. There are similar systems in place at PSU and other B1G schools so it's not like Brandon came up with this on his own. Bottom line to me is if you're going to the game do it on time!
Scott Laux
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 1:01 p.m.
The president and the regents- like Brandon- are just corporate politicians. They'll do whatever brings in more revenue to them and the AD.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:17 p.m.
I think you're the one who has a slanted view as to why the students are showing up late. It surely isn't because they're hard at work on their chemistry projects. It's an almost certainty that the majority of students are showing up late, or not at all, because they're drinking/drunk at some football tailgate/house party. It also might have something to do with the increasing difficulty to sneak alcohol into the stadium. Now that bags and water bottles are not allowed in, this may just be a coincidence, but the increase in tardiness almost directly corresponds to the time line of these new rules.
TcFlint
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 10:41 a.m.
Very embarrassing to see the student section section so empty going into the second quarter. I say give less tickets to students and more tickets to fans that are on a ten year wait for tickets!
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:25 p.m.
jpud, you're incorrect. I was on the wait list for about 5 years and only got offered tickets once I graduated UM (which is worth 5 priority points to be an Alumni). If you donate the minimum each year you get 1 priority point on the list. A $500 donation is only worth 2. Obviously the list has probably shortened up since I did it, however, I can't imagine that you'd get tickets with only 2 priority points the very first season. There is still an "interest list" for a reason. Certainly not the 10 years it used to be, but I would guess (for non alumni) that the list is probably like 3-4 years (even donating $500 a year).
jpud
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:57 a.m.
There is no wait to get season tickets. Donate money, get tickets. It is that simple. For a time the athletic department was advertising a waiting list. Then someone corrected their semantic error, and it was renamed an interest list. Donate $500, get season tickets. Hardly a ten year wait. You can wait until the cows come home, if you do not donate money you are not getting season football tickets. Some call it capitalism, others call it elitism, others call it marketing.
Jim Osborn
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 10:31 a.m.
It used to be student sections were first come - open seating so those who came early got the best seats. This was a very effective method. Keeping students captive during halftime, so they can't go visit a bar, also is a factor, as some can't stop bing drinking for 4 quarters. At Univ of Florida games in the late 1990s, students would visit bars across the street at half time and then return. (11 stopped this,
Jim Osborn
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 10:21 a.m.
"One less drink on a Friday" so students can afford to spend the money on higher ticket prices? How about making, and then keeping UM sports affordable, especially for students? As a UCLA student in the late 1970s, and early 1980s, their number one basketball program cost students only 50 cents a game, $1.50 in today's money. This was just after John Wooden retired after 10 NCAA championships in 11 years! The football games were free, except for a $5 cost against the hated USC. The point is that the games were affordable. Students would camp outside the entrance of Pauley Pavilion to get good seats for basketball games. I don't see that kind of school spirit at UM for basketball, though I will say that there is no comparison to the football spirit. None at all, a USC- UCLA game is similar to a typical UM game against Powdunkt State Keep the prices affordable, especially for students, if you want them to attend.
Kevin Shabinski
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 8:03 p.m.
Just a thought- Maybe they should charge more for the tickets? If students feel a hefty loss by not going or not selling off that ticket maybe they would take it more seriously and make sure somebody is in that seat? Probably won't work as its likely mommy and daddy's money or loan money that isn't "real" money until that first payment bill shows up.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 3:13 p.m.
I'm paying off the $30,000 a year you speak of right now from the University and I'm still paying $80+ a ticket + the mandatory "donation". You're getting a deal.
ThoseWhoStayUofM
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 2:55 p.m.
The fact that I"m paying over $30,000 tuition per semester grants me a $50 discount on tickets... should kind of make you reconsider your previous statement about students "getting a deal". Yeah....
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:04 p.m.
To add onto my previous post, I think softball and baseball games are like $5 to attend and most of the other sports are simply free to attend.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:03 p.m.
Yeah, I'm with Joe. The tickets are being sold, some students just aren't ever showing up. I think student football tickets are still less than $30 and compared to my $80+ a ticket for standard season tickets now, I'd say they're getting a deal. And I think basketball ones are even less. Heck, just within that last couple of years you could buy a family 4 pack of tickets to a basketball game for like $20 and it included 4 hot dogs. Prices are not the problem in most cases.
Joe Semifero
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 10:33 a.m.
Price of the tickets is not at issue as far as attendance goes. All the seats are sold for every game so there is plenty of demand at the current price of tickets. The question is whether or not the ticket holders show up on time for the pre-game.