If they were able to expand on the east side, it would probably work. Not sure endzone double decker seats would sell out even if prices were lower. I may be wrong.
Update on $75M North Endzone Renovation; Capacity may drop below 70,000
- Thread starter Franisdaman
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I don't think ticket price is much of a barrier for people. People who want to go do go, those who want an excuse blame ticket prices.
That is NOT a dog on those who can't or don't want to pay, but I doubt those same people would go if tickets were $30 cheaper. The big cost of attendance is hardly the tickets themselves. A family of 4 would "only" save $120/game, but all other costs would be the same. Even over a season of ~$800 that isn't the make/break for making those plans, where total cost is still a couple/three thousand. Time is likely the much larger concern.
Unless, of course we are talking about a discount of 90%, but even then if the team isn't a "sellout" type team, it still won't sell out.
That is NOT a dog on those who can't or don't want to pay, but I doubt those same people would go if tickets were $30 cheaper. The big cost of attendance is hardly the tickets themselves. A family of 4 would "only" save $120/game, but all other costs would be the same. Even over a season of ~$800 that isn't the make/break for making those plans, where total cost is still a couple/three thousand. Time is likely the much larger concern.
Unless, of course we are talking about a discount of 90%, but even then if the team isn't a "sellout" type team, it still won't sell out.
My guess is that you make a pretty comfortable living. The median household income in the state of Iowa is $52k. If you think that the typical family doesn't find ticket price to be much of a barrier, you're crazy.
Yes, once. It isn't going to make you realize that the cost of plane tickets is now a no-brainer because you save $40/game while spending $500.
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No, you are missing the point. It costs thousands to attend a season worth of games. Lowering ticket prices (realistically, not, you know, by 50%) won't change that. As I posted, the value at even 4 tickets isn't likely the deciding factor, ($120 a game at a big discount) because the overall cost would still be too much for the "typical" family you are trying to speak for.
Seriously, going from $65/ticket to $35 would not somehow ensure sellout a or guarantee 90,000 in line. We can see that in last season alone where tickets were easy to come by and cheap, (I bought many from the ticket office for $30)
Tickets sold is based far more on preseason expectation than cost. They did lower cost and the tickets didn't sell.
Use your $52k income. Season tickets + travel, lodging, food, etc. is going to be a few thousand. Let's say that is 5% of income ($2,600). Lowering it to 4% of income ($2,000) won't suddenly make it much more affordable, but that would be a significant drop. So unless you are talking about extreme price reduction it likely doesn't change much, and guess what, the AD knows that which is why pricing doesn't change much.
You are making a couple of presumptions here. A) that sellouts would come from increased season ticket packages and not single game tickets, and b) that a majority of game attendees stay over night to visit a game.
Your math is conflated with the assumption that the current crowd at $65/ticket would be demographically similar to the crowd at $35/ticket and therefore a "typical" gameday experience would continue to include hotel and stadium food for everyone. Those who would be enticed by a $35 ticket will drive from Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines or the Quad Cities, eat their own tailgate food for free, and drive home after a day of cheap entertainment.
Would it guarantee sellouts? I don't know. But your statement that ticket prices are "not much of a barrier for people" is patently false.
It isn't when you consider a realistic discount, as opposed to the entire ticket cost as you must be. Especially when you now appear to be talking about single games , meaning substantially less cost. Again, discounting by, say, $30/ticket, a good discount, is going to save $120 total for four, and cost them hundreds, likely to attend.
The comparison isn't $160 tickets/$200 attendance vs. $480, it is $0 vs. $360/480.
Also, my A) presumption is based in fact. Sell outs go as season ticket sales go, that has been proven time and again, most significantly last year. That is further impacted by Iowans not making week/week decisions, and by far the most single game attendees purchase their tickets pre-season, like homecoming last year.
They did lower ticket prices on a game/game basis drastically last year...all those people from the nearby places you point to did not come close to selling it out.
Lastly, B), no I am not presuming overnight stays. It costs hundreds to attend games for a group of 4. Parking, food, concessions, booze. Can a person do it cheaper? Of course, but that doesn't extrapolate to thousands. Weird that you think bringing your own food is somehow free.
Again, I'm guessing you are mistakenly comparing cost to cost where savings can be important, but you need to be comparing cost to $0 - what those people currently pay to not attend.
Attendance and sell outs this year will not be based on cost of tickets, it will be based on last years success and hype...as it always is.
We are arguing two different things. You are choosing to focus on your statement that attendance bumps and sellouts are predicated on season ticket sales, which are based in large part on preseason expectations. You'll get no argument from me there. This is true.
I am focusing on your statement - and I've quoted it multiple times - that "ticket prices are not much of a barrier for people". I disagree with this particular aspect of your argument. It affects the demogaphy of attendees, and of course lower income people are less likely to attend games if ticket prices are high. Those are people, and that's a barrier. That's my point.
I am focusing on your statement - and I've quoted it multiple times - that "ticket prices are not much of a barrier for people". I disagree with this particular aspect of your argument. It affects the demogaphy of attendees, and of course lower income people are less likely to attend games if ticket prices are high. Those are people, and that's a barrier. That's my point.
Lowering capacity has much to do with technological advances in television and being able to watch a high quality product from the comfort of a person's house. Not to mention the economic issues that hit in the last 10 years made it less affordable for people to go to games.
You miss my point again - most single ticket sales are sold in advance. Iowans like to plan and aren't quick to change those plans. Large reason why there weren't sell outs last year apart from homecoming - an event people planned for.
Plain and simple, you are wrong and the facts support me: ticket prices were lowered last year, I bought two dozen at ~$30 from the ticket office - they didn't come close to selling out. It isn't the ticket prices. It was extremely easy to get non-ticket office tickets for even cheaper, and in an undefeated season those "nearby" people still didn't show up.
Go deeper. America's culture, society, government, and infrastructure are built for the isolated individual. Those tech advances are just the current stage of the overall trend.
I usually fly from Denver once a year to a game. $20 ticket isn't going to change that one way or the other.
As someone posted above - if a fans wants to go he will go. I can recall going to games in the early 70's when tickets were dirt cheap but the whole gameday experience took 20- 25% of my annual income. And I sat on a blanket in the North end zone grass to boot.
Going below 70,000 is a horrible idea.
Didn't Hayden Fry explictly say how important it was to be above 70K from a recruiting and prestige standpoint?
Didn't Hayden Fry explictly say how important it was to be above 70K from a recruiting and prestige standpoint?
I meant wrapping the ends to make up for the fact you're going to lose seats when you actually have room to sit in the NE. Plus it needs something more than seating added to give it some wow factor. Club seats, concessions, etc.
Yes, he did. The man knew psychology; staying above the 70k milestone is important. It's the same reason you pay $19.99 for something instead of $20.
This is exactly where I am coming from. 70k plus is psychological and it does matter.
Kinnick seats in the 60's, Jack Trice seats in the 60's. They're pretty much the same. NO THEY ARE NOT.
Also, cutting capacity will result in long term issues. Like I said earlier in this thread, the big time programs are expanding their stadiums, not subtracting. Iowa does not need to be in a club of schools that is downsizing, not now, not with all the conference realignment crap going on. Perception matters these days.
You're missing one important point, though I haven't read the whole thread. The home schedule has a lot to do with it as well. It sucked last year. This year is much better. Single game tickets the last 3-4 games also depend on how the team is playing. If the team is ranked and playing well then people show up. It's not all about $$ for fans. As shown by last years season ticket sales coming off a couple so so years it's has to do with wanting more from the program.
Iowa was the 10th ranked team in the nation for the Maryland game last year and 62,667 showed up.
Iowa was #6 for Purdue and 62,920 showed up.
The weather was a factor with Purdue, but those two showings are not impressive.
Going to footballs games isn't a whimsical thing. I usually get to 1 or 2 games a year and the trip is planned out months in advance. Purdue and Maryland games are way down on my list of games I want to attend. The fact that 63k showed up for Purdue is pretty impressive considering the people that were able to make it were siting in a foot of snow.
The most realistic expectations for last season figured to be a 7 win campaign. That had the biggest impact on attendance. Lots of canceled season ticket holders.
You didn't quote my whole post where I said the home schedule sucked last year which has a effect on attendance as well as how the team is doing. If quoting then use the whole quote so people get the context, don't cherry picking info.
There are many factors I can attribute to decreased attendance, but one I have not seen mentioned yet is the gestapo like policies the U of I brass tried a few years ago to put the clamps on tailgating. No loud music, no tents in certain lots, security cruising the lot looking for bottles of booze, must leave the lot one hour after the game....They have been trying to suck the fun out of the Iowa Football experience for some time. As the Hospital eats up more prime tailgating areas and the TV folks dictate starting times it really has changed the game day experience. I used to love the old one o'clock start times!!
I was responding to the portion about single game tickets, so I quoted the most relevant material. I hate when people quote giant chunks of text that have zero relevance to their response.
Next time I'll quote your entire post while showing that you are incorrect.
One would hope/assume any downsizing would be designed to accommodate future expansion
if needed. Not too concerned about Iowa's inclusion in any realignment. I do not like to sit in the cramped N end zone. I hope they are considering a mezzanine level so you can see the game under cover, when not seated. Make it 2 levels with some overhang which would also bring the upper seats closer to the field. It would become a popular gathering place, and increase the overall experience.
if needed. Not too concerned about Iowa's inclusion in any realignment. I do not like to sit in the cramped N end zone. I hope they are considering a mezzanine level so you can see the game under cover, when not seated. Make it 2 levels with some overhang which would also bring the upper seats closer to the field. It would become a popular gathering place, and increase the overall experience.
The whole quote refers to single game tickets. Bad opponents = less single game tickets sold as well as season tickets. Bad Iowa team also affects single game tickets.
Asked and answered many times on here. It's pretty much a myth kept alive by the perpetually angry, misguided, tiny yet very loud portion of the message board fan base.
The game day experience is great. Sure, they went overboard one season for a bit and the previously mentioned loons will never let it die. Move on.
Yep.
Anytime I read something like what Farley posted, it shows that poster hasn't been to a game in 5 or 6 years.
I'm going to admit this is my case. I as a season ticket holder for 19 years and 2011 was the last season for us. Our kids (4 of them) started getting really crazy with activities as progressed into the older years. Middle school and High school age kids are just loaded with activities. To go to an Iowa Game it killed an entire day for us and we saw the writing on the wall. Time is precious there will always be Iowa games but there will never be that HS activity again. Now with 2 boys playing football this fall, one girl in band and volleyball and their part time teenager jobs and church activities theres just no way to find time to spend an entire Saturday away from home. If it is possible we may find time when they are out of the nest but right now its just not possible. I can't imagine what its like for those soccer parents.
I had season tickets for only 5 years but this was exact reason I gave them up last year. With coaching kids soccer, I would catch 3 home games a year. Last year with the schedule, you couldn't sell the extra tickets to break even so why not buy single game tickets?
This year with night games again, hoping to make 5 and schedule means you can sell single game tickets again.
Coming from Des Moines, an 11 AM game means you are done 5 AM to 5 PM. 2:30 game shoots the whole day. With a night game, you can at least do kids activities until 2 and still be in great shape for kickoff.
I agree with almost all of this, but the last sentence. Those 1:00 PM starts were no good for anybody. Ruined a whole day for anybody who needed to travel. At least the 11:00 AM kickoffs give people their evenings free, and the night games give people some time to sleep in that morning.
The 11 am games suck for those that fly in especially from the pst time zone. Even a 12 start time would be better.
