Dear UConn Athletic Department

[whaler11]

We've beaten this topic into the ground but if demand and winning were perfectly correlated, how would one explain the shrinking season ticket base for the basketball program.

Why did UConn lose 20% of the football season ticket base between 2006 and 2011 in their most successful stretch?

College football attendance is tradition and habit. The best way to get people to exhibit the behavior you want is to do a better job of selling season tickets.

Obviously the groups of 30 and the diehards aren't impacted by silly marketing moves. That doesn't mean they are a good thing and don't hurt you in the long run.

They couldn't have sold more than a few hundred discount tickets? Why take the chance of alienating anyone over what amounts to four figures of revenue. It's not like UConn can monetize beyond ticket revenue. They don't have the parking or concessions.

The evidence is pretty clear that they haven't done a good job relative to the athletic success. Not sure why pointing that out bothers so many people or why people are so accepting of it.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

First off im a season ticket holder for 10 years. Is our fan base really that weak? Complaining about maybe $5 a ticket? For a seat that I can GURANTEE you will be no where near our season ticket holder seats. Look guys the sad truth is if we don't start drawing a lot better then we have our fate is sealed. We will NEVER get a shot at a better conference.. Yes the coaching and on field stuff means a lot to other conferences, but also so does the attendance. The ACC will NEVER take a team that only has 22,000 fans coming to games. I applaud the athletic department for trying to get as many butts in the seats as possible. Hopefully we gain a couple season ticket holders out of this plan. But once again does the $15-20 you MIGHT have paid extra really mean that much? Or would you rather see OUR university and Football team with a packed house and hopefully a much better conference?? Its a no brainer (Atleast I thought it was) that the school try to reach out to EVERYONE and try to get every seat in the Rent. Oh yeah how quickly you season ticket holders forget non season ticket holders paid out the ass for Michigan tickets (if they could find them). Didn't get to see Michigan, Maryland, or Louisville. And like I said before the seats are gonna be nosebleeds. Lets stop bashing the university and the athletic department and try to rally behind them. Because without fans this team can go 12-0 for 5 years in a row we will still be in the same crap conference. We need to make it happen.

I brought 2 of my son's friends with us Saturday. They didn't have tickets. I walked down the row I was parked in asking if anyone had extras they wanted to sell. I didn't get more than 5 cars down before some guy was willing to give them to me for nothing. I ended up giving him a $20 bill anyway. Then you get in the stadium and you can sit literally anywhere you want. The 4 of us sat in the first row of the second deck in the chairbacks at midfield. I will still buy my season tickets next year. But if you're a casual season ticket holder and not all that invested in the program, why would you buy season tickets?

 

[Buffett10]

the more I think about it too, it doesn't help matters that UConn schedules back to back home games this late in the season.

Pretty sure UConn didn't have much say in scheduling back to back home games this late in the year. Im pretty sure it takes open dates between UConn, Rutgers and Memphis. Not 100% sure but read somewhere that they wanted to play to the very last week of the year so if they didn't make a bowl they could keep practicing for one more week. Last I believe that TV kind of picks the dates of your games with you. So they can put you into there broadcast schedule. If you remember years past we had the last week of the year off and Edsall said it would work against us If we didn't make a bowl because we would lose a week of practice.

 

[Waquoit]

Not 100% sure but read somewhere that they wanted to play to the very last week of the year so if they didn't make a bowl they could keep practicing for one more week.

That's the spirit! PP Fever! Catch It!

 

[ZooCougar]

I bought season tickets (chairbacks)that my Dad and Brother have used for every game. Every ticket I had got used. But if they cost as much as they did next season as they did this then I will either not get them or opt for different less expensive seats. Given the product, the cost is just waaaaay too much. I feel good about supporting the program and will continue to do so, but there is no way I will spend what I did this year.

 

[J187Money]

I bought season tickets (chairbacks)that my Dad and Brother have used for every game. Every ticket I had got used. But if they cost as much as they did next season as they did this then I will either not get them or opt for different less expensive seats. Given the product, the cost is just waaaaay too much. I feel good about supporting the program and will continue to do so, but there is no way I will spend what I did this year.

That's one reason I never went to chairbacks. Also because I feel like you can't stand up there.

I did bring my son's friend and his dad to the game on Saturday. They had a great time. They would come again. But they wouldn't buy season tickets. Without some sort of emotional attachment nobody wants to schedule that much time up front.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I bought season tickets (chairbacks)that my Dad and Brother have used for every game. Every ticket I had got used. But if they cost as much as they did next season as they did this then I will either not get them or opt for different less expensive seats. Given the product, the cost is just waaaaay too much. I feel good about supporting the program and will continue to do so, but there is no way I will spend what I did this year.

One thing they really need to do is prohibit people who don't have those seats sitting in the chairbacks and other prime seating.