UConn Football Season-Ticket Sales Down Sharply From Last Season

[tiger8mush]

Maybe not until the middle of the third quarter. Last year UConn sometimes did great in the first half, but after the opponent had time to review review what was going on at the half the D did a face plant in the third quarter.

Below are the scores for each half. The other team's score first, then ours. So vs CIN, for example, we were losing 7-6 at halftime, then we each scored 15 pts in the 2nd half.
1st half Opp-UConn; 2nd half Opp-UCONN
CIN) 7-6; 15-15
BC) 14-3; 25-13
UCF) 28-10; 21-14
USF) 17-7; 20-13
MIS) 31-5; 21-7
TLS) 0-3; 14-17
TEM) 7-14; 17-14
MEM) 35-24; 35-7
SMU) 21-10; 28-18
ECU) 27-14; 14-24
VA) 24-0; 14-18
HC) 20-7; 0-20

total) 231-103; 224-180

Not saying u're wrong, but the score says we did better both offensively and defensively (as a whole) in the 2nd half vs the 1st half. Could be just cuz teams took the foot off the pedal?

 

[UConnRock]

Below are the scores for each half. The other team's score first, then ours. So vs CIN, for example, we were losing 7-6 at halftime, then we each scored 15 pts in the 2nd half.
1st half Opp-UConn; 2nd half Opp-UCONN
CIN) 7-6; 15-15
BC) 14-3; 25-13
UCF) 28-10; 21-14
USF) 17-7; 20-13
MIS) 31-5; 21-7
TLS) 0-3; 14-17
TEM) 7-14; 17-14
MEM) 35-24; 35-7
SMU) 21-10; 28-18
ECU) 27-14; 14-24
VA) 24-0; 14-18
HC) 20-7; 0-20

total) 231-103; 224-180

Not saying u're wrong, but the score says we did better both offensively and defensively (as a whole) in the 2nd half vs the 1st half. Could be just cuz teams took the foot off the pedal?

Foot off the pedal, avoiding injury to starters, getting some PT for the 2nd and 3rd team; call it whatever you want, but in many games UConn's 2nd half scoring was a result of playing against the opponent's lesser players. the fact that UConn's defense was only able to give up 7 less points in the 2nd half of games is truly indicative of how inept they were as 2nd and 3rd team offenses continued to rack up points

 

[RSTuthill]

I guess what stuck in my mind was the Memphis game. Yeah, lots of explanations I suppose.

Wasn't that the game when UConn scored with about a minute and a half in the first half to pull within 3 or tie it up? I remember telling my wife that there was time for Memphis to score before the half was finished, maybe even twice. Sure enough Memphis drove the length of the field in a minute and on the ensuing kickoff UConn coughed it up and Memphis scored again. We stayed for two more Memphis scores in the second half and then left.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The conference opponents and the losing both have quite a bit to do with it, but to me, more so than anything it's that a glass ceiling was put on the program by being relegated to G5 status.

Had the Big East disbanded, but the BCS structure was maintained and the current AAC members had an auto bid to a "BCS" bowl, there's at least a level of prestige and a sense that you were actually playing for something on a national level that you could hold you hat on, even if your weekly opponents weren't local rivals.

Taking that away from a program that was hitting it's stride (recall the first dominos happened the fall after the Fiesta Bowl), was a gut punch that I think basketball can recover and succeed as a top 25 program, but will doom football and even the hopes of the most optimistic fans.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Beating a dead horse, but the decision to build in E Hartford was a really poor choice. At least the students would go.

So you're saying building a stadium 25 miles away from a large group of people who demographically have proven to attend college football games in large numbers despite team performance, have a direct allegiance to the school and the specific players, are the pipeline to continue building a fan base and donor base for the years to come, in a place where alums would likely enjoy returning to, is far more picturesque than an old runway, is more attractive to recruits, and is a geographical setup that virtually no other major football program uses........was a bad idea?

 

[Hornet22]

Foot off the pedal, avoiding injury to starters, getting some PT for the 2nd and 3rd team; call it whatever you want, but in many games UConn's 2nd half scoring was a result of playing against the opponent's lesser players. the fact that UConn's defense was only able to give up 7 less points in the 2nd half of games is truly indicative of how inept they were as 2nd and 3rd team offenses continued to rack up points

Not sure I agree with that. Most of those scores, at the half, didn’t warrant the other team to take their foot off the pedal. Most games were within a few scores. Heck the UCF game was 28-17 in the fourth qtr.

 

[pepband99]

I think what's getting lost in all of this is that we shouldn't be freaking out about the difference between ticket sales from 2005 to 2018, when myriad things have changed, but from 2017 to 2018 when very little has changed. We've been bad for a long time, why would 40% of our base decide to drop season tickets now? What changed in one year? For one thing, it shows to me that aspire isn't worth its weight.

The tax implications of our seat donations have to factor in here.

You have:

• our most valuable donors
• the most marked-up seats
• the best seats

...who now can't deduct their donations (or as much of them). When you combine that with the supply/demand being what it is, guess what? What used to be a "support the program" question is now a "I can save most of the cost" question.

 

[CL82]

2023 is when craps going to hit the fan. I see two scenarios where football lives.

1. We get accepted into one of the power conferences

2. The Big XII implodes, the AAC disbands, and the best teams in the AAC join up with the Big XII leftovers and a couple stragglers

If neither of those happen, I guess UConn ends up with world's nicest lax stadium.

 

[zls44]

So you're saying building a stadium 25 miles away from a large group of people who demographically have proven to attend college football games in large numbers despite team performance, have a direct allegiance to the school and the specific players, are the pipeline to continue building a fan base and donor base for the years to come, in a place where alums would likely enjoy returning to, is far more picturesque than an old runway, is more attractive to recruits, and is a geographical setup that virtually no other major football program uses...was a bad idea?

BUT WHAT ABOUT TEH TRAFFIK!!!!!!111111ONE

 

[DarthGrumpy]

From Wilton I have to leave before 3pm to get there before kickoff. I usually take a day off for these games, but I’m in Atlanta for work. Beating a dead horse, but the decision to build in E Hartford was a really poor choice. At least the students would go.

Unfortunately, a 40K/50K football stadium in Storrs was never going to fly due to traffic and the locals would bring the pitchforks out before ever allowing to happen. So, E Hartford was not a bad choice, especially with the 'free' land donated by P&W as it has it has good highway access. Now, the decision by the State to re-build parts of I-84 over the next 100 or so years is a problem for folks coming from the southwestern part of the State is a problem...

 

[DarthGrumpy]

It takes you 4 hours to get to East Hartford?

From Norwalk during Thursday evening rush, its 2 hours just to get past Waterbury (I-84) or New Haven (Wilbur Cross), so 3 hours is reasonable. For a Friday night game, 4 would be reasonable as I-84 through West Hartford and Hartford will be at a crawl along with I-91 approaching the Charter Oak Bridge.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

When we think we have hit a low point attendance wise we get hit with a new reality. Losing 7000 or 1/3 of our season ticket holders is quite a shock. The fans that have hung in till now I would have thought with Edsall back and recruiting improving would have been back for another season. We are starting all over again without the newness of the Rent and being in the Big East. Can't have many more 3 win seasons. Maybe repricing ticket plans would help winning now is the only cure for this. One has to look back and wonder if Whipple had been chosen by Hathaway would we be in this situation. PP took over a good situation and failed. Then we don't chose Weist and Crazy flim flam Bob built a house of cards. SAD

Promoting Moorehead to HC may have been a good path, too, considering he is now the HC at Miss St.

 

[HuskyAlum012]

Besides losing regional and historic rivals, sometimes over time in Connecticut, the newness factor wears off. I've seen the Bridgeport Bluefish, New Haven Ravens, multiple minor league hockey teams all open with huge followings, only to lose attendance year after year until they fold. Winning would change a lot of this. I hope

The people of CT have no connection to those teams other than they play in the state they live. Many people who live in CT are either 1) a UConn alumni or 2) have grown accustomed to rooting for UConn in basketball. Comparing apple and oranges imo.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

BUT WHAT ABOUT TEH TRAFFIK!!!!!!111111ONE

To be fair, Conehead's point is correct that the roads leading to Storrs would have to be widened and the NIMBYs of Mansfield would put up a fight, but both obstacles were absolutely surmountable. The free land thing doesn't really fly though because if they built it on UConn's land in Storrs, that's already state-owned.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

To be fair, Conehead's point is correct that the roads leading to Storrs would have to be widened and the NIMBYs of Mansfield would put up a fight, but both obstacles were absolutely surmountable. The free land thing doesn't really fly though because if they built it on UConn's land in Storrs, that's already state-owned.

I see your point, too. Nevertheless, I have my doubts about the locals. Afterall, look at the fight they put-up about building a 10K hockey arena on campus, never mind a 40K to 50K football stadium...

 

[Madmannsucks]

I am tired of hearing about "The Conference" Last year opening day rosters included 123 AAC players in the NFL. !) Win...2)Market the team..................
STOP BLAMING THE CONFERENCE............did anyone notice what happened with the men's hoop attendance last year?

 

[uconnphil2016]

From Norwalk during Thursday evening rush, its 2 hours just to get past Waterbury (I-84) or New Haven (Wilbur Cross), so 3 hours is reasonable. For a Friday night game, 4 would be reasonable as I-84 through West Hartford and Hartford will be at a crawl along with I-91 approaching the Charter Oak Bridge.

Holy crap. Didn't know it was that bad. How do you live like that?? I live east of Hartford, drive to new haven every day but leave by 6:30 and home either 8 PM or early afternoon so have never really dealt with rush hour commute. I'd be pulling my hair out

 

[uconnphil2016]

I see your point, too. Nevertheless, I have my doubts about the locals. Afterall, look at the fight they put-up about building a 10K hockey arena on campus, never mind a 40K to 50K football stadium...

@Stainmaster is gonna cash out when he opens up his front lawn as a three car limit parking lot.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

A high-octane offense and shiny helmets will help solve this issue.

It’s all about matte helmets

 

[whaler11]

Holy crap. Didn't know it was that bad. How do you live like that?? I live east of Hartford, drive to new haven every day but leave by 6:30 and home either 8 PM or early afternoon so have never really dealt with rush hour commute. I'd be pulling my hair out

A big part of the reason I moved back from Fairfield to greater hartford was the traffic was forcing me to lose my mind.

In the summer I couldn’t even leave the house because we lived by the beach and you couldn’t get anywhere.

 

[SirHypeAlot]

A big part of the reason I moved back from Fairfield to greater hartford was the traffic was forcing me to lose my mind.

In the summer I couldn’t even leave the house because we lived by the beach and you couldn’t get anywhere.

I live in Stamford and my parents live in Fairfield. I love them dearly, but unless it is odd hours I won't visit because a 15 mile trip up 95 could take me 45+ minutes each way. Every year it gets progressively worse along the 95 corridor. I've recently considered taking metro north...

 

[mdkhusky]

Been to almost every game since we got into the big east. Always been very anti big east but 9k season tickets is eye opening. The fans are speaking. May be time to make a change

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I am tired of hearing about "The Conference" Last year opening day rosters included 123 AAC players in the NFL. !) Win...2)Market the team...
STOP BLAMING THE CONFERENCE..did anyone notice what happened with the men's hoop attendance last year?

wrong

 

[Husky25]

But this is not exclusive to UCONN football. The fan base for every college team faces this each year, whether it's FBS, FCS, hoops, baseball, even pro teams.

Through 2011 I didn't think twice about sending in my check and couldn't wait for that application to come in the mail. Each year since 2011 I've struggled with the decision to renew. I've had four groups of two, drop out of my crew since 2011, and honestly, if my daughter didn't choose to go to UCONN this fall, opting out was on the table.

So what made it an easy decision from 2003-2011 and a difficult decision from 2012 on? Why are fan bases of other teams choosing to go to games over other activities?

"Ws". Plain and simple.

Personally, I was 26 in 2003. not married, no kids, a fair amount of free time, and disposable income. In 2011, I'd been married two years, had a house (i.e. less free time), and my wife had just gotten pregnant. Now, I am balancing Saturdays in East Hartford, with youth soccer, fall yard work, and any other activity, (including for my youngest, who is going on 3 years old) that may interfere with what was once a no-brainer mindless day of college football.

From 2011 through last year, the culmination of circumstances (Conference, pathetic record, curious hiring, etc.), and perception thereof, has prevented UConn from backfilling the slot once occupied by my former single self with other single football fans who, in 8 years time, would get married, buy a house, and have children and also need the slot occupied by their former single selves to be backfilled.

 

[Husky25]

Also that doesn't even consider the worst economic downturn in four generations, which forced millions of people to reassess and permanently alter their spending habits.