Case study of the ticket buying experience: USF

[alexrgct]

This is not necessarily a new argument- just an illustration of some of the subtopics around attendance that have been discussed.

OK, so I have a three and half year old daughter who I like to take to games from time to time. I took her to a Team USA basketball exhibition in Hartford in 2010 and to a couple Sun games last summer. This year, I'd like to take her to her first UConn game. She's a pretty typical three year old: sweet, adorable, stubborn, doesn't have the best attention span, can't stay seated indefinitely. UConn women's games should be great sporting events to take her to for the following reasons:

• Fewer drunk people
• Not scary taking a little girl into the men's bathroom in a pinch
• The format of CBB is predictable and short
• Blowout games mean I can leave early if she's just done without missing too, too much.

Anyway, Fairfield and USF seem like good candidates. Nothing crazy, not too loud for her (crowd will be catatonic and sparse), easy games for UConn, etc). I settle on USF because it's on a weekend.

Knowing I'm wasting my time, I go on Ticketmaster.com. Yes, I can buy tickets, but in an upper bowl location (Section 214). There is no way my daughter is going to pay attention to a game that far away from her; if it's not in her face or close to it, she's not going to be engaged. So I check StubHub.com. The premium sections of the lower bowl are Sections 102-105 and 114-117. There exactly 21 seats for sale in those sections, with ticket prices ranging from $110 to $325 per ticket.

This is a problem. I'm very much a customer UConn should want. I'm 33 years old with a three year old daughter. I live in Ellington, CT, which is close to, and equidistant from, Hartford and Storrs. But the ticket-buying experience sucks. I'm not dropping $500 on a pair of secondary market tickets to see UConn eviscerate USF, regardless of whether my somewhat hyper little girl is my date or whether Sue Bird is. I'm not dropping $220 for less good tickets, for that matter. In fact, who would? Are there tons of people out there looking to spend three figures a ticket for premium seats to UConn-USF? No, there aren't, and in fact, when I watch this game on TV, I'm going to see scores, if not hundreds, of empty seats in these sections because the seatholders didn't want to go to this game and didn't have the time/knowledge/inclination to resell them.

UConn could win a fan for life on January 28, but her dad can't find good tickets at a reasonable price. No, I'm not entitled to premium seating. Yes, people have a right not to attend games they've purchased tickets to, especially if they're season ticketholders. Yes, the more enterprising season ticketholders have the right to resell their tickets at whatever price they think they can get. But I know the supply of good tickets is not meeting the demand, and it's for artificial reasons.

This is something UConn can and must fix. They're missing out on revenue and possibly on fans as a result.

/rant

 

[FairView]

I'd pay the $500 if the Sue-Bird-as-a-date option was available. Heck, even my wife would okay that for me!

 

[UConnCat]

The right people in the UConn athletic dept need to see this write-up of your experience as it highlights some of the very issues AD Pendergast claims he intends to look at.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

I don't normally post on the women's board but I saw this as a topic being discussed and ill give my advice. From what I saw on Stubhub, you can easily buy tickets for one of the upper sections for 12 bucks a piece. What you do is buy those seats, and then move down to one of the lower sections and occupy a pair of empty seats

If there is a sparse crowd, then you should have no problem doing that. For many of the men's games early on in the season, Ill buy cheap tickets in the noise bleed sections and then move down once the game starts as many people don't bother to come to the game. I think this should solve your problem

 

[1999.2004.2011]

Also, many times you can buy tickets through uconnhuskies.com and use the promo code AAA to get discounted tickets. I know that works for football and it may work for the other sports too

 

[vtcwbuff]

This is not necessarily a new argument- just an illustration of some of the subtopics around attendance that have been discussed.

OK, so I have a three and half year old daughter who I like to take to games from time to time. I took her to a Team USA basketball exhibition in Hartford in 2010 and to a couple Sun games last summer. This year, I'd like to take her to her first UConn game. She's a pretty typical three year old: sweet, adorable, stubborn, doesn't have the best attention span, can't stay seated indefinitely. UConn women's games should be great sporting events to take her to for the following reasons:

• Fewer drunk people
• Not scary taking a little girl into the men's bathroom in a pinch
• The format of CBB is predictable and short
• Blowout games mean I can leave early if she's just done without missing too, too much.

Anyway, Fairfield and USF seem like good candidates. Nothing crazy, not too loud for her (crowd will be catatonic and sparse), easy games for UConn, etc). I settle on USF because it's on a weekend.

Knowing I'm wasting my time, I go on Ticketmaster.com. Yes, I can buy tickets, but in an upper bowl location (Section 214). There is no way my daughter is going to pay attention to a game that far away from her; if it's not in her face or close to it, she's not going to be engaged. So I check StubHub.com. The premium sections of the lower bowl are Sections 102-105 and 114-117. There exactly 21 seats for sale in those sections, with ticket prices ranging from $110 to $325 per ticket.

This is a problem. I'm very much a customer UConn should want. I'm 33 years old with a three year old daughter. I live in Ellington, CT, which is close to, and equidistant from, Hartford and Storrs. But the ticket-buying experience sucks. I'm not dropping $500 on a pair of secondary market tickets to see UConn eviscerate USF, regardless of whether my somewhat hyper little girl is my date or whether Sue Bird is. I'm not dropping $220 for less good tickets, for that matter. In fact, who would? Are there tons of people out there looking to spend three figures a ticket for premium seats to UConn-USF? No, there aren't, and in fact, when I watch this game on TV, I'm going to see scores, if not hundreds, of empty seats in these sections because the seatholders didn't want to go to this game and didn't have the time/knowledge/inclination to resell them.

UConn could win a fan for life on January 28, but her dad can't find good tickets at a reasonable price. No, I'm not entitled to premium seating. Yes, people have a right not to attend games they've purchased tickets to, especially if they're season ticketholders. Yes, the more enterprising season ticketholders have the right to resell their tickets at whatever price they think they can get. But I know the supply of good tickets is not meeting the demand, and it's for artificial reasons.

This is something UConn can and must fix. They're missing out on revenue and possibly on fans as a result.

/rant

All I can say is TICKETMASTER SUCKS and UConn should end whatever agreement they have with them. Unfortunately, the UConn ticket office sucks nearly the same. Ticketmaster will sell you the worst seats they have available. It appears that the UConn ticket office operates on the same principle. Apparently, it's first come worst served.

 

[Dairyair]

I don't normally post on the women's board but I saw this as a topic being discussed and ill give my advice. From what I saw on Stubhub, you can easily buy tickets for one of the upper sections for 12 bucks a piece. What you do is buy those seats, and then move down to one of the lower sections and occupy a pair of empty seats

If there is a sparse crowd, then you should have no problem doing that. For many of the men's games early on in the season, Ill buy cheap tickets in the noise bleed sections and then move down once the game starts as many people don't bother to come to the game. I think this should solve your problem

And you get past the yellow coats how?

 

[Dairyair]

All I can say is TICKETMASTER SUCKS and UConn should end whatever agreement they have with them. Unfortunately, the UConn ticket office sucks nearly the same. Ticketmaster will sell you the worst seats they have available. It appears that the UConn ticket office operates on the same principle. Apparently, it's first come worst served.

it's first come worst served...too funny!! And true, it seems

 

[Fiftyish]

This is not necessarily a new argument- just an illustration of some of the subtopics around attendance that have been discussed.

OK, so I have a three and half year old daughter who I like to take to games from time to time. I took her to a Team USA basketball exhibition in Hartford in 2010 and to a couple Sun games last summer. This year, I'd like to take her to her first UConn game. She's a pretty typical three year old: sweet, adorable, stubborn, doesn't have the best attention span, can't stay seated indefinitely. UConn women's games should be great sporting events to take her to for the following reasons:

• Fewer drunk people
• Not scary taking a little girl into the men's bathroom in a pinch
• The format of CBB is predictable and short
• Blowout games mean I can leave early if she's just done without missing too, too much.

Anyway, Fairfield and USF seem like good candidates. Nothing crazy, not too loud for her (crowd will be catatonic and sparse), easy games for UConn, etc). I settle on USF because it's on a weekend.

Knowing I'm wasting my time, I go on Ticketmaster.com. Yes, I can buy tickets, but in an upper bowl location (Section 214). There is no way my daughter is going to pay attention to a game that far away from her; if it's not in her face or close to it, she's not going to be engaged. So I check StubHub.com. The premium sections of the lower bowl are Sections 102-105 and 114-117. There exactly 21 seats for sale in those sections, with ticket prices ranging from $110 to $325 per ticket.

This is a problem. I'm very much a customer UConn should want. I'm 33 years old with a three year old daughter. I live in Ellington, CT, which is close to, and equidistant from, Hartford and Storrs. But the ticket-buying experience sucks. I'm not dropping $500 on a pair of secondary market tickets to see UConn eviscerate USF, regardless of whether my somewhat hyper little girl is my date or whether Sue Bird is. I'm not dropping $220 for less good tickets, for that matter. In fact, who would? Are there tons of people out there looking to spend three figures a ticket for premium seats to UConn-USF? No, there aren't, and in fact, when I watch this game on TV, I'm going to see scores, if not hundreds, of empty seats in these sections because the seatholders didn't want to go to this game and didn't have the time/knowledge/inclination to resell them.

UConn could win a fan for life on January 28, but her dad can't find good tickets at a reasonable price. No, I'm not entitled to premium seating. Yes, people have a right not to attend games they've purchased tickets to, especially if they're season ticketholders. Yes, the more enterprising season ticketholders have the right to resell their tickets at whatever price they think they can get. But I know the supply of good tickets is not meeting the demand, and it's for artificial reasons.

This is something UConn can and must fix. They're missing out on revenue and possibly on fans as a result.

/rant

Two years ago I was fortunate to see a posting on the Boneyard from a season ticket holder (corporate) looking to sell some tickets that they were not going to use. I made contact and they sold me great lower bowl tickets for face value. Since then whenever they choose not to attend a game they shoot me an e-mail and I confirm I'll take the tickets. I send a check, they send the tickets. I have attended every game this year except the Stanford game. Obviously, the best games are not offered. Every game I attended at Gampel the 6 seats to my right were empty. Now, these seats are lower bowl mid-court. Why can't the missing ticket holders offer them up at a reasonable price so they don't go to waste? I was very lucky to hook up to an enlighted corporate ticket holder so I know this concept is doable. UConn should be acting as facilitators for this ticket exchange. The goal should be to fill empty seats.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Two years ago I was fortunate to see a posting on the Boneyard from a season ticket holder (corporate) looking to sell some tickets that they were not going to use. I made contact and they sold me great lower bowl tickets for face value. Since then whenever they choose not to attend a game they shoot me an e-mail and I confirm I'll take the tickets. I send a check, they send the tickets. I have attended every game this year except the Stanford game. Obviously, the best games are not offered. Every game I attended at Gampel the 6 seats to my right were empty. Now, these seats are lower bowl mid-court. Why can't the missing ticket holders offer them up at a reasonable price so they don't go to waste? I was very lucky to hook up to an enlighted corporate ticket holder so I know this concept is doable. UConn should be acting as facilitators for this ticket exchange. The goal should be to fill empty seats.

is that sort of illegal or atleast morally wrong?

 

[DaddyChoc]

love that you're doing your daddy duties but is it really worth bringing a 3 to "watch a game"... 6, 7, 8yrs olds to me would be a better age.

you would be able to match names with faces... talk about calls, passes and baskets (if you're trying to raise/teach a bball player)

if you just want her to be a fan so she could say I was following UConn since I was 2yrs old (show pics) thats a different story

or maybe its the only way you could get out of the house

 

[Icebear]

What are we supposed to do leave three year olds home or fill the seats. OK, OK it might take two three year olds to fill a seat.

 

[alexrgct]

love that you're doing your daddy duties but is it really worth bringing a 3 to "watch a game"... 6, 7, 8yrs olds to me would be a better age.

you would be able to match names with faces... talk about calls, passes and baskets (if you're trying to raise/teach a bball player)

if you just want her to be a fan so she could say I was following UConn since I was 2yrs old (show pics) thats a different story

or maybe its the only way you could get out of the house

What age is appropriate to take a child to a sporting event is something of a quandry. You're definitely right that a three year old isn't going to understand what's going on at a particularly high level. But basketball, and especially UConn WBB, is a sport that can work for even a very young child for the following reasons:

• At its fundamental core, basketball is just one team trying to put the ball into the hoop, followed by the other team trying to put the ball in the hoop. As you mature, there are significant nuances and complexities on top of that principle that allow you to enjoy the game at a higher level, but that basic premise is simple enough for even a three-year-old to understand.
• Basketball games can theoretically go on forever (see UConn-Syracuse six OT men's matchup in 2009), but at the college level, they predictably take an hour and 45 minutes, including 15 minutes to run around at halftime. Forty-five minutes happens to be just about as long as a three-year-old can sit in one place, so it works perfectly. NBA would not work as the games are close to two and half hours.
• On some level, empirically, she enjoys it. I think she's just at an age where she likes to do what daddy does, Daddy works, so she wants to go to work with daddy. If daddy's cooking, she wants to help daddy cook. Daddy likes watching sports, so she wants to go to games with daddy, and, for a number of reasons, going "to watch the ladies play basketball" is the one sporting event I'm comfortable taking her to. The timing and logistics of football, baseball, hockey, or NBA are just not pallatable.
• As much talk as there is about blowouts not being fun to watch, having a team that almost never loses at home is kind of nice for a little kid.

 

[Fiftyish]

is that sort of illegal or atleast morally wrong?

I make all the checks out to the corporation not to an individual so....there's nothing illegal or immoral about selling their tickets to me without a markup. Rather it is good business since they recoup some of their costs and good for UConn because they help fill two seats.

 

[Waquoit]

This isn't a UConn problem. This is a guy looking for special treatment.

 

[alexrgct]

This isn't a UConn problem. This is a guy looking for special treatment.

Really? That's what you derived from my post?

• "No, I'm not entitled to premium seating. Yes, people have a right not to attend games they've purchased tickets to, especially if they're season ticketholders. Yes, the more enterprising season ticketholders have the right to resell their tickets at whatever price they think they can get." Did you miss that?
• Tons of empty lower bowl seats isn't a UConn problem?
• Not having a well-developed and promoted ticket exchange program for season ticketholders isn't a UConn problem?
• Missing out on revenue isn't a UConn problem?
• TicketMaster implementing a lot of innovative ticket selling ideas for other partners but not for UConn isn't a UConn problem?
• More and more people being disinterested in upper bowl seating over HD, and thus eschewing going to a game when there are, in fact lots of unoccupied lower bowl seats they could be sitting in if ticket (re)distribution was more advanced at UConn isn't a UConn problem?

What's sad is that your attitude is probably what I'd be met with by UConn's AD if I wrote to them. BTW, that's also a UConn problem.

 

[whaler11]

All you have to do is go to the game and there are plenty of good tickets for at face or below sold in front of the building. Bring a map of the arena if you aren't comfortable with the layout, but it's the same handful of guys selling so they aren't normally out to screw you.

 

[~*Jen*~]

I'm kind of in the same situation as the OP. I'll only be around long enough to get to the Fairfield game. Ticketmaster only has upper level. I'll have to buy anywhere from 3-5 tickets (possibly for my in-laws if we have to bribe them for a ride to Storrs since we won't have my SUV) plus one for the midget IF they require her to have one. She'll be 17m and is very active and I'm thinking upper level isn't such a good idea. And I won't pay some of the outrageous prices for lower level. So I guess we're not going. Oh, well. It would have been nice but it's not a necessity.

 

[Ruffian75]

Out of curiosity, I just went to TM and punched in the Providence game at the 40. $22 plus $9 in handling for 204 E. A decent seat. A & M is $10 plus $6 handling for nosebleeds. Which game would I go to? Neither.

For the last four or five years I have been persistent looking for good single seats to top opponents at the XL and have generally always found something in 114-117 or 102 -105. This year. Nothing good for Stanford or A & M. For the '09 Stanford game I actually found about 20 good tickets, all singles at $31, and scalped all but mine at $40 to $50 each. I made a little money. I provided nice seats without gouging anyone. All buyers were happy.

I don't understand why these good individual seats no longer show up on TM. I guess the corporate season owners have taken over and don't care about turning them in. One thing I have noticed when I get the single seats, is they always have an odd number and are never on either aisle. Anyone have an idea why this might be? I think all sections have an odd number of seats also.

I did settle for a 205 C for A & M. I have to go to at least one game this year. In the past I have gone to at least 4 or 5 regular season games but I have gotten to the point of being fed up with what is no longer that pleasant of an experience

 

[DaddyChoc]

Out of curiosity, I just went to TM and punched in the Providence game at the 40. $22 plus $9 in handling for 204 E. A decent seat (not decent to me). A & M is $10 plus $6 handling for nosebleeds. Which game would I go to? Neither. (Providence game you may be able to come down to lower bowl but not for the TAMU game)

For the last four or five years I have been persistent looking for good single seats to top opponents at the XL and have generally always found something in 114-117 or 102 -105. This year. Nothing good for Stanford or A & M. For the '09 Stanford game I actually found about 20 good tickets, all singles at $31, and scalped all but mine at $40 to $50 each. I made a little money. I provided nice seats without gouging anyone. All buyers were happy. (the 10.00 pricing seem to put a stop to that single lower bowl thingy)

I don't understand why these good individual seats no longer show up on TM. I guess the corporate season owners have taken over and don't care about turning them in. One thing I have noticed when I get the single seats, is they always have an odd number and are never on either aisle. Anyone have an idea why this might be? I think all sections have an odd number of seats also.most buy 2,3, 4 & 5 tickets couples or families and it just happens. For the record, when I brought singles I was in the middle of couples not on the ends

I did settle for a 205 C for A & M. I have to go to at least one game this year. In the past I have gone to at least 4 or 5 regular season games but I have gotten to the point of being fed up with what is no longer that pleasant of an experience

 

[Ruffian75]

Out of curiosity, I just went to TM and punched in the Providence game at the 40. $22 plus $9 in handling for 204 E. A decent seat (not decent to me).

DC....I did say decent, not good. It ain't 218 BB; Good ends once you are outside 114-117 and 102-105

 

[DaddyChoc]

Out of curiosity, I just went to TM and punched in the Providence game at the 40. $22 plus $9 in handling for 204 E. A decent seat (not decent to me).

DC....I did say decent, not good. It ain't 218 BB; Good ends once you are outside 114-117 and 102-105

true... row E isnt that bad, depending on your vision