Everyone at UCONN involved with FB needs to read this

[DoctorWho85]

Right, but I think price is used as an excuse when it isn't the real reason. Sure, some people sit in the endzones instead of paying $100/seat donation. Sure some people sit in the $100/donation seats instead of the chairbacks at $325 or $650 a seat donation. So price matters. But I don't think there are a lot of people that WANT season tickets that DON'T buy them at all because of price.

I offered to buy tickets for young alums that couldn't afford them, and basically all I heard was crickets. Mostly I think that people generally feel that their TIME is too valuable to be spent putting in the effort to watch a pedestrian product. There are all kinds of broke-ass people that can scrape up enough money to go out every weekend drinking. Cause they WANT to. It all comes down to desire - and we need to inspire that.

I totally agree with this. For me I don't have a lot of extra spending cash so basically I scrap together my pennies and dimes for a year and get the best seats I can afford. My biggest problem as it stands isn't so much the price, but my work schedule. I work two jobs (one of which is retail) which makes it extremely difficult to work with in order to get the time off to attend the games. I'm currently working I switching to a different position just so that I'll be to actually purchase season tickets this year AND go to the games.

But you're right when it comes to wanting to go. There are a lot of casual fans that look at this team and think "meh why should I pay $35 to see a mediocre to bad product?" Diaco and the coaching staff, the team, and Manuel all need to work their butts off in order to spark the interest of the fairweather fans. In my opinion, so far they've been up to the challenge, but lets see how it goes onces the season starts. In the mean time, I will be talking up this team to everyone that will listen.

 

[John]

Season ticket holder since 2002, lots of away game/bowl games. It was very exciting in the beginning to watch this team on the rise in a major conference. Conference realignment has basically put a glass ceiling over us and margianalized our ability to be a National Power. UConn was the biggest loser in CR and there is plenty of evidence that points out a lot of the problems were our own damn fault. Until we figure it out, I will watch from home.

we were Hathawayed.

 

[Rondogg]

we were Hathawayed.

I agree. The self inflicted wounds I am referring to are: the litigious reaction to the original CR, the acrimonious relationship with BC, the hiring of Jeff Hathaway which led to RE leaving for Maryland, the way we lost to Louisville during the recent CR...I'm sure there are others, that's just off the top of my head.

 

[John]

I agree. The self inflicted wounds I am referring to are: the litigious reaction to the original CR, the acrimonious relationship with BC, the hiring of Jeff Hathaway which led to RE leaving for Maryland, the way we lost to Louisville during the recent CR...I'm sure there are others, that's just off the top of my head.

The PP hiring.

 

[Kgun7]

I’ve come to believe it’s not scandal that will bring down college athletics, but greed. How long can these numbers, fueled by increasingly unhappy fans, continue to skyrocket before they come crashing down to earth?

dish - not to split hairs ... but isn't the scandal driven by greed?

 

[HuskyHawk]

You can get around the price. As others have said there are plenty of discount and free tickets our there. It really only affects season ticket sales.

The biggest issue is entertainment value for the time commitment. It has to he seen as worth the effort. Schedule has a lot to do with this as does the game day experience both on and off the field. Tradition is another, but we don't have that generational depth and as Michigan is finding out, you can't live on tradition alone.

The bolded portion is spot on. Convenience is the name of the game for everything now. I don't go to Fenway. Costs too much, is uncomfortable, and is a difficult drive (from Franklin, MA). I can watch every game in glorious HD on my 55" set, while drinking my own, superior beer, at less than half the price. It's a damned tough sell. I will go to a Pawsox game for $10 tickets, $2 parking and slightly cheaper beer. I go to Gillette for the Pats once every two years or so, and I live 15 minutes away from it. It's a hassle, and while I enjoy it, shelling out about $200 for the ticket, parking and concessions doesn't provide a good value over watching in HD with friends at home, or at a sports bar.

As a student, I went to every UConn hoops game, almost every soccer game and many football games. I went to every Kansas home hoops games for three years and 90% of the football games. Why? It was cheap, it was fun and it was easy. Often you can walk to the event. They need to make it incredibly easy to get to the Rent from Storrs, and from anywhere else.

 

[whaler11]

I have not been to a Giants game since I got Red Zone and that is turning down free tickets, a great tailgate set up where I do no work and someone else driving.

 

[whaler11]

So if you read this thread.... any questions on the sanity of people building huge stadiums or expanding old ones?

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I use to keep hamburgers and hot dogs etc. in the freezer for my nephews to have in case they get hungry when they come over to hangout or crash. Problem was/is they were too inconvenienced to take the cover off the grill, fire it up, cook... They prefer things that can be microwaved or placed quickly in the toaster oven, or even order delivery.

 

[J187Money]

So if you read this thread.... any questions on the sanity of people building huge stadiums or expanding old ones?

I think it is facts and circumstances based. If we were in the B1G we would have Wisconsin/PSU/Michigan/MSU/Nebraska coming in regularly, and there is 0% chance that isn't a sellout, even if we expand to 50-60K seats. But to expand without a conference deal? I can't see it. I think we have to have the money ready and say we will build it IF you take us. Otherwise we are just wasting money. You can make the argument that we already made the investment and to not invest more would be to throw away the initial investment, but if I were running that business I wouldn't take the chance. Since I'm a taxpayer and I think taxes are already too high? Go for it. At least I'll feel better

 

[Nostical]

What all these posts are basically saying is that it's all about desire. I agree. And the degree of that desire is a function of "buzz". Hardcore fans already have the desire to attend the games. They'll make the time and find the money. Who we need to engage are the casual fans, fans perhaps of football generally, college in particular or UConn especially--but simply aren't that diehard. And we need to get to them early in the season because casual fans without a real reason to attend won't sit through the howling cold of November games---unless there's a palatable buzz about the program. That's true of most events. Whether its a lecture, a concert-- whatever. If the speaker is controversial or a bit famous, more folks will seek out the event. If the concert performer is a headliner and it's well publicized, it will likely be an attendance success.

We need a buzz to envelop UConn football. That starts with the coach. Great start. Probably the best ever at creating interest simply from his style and demeanor. Now what we need is a bunch of wins, an exciting brand of football and a few star players---and the Rent can become the place to be on Saturdays. Advertising and promotion must be juiced up. It goes without saying that our venue needs to be inviting. The Rent gets better every year. Tailgating is excellent--but hours need to be extended. Parking is adequate and access is convenient. Concessions could be improved. Marching Band is excellent but could be better utilized. I don't mind the Kiss-cam and the ads. They pay the bills. But folks need to be in their seats. The place looks empy and disengaged when people are standing in the alcoves and end zones--sorry Chin. And lets be careful about video board replays of controversial calls. They become much more problematic as greater amounts of alcohol are consumed. A bad call that costs us the game may give rise to unnecessary roughness penalties in the stands. Not sure the folks that control things want to sanction that. Maybe smartphones can help.

There are lots of good ideas around. We can grow this program. We have the people in place today in positions of authority and influence that are vastly superior to what we had a few short years ago. So, despite that cautionary tale from Michigan, I'm actually optimistic about the Huskies situation--even before a power 5 conference affiliation is even factored in.

 

[whaler11]

I think it is facts and circumstances based. If we were in the B1G we would have Wisconsin/PSU/Michigan/MSU/Nebraska coming in regularly, and there is 0% chance that isn't a sellout, even if we expand to 50-60K seats. But to expand without a conference deal? I can't see it. I think we have to have the money ready and say we will build it IF you take us. Otherwise we are just wasting money. You can make the argument that we already made the investment and to not invest more would be to throw away the initial investment, but if I were running that business I wouldn't take the chance. Since I'm a taxpayer and I think taxes are already too high? Go for it. At least I'll feel better

I meant across sports in general, not Rentschler specifically.

But in East Hartford We'd sell out a bigger building for 5-6 Big 10 teams we'd see on average one or two a year.

Maryland was just here.... didn't
really need any excess capacity that day. Rutgers?

The risk of being in the Big 10 is that UConn has an Indiana level program and you wouldn't need the 40k capacity that exists now if they go 4-8 every year.

I agree though - build it and see what happens - the state is already a fiscal nightmare what's a few hundy million more.

 

[Doggie Style]

You know, I really appreciate this thread. I have had discussions about the high ticket prices before with posters like Whaler and such, and we're clearly on the same side of that issue. But I didn't realize that the majority of this board feels "brutalized" by the high prices. I felt bad in a way that I am a "3 game package" guy instead of a season ticket guy, because I have a one-income family. And as most of you know, I would remove a testicle for this school.

Consider this: We are the most fanatical of all the UConn Husky fans by about 1,000x! If we have a hard time stomaching the ticket prices, how on earth are we supposed to draw the casual fan?!? How on earth are we supposed to draw the family of 4, where the two kids grow up even more passionate about the team and school than their parents were?!?

This is the short-sighted behavior that will crush us over the long term as a program. I hope that someone from the administration is lurking...

Dan u r spot on. This is your best post yet IMO

 

[J187Money]

And as silly as this seems - people LOVED when Danny O was great, because he was "ours" - if Arkeel can step up and be a nationally recognized NFL caliber player from Ansonia - it will go a LONG way to bringing buzz back to the rent.

 

[Doggie Style]

You can't sell out games without a large season ticket base. There isn't a single program on the future schedules who is moving 5 figures of single game tickets.

The parking lot trade further enforces that face value is out of whack with the market.

JMoney may be right that lowering them may prove a mistake because for many games you literally can't give them away.

C'mon Whaler... Tell me that you don't remember the 85-86 Adams Division playoffs here in Hartford??? You could not GIVE Whaler tix away that year until the Whale went on a SICK run starting in March and created "Whaler Mania!!" When we Bit*h slapped the Div Champs in the Nordiques that year in the first round. This was much like the 95' Lady Husky run as well as our NIT run which started this party back in the late 80's! These events changed the dynamic of fan support in this fair weather fan base here in CT!! At that point the Whale only really sold out when the Bruins/Rangers/Maybe the Isles and Flyers came to town depending on the day of the week. That run created a desire for access to see the winner that was the Whale, who was always the underdog until that time. We all know what happened with Claude "" Lemieux in double OT of game 7 at the Forum so lets move on. Anyway, It created a hype that everyone here in CT wanted to be a part of. I will admit that I was truly Blessed as a child, to be in a position where my family owned season tix from start to finish of the Whaler years here in CT. However, I STILL slept out for playoff tickets for both the Nordiques series as well as the Canadiens series that year! Why was that? Because I wanted to be part of the hype and be part of something special. I ended up selling those tix for face value to friends who wanted to go and those days were some of the last times the Civic Center shook to its core during an event due to the fan excitement. Long story short, make the tix affordable now and enjoy the return on investment when we get out of this $how of a conference and those people who enjoyed their experience prior, will be willing to anti up down the road. My point is this.... We really don't have any right to charge a $1500 seat donation prior to buying 4 chairback seats to the casual fan based on our performance and conference situation. As a result, most of our games look empty and generally like to those watching our game on tv. We need to make these events more accessable to the family of 4+ so that we can build our fan base to where we need it when we get into the B1G. Then we can jack the $$ and people will then b able to justify paying large prices to see B!G time schools over Tulane and Memphis.

 

[J187Money]

I meant across sports in general, not Rentschler specifically.

But in East Hartford We'd sell out a bigger building for 5-6 Big 10 teams we'd see on average one or two a year.

Maryland was just here.... didn't
really need any excess capacity that day. Rutgers?

The risk of being in the Big 10 is that UConn has an Indiana level program and you wouldn't need the 40k capacity that exists now if they go 4-8 every year.

I agree though - build it and see what happens - the state is already a fiscal nightmare what's a few hundy million more.

Unfortunately you need to draw from the opponent's alumni base, which I think makes the B1G a better draw than the ACC. The schools that have football cachet in the ACC (Clemson/FSU/Miami) are not heavily attended by NE folk (maybe Miami to some extent). Lots of Duke/UNC alums around but they aren't big on football really.

 

[Doggie Style]

Exactly. There aren't enough fans. End of story.

The fans r there, but this is CT and we ALL know we have the biggest "Fair weather fan base" in the history of sports! Give them a reason to come back, like a hot conference and some solid wins and the will!!! We started off pretty strong here in CT but look what drove the fans away.... We can fix that if we r committed and have a solid future in a good conference. Build it and they will come!!!!

 

[J187Money]

My point is this.... We really don't have any right to charge a $1500 seat donation prior to buying 4 chairback seats to the casual fan based on our performance and conference situation. As a result, most of our games look empty and generally like to those watching our game on tv. We need to make these events more accessable to the family of 4+ so that we can build our fan base to where we need it when we get into the B1G. Then we can jack the and people will then b able to justify paying large prices to see B!G time schools over Tulane and Memphis.

If you charged $0 donation for the chairbacks all you would do is lose revenue and move people from benches to chairbacks that already buy tickets. There are a LOT of reasons you don't get the family of four and while price is part of it, youth sports / other activities / interest are by far the larger factors. I have two sons. One comes to every game and the other wouldn't come if you paid him. Which means my wife doesn't come anymore because she stays home with him. So I have two empty seats for most games.

Mathematically - the only time you need to reduce the donations on the benches or chairbacks is when you've sold out the non-donation seats. And we don't do that.

 

[J187Money]

The fans r there, but this is CT and we ALL know we have the biggest "Fair weather fan base" in the history of sports! Give them a reason to come back, like a hot conference and some solid wins and the will!!! We started off pretty strong here in CT but look what drove the fans away.... We can fix that if we r committed and have a solid future in a good conference. Build it and they will come!!!!

Diaco has the entire school on his back at this point.

 

[Doggie Style]

Diaco has the entire school on his back at this point.

agreed

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Miami has taken an interesting (and interestingly worded) approach

http://www.lostlettermen.com/article/photo-miami-hurricanes-football-ad-attend-fewer-games

 

[CL82]

You know, I really appreciate this thread. I have had discussions about the high ticket prices before with posters like Whaler and such, and we're clearly on the same side of that issue. But I didn't realize that the majority of this board feels "brutalized" by the high prices. I felt bad in a way that I am a "3 game package" guy instead of a season ticket guy, because I have a one-income family. And as most of you know, I would remove a testicle for this school.

Consider this: We are the most fanatical of all the UConn Husky fans by about 1,000x! If we have a hard time stomaching the ticket prices, how on earth are we supposed to draw the casual fan?!? How on earth are we supposed to draw the family of 4, where the two kids grow up even more passionate about the team and school than their parents were?!?

This is the short-sighted behavior that will crush us over the long term as a program. I hope that someone from the administration is lurking...

Please consider using this quote under your avatar:

"I would remove a testicle for this school."

 

[whaler11]

C'mon Whaler... Tell me that you don't remember the 85-86 Adams Division playoffs here in Hartford??? You could not GIVE Whaler tix away that year until the Whale went on a SICK run starting in March and created "Whaler Mania!!" When we Bit*h slapped the Div Champs in the Nordiques that year in the first round. This was much like the 95' Lady Husky run as well as our NIT run which started this party back in the late 80's! These events changed the dynamic of fan support in this fair weather fan base here in CT!! At that point the Whale only really sold out when the Bruins/Rangers/Maybe the Isles and Flyers came to town depending on the day of the week. That run created a desire for access to see the winner that was the Whale, who was always the underdog until that time. We all know what happened with Claude "" Lemieux in double OT of game 7 at the Forum so lets move on. Anyway, It created a hype that everyone here in CT wanted to be a part of. I will admit that I was truly Blessed as a child, to be in a position where my family owned season tix from start to finish of the Whaler years here in CT. However, I STILL slept out for playoff tickets for both the Nordiques series as well as the Canadiens series that year! Why was that? Because I wanted to be part of the hype and be part of something special. I ended up selling those tix for face value to friends who wanted to go and those days were some of the last times the Civic Center shook to its core during an event due to the fan excitement. Long story short, make the tix affordable now and enjoy the return on investment when we get out of this $how of a conference and those people who enjoyed their experience prior, will be willing to anti up down the road. My point is this.... We really don't have any right to charge a $1500 seat donation prior to buying 4 chairback seats to the casual fan based on our performance and conference situation. As a result, most of our games look empty and generally like to those watching our game on tv. We need to make these events more accessable to the family of 4+ so that we can build our fan base to where we need it when we get into the B1G. Then we can jack the and people will then b able to justify paying large prices to see B!G time schools over Tulane and Memphis.

?

I think they should decrease season tickets and really try to move them. I think going to games is a habit and it's more likely someone with season tickets gets into the habit of going.

Based on my and other's inability to give away free tickets, there is a chance it doesn't move the needed much and all you end up doing is decreasing your revenue because the people that were already buying are paying less.

The Big 10 obviously would be great but I don't see it as automatic sellouts in an expanded stadium. Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State sure. Nebraska and Wisconsin sure but how often would you see them in a 16-18 team league with a geographic split? Once every 4 years?

Indiana, Illinois, Rutgers, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern... they aren't selling tickets if UConn is 4-8 consistently. Virginia? Kansas?

Look at some of the Big 10 schedules this year and that is at 14. You get to 16-18 and they become even shallower.

 

[UConnDan97]

Dan u r spot on. This is your best post yet IMO

It's my best post because I've set the bar very low in the past. That, and I also offered to give a testicle to UConn...

 

[UConnDan97]

There are a LOT of reasons you don't get the family of four and while price is part of it, youth sports / other activities / interest are by far the larger factors.

I completely disagree with this statement. If you think that the average casual fan (and I emphasize "casual", and not the type that are willing to lose cojones) is going to be willing to eat around $200 to bring his wife and two kids to a game EVERY game, then you're kidding yourself. (ticket prices + parking + concessions and MAYBE a Husky souvenir)

Price is the largest factor of all the factors that you've listed for the casual fan. The real question is how much lower the prices would need to be in order to draw them in, and I don't have an answer to that...

 

[Doggie Style]

It's my best post because I've set the bar very low in the past. That, and I also offered to give a testicle to UConn...

Ha! Not really ur best, I was exaggerating. Youve been the voice of sanity on many occasions over the years, I just liked ur reply.

 

[J187Money]

I completely disagree with this statement. If you think that the average casual fan (and I emphasize "casual", and not the type that are willing to lose cojones) is going to be willing to eat around $200 to bring his wife and two kids to a game EVERY game, then you're kidding yourself. (ticket prices + parking + concessions and MAYBE a Husky souvenir) Price is the largest factor of all the factors that you've listed for the casual fan. The real question is how much lower the prices would need to be in order to draw them in, and I don't have an answer to that...

Casual fans wouldn't make the whole schedule if it was free, unless it is part of meeting up with a larger crew with the football being secondary. And yes, as price goes up it is less likely, since they are also dragging along wives and kids that half the time don't really want to be there.

It isn't price. It is price/time/opportunity cost/value. Value has gone down. Price has stayed the same or gone up (parking). The opportunity cost equation has gone way down. So they don't come.

There is no way to move price down low enough to compensate for the other issues for the casual fan. It would literally take "free beer" to make it work.

 

[UConnDan97]

Casual fans wouldn't make the whole schedule if it was free, unless it is part of meeting up with a larger crew with the football being secondary. And yes, as price goes up it is less likely, since they are also dragging along wives and kids that half the time don't really want to be there.

It isn't price. It is price/time/opportunity cost/value. Value has gone down. Price has stayed the same or gone up (parking). The opportunity cost equation has gone way down. So they don't come.

There is no way to move price down low enough to compensate for the other issues for the casual fan. It would literally take "free beer" to make it work.

I would argue that we don't need the casual fan to come to every game. We just need more of them to come to more games than they are currently coming to, and that won't happen at current prices.

I would argue that if we found the price that maximized sell-outs instead of the price that maximized profits, we would do much better in the long-term. Michigan has a program. Ohio State has a program. We are building a program. There is a gigantic difference there. And the difference is that we haven't had the opportunity yet to generate multiple-generation fans, where coming to the games is as natural to the greater community as breathing air. But that happens by getting as many butts in the stands and creating as much of a lively environment as possible. There is a price where that can happen, and we aren't there...

 

[UConnDan97]

Youve been the voice of sanity on many occasions over the years...

The Boneyard: The only place in the world where a lunatic like me can be considered "the voice of sanity"...

 

[J187Money]

I would argue that we don't need the casual fan to come to every game. We just need more of them to come to more games than they are currently coming to, and that won't happen at current prices. I would argue that if we found the price that maximized sell-outs instead of the price that maximized profits, we would do much better in the long-term. Michigan has a program. Ohio State has a program. We are building a program. There is a gigantic difference there. And the difference is that we haven't had the opportunity yet to generate multiple-generation fans, where coming to the games is as natural to the greater community as breathing air. But that happens by getting as many butts in the stands and creating as much of a lively environment as possible. There is a price where that can happen, and we aren't there...

I kind of agree. But we had them. And they left. And it wasn't price that drove them away. Low prices might bring some new faces, but the product needs to be fixed. I want those fans back.