Recruiting Football Talk VIII

Rant incoming:

These inflated ticket prices are the results of supply/demand, unnecessary fan experiences, and the "pAy ThE mAN whATeVer eH wANts!!" crowd. What ticks me off more than anything......no man needs that much money and all it does it make them want that much more of it. We've got a very special group of coaches but the salaryies are out of hand and no signs of stopping. There needs to be a salary cap in place for all coaches, college and pro. The fans (middle class/families) are getting priced out of the stadiums and it's happening in every sport. These "Taj Mahal" stadiums are also a huge part of the problem. The experience is cool but I'm most interested in the ballgame and the game has almost been pushed to the side. I believe that the skyboxes are all sold out and eventually it'll be the corporations that own the whole lower level...... and they ain't going to the ball games, especially the OOC games

End rant
The secondary prices don't have anything to do with coach salaries, renovations, or any of that. That is just pure demand, coupled with whatever fees Ticketmaster feels like they can charge in a cornered market.

I agree with your conclusion. Middle class people that want to just take their family to a game have definitely been priced out. But I would add that you said
The experience is cool but I'm most interested in the ballgame and the game has almost been pushed to the side
I totally get that, and I also think it's hard to beat a 60 inch 4K TV in front of a recliner if it's about the football. Going to the game should be more about the experience than the game, IMO. And the people there now are absolute fanatics. Obvious downsides. I feel like you see way fewer kids than you did even 5 years ago at games. But the atmosphere definitely reflects the prices the last few years.
 
Rant incoming:

These inflated ticket prices are the results of supply/demand, unnecessary fan experiences, and the "pAy ThE mAN whATeVer eH wANts!!" crowd. What ticks me off more than anything......no man needs that much money and all it does it make them want that much more of it. We've got a very special group of coaches but the salaryies are out of hand and no signs of stopping. There needs to be a salary cap in place for all coaches, college and pro. The fans (middle class/families) are getting priced out of the stadiums and it's happening in every sport. These "Taj Mahal" stadiums are also a huge part of the problem. The experience is cool but I'm most interested in the ballgame and the game has almost been pushed to the side. I believe that the skyboxes are all sold out and eventually it'll be the corporations that own the whole lower level...... and they ain't going to the ball games, especially the OOC games

End rant

Mostly agree, but I'd like to point out that the NFL seems capable of both paying the man (and men on the team) as well as having crazy stadium experiences. Are their tickets cheap, no. But are they cheaper than $300+ usually, or at least in my experience I've never bought a Titans ticket for more than $100ish (before fees/taxes).

What I think hurts college more than the pros in this regard is the distribution effect. Football makes the bread and the AD uses a good chunk of profits from football to keep the lights on for other programs. They aren't able to just jack up the cost to the students because it's a public institution so the fans paying for tickets are really the only source of income they can try and milk more from. The hope is that with the revamp for entertainment and having beer at games (eventually) some of the cost can be made off non sporting fans...but we will see I guess.
 
Mostly agree, but I'd like to point out that the NFL seems capable of both paying the man (and men on the team) as well as having crazy stadium experiences. Are their tickets cheap, no. But are they cheaper than $300+ usually, or at least in my experience I've never bought a Titans ticket for more than $100ish (before fees/taxes).

What I think hurts college more than the pros in this regard is the distribution effect. Football makes the bread and the AD uses a good chunk of profits from football to keep the lights on for other programs. They aren't able to just jack up the cost to the students because it's a public institution so the fans paying for tickets are really the only source of income they can try and milk more from. The hope is that with the revamp for entertainment and having beer at games (eventually) some of the cost can be made off non sporting fans...but we will see I guess.
I'm curious what actual face value is for tickets? Beyond that you can't fault the AD for ticket prices (well, I'd argue they should charge a higher face value to discourage secondary scalpers, but that's a separate, super complex economic discussion).
 
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I'm curious what actual face value is for tickets? Beyond that you can't fault the AD for ticket prices (well, I'd argue they should charge a higher face value to discourage secondary scalpers, but that's a separate, super complex economic discussion).

It's $450 a year according to the season ticket map... so face value would be about $65 a ticket (7 home games total).

Now depending on seat location there is a varied donation requirement for season tickets...which ranges from $50 up to $2050 for non premium seats.


so really the only way you'd be paying north of $100 for individual tickets in the non premium section is if the ticket holder is raising the prices to help cover their donation.
 
It's $450 a year according to the season ticket map... so face value would be about $65 a ticket (7 home games total).

Now depending on seat location there is a varied donation requirement for season tickets...which ranges from $50 up to $2050 for non premium seats.


so really the only way you'd be paying north of $100 for individual tickets in the non premium section is if the ticket holder is raising the prices to help cover their donation.
That's pretty reasonable I think, if you compare it to nfl games. Sounds like the secondary market is what's causing the issue if you're paying over $200 for a ticket.

The last nfl game I went to was a seahawks game, and face value for not so great seats was $125. No idea if they do the PSA stuff too, but still.
 
I don’t like prices either, but this is merely excitement and demand. Nothing else. Ok you can argue about ticketmaster sure, but no one would care if you were giving tickets away because we sucked.

I'll take the pain.
I agree. I understand the frustration, but supply and demand is capitalism.

In Heupel’s first year, I bought two tickets for the USCe game that were decent, lower level seats. It was through the university when single game tickets went on sale. We had gone through bad times, and people weren’t sure yet. Now, those tickets aren’t available simply because of our success. People want to go and will pay.
 
My dad has been buying season tix for 30 years. He was paying exorbitant donations and ticket prices for much of that time when we sucked really bad. His season tickets are probably as cheap as they have been in the last 15 years. For one of the handful of times in that 30 years of dedication he is coming out on top of the market if he chose to sell. He is not though. He has rarely ever done so on the open market. I wish there was half as much concern about attendance when he could not give tickets away to vol fans. Only the people who have attended for long periods will really understand this, but I stand by it. If you want a good value buy season tickets. If you want a good deal wait until we suck again.
 
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Live Nation owns Ticketmaster technically but your point still stands. Also, people should realize a very small portion of the fees go to TM. Most go to the artist/team/venue. One thing TM should do a better job of is capping resale prices. They just let people do whatever.
What? Ticket master doesn't have to pay the venue or artist or team any of the fees they collect for reselling tickets.
 
One of the main reason UT uses Ticketmaster (or any other ticket seller) is the savings for UT. It is very expensive to run security for a ticket site. Ticketmaster can spread that cost out over all the tickets they sell. UT would have to spend large sums of money to have their own site and have it be secure. All sports teams have gone to this. Even the NFL doesn’t run its own ticket operations.
 
I agree. I understand the frustration, but supply and demand is capitalism.

In Heupel’s first year, I bought two tickets for the USCe game that were decent, lower level seats. It was through the university when single game tickets went on sale. We had gone through bad times, and people weren’t sure yet. Now, those tickets aren’t available simply because of our success. People want to go and will pay.

I did the same thing and attended that same game. Those days are gone. But it’s a good problem to have. I’d rather have this increased demand and high prices than the former and lethargy that used to surround the program.
 

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