Tom notices empty seats

[np_husker]

By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

 

The vacant seats at the top of the student section in South Stadium were tough to miss during Nebraska’s hard-fought win over Kansas on a frigid Saturday.

 

It certainly did not escape the glance of Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne.

 

“Supposedly those seats were all sold, and we may have missed some students because of the weather or because of the Oklahoma loss or whatever,” Osborne said Monday. “But that concerns you, because usually, the last people to give up because of weather or win-loss record, you would think, would be the students. ...

 

“So I don’t know how to interpret it, but we may have to take a look at it. I think we have enough demand that we could certainly sell those tickets at the regular price next year if the students don’t want to come.”

 

The empty seat topic was a popular one on campus Monday, making a busy day for Emily Zimmer, UNL’s student body president, who researched responses from students on the open seats and possible reasons why.

 

“The first thing I would probably note is if everyone could probably take a deep breath. It’s just one game,” Zimmer said. “I think it was a combination of factors. We have heard from some students about all the changes that were made to student ticketing — some positive, some negative.”

 

Zimmer said students are generally positive about the switch to general-admission seating this year, additional tickets and a new system where older students get premium seating — upperclassmen in East Stadium and underclassmen in the South.

 

“What students do not like, and aren’t going to like and are never going to like, is the movement from the front of South Stadium to the top of South Stadium,” Zimmer said. “And I think we’re beginning to see some response to that with what you saw — where the student section by halftime was probably less than half-full in South Stadium. If you looked over to East Stadium, where students have premium seats, it was packed full until the final whistle.”

 

Students were given about 200 more tickets this season but also had about 2,000 of their seats moved from the lower part of South Stadium to the upper part.

 

In March, Osborne told the Journal Star the change was done because many students were often standing on top of seats, making it difficult for some season-ticket holders behind them to see the game. Osborne said it was not a moneymaking move.

 

If some students didn’t like the change, it didn’t keep them from swallowing up tickets faster than they’ve gone in a long time, according to NU ticket manager Holly Adam. Apathy was hardly present with new head coach Bo Pelini arriving. Adam said student tickets sold out in just 17 days.

 

Osborne pointed out Monday that Nebraska has one of the lowest costs in the conference ($21 per ticket) for its students to attend games and that he hasn’t heard hardly any complaints about the new seating arrangement.

 

“We gave students a larger number of seats this year,” he said. “We did not raise student prices. We have not raised prices for the last seven or eight years. ... We’ll just evaluate it. We’ll see what happens in the Colorado game.”

 

The weather certainly played a factor in the empty student sections Saturday — temperatures in the 30s, but howling winds making it feel much colder. You could find empty seats here and there throughout the stadium, not necessarily a shock on a bone-chilling day like that. The game’s attendance was reported as 85,486, in line with most crowds for Husker games.

 

But the emptiness of the top rows of Sections 12, 13 and 14 in South Stadium was an unfamiliar scene at Memorial Stadium. There were also some empty seats at the top of those sections in the previous home game against Baylor, when temperatures were in the 70s.

 

By halftime of Saturday’s game, with the score tied at 14, many students cleared out, and by the fourth quarter of a close game, at least the top 10 rows of those sections had hardly anybody occupying them.

 

Because student tickets are sold in advance, NU’s 296-game sellout streak wasn’t in jeopardy.

 

Zimmer said she feels some students “just feel disengaged.”

 

“They’re back so far that they have to watch it on the big screen,” she said. “And if they’re going to watch it on the big screen, they might as well not sit outside and freeze their heinie off.”

 

Zimmer said a fan behavior committee — which includes representation from students and members of the athletic department — has met a couple times this fall and will meet after the season to evaluate how the seating changes have worked out.

 

Some have said part of the reason for the emptiness in the top rows is because of the general-admission seating.

 

“I think one aspect people are missing here is the students are not spread out evenly within the student section — they are all packed like sardines, standing-room-only, at the bottom of the section,” wrote 25-year-old Jon Hanseling, a business administration major, in an e-mail to the Journal Star.

 

His viewpoint was shared by others in e-mails.

 

Zimmer, however, said many students were telling her that they actually feel more spread out this year.

 

“I haven’t seen pushing or overcrowding of general admission,” she said.

 

Kirk Christensen, a freshman from Ord, certainly didn’t have to worry about a crowd Saturday. He watched the game five rows from the top of Section 13, nobody within 10 feet of him and his friends.

 

“You can see better up here,” said Christensen, a comment that appeared in Sunday’s Journal Star.

 

Osborne noted that remark Monday.

 

“And I sit up there in the end zone in the north end,” Osborne said. “Those that complain about those seats up high, you really can see better. I would much prefer, if I’m going to have an end zone seat, I’d much rather be up high than down close. Maybe that’s just me talking, but I’m kind of glad at least one student recognized those are not necessarily the worst seats.”

[huskerpilot]

well...whatever. Either way i hope this never happens again. I dont think Tom will hesitate to take those tickets away if students aren't going to show. Its pretty important those students come IMO. I'm pissed that they didnt

[Army Husker]

A couple years ago, the Nebraska Bookstore had a crappy run trying to get season ticket holders to part with tickets to give to veterans. Maybe they would have better luck getting tickets from the students during their "boycott" over the seating movement.

 

BTW, Happy Veteran's Day out there to the vets on our board.

 

My reply to the same topic in other long-winded thread...

[huskersok]

A couple years ago, the Nebraska Bookstore had a crappy run trying to get season ticket holders to part with tickets to give to veterans. Maybe they would have better luck getting tickets from the students during their "boycott" over the seating movement.

 

BTW, Happy Veteran's Day out there to the vets on our board.

 

My reply to the same topic in other long-winded thread...

[billdozer15]

While the students should be the 1st people in the stadium and the last ones to leave, I can understand their fustration. I dont see why they cant put the students all in one section from the front row all the way to the top and then none of the geezers have to complain about them standing on their seats. I went to ISU and we had the NE corner from row 1 all the way to the top of the upper deck that way we could pretty much do what we wanted without disturbing the non students. Mixing Students and Non students in the same section of a stadium will never work.

[Hunter94]

the young kids can more readily climb a long line of stairs......leave them in the back where they can hoot and holler and not block the view of the older fans.......if they don't want to come, then cut their ticket allocation......spoiled babies.......we were thrilled just to get a seat way back when.......

[nepolo7]

To me it seems like every other college game I watch students are right on top of the field united in one section. I was annoyed at all the rules and regulations they started employing when I was a student. Give them a whole section top to bottom and that will eliminate a lot of issues

[HuskerTrucker]

...maybe I will move up the season ticket list again???

[HUSKER FREAK]

While the students should be the 1st people in the stadium and the last ones to leave, I can understand their fustration. I dont see why they cant put the students all in one section from the front row all the way to the top and then none of the geezers have to complain about them standing on their seats. I went to ISU and we had the NE corner from row 1 all the way to the top of the upper deck that way we could pretty much do what we wanted without disturbing the non students. Mixing Students and Non students in the same section of a stadium will never work.

 

You are right. I was at the ISU game and my wife and I were laughing at how much fun it looked like over in their student section. I think that would be the best results, and it should general admision for them in those seats as well. Although at $21 per ticket hell I will sit up there for that call me please I will take them LOL.

[MUTigerFan]

Students ought to be in the Front Row! Not oldsters toting oxygen tanks. Should be crazed, face-painted kids cheering for their team.

 

http://www.krcg.com/uploadedImages/krcg/Ne...s/mizzou(1).jpg

[illnino]

Students ought to be in the Front Row! Not oldsters toting oxygen tanks. Should be crazed, face-painted kids cheering for their team.

 

I agree. I think crazed, face-painted kids cheering for their team would also motivated the players, and intimidate the opposing team. Don't get me wrong, I respect all of our fans, but I know I would rather look up and see a thousand cheering, rowdy fans.

[Pedro Guerrero]

The student section is part of College football and for some reason isn’t celebrated at NU like it is other places. I get all the “old timer” crap but come on it is ridiculous that the students have to be in the back behind rows of people sitting on their hands. At NU the student section appears to be treated the same way the stinking visitor section is good seats on one side and then all the way in the back on the other. If you ask me this is and has been complete crap.

 

T.O. saying moving the kids back so that some season ticket holders could see better was not done because of money is complete junk. Someone had to complain and make some noise over it otherwise he wouldn’t have changed what was going on.

 

I will say this though the students’ leaving early and not showing up is complete crap as well. However maybe this is their way of letting the “man” know that they feel like second class fans, which I totally agree with.

[huskerswrkhavoc]

 

 

now, unless i read that wrong, TO said they haven't raised prices in 7-8 years, its something that we will evaluate... there was a GUARANTEE that ticket prices would not go up next year... i thought for the next 2 or 3 years, but maybe i misread that in his e-mail to the students also.. that right there would be an atrocity if he were to raise student ticket prices after guaranteeing they don't go up.. now, do i think $21 is cheap? yea, yea i do. very cheap. but its the fact that it was a guaranteed price that it sure as hell better not go up.

 

 

 

as for the "spoiled babies" comment. We can say the same thing about older people.. we can be rude and everything you can say... while the elderly are supposed to have our respect, aren't they also supposed to be old enough to "take the higher road?" I really see no reason to respect someone like that who will just sit and blast away at a generation simply because they were raised differently than you..

[junior4949]

Unless things have drastically changed in the past 15 years, we always left early when I had student tickets. Rarely did we ever make it past halftime. The game was in hand, and we wanted to get a seat at the bars before the "older" generation came packing it in. We rarely ever attended the games where you knew it was going to be a blowout. Yeah, we tried to sell our tickets. However, most of us didn't get them sold when we were playing D2 teams and the likes of our preseason foes.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

 

 

now, unless i read that wrong, TO said they haven't raised prices in 7-8 years, its something that we will evaluate... there was a GUARANTEE that ticket prices would not go up next year... i thought for the next 2 or 3 years, but maybe i misread that in his e-mail to the students also.. that right there would be an atrocity if he were to raise student ticket prices after guaranteeing they don't go up.. now, do i think $21 is cheap? yea, yea i do. very cheap. but its the fact that it was a guaranteed price that it sure as hell better not go up.

 

 

 

as for the "spoiled babies" comment. We can say the same thing about older people.. we can be rude and everything you can say... while the elderly are supposed to have our respect, aren't they also supposed to be old enough to "take the higher road?" I really see no reason to respect someone like that who will just sit and blast away at a generation simply because they were raised differently than you..

He said they haven't raised the price for the students in that timeframe. If that is how you read it then you read it correctly.