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I guess they would rather have a half empty stadium than an overrun stadium of the opposing teams fans bringing revenue to their glorified high school football field.

whoa, are you dense? do you not get it? all those 'casual' fans from chicago where champing at the bit for a chance to watch their beloved bandwagon team, but mean ole nebraska took over and stole their prime opportunity to expand their fanbase to all those fans who only want to watch a team with a fanbase that, unfortunately for them, actually cares.

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Cry me a river. I remember being at the NU Notre Dame game about 11 years ago when well over half the stadium was packed with NU fans. That was a huge embaressment for Notre Dame, and for the most part they kept their mouths shut. Something like this would never happen at Lincoln, or for that matter many other established football programs around the country. If a fanbase can not support their own team at a home game it is ludicrous to blame loyal fans who have traveled 100s of miles to come on the road and support their team. When I read stuff like this it just tells me that this was probably a guy who is on the bandwagon becaus Northwestern is having a decent year and not a true college football fan. This guy needs to get over it............

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This rant in the OP came as a comment to an article on "Sippin' On Purple, a Northwestern Wildcats community."

 

The dude doesn't just stop with this initial rant - he goes on and on. It's actually quite funny:

 


What I'm mad about...

 

 

… is that the opposing team was able to get 60%-70% of the tickets BEFORE they were even offered as single game tickets to the general public by manipulation of our season ticket policy (which again, I do blame our own athletic department for). Basically, we’re telling every casual fan in Chicago that you need to either purchase a full season (which many won’t be prepared to do), or you can’t have tickets to some of the better games on the schedule – and we wonder why we have a tough time recruiting new fans. We also just told every alum outside of Chicago who maybe can’t make every game that they couldn’t get tickets through our ticket office because they were already snatched up by the opposing team before offered for sale. Nebraskans may be nice, but their purchase of those tickets sucked all of the oxygen out of what could have been a stepping-stone in our program, and I for one am pissed about it.

Regardless, I don’t want an opposing fanbase to tell me how great it was to visit and ruin our gameday experience, put our team at a disadvantage, and tell us how nice we were doing it. I’m not trying to be rude, and I certainly don’t want to see anything untoward happen to opposing fans, but I don’t want them to feel comfortable coming to our house and dominating like the Michigans, OSU’s, and now Nebraskas have become accustomed to. As nice as they were, just by being there in the numbers that they were was an insult to our players and our fans, and I’m sorry, but I just don’t want to see as many of them there the next time we play.

 


I did complain to the AD office

 

 

I hope you continue to enjoy your team, just in your own stadium (or at least as only 30% of the crowd versus the 60%+ range). Locusts come in great numbers as well, and they’re not always welcomed as guests. Let’s be honest, if your stadium was taken over, you would be pissed as well – it’s easy to be magnaminous when it’s something that you have never had to face. In some ways, I almost prefer the jerks of the Michigans and the OSUs because at least they know what they’re doing is a dominance play and don’t expect us to like them for doing it. If that makes me a prick, so be it.

 


Were you even there NUAC2002?

 

 

It’s easy to brush off if you’re watching the games on TV. It’s not so easy if you have gotten season tickets for over a decade, sat through the rain and the cold for the likes of Southern Illinois and Rice, only to see your stadium taken over for the few games that truly matter during a season.

Yes, Nebraska fans were nice. That said, it was an utter failure by our ticket department to allow us to get overrun like that. Their presence was at best an annoyance and at worst antagonistic to people like me who have supported this program for years. I don’t want to see as many of them at the next game. They wouldn’t like it if it happened to them – something that they don’t have to worry about given their already established base. Northwestern has more work to do, but selling our games to opposing fanbases doesn’t help. And yes, I EXPECT our Athletic Department to do everything possible to build long-term home field advantage for our program, which means things like…

- Limiting early access to key single-game tickets to multi-year season ticket holders.

- Taking action to determine who is selling their tickets through brokers (you can outright determine seats on StubHub). If it exceeds a certain number of times, first offer to facilitate via an NU-friendly exchange, but then don’t hesitate to raise prices / penalize seat location if somebody keeps selling the tickets.

- Screen new ticket holders with mailing addresses in Omaha, Iowa City, Ann Arbor, or Columbus. If they don’t meet certain criteria (i.e. not alums or any other historical connection to the program), charge them 5x-6x more. At least maximize revenue if you’re conceding those seats.

- Track who actually uses their tickets for games. Look into those who only attend the name games (who are probably the ticket brokers), and be prepared to raise prices / modify seat locations.

 


 

Short term cash infusion...

 

 

… long term loss for a program that is trying to build a fan base. That was my point. I would rather have a shot at hooking another 3,000 casual Chicago fans who might buy tickets to other games for years to come. Indiana’s “home” game against Penn State in D.C. generated a lot of revenue as well, but that didn’t make it good for the long-term financial health of the program.

The locust comment was an analogy. It wasn’t a personal comment directed to anyone.

 


 

Yes

 

 

Thank you. That is an apt analogy as to what I was thinking. Again, I thought your fans were plenty nice. That said, I don’t want to see you there again in such great numbers. And to add to your analogy, I don’t want the group of guys who crashed to tell me what a great party we hosted, and that they plan on crashing every future party as well.

 

I don’t know how the majority of fans got tickets for the game. If it truly was walk-up sales, then it is what it is – I actually don’t have a problem with that. What bothered me is that we were “sold out” before the season started, which means that our Athletic Department either turned a blind eye and sold out to Huskers, or allowed brokers to take advantage of our season ticket policies. Either way, I view it as a failure on the part of our AD and one that hurts our chances of recruiting new fans and building or base. I’m hoping that somebody in that office thinks a little more strategically about how we sell our tickets next year before OSU and Michigan come to town.

 


 

And now it gets interesting, because apparently this guy actually invited Husker fans to come to Evanston:

 

GTom, Was This You on July 11, 2012...

 

 

http://bigrednetwork.com/story/payback_chicago-style

 

Did you make the following post on the Big Red Network blog?:

GTom

7/11/2012

 

“These articles are always amusing. As a Northwestern fan, I’ve been reading them for years (usually, written by Iowa, sometimes Michigan State, a few times Wiscy and Michigan). Just keep telling yourselves that last year was a fluke. Those 13 straight run plays to put the game away in the 4th that the blackshirts couldn’t stop? I mean, I guess it was complete gimmick football running it between the tackles like that :). That said, I will return hospitality shown to ‘Cats fans in Lincoln at my tailgate and look forward to the game.”

 

Just curious why the sudden change of heart? Sour grapes because your team didn’t capitalize on our ineptness and couldn’t protect a big lead? How many Husker fans did stop by your tailgate for your brand of ‘hospitality?’

 


Wow, I guess I got linked on a Nebraska board

 

 

For the record, I was personally nice to every Nebraska fan I met, and I did give out a couple of free beers to those wearing red who wandered by my tailgate. As noted multiple times above, I thought that all of you were personally nice, but I’m still not going to be happy about our stadium being invaded and I don’t want to see our stadium 60%+ red again. Yes, you’re able to do it because you have a much larger fanbase – we get that. That doesn’t mean that I have to like it as a supporter of my team, and that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t advocate ticket policies that try and prevent it in the future. It is our house, and while many of you had a great time, getting drowned out in your own stadium is not a pleasant experience. If you were truly nice, you could perhaps at least show a bit of empathy and realize that maybe your overwhelming presence is not appreciated by the other side. Also, please note that I never even made a comment about the outcome of the game – even if we had won, I would have been bothered by the number of opposing fans in the stands. This also isn’t a concern unique to Nebraska, many of us who regularly attend the games have similar complaints after playing Michigan, OSU, and Iowa (who we’ve beaten most of the past several years). I’m sorry for using the phrase “dicks” – it was unnecessarily crude and over-the-top alliteration – but my point still stands. Your presence there in such great numbers was not good for our fans enjoyment or the future of our program, and it’s something that we should try and prevent in the future in the interests of our own program.

 


 

You know I'm a regular poster, here, NUAC2002

 

 

Most of my comments are very benign. You say a lot of things on this site that get people angry, including me. Please note, I’m not one of the guys who goes after you for it, even though I strongly disagree with you on many occasions. I don’t know why you feel the need to carry the pitchfork and torch against my comments above – there appears to be plenty of Nebraska fans willing to do it without your support.

 

This is a Northwestern site. I was unhappy about how Northwestern’s stadium was overtaken by Nebraska fans. A lot of people who are long-time supporters of the ‘Cats were – take a look at some of what LTP had to write on the subject. Many of my comments are directed at our own policies, where some common-sense limits could have perhaps limited Nebraska’s advantage in the crowd. Aside from that, I find comments thanking us for giving up home field advantage to be very patronizing, and I said it. I used one phrase that I regret (after pointing out how friendly Nebraska people were), but was otherwise respectful – much more respectful than the responses that I received from the Nebraska fans on this site. It seems like this is a much better forum for saying such things than, say, writing comments at CornNation.

 

I bleed purple. I’ve missed two home games since 1993 (and I’m mad at my friends / family for getting married on those days). I lose my voice at just about every game. I buy six season tickets so family (who drive 3-5 hours one way) can join me at the games, and usually have to scramble to find others to use them when one of my regulars has a conflict. If I can’t find ‘Cats fans to use my tickets, I eat them rather than sell them. I donate substantial amounts to the University and the Athletic Department. I do everything in my power to support the program. I have certain minimal expectations that our AD is doing everything in his power to build a more enjoyable environment. We have systems in place like Wildcat points to tell who is a long-time supporter and who isn’t. If we were truly sold out before single game tickets were offered to Nebraska fans buying a season ticket for the first time, he failed those of us who put ourselves on the line every weekend to support this program.

 

You weren’t at the game. You’re not a season ticket holder. You’re not getting anybody from outside the University into a seat. You’re not coming up with any solutions to help out the team. By all appearances, you seem to be one of the casual fans you suggest that I should be railing against, but I won’t go there because I know you don’t live in the area and none of us have unlimited resources to be following the ’Cats. That said, it would be nice if you showed a little deferential treatment for those of us who do put our cash and time on the line, and did not like what occurred on Saturday.

 


 

Finally, an exchange between GTom (the OP) and a NW guy, telling him to just stop. For the record, throughout this guy's hissy fit, several other NW fans tell him to suck it up. He's alone in his angst. But his bitterness is hilarious.

 

 

OMG.

 

 

Ok, GTom, I agree, normally I like your posts, but this is just bizarre from you.

So, since I was NOT at the game, NOT a season ticket holder, and NOT getting people into the stadium, therefore I can’t question your anger towards Nebraska fans for attending a road game in a new city for their fan base. Ok, well, since I GUARANTEE you that I do more for NU than you do by attending games, you must not be able to tell me about fundraising policies for NU. Umm, that’s ridiculous, of course you can have an opinion on topics. I don’t live in Chicago, and to be honest, even if I did, I wouldn’t buy season tickets, does that make me less of a fan to you? If so, I’m sorry. There are many teams I like/support that I don’t have season tickets to.

But, the core issue remains. Why are you mad at Nebraska fans for traveling to NU? NU/casual fans DID not want to go to the game, why does that bother you so much? Why does your level of enjoyment incorporate others? You said you have been attending games for a long time, well gosh, often the stadium is empty, I don’t see any rants from you about why the stadium is so empty. Your post not only came off as angry that NU lost, but also angry that other people don’t love going to NU football games as much as you do. Why is that so hard for you to accept?

Also, I have two friends that work for NU athletics, and I asked them about other fan bases attending games. Both of said that they really don’t think it’s an issue, because it occurs to rarely, and the money they bring to the university is helpful to everyone at NU. So, it’s not going to change. Like I said, just wait till OSU comes, b/c they will overrun the stadium.

by NU Alumni - Class of 2002 on Oct 25, 2012 11:52 AM CDT up reply

 

 

Read my original post

 

 

You state that casual fans did not want to go to the game. We will never know, because the seats were sold out before it was even offered as a single game. We seem to be able to sell 28,000-32,000 to purple with regularity against minor opponents. My guess is that if there is no interference from Nebraska fans buying season tickets and getting early access to extra single game tickets, increased interest in the game gets you up to about 35,000 purple. Still leaves a 12,000 shortfall that would be red, but the breakout at the game was more like 20,000- purple, 27,000+ red. Even if we say that we would have needed 15,000 Nebraska fans to buy tickets in order to sell out, that translates into about $645K. In contrast, if you were able to somehow use the tickets to hook 1,000 new season ticket holders for three years, that would be $630K – not including extra concession sales, parking or other sources of income. Net / net, it doesn’t take much by way of the addition of new long-term fans to offset the marginal benefit of selling those tickets to Nebraska fans.

Take the opposite route and gouge Nebraska fans trying to attend the game by charging $300 a ticket

(not much more than they were already willing to pay for the season ticket). Maybe you only sell 4,000 tickets to them, but that’s $1.2MM right there, or the equivalent of almost 28,000 seats at the $43 price. As an alternative, don’t let first year season ticket holders buy extra single-game tickets. If you just sold 10,000 season tickets on that basis at ~$240 a pop, you’re talking $2.4MM. It might defeat the purpose of getting casual fans hooked on the ‘Cats, but it’s a much better paycheck to the University.

With all the comments above about the desire to sell out, Mr. Phillips didn’t need to sell those tickets early. Husker passion is such that he could have waited two weeks before the game and still sold out. There was a lot of time and room to have tried some creative marketing approaches to better position the program for the future. We actually did a good job wrapping up Wrigley a few years back and using it as a stepping stone for future season ticket sales. We need to bring the same mentality to big-name games like OSU, Michigan, and now Nebraska.

Given that I’ve been going since 1993, I’ve already experienced the OSU / Michigan / Wisconsin / Iowa invasions. They’re not as bad as Nebraska. We’ve generally seemed to be able to hold 50%+ of the crowd for those games.

by GTom on Oct 25, 2012 12:42 PM CDT up reply

 

 

Then..

 

 

…why are you angry at Nebraska fans? I repeat, if your gripe is with Jim Phillips, then contact him (as you already have). Don’t be mad at Nebraska fans.

Also, be honest, if Budzien’s FG goes in, do you bring any of this up? Honestly, do you?

Next year’s OSU crowd will be more than 50%, I would venture to say at least 65%. Their passion for Urban Meyer is pretty damn strong.

by NU Alumni - Class of 2002 on Oct 25, 2012 1:58 PM CDT up reply

 

 

Many of my comments are directed at our ticket office

 

 

All I’m saying is that we should not go gentle into that good night and congratulate our adversaries for ruining our game experience. They want to pat us on the head and say “good boy, thanks for the visit, I look forward to coming again”. I’m saying, “Eff that, some of us have pride in our own program, and don’t think that we all love having you around”. I didn’t call them evil, I didn’t call for them to suffer, I said a million times that they were nice, I used one regrettable crude phrase to highlight that just by being there in the number that they were, it was painful to me as a Northwestern fan and we should look into what we can do to prevent it going forward.

I only mention one gripe against their fans, which is that they showed up in such great numbers and did so under the false pretense of Northwestern season tickets. That’s it. I didn’t call them stupid, I didn’t insult them personally, I didn’t say anything bad about their school, I didn’t say anything bad about their state, I didn’t say anything bad about their team.

For that, I get people wishing me dead. For the Husker commenters, are you the same nice people I met at the game? The people there seemed decent. Those who have commented above are probably the most hateful commenters I have ever seen on this site.

And no, NUACO2002, honestly, I’m still upset about the crowd if Budzien’s field goal goes in. We all anticipated the disparity and I didn’t think it would bother me, but it did. Again, I’m not alone – there are plenty of people on LTP who attended the game who feel the same way. People loved Tressel too, and they showed up in great numbers, but OSU has not come close to this level in the past.

by GTom on Oct 25, 2012 2:52 PM CDT up reply

 

<a href="http://www.sippinonpurple.com/northwestern-wildcats-football/2012/10/20/3531928/northwestern-wildcats-28-nebraska-cornhuskers-29-final-score#">Also.

 

 

You keep saying that Nebraska manipulated the system. I watched the game on TV, and there were quite a few empty seats. There was room for more NU fans to come, IF THEY WANTED TO. Like I said earlier, NU has seven home games this year, there are more than ample opportunities for people to come to the game, it’s not a hard ticket to get, clearly.

by NU Alumni - Class of 2002 on Oct 25, 2012 11:57 AM CDT up reply

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I somehow doubt the NW administration is going to do anything to stop a Husker invasion every other year unless NW fans actually buy up all the tickets first. They are going to be elated they got all the gate and concessions from a mostly full stadium. They made more money off that game than any other so far this year.

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Also, please note that I never even made a comment about the outcome of the game – even if we had won, I would have been bothered by the number of opposing fans in the stands. This also isn’t a concern unique to Nebraska, many of us who regularly attend the games have similar complaints after playing Michigan, OSU, and Iowa (who we’ve beaten most of the past several years). I’m sorry for using the phrase “dicks” – it was unnecessarily crude and over-the-top alliteration – but my point still stands. Your presence there in such great numbers was not good for our fans enjoyment or the future of our program, and it’s something that we should try and prevent in the future in the interests of our own program.

---NW fan

 

An alliteration? I don't think that word means what you think it

. "Bunch of dicks" is NOT an alliteration. An example of an alliteration is: "nerdie Northwestern Nouveau-douche". Or "weird Wildcat Wanker".

 

 

 

lol. So much for the guy's expensive NW education. :lol:

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I give you guys lots of credit for making the journey and supporting your team. Given that you know that Ryan Field doesn't have the amenities that Memorial Stadium has and you come back in 2 years, I give you even more credit because I know your there for your team.

 

Yes, we have the Bears, Bulls, Sox, Cubs Blackhawks and Fire, several good college venues, and of course many things to do in the Chicago in a weekend. To me, Northwestern football is a goldmine and treasure that many Chicagoans haven't discovered and take for granted. Imagine the smallest school and maybe highest academic standards in the Big 10 holding their own against a powerhouse like Nebraska. It brings back memories of the "little school by the L", DePaul University, almost prevented the 1979 NCAA final between Bird and Magic, by almost beating Bird's Indiana State. That was coached by Ray Meyer, and we have a similar coach with Pat Fitzgerald.

 

Maybe a growing pocket of fans in Chicago will wake up and discover good football like people of Lincoln have with their team (albeit the only game in town). That was the goal, I think, of having the game at Wrigley Field, to showcase the team to the average Chicago sports fan. Until that happens, I say more power to you. I think you've seen that, in spite of the shortcomings of the stadium, that there is plenty else in Chicago to make up for it, versus a place like Lubbock (no disrespect to that town).

 

I was just talking to my work colleague, a Wisconsin alum; if Nebraska fans took over Camp Randall, you couldn't tell the difference much which red was which team. That would have help Northwestern's cause if red rather than purple. So I say, keep on coming until things change, either a growing fan base, or more restrictive season ticket selling. Your support of your team is to be admired.

 

p.s. Lincoln was rated one of the safest towns in the USA by Forbes. That plus the high standards of professionalism stamped on the fan base (I assume) by Tom Osborne. So we know we have a bunch of decent people coming (at least from Lincoln). From what I hear, you guys were one of the best guests compared to fans from other Big 10 schools and seemed to have a good time, except for waiting for the bathrooms.

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rdg25, you most likely reflect the feelings of about 100,000 Husker fans circa 1962. Don't for a second give up on your team, and in your lifetime you may see them do more than win a conference title or two. Never stop dreaming, never take your fandom for granted, and never take a back seat to anyone.

 

50 years ago most people on this board (including myself) weren't alive. We weren't around for the dark days, the building days, the days when it meant supporting a loser to be a Husker fan. You don't need to apologize to anyone, and frankly you should hold your head high. Yeah, we had 50% or more of the crowd at your latest home game, and yeah, your facilities don't match ours or Ohio State's, Michigan's, etc. But who cares? Northwestern is YOUR TEAM, and nobody takes that away from you.

 

Maybe, like me, you're a Cubs fan. We've got a lifetime of losing in common there. Or maybe, like me, you're a Bulls fan, and maybe you're old enough to vividly recall the championship runs of the 90s. We've got past glory in common there. Or maybe, like me, you're a Bears fan, and you can barely even remember the last time they won the title (Jim McMahon, The Fridge and Sweetness got it done in 1985). Does it matter? Aren't you still a Bears fan? I am. Screw the titles - Bear Down Bears! ! ! Right?

 

Don't ever apologize for your fandom, don't ever apologize for your facilities, and hold your head high that you're a fan of a good team, with a good coach, doing it the right way. Hold your head high that you're part of a fan base that is awesome. I was at last year's game in Lincoln, and every Northwestern fan I met was courteous, fun, and entertaining to talk to. I was at this year's game in Evanston, and I met a ton of great people. You are class acts all the way, and the fact that we have more fans overall than you means nothing. I hope we have a good, fun, exciting rivalry. And I personally hope you hang around here to talk football, to help us learn about the Big Ten, and to tell us more about the Wildcats.

 

Peace in your hood. And all that.

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Well wah wah wah! I live in the Southern part of Illinois, and this just makes me laugh. The state of Chicago is wronged! Those bozos up north make this state suck, kind of like Northwestern.

I agree with you. The state of Illinois has huge problems due in large part to political corruption originating from Cook County to name one, one of the biggest being the pension crisis that should bankrupt the state. And we had a 66% tax increase which is painful, decided by Chicago area pols.

 

I lived in southern part of Illinois for a few years. The only action in southern Illinois sportswise, besides the Cardinals, was the Salukis who had Gale Sayers as its Athletic Director during my time. Hopefully the Salukis will get their new sports center & football stadium they are planning and a segue to winning football in (I think) the Missouri Valley conference. Northwestern played SIU a few years ago in Evanston, lousy weather, but I don't see them on the horizon any time soon.

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