NU football ticket availability underscores critical nature of season

[Saunders]

 

Let's be clear: This discussion isn't new. Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst acknowledged as far back as August of 2014 that the demand for football season tickets had softened.

 

Since then it has become softer, even though the stadium's capacity has shriveled a bit due to minor alterations made before last season.

 

Let's split some hairs: Thanks to stadium expansion before the 2013 season, official capacity in both 2013 and 2014 always exceeded 90,000, and crowds often surpassed 91,000. Last

season, however, the official crowd count only twice surpassed 90,000 — 90,094 for Michigan State and 90,830 for Iowa.

 

Of course, you know a surefire way to stifle any sky-is-falling concerns.

 

Winning cures all, or almost all (Baylor won a lot).

 

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/sipple/steven-m-sipple-nu-football-ticket-availability-underscores-critical-nature/article_1ddf2eee-c15b-5a47-8e77-bde778b0c2ff.html

 

 

[84HuskerLaw]

I believe that in any season you will have some games where the game attendance can be described as either 'soft' when the weather is bad, the opponent is bad, the timing of kick off is bad, or other major events can have an impact.

 

I clearly can remember during the'94 or '95 season (apex of Husker history in my opinion) on a bright, sunny, beautiful fall afternoon in October, the best team of all time played top ten ranked Kansas in Memorial Stadium. I was the owner for many seasons of a dozen season tickets. I found buyers for those not being used by family and close friends each week for years. On that particular day (there were always games where this would happen) I walked into the stadium with 4 extra tickets unsold to anyone. I tried but there were simply no takers (I made a practice of not selling for less than 50% of face value as a matter of principle I should add). There were ticket sellers all over. I specifically remember saying to my wife, I just can't understand how people would pass up the chance to come see the best of the best in this great atmosphere against a good team on a sunny calm 70 degree day

 

There are many games where attendance is much less than ticketed seats sold out. I would be surprised if all the seats were ever completely filled on any game even with the attendance figures exceeding seating capacity. Attendance includes every single body inside the gates (teams, coaches, press, workers, etc etc. vs seating for fans).

 

The bottom line is that there has always been a certainly degree of mythology about ticket demand, prices, etc. So many times one hears of scalpers getting hundreds of dollars over face price for tickets for the 'big games' but reality has always been that if you simply waited until right before kick off, you could buy tickets around face price and majority of times well below face.

[huKSer]

My wife and her friend wanted to go to some NU vs directional state in the '80s at the last minute. They found a scalper holding up two tickets. They asked how much he said $10, so they gave him $10 and took the two tickets. I guess the look on the guy's face was priceless.

[BigRedBuster]

Another thing that is very different from way back when is how they tickets are sold.

 

It used to be that families would have tickets for generations and they were just handed down. Many times they were still in the original buyer's name even though they were dead.

 

Now, they have made it more difficult to do that. So, if someone dies or for whatever reason decides to simply not want the tickets anymore, they then go back to the ticket office to be resold. Sure, there are people still who buy someone's tickets for a complete season. But, that happens less often now than it used to.

 

I'm not concerned about the sell out streak.

[Essence of Man]

Comfort of watching a game indoors with a better vantage point for free. Game day atmosphere is great, but once you've seen it. There's nothing new. Especially when it's been the same since the 90's. Except the level of football being played of course.

Been to many games and I'm not awe stricken anymore. As more and more of the diehard blue hairs pass way (May they rest in peace). The demand will go down and the sellout streak will end. There are less and less young people who love NU like the love of the 90's. It's due to the ability of being able to watch literally every team every week. With College Football being more and more commercialized, it's only natural that the old "live and die by where you grew up" starts to fade away. Especially if those fans have no affiliation with the UNL system.

[dvdcrr]

You think the demand for tickets has softened now, just wait till the millenials are the prime market! I talked to several young farmers the other day and their best memory of Nebraska football was the 2001 thrashing by Miami. A whole generation that really never experienced the excitement of being in the chase. Think about that for a minute.

[Bowfin]

If two or more people in a row of seats is five or more pounds overweight, it is problematic for everybody in that row to actually sit down at the same time. Parking is not good and is expensive, concessions are expensive, and half of the seats don't really offer that good a view. Not to mention, if one is used to watching a game on television with instant replays multiple camera angles. The only thing a game has to offer is (maybe) atmosphere of the crowd's roar.

 

I think every Nebraska fan should get to go to at least one football game, nobody should have to go twice.

[Swiv3D]

If two or more people in a row of seats is five or more pounds overweight, it is problematic for everybody in that row to actually sit down at the same time. Parking is not good and is expensive, concessions are expensive, and half of the seats don't really offer that good a view. Not to mention, if one is used to watching a game on television with instant replays multiple camera angles. The only thing a game has to offer is (maybe) atmosphere of the crowd's roar.

 

I think every Nebraska fan should get to go to at least one football game, nobody should have to go twice.

wow, you sound really fun to hang out with...

[Landlord]

If two or more people in a row of seats is five or more pounds overweight, it is problematic for everybody in that row to actually sit down at the same time. Parking is not good and is expensive, concessions are expensive, and half of the seats don't really offer that good a view. Not to mention, if one is used to watching a game on television with instant replays multiple camera angles. The only thing a game has to offer is (maybe) atmosphere of the crowd's roar.

 

I think every Nebraska fan should get to go to at least one football game, nobody should have to go twice.

 

 

I hope you never have to bear the horrendous tragedy of going to a professional sporting event in a major metro area. $10 parking and $5 drinks? Try $50 parking and $11 Bud Lights at an NFL game.

 

You know Memorial Stadium has an app where you can immediately DVR previous plays from all camera angles on your phone? It's a pretty nifty feature. Actually gives you more options than a cable/satellite provider.

 

And I like the (maybe) on the crowd noise atmosphere. Like in what scenario is that not a thing? If you are deaf?

[skersfan]

Well the true fan seems to be coming out. More about beer at the bar, watching the big screen than truly supporting your team. If this board truly represents the fan base of Nebraska football, it seems to be over.

 

Thank gawd the Blue Hairs have a few more games in them, some of you are truly unbelievable.

 

This board is on such a terrible freefall. I used to read this board 20 times a day, now if I read it once in twenty days it is enough to make me sick.

[Saunders]

 

It’s not 1982 anymore.

 

Today, there are approximately 1,400 season tickets available for the 2016 Nebraska football season.

 

We’re not talking knot-hole gang, either. On Huskers.com, there are 15 seats available on the 50-yard line on the west side of Memorial Stadium. One costs $399, with a $2,500 donation. You must bring your own jewelry to rattle.

 

Now, this is not news. Nebraska has had tickets come up every year. Some folks don’t renew. They are quickly scooped up.

 

But we rarely, if ever, heard about it.

 

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/shatel-so-so-season-could-endanger-husker-sellout-streak/article_1ad62a84-45d1-5b82-a7ed-59b38ce8d1c6.html

 

Damn...

[seaofred92]

The other part of this is you're finding less and less people who are willing to shelve out $$$ to sit in the top corners of the stadium and use binoculars to see what the hell is going on down there. I live in Charlotte, go to 1 Panthers game a year and just scalp the seats we want on the sideline for one game.

 

And with outlets like ticketmaster, vivid seats, stub hub, etc why would I drop the $500+ in donations per seat for season tickets? I love Husker football but at some point there is a law of diminishing returns

[Pedro Guerrero]

You can probably go to Lincoln every home game and buy tickets from the folks outside the stadium for less than what season tickets cost(with the donation figured in).

[BigRedBuster]

I absolutely love Lincoln on game day and there is nothing like watching a big game live. I had season tickets the entire time I was at UNL and my dream is to have them again some time.

However, this is no different than a lot of conversations I have had with friends recently. People are just way busier now than they used to be. Kids activities have taken over so much that committing to going to all or most of the games is almost impossible if you expect to also go to all your kids activities. I try to get to at least one game per year. Even that is sometimes next to impossible to work into the schedule.

 

Now, I have one more child in HS and when he is gone, I plan on seriously taking a look at buying season tickets. But, until then, I just can't see it.

 

On top of all that, I have to say, forking out $5,800 for a pair of tickets (price in post above) to see:

 

Fresno State

Wyoming

Oregon

Illinois

Purdue

Minnesota

Maryland

 

Doesn't just jump out at me as an amazing spectacle of great college football.

[TGHusker]

So, are we at risk of the sell out streak ending this year? If we have another year like last year (doubtful) it could happen. My hope is that these recruiting classes will turn the tide. If we finally get that elusive conf championship win again, I think we will be back on the map and the passion will spread to the generation that has not seen a championship as an adult.