CBS: Oldest Sellout Streak In Peril

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
On a recent quiet afternoon at Barry's, an iconic local watering hole, Kenzie Daily is asked to consider the unthinkable.

What would life be like if Nebraska failed to sell out a game for the first time in 54 years?

"I don't think that will ever happen," said Daily, the bar's hospitality manager.

Until recently, it was OK to believe in forever here. Memorial Stadium is a couple of fly patterns away from Barry's front door. It's almost a requirement on game days that fans stop over at the corner of 9th and Q Streets before heading over.

When they get to the shrine that is Memorial Stadium, the lack of elbow room is a proud inconvenience. These fans -- and their parents and grandparents -- have occupied every last seat at Nebraska for 347 consecutive games.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/nebraska-football-braces-for-potential-end-of-program-defining-sellout-streak/
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Couple of things:

Attendance is down for the first time since 2011. OK, the decline is only 1,251 per game (1.3 percent), but it's enough to raise Big Red flags for something other than touchdowns.
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Stadium capacity was reduced in 2015, an adjustment to the overstep of the increase (by 5,000 seats) in 2013.

Swarbrick claims to have little knowledge -- or concern -- over the nation's second-longest college streak. Notre Dame has sold out 249 straight games going back to 1973. (Oregon is a distant third at 110 games.)

"When is a game sold out?" he said. "There is so much subjectivity there. Every AD has six tickets in his pocket. Is that a sellout? That's why I haven't ever really focused on it."
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Swarbrick's comments echo what I've been saying about this, whenever someone questions the validity of our sellout streak.

Our streak is as valid as anyone else's. Claiming the books have been cooked is entirely subjective. No other AD is claiming Nebraska's streak is invalid. They know a sellout at Nebraska is as valid as a sellout at Notre Dame, Oklahoma, or ECU.

 
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knapplc said:
Couple of things:

Attendance is down for the first time since 2011. OK, the decline is only 1,251 per game (1.3 percent), but it's enough to raise Big Red flags for something other than touchdowns.
Click to expand...
Stadium capacity was reduced in 2015, an adjustment to the overstep of the increase (by 5,000 seats) in 2013.

Swarbrick claims to have little knowledge -- or concern -- over the nation's second-longest college streak. Notre Dame has sold out 249 straight games going back to 1973. (Oregon is a distant third at 110 games.)

"When is a game sold out?" he said. "There is so much subjectivity there. Every AD has six tickets in his pocket. Is that a sellout? That's why I haven't ever really focused on it."
Click to expand...
Swarbrick's comments echo what I've been saying about this, whenever someone questions the validity of our sellout streak.

Our streak is as valid as anyone else's. Claiming the books have been cooked is entirely subjective. No other AD is claiming Nebraska's streak is invalid. They know a sellout at Nebraska is as valid as a sellout at Notre Dame, Oklahoma, or ECU.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

Even though I'm super far away, now that the kids are getting older, I'd love to plan a yearly trip back, likely starting next year. IMO, they should really look at pulling out the benches, putting in actual seats, and reducing capacity a bit. It would do wonders for comfort, and would all but ensure the streak stays alive (as long as we get better).

 
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Here's my chart on the sellout streak.

bnDNnhk.png


 
saunders45 said:
knapplc said:
Couple of things:

Attendance is down for the first time since 2011. OK, the decline is only 1,251 per game (1.3 percent), but it's enough to raise Big Red flags for something other than touchdowns.
Click to expand...
Stadium capacity was reduced in 2015, an adjustment to the overstep of the increase (by 5,000 seats) in 2013.

Swarbrick claims to have little knowledge -- or concern -- over the nation's second-longest college streak. Notre Dame has sold out 249 straight games going back to 1973. (Oregon is a distant third at 110 games.)

"When is a game sold out?" he said. "There is so much subjectivity there. Every AD has six tickets in his pocket. Is that a sellout? That's why I haven't ever really focused on it."
Click to expand...
Swarbrick's comments echo what I've been saying about this, whenever someone questions the validity of our sellout streak.

Our streak is as valid as anyone else's. Claiming the books have been cooked is entirely subjective. No other AD is claiming Nebraska's streak is invalid. They know a sellout at Nebraska is as valid as a sellout at Notre Dame, Oklahoma, or ECU.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
Even though I'm super far away, now that the kids are getting older, I'd love to plan a yearly trip back, likely starting next year. IMO, they should really look at pulling out the benches, putting in actual seats, and reducing capacity a bit. It would do wonders for comfort, and would all but ensure the streak stays alive (as long as we get better).
Click to expand...
I'm all for more legroom/widening seats, but I don't want to give people even more reason to sit in their a$$ at games. #benchlife
 
CBS kind of late on an article about a sell out in question as apparently all the tickets but a small number sold (some tickets alloted by conference rule to opponents' fans being returned). Those will be sold without a question unless somebody is asleep at the wheel in the ticket office.

I am amazed at how some want to question the 'validity' of the sell out streak suggesting such notions as that because some boosters bought larger numbers of tickets and resold or gave them away as public relations programs or whatever. The 'sell out' is just that - a sell out of the available tickets. Some will say that - there were empty seats and that is a whole other topic. There are many, many factors which come into play when considering whether or not someone attends vs bought a ticket to attend. I dare say that with 70 or 80 or nowadays 90 thousand people acquire tickets to a college football game in an outdoor stadium, many circumstances will arise which prohibit or infringe upon the ticket holders' choice to actually go and sit in his or her seat for the game. People have daily lives and families and jobs and illnesses and myriad other conflicts which arise on a hourly basis.

Attendance figures will vary for any activity or event whether or not tickets are required, are free or highly sought after or not. The ticket office selling all the tickets it chooses to make available for purchase for any given event is also impacted by any number of considerations. A facility is always in the process of remodel, maintenance, repair, cleaning, etc. and of course the events attract media and so on which will vary in number and so on. How many coaches, players, assistants, media and other representatives a given participating team may bring will vary every week as well. TV coverage and their crews and the fact that most games are now broadcasted live to anyone who wants to find a TV set is a great factor in the demand for tickets without question.

The fact the economy is not good and has not been for nearly a decade certainly is a major factor as well. The majority of Americans today live on much less income while inflation has driven up dramatically the ticket prices. Additional costs to actually attend have also risen. When the sell out began, attendance would have been cheap and easy for the relative smaller number of seats. Still Bod Devaney had to personally drive all over Nebraska to sell tickets to businessmen and so on just to get funds to help build the program. Many many businesses subscribed to season tickets to help support the athletic department and football even though they didn't plan to attend. Those tickets were in turn given away to friends, family, customers, etc. as promotional items and 'thank yous' etc. Once the winning tradition was established, Nebraska football became very popular for many Nebraskans and of course as the word got out and many casual fans got a taste of the fun of attending, the tickets sold quicker and the need for more seats begot many additions and expansions etc. Smart marketing works!

I give the Athletic Department and Coach Osborne and many others whose names are not even well known tremendous regards for a job WELL DONE! It continues to this day many decades later despite all the naysaying and so on. Last year's team did not have a winning season and there was plenty of negativity from the fans but it is also true that the games were very entertaining and fans continued to support the team evidenced by the fact that Memorial Stadium on football Saturdays is STILL aptly described as one of the largest cities in the State. Nebraska has less than 2 million total population spread over an area over 100,000 square miles. Travel is NOT cheap and time is precious, yet nearly 90 thousand (5% of the population almost) takes the trouble to go, when the game can easily and comfortably viewed from the comfort of their own easy chair! This is an amazing thing and should not be belittled! Just my opinion!

 
It's supply and demand. We keep increasing the capacity. From 46,000 back in the 60s to over 86,000 today. If we keep increasing the supply eventually demand will dip below it.

I'd say we have about as much stadium capacity as we can use, right now, to keep the sellout streak going. We still have waiting lists for season tickets, right? If we get much up over 90,000 I'll bet the streak will actually come to an end. Eventually.

 
NUance said:
It's supply and demand. We keep increasing the capacity. From 46,000 back in the 60s to over 86,000 today. If we keep increasing the supply eventually demand will dip below it.

I'd say we have about as much stadium capacity as we can use, right now, to keep the sellout streak going. We still have waiting lists for season tickets, right? If we get much up over 90,000 I'll bet the streak will actually come to an end. Eventually.
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No, they've been exhausted for at least a couple years now.

 
Mavric said:
NUance said:
It's supply and demand. We keep increasing the capacity. From 46,000 back in the 60s to over 86,000 today. If we keep increasing the supply eventually demand will dip below it.

I'd say we have about as much stadium capacity as we can use, right now, to keep the sellout streak going. We still have waiting lists for season tickets, right? If we get much up over 90,000 I'll bet the streak will actually come to an end. Eventually.
Click to expand...
No, they've been exhausted for at least a couple years now.
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Whoa, I didn't know *that*. I'd say we've gone too far, given the relatively sparse population of our state. Probably should have capped it at 80,000 or so. Oh well, it's just one of the longest streaks in all of sports. Who cares if it ends on your watch Mr. Eichorst. LULZ

 
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I wonder how many of the sellout streak milestone games we've won? We just so happen to be playing Oregon on 350...

 
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