Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

It's a Reebok thing. I saw a high school game recently and they have the exact same jerseys (obviously don't say Wisconsin).

So Reebok dictates to the UW what the uni's are going to look like? I can't believe a University as powerful financially as UW can't dictate to their supplier how they want the uni's to look. Branding/history is important to a company such as UW.

I did really like the alt jerseys they wore earlier this year.

Attendance.....to get to the point, is UW attendance down because tons of public employees now have to pay for their own insurance due to Scott Walker's changes and now they can't afford to go to hockey games? I can't imagine that change cost UW 1,000 people per game. The economy has been flat between this year and last year and the attendance is down this year vs last.

All I can afford is one game a year of men's hockey for 4 people. This year I bought the tickets on black Friday when UW had that sale and got a break on the cost. I'm probably going to do the women's game, go to 5 Guys for supper, then go to the men's game. I wonder how many tickets were sold during that sale.

[JDUBBS1280]

Qucik Hits

1. Butters can't develop or recruit!

2. Schultz will never win a hobey if Sconi can't get over .500

3. Braun is a cheater, can't wait until Clay Mathews gets busted like his college buddy Cushing.

4. Gophers are back

Dude, take the football and baseball talk to another board. And I would hardly brag about our team's play as of late. Very inconsistent. I will agree with you though, Schultz will have to run away with this thing in order to win it on a sub .500 team. He's in the Top 5 right now, but to say he's THE front runner is utterly ridiculous. Take away second assists and his numbers look much less impressive. Right now, my money is on Connolly from UMD.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

So Reebok dictates to the UW what the uni's are going to look like? I can't believe a University as powerful financially as UW can't dictate to their supplier how they want the uni's to look. Branding/history is important to a company such as UW.

I did really like the alt jerseys they wore earlier this year.

Sure, Wisconsin has final say on what the jersey's look like, but Reebok provides the actual jersey (which includes the cut).

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

Attendance.....to get to the point, is UW attendance down because tons of public employees now have to pay for their own insurance due to Scott Walker's changes and now they can't afford to go to hockey games? I can't imagine that change cost UW 1,000 people per game. The economy has been flat between this year and last year and the attendance is down this year vs last.

So the BIG difference between last season and this in the local economy is...? I'll give you 3 guesses and the first two don't count.


It made a HUGE difference in my household. It went into effect in September. We're down $500 a month yet our mortgage and all other expenses are still the same.

Maybe no one is going to give me a hanky that I can't go to as many games or out to eat as much as I might want (or ever), but then don't complain when restaurants are hurting and UW ticket sales are down.

Don't pooh pooh it. Madison has usually been insulated from bad economies, but the change in contributions has hit home.

I'm not here to argue the policy as I see it as a grey issue where both sides have merits in their arguments. The consequences are easy to see though.


Look, I don't believe that it's the sole reason, but it's part of the big picture. In addition, the bad economy has gone on longer than most expected. Many could stretch and keep their tickets for a year or two or three, but now many have to make tough choices. Read the comments on that Oates article.

[Toe Blake]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

Tom Oates column today on lagging UW attendance.

Don't know how many of his conclusions apply to hockey, but I thought this was ominous:



Yikes. Wonder what that could be?

The decline in hockey attendance is 99% based on 10th place and 1% based on everything else.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

The decline in hockey attendance is 99% based on 10th place and 1% based on everything else.

89% says you have no clue what you're talking about.

[Toe Blake]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

89% says you have no clue what you're talking about.

It's really not a swipe at Wisconsin or their fans. I don't believe fans should be loyal to a team regardless of quality. There should be no expectation that fans pay big bucks to be subjected to less than average entertainment, all the while be persistently marketed various products.
Wisconsin fans are not immune to this nor should they be. To deny there is not a strong correlation between winning and attendance is denying reality. I was in Camp Randall in the 80's......

I don't think the current 10th place performance and significantly lower attendance this year is a coincidence.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

It would be foolish to dismiss the effect of being in 10th place- Oates mentioned it when he talked about hockey.

But to think that it's the only issue is just as foolish, since there's also issues with football and bouncyball, who have both been more successful in recent years.

[Almington]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

It's really not a swipe at Wisconsin or their fans. I don't believe fans should be loyal to a team regardless of quality. There should be no expectation that fans pay big bucks to be subjected to less than average entertainment, all the while be persistently marketed various products.
Wisconsin fans are not immune to this nor should they be. To deny there is not a strong correlation between winning and attendance is denying reality. I was in Camp Randall in the 80's......

I don't think the current 10th place performance and significantly lower attendance this year is a coincidence.

Explain why attendance was down for a 11-2 Rose Bowl bound football team that came into the season with legitimate BCS aspersions?

Explain why attendance is down for a top-15 ranked men's basketball team?

Clearly their are factors beyond just a down season for the decline in hockey attendance, I'm sure that the results thus far this season have exacerbated the decline but that is not solely responsible.

[Carter]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

So the BIG difference between last season and this in the local economy is...? I'll give you 3 guesses and the first two don't count.


It made a HUGE difference in my household. It went into effect in September. We're down $500 a month yet our mortgage and all other expenses are still the same.

Maybe no one is going to give me a hanky that I can't go to as many games or out to eat as much as I might want (or ever), but then don't complain when restaurants are hurting and UW ticket sales are down.

Don't pooh pooh it. Madison has usually been insulated from bad economies, but the change in contributions has hit home.

I'm not here to argue the policy as I see it as a grey issue where both sides have merits in their arguments. The consequences are easy to see though.


Look, I don't believe that it's the sole reason, but it's part of the big picture. In addition, the bad economy has gone on longer than most expected. Many could stretch and keep their tickets for a year or two or three, but now many have to make tough choices. Read the comments on that Oates article.

I asked a friend of 30 years if he'd like to pick up my second seat for one series, since my wife really can't afford it now. Same story as you, unfortunately. He's in the worst financial shape he can remember. He's down $400 to $500 per month, had to get rid of the second car, refinance the mortgage, more stuff on plastic. A LOT of people in the Madison area are really hurting, and I would think that would really slam the entertainment budget.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

I asked a friend of 30 years if he'd like to pick up my second seat for one series, since my wife really can't afford it now. Same story as you, unfortunately. He's in the worst financial shape he can remember. He's down $400 to $500 per month, had to get rid of the second car, refinance the mortgage, more stuff on plastic. A LOT of people in the Madison area are really hurting, and I would think that would really slam the entertainment budget.

Yep. Haven't been to a concert all year and that will be a first since high school.

My son went to one hockey camp this summer instead of the usual 2.

Etc, etc, etc.

Again, don't need any sympathy. I've still got it pretty darn good. Got a job, my health, a nice home, still have my hockey tix.

But I'm certainly much more careful with what entertainment, if any, I spend my money on. I know that many others are in the same boat if not worse off.

That's why when the athletic department continues to ask for more money as if Rome is in fact NOT burning, it gets kinda humorous.

[Toe Blake]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

Explain why attendance was down for a 11-2 Rose Bowl bound football team that came into the season with legitimate BCS aspersions?

Explain why attendance is down for a top-15 ranked men's basketball team?

Clearly their are factors beyond just a down season for the decline in hockey attendance, I'm sure that the results thus far this season have exacerbated the decline but that is not solely responsible.

Not sure what the percentage decline is in football as the article is a bit vague. Basketball is down a couple hundred seats out of 17,000. Meanwhile hockey has dropped about 25%. Doesn't that suggest that team performance is a much larger factor rather than merely an exacerbation of the decline? I agree that it's not 100%, but if the hockey team had not lost a bunch of guys early and was sitting atop the WCHA right now, I find it hard to believe they would not have sellouts.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

Not sure what the percentage decline is in football as the article is a bit vague. Basketball is down a couple hundred seats out of 17,000. Meanwhile hockey has dropped about 25%. Doesn't that suggest that team performance is a much larger factor rather than merely an exacerbation of the decline? I agree that it's not 100%, but if the hockey team had not lost a bunch of guys early and was sitting atop the WCHA right now, I find it hard to believe they would not have sellouts.

The record has a little factor but there's so much more to it. Look at the Minnesota Wild attendance. For the first time in a while they are the best team in the league, and their attendance is the worst in franchise history.

[Almington]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

Not sure what the percentage decline is in football as the article is a bit vague. Basketball is down a couple hundred seats out of 17,000. Meanwhile hockey has dropped about 25%. Doesn't that suggest that team performance is a much larger factor rather than merely an exacerbation of the decline? I agree that it's not 100%, but if the hockey team had not lost a bunch of guys early and was sitting atop the WCHA right now, I find it hard to believe they would not have sellouts.

It suggests that last seasons performance was a much bigger factor than this seasons. The Saturday night football games had to hurt attendance also. I suspect that much of that decline is the result in a drop in season ticket renewals. Economic pressure + poor previous season = low renewals. Particularly, when people are forced to chose between sets of tickets for financial reasons.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XX - Growth Through Experience

Attendance across all of college hockey is down. The Gophers had a legendary season ticket waiting list. They aren't even selling all their tickets anymore.

PS...despite all the griping about tickets/attendance, do people realize Wisconsin still leads the nation in attendance? I know that's tickets sold, not butts in seats but still.