Average Men's Attendance

[gfmorris]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

The $ thing doesn't wash for me. I priced taking my son to see the Blackhawks at the Garden and it was going to set me back $350 for 2 balcony seats. ONE GAME. And yet, they sell out. I don't think BU ticket prices are that crazy given the price of everything these days.

The big NHL fan bases are orders of magnitude bigger than the biggest college hockey bases because, generally, city-rooted fan bases will trump university-rooted ones.

Winning helps. UAH used to out-draw the local SPHL team, but now they don't —*not by a long shot, even though the SPHL is below even what UAH was trotting out during the independent years. The down years have stopped having home games be a draw for students, and those students don't stay committed as alumni. I'm on the trailing edge of that myself at 39.

GFM

 

[northeastern]

The big NHL fan bases are orders of magnitude bigger than the biggest college hockey bases because, generally, city-rooted fan bases will trump university-rooted ones..

GFM

yes good point.. & also dont forget, a lot of the professional team (NHL) ticket sales are a corporate expense in the cities they are based.. least here in Boston. Most of the 'loge' / box seats are sold to companies as employee perks, entertainment, a upbeat atmosphere to go enjoy the gm, do business, whatever etc. And the seats are generally sold at or cloae to full price. Those folks also generally expense the parking and the meals & beverages and they spend a lot.
Its a different model and one the colleges can of course not compete against due obvious reasons.

For the individual schools.. it comes down to knowing your base, your alumni, your fans, students.. and marketing to that.. to that subset (on individual campuses) & area... in terms of special pricing, contests, special student/ alumni events, parking etc. That's one way to go about drumming this thing up. That may be the only way to get things going again as the NCAA ain't allowing ads on college hockey jerseys.. are they?

So, again.. comes down to the individual schools to role up their sleeves & come up with innovative solutions.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Yeah, the young alumni season ticket price is excellent, $219 for the season which comes out to about $12/game. And they consider young alumni to be anyone who's graduated in the past 10 yeasr. But you're right there's no YA price for individual games, and unless you walk up and buy a ticket, it comes out to $32.55 for one ticket to tonight's game. Face value is $23, plus another $8.55 in TM fees. Ridiculous.

Ticket Bastard is Satan incarnate... It shakes you down for absolutely nothing in return.

Try ordering directly from the box-office on your phone. Pay with a credit card, and ask for your tickets to be held at "Will-Call". We've defeated TB many times in this manner.

 

[DLG]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Admittedly a poor night for a game but 2916 for Connecticut at BC is the smallest crowd I can remember at BC

 

[BU Fan 84]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Admittedly a poor night for a game but 2916 for Connecticut at BC is the smallest crowd I can remember at BC

No way there were that many people there tonight. I think closer to 1,000 - 1,500.

 

[Tater]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

No way there were that many people there tonight. I think closer to 1,000 - 1,500.

Agreed. BU has an attendance problem but they are not the only ones.

 

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Yeah, the young alumni season ticket price is excellent, $219 for the season which comes out to about $12/game. And they consider young alumni to be anyone who's graduated in the past 10 yeasr. But you're right there's no YA price for individual games, and unless you walk up and buy a ticket, it comes out to $32.55 for one ticket to tonight's game. Face value is $23, plus another $8.55 in TM fees. Ridiculous.

Is the other $1 because they don't expect people to be able to do simple arithmetic?

 

[Split-N]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

From what I understand, Friday night's BU at Northeastern will be sold out (or come pretty close). Granted, it's Homecoming weekend but, even by homecoming standards, that's a pretty good crowd.

 

[manurespreader]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Is the other $1 because they don't expect people to be able to do simple arithmetic?

Who does that? Simple arithmetic? What a concept.!
I think universities have two problems. they have to compete with other activities and increasingly they can't afford to. There is still an arms race in facilities, and now days the big money schools have found ways to recruit that small schools can't match, short of paying off players.
So they raise the price to cover these expenses. Maybe their costs go up, maybe they think they can get it, maybe they feel they have to in order to stay competitive, maybe they whatever, but the bottom line is that demand runs the price of going to a game, and if there is a mismatch between demand and price, attendance is going to suffer. Also it seems that once fans find something else to do, it's hard to get them back in.

 

[Drew S.]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

No way there were that many people there tonight. I think closer to 1,000 - 1,500.

Saw a pic of it on twitter and was shocked. I would agree with your estimate. Even on a weeknight there should be a better turnout than that.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

I will never understand why the northeast didn’t change to Friday/Saturday games a long time ago.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

can't someone start a different thread for mookie? one that is for "the above average men's attendance"? some here can certainly join mookie there

I will never understand why the northeast didn’t change to Friday/Saturday games a long time ago.

they did. but now there is an odd roster in hea and with one team resting there is a potential issue with a team playing back to back while one team rests. also some of these places share with other sports and don't have access to their rink whenever they feel like hosting a game.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Yeah, just play the same team on Friday and Saturday. Back-to-back.

 

[burd]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Law enforcement hasn't helped. According to sources at ss.com, police officers have often been seen outside MMMariucci this year waiving people away, saying, "MMMove on, folks, there's nnnothing to see here."

Completely inappropriate, but who can deny the truth of it?

 

[ScottK]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

Yeah, just play the same team on Friday and Saturday. Back-to-back.

With the departure of Notre Dame, Hockey East now has an unbalanced schedule. Each team plays 6 other teams twice and 4 other teams 3 times. You can't just play "back-to-back" when you have 3 games to play.

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

With the departure of Notre Dame, Hockey East now has an unbalanced schedule. Each team plays 6 other teams twice and 4 other teams 3 times. You can't just play "back-to-back" when you have 3 games to play.

Not to mention an odd number of teams, so the league cannot play entirely against itself on a single weekend without leaving someone out, or having one or more teams play one game on the weekend, or having to play at least one OOC game.

edit: oh, mookie already said this.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

I don't think the Wild being as popular as they are helps the Gophers either. The Wild market infinitely more than the U does for Gophers hockey (which is virtually non-existent) and even Gophers FB and BB have a marketing presence. I know when the North Stars were still here the Gophers did better, but there were fewer seats in the old arena and Gophers ticket prices weren't anything like they are now with all the licensing fees tacked on compared to when they first moved to the new Mecca.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

I don't think the Wild being as popular as they are helps the Gophers either. The Wild market infinitely more than the U does for Gophers hockey (which is virtually non-existent) and even Gophers FB and BB have a marketing presence. I know when the North Stars were still here the Gophers did better, but there were fewer seats in the old arena and Gophers ticket prices weren't anything like they are now with all the licensing fees tacked on compared to when they first moved to the new Mecca.

But here's my question on that. The Wild have been around since about 2001(??) or so? The gophers attendance woes weren't occurring then, were they? I've really only been to games in Minnesota when North Dakota was there, but from what I recall seeing on tv I don't recall big chunks of empty seats at Mariucci like we see now. The Wild have pretty much sold out every year of their existence, iirc.

My own theory about attendance, and it's not unique to Minnesota or even college hockey, is twofold. First, I think people, and especially younger people, are less willing to shell out money to go sit at and watch a single event for 3 hours. It's a much more attention deficit type of world that we seem to live in.

Second, there are so many other options for viewing the games. If you don't want to spend the time or money to see it live, you can watch it on tv, you can stream it, you can stream it later on demand, or you can stream highlights of it later.

I just think of my personal situation.

My dad, my brother and I first started purchasing North Dakota season tickets about 35 years ago. I was finishing school but my brother was still there.

It is about 800 miles for me to travel round trip to see North Dakota play. 30 years ago I made that trip. A lot. There were no other options. I really couldn't even catch the game on the radio.

But then the options started coming in. I could stream the radio broadcast for free. Then more television broadcasts followed. Finally, I'm able to watch 95% of the games live, by streaming them, no matter where I might be. I've sat at wedding receptions, the Wild games and in Mexico watching North Dakota hockey. I don't think I have to tell you that I make that 800 mile round trip about once or twice a year now, tops. And I'm a pretty diehard college hockey fan.

 

[northeastern]

But here's my question on that. The Wild have been around since about 2001(??) or so? The gophers attendance woes weren't occurring then, were they? I've really only been to games in Minnesota when North Dakota was there, but from what I recall seeing on tv I don't recall big chunks of empty seats at Mariucci like we see now. The Wild have pretty much sold out every year of their existence, iirc.

My own theory about attendance, and it's not unique to Minnesota or even college hockey, is twofold. First, I think people, and especially younger people, are less willing to shell out money to go sit at and watch a single event for 3 hours. It's a much more attention deficit type of world that we seem to live in.

Second, there are so many other options for viewing the games. If you don't want to spend the time or money to see it live, you can watch it on tv, you can stream it, you can stream it later on demand, or you can stream highlights of it later.

I just think of my personal situation.

My dad, my brother and I first started purchasing North Dakota season tickets about 35 years ago. I was finishing school but my brother was still there.

It is about 800 miles for me to travel round trip to see North Dakota play. 30 years ago I made that trip. A lot. There were no other options. I really couldn't even catch the game on the radio.

But then the options started coming in. I could stream the radio broadcast for free. Then more television broadcasts followed. Finally, I'm able to watch 95% of the games live, by streaming them, no matter where I might be. I've sat at wedding receptions, the Wild games and in Mexico watching North Dakota hockey. I don't think I have to tell you that I make that 800 mile round trip about once or twice a year now, tops. And I'm a pretty diehard college hockey fan.

..very much on the money.

edit: and this applies to 45 miles or 800 with the options today.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Average Men's Attendance

But here's my question on that. The Wild have been around since about 2001(??) or so? The gophers attendance woes weren't occurring then, were they? I've really only been to games in Minnesota when North Dakota was there, but from what I recall seeing on tv I don't recall big chunks of empty seats at Mariucci like we see now. The Wild have pretty much sold out every year of their existence, iirc.

My own theory about attendance, and it's not unique to Minnesota or even college hockey, is twofold. First, I think people, and especially younger people, are less willing to shell out money to go sit at and watch a single event for 3 hours. It's a much more attention deficit type of world that we seem to live in.

Second, there are so many other options for viewing the games. If you don't want to spend the time or money to see it live, you can watch it on tv, you can stream it, you can stream it later on demand, or you can stream highlights of it later.

I just think of my personal situation.

My dad, my brother and I first started purchasing North Dakota season tickets about 35 years ago. I was finishing school but my brother was still there.

It is about 800 miles for me to travel round trip to see North Dakota play. 30 years ago I made that trip. A lot. There were no other options. I really couldn't even catch the game on the radio.

But then the options started coming in. I could stream the radio broadcast for free. Then more television broadcasts followed. Finally, I'm able to watch 95% of the games live, by streaming them, no matter where I might be. I've sat at wedding receptions, the Wild games and in Mexico watching North Dakota hockey. I don't think I have to tell you that I make that 800 mile round trip about once or twice a year now, tops. And I'm a pretty diehard college hockey fan.

There is a lot to that, but the Wild and Vikings don't have a problem selling out and although I haven't looked I'm sure the Wolves have healthy ticket sales. Also men's BB at UM does quite well. Remember that when the Wild started the Gophers still had a waiting list for season tickets and iirc the licensing fees (or whatever they're called) weren't anywhere near what they are now. And consider that in 2001-2004 the Gophers had a very healthy string of results in the NCAA playoffs (or I guess an OT loss to Maine in 2001 I believe) before B2B and a few wins in 2004. The WCHA was also at peak level including the Frozen Five tournament.

It will most likely never get back to what it was when there was a waiting list, but they have to get smarter and if they do there's no reason they can't fill at least 75-80% on a regular basis.