Ticket prices???

[unofan]

Re: Ticket prices???

I hope the greed merchants of the National Communistic Athletic Association are reading these post of MANY upset college hockey fans!

I do not think one of those words means what you think it means.

1/10 on the troll attempt.

 

[RedFreak]

Re: Ticket prices???

I do not think one of those words means what you think it means.

1/10 on the troll attempt.

No, Vicar got it right.

 

[bruno]

Re: Ticket prices???

With the 2010 FF tickets now in hand and the tournament set to begin in less than two weeks, I thought you might be interested to see the historical record of ticket price inflation for the Frozen Four that has taken place over the last 35 years:

1976 $13.50 (D. U. Arena, Denver)

1980 $24.00 (Providence Civic Center)
[This was the 1st time there was a
price difference between the
semifinals ($6 each), conso ($5) and
the championship game ($7) tickets]

1982 $25.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $6 each;
conso: $5; champ: $8]

1986 $36.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1988 $33.00 (Olympic Center, Lake Placid)

1991 $75.00 (St. Paul Civic Center)

1993 $60.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1995 $75.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1996 $69.50 (Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum)
[semis: $22 each; champ: $25.50]

1997 $75.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1998 $90.00 (FleetCenter, Boston) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $40]

1999 $90.00 (Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim) [semis: $27.50 each;
champ: $35]

2000 $110.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $35 each;
champ: $40]

2001 $85.00 (Pepsi Arena, Albany) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $35]

2002 $124.50 (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

2003 $120.00 (HSBC Arena, Buffalo)

2004 $135.00 (FleetCenter, Boston)

2005 $147.00 (Shottenstein Center, Columbus)

2006 $150.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

2007 $155.00 (Scottrade Center, St. Louis)

2008 $164.00 (Pepsi Center, Denver)

2009 $177.00 (Verizon Center, Washington, DC)

2010 $189.00/ (Ford Field, Detroit)
$119.00/$79.00/$40.00

2011 ??? (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

Still, everything considered, compared to NC$$ FF roundball (not to mention BC$ oblongball) tickets, it's difficult to claim that we don't enjoy bargain prices for our three-game national championship series.

 

[Bertogliat]

Re: Ticket prices???

With the 2010 FF tickets now in hand and the tournament set to begin in less than two weeks, I thought you might be interested to see the historical record of ticket price inflation for the Frozen Four that has taken place over the last 35 years:

1976 $13.50 (D. U. Arena, Denver)

1980 $24.00 (Providence Civic Center)
[This was the 1st time there was a
price difference between the
semifinals ($6 each), conso ($5) and
the championship game ($7) tickets]

1982 $25.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $6 each;
conso: $5; champ: $8]

1986 $36.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1988 $33.00 (Olympic Center, Lake Placid)

1991 $75.00 (St. Paul Civic Center)

1993 $60.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1995 $75.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1996 $69.50 (Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum)
[semis: $22 each; champ: $25.50]

1997 $75.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1998 $90.00 (FleetCenter, Boston) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $40]

1999 $90.00 (Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim) [semis: $27.50 each;
champ: $35]

2000 $110.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $35 each;
champ: $40]

2001 $85.00 (Pepsi Arena, Albany) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $35]

2002 $124.50 (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

2003 $120.00 (HSBC Arena, Buffalo)

2004 $135.00 (FleetCenter, Boston)

2005 $147.00 (Shottenstein Center, Columbus)

2006 $150.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

2007 $155.00 (Scottrade Center, St. Louis)

2008 $164.00 (Pepsi Center, Denver)

2009 $177.00 (Verizon Center, Washington, DC)

2010 $189.00/ (Ford Field, Detroit)
$119.00/$79.00/$40.00

2011 ??? (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

Still, everything considered, compared to NC$$ FF roundball (not to mention BC$ oblongball) tickets, it's difficult to claim that we don't enjoy bargain prices for our three-game national championship series.

Notice the HUGE jumps of the prices in the years that the event is held in St Paul. Start saving for next year, if history repeats, it will be very expensive.

 

[quiddlet]

Re: Ticket prices???

I was watching some of the basketball this weekend and on one of the games (don't remember which one) the camera pulled back and much of the upper deck of that arena was empty too.

I noticed the same thing but you have to realize BBall regionals are in football stadiums. The upper deck in Reliant Stadium was empty.. but there were 40k+ people there. St. Louis looked vacant but it still would have sold out any hockey rink in the country. Most of the time on tv all of those games look packed because they run up and down the court and all the court level seats are PACKED, you don't see the upper decks that often. You also don't see the upper decks that often in hockey regionals... but the ice-level seats have also been empty.

Still, everything considered, compared to NC$$ FF roundball (not to mention BC$ oblongball) tickets, it's difficult to claim that we don't enjoy bargain prices for our three-game national championship series.

It's not FF ticket prices that I (we?) have a problem with though. 180+ for the national championship and two semifinals of a quasi-major D1 sport is completely reasonable... and they consistently sell out FFs at those prices. But regionals are empty and have CLOSE to the same ticket prices.

Would I be wrong to say that the total cost of attending a regional this year was probably higher than attending the Frozen Four?
People are talking about paying 150+ for regionals which is much less than what I could go grab Ford Field tickets for right now. They lowered the FF prices to try to sell out the stadium... why are they so stupid they don't do the same for regionals?

 

[slurpees]

Re: Ticket prices???

With the 2010 FF tickets now in hand and the tournament set to begin in less than two weeks, I thought you might be interested to see the historical record of ticket price inflation for the Frozen Four that has taken place over the last 35 years:

1976 $13.50 (D. U. Arena, Denver)

1980 $24.00 (Providence Civic Center)
[This was the 1st time there was a
price difference between the
semifinals ($6 each), conso ($5) and
the championship game ($7) tickets]

1982 $25.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $6 each;
conso: $5; champ: $8]

1986 $36.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1988 $33.00 (Olympic Center, Lake Placid)

1991 $75.00 (St. Paul Civic Center)

1993 $60.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1995 $75.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1996 $69.50 (Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum)
[semis: $22 each; champ: $25.50]

1997 $75.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1998 $90.00 (FleetCenter, Boston) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $40]

1999 $90.00 (Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim) [semis: $27.50 each;
champ: $35]

2000 $110.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $35 each;
champ: $40]

2001 $85.00 (Pepsi Arena, Albany) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $35]

2002 $124.50 (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

2003 $120.00 (HSBC Arena, Buffalo)

2004 $135.00 (FleetCenter, Boston)

2005 $147.00 (Shottenstein Center, Columbus)

2006 $150.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

2007 $155.00 (Scottrade Center, St. Louis)

2008 $164.00 (Pepsi Center, Denver)

2009 $177.00 (Verizon Center, Washington, DC)

2010 $189.00/ (Ford Field, Detroit)
$119.00/$79.00/$40.00

2011 ??? (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

Still, everything considered, compared to NC$$ FF roundball (not to mention BC$ oblongball) tickets, it's difficult to claim that we don't enjoy bargain prices for our three-game national championship series.

these actually aren't much different from the Final Four. FF tickets in '99 were ~$100 at a domed stadium. In '04 they were $134-$175, again in dome. The jump in 2002 for St. PAul also has to do with the excessively low price of 2001. I really dont think ticket prices are of any issue, and the NCAA handled this years FF correctly with tiered pricing. $80 for 2 seats for the whole weekend, albeit a poor seat, for someone who wants to take their kid to see a national championship is pretty good.

 

[wolverine318]

Re: Ticket prices???

With the 2010 FF tickets now in hand and the tournament set to begin in less than two weeks, I thought you might be interested to see the historical record of ticket price inflation for the Frozen Four that has taken place over the last 35 years:

1976 $13.50 (D. U. Arena, Denver)

1980 $24.00 (Providence Civic Center)
[This was the 1st time there was a
price difference between the
semifinals ($6 each), conso ($5) and
the championship game ($7) tickets]

1982 $25.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $6 each;
conso: $5; champ: $8]

1986 $36.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1988 $33.00 (Olympic Center, Lake Placid)

1991 $75.00 (St. Paul Civic Center)

1993 $60.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1995 $75.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1996 $69.50 (Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum)
[semis: $22 each; champ: $25.50]

1997 $75.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1998 $90.00 (FleetCenter, Boston) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $40]

1999 $90.00 (Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim) [semis: $27.50 each;
champ: $35]

2000 $110.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $35 each;
champ: $40]

2001 $85.00 (Pepsi Arena, Albany) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $35]

2002 $124.50 (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

2003 $120.00 (HSBC Arena, Buffalo)

2004 $135.00 (FleetCenter, Boston)

2005 $147.00 (Shottenstein Center, Columbus)

2006 $150.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

2007 $155.00 (Scottrade Center, St. Louis)

2008 $164.00 (Pepsi Center, Denver)

2009 $177.00 (Verizon Center, Washington, DC)

2010 $189.00/ (Ford Field, Detroit)
$119.00/$79.00/$40.00

2011 ??? (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

Still, everything considered, compared to NC$$ FF roundball (not to mention BC$ oblongball) tickets, it's difficult to claim that we don't enjoy bargain prices for our three-game national championship series.

That is bunk considering I paid $120 total for the rose bowl in 2007, a BCS bowl nonetheless.

 

[wolverine318]

Re: Ticket prices???

these actually aren't much different from the Final Four. FF tickets in '99 were ~$100 at a domed stadium. In '04 they were $134-$175, again in dome. The jump in 2002 for St. PAul also has to do with the excessively low price of 2001. I really dont think ticket prices are of any issue, and the NCAA handled this years FF correctly with tiered pricing. $80 for 2 seats for the whole weekend, albeit a poor seat, for someone who wants to take their kid to see a national championship is pretty good.

Be prepared to bring your binoculars. I was at the Culver classic with around row 30 seats and I could barely see the puck. I would be fine with upper bowl tickets in a hockey rink, not in a football stadium.

 

[wolverine318]

Re: Ticket prices???

I think they should focus on maximizing attendance rather than profit. For the good of the sport and the student athletes.

The NCAA is a nonprofit... I am still speechless how they kept their nonprofit status for so long.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Ticket prices???

Notre Dame did offer the tickets to the Fort Wayne regional at a slight discount for students, as well as for groups of 20 or more. As well, when ticket sales severely lagged in the weeks before the field was placed, Notre Dame season ticket holders (and perhaps others on their various mailing lists) were offered half price tickets that could be purchased for single sessions, an option the NCAA generally instructs regional hosts to hold off on until after the field is announced. You had about 2 weeks to act on that offer. I believe it ended the week the regular season was over.

Even with those inducements, the crowds were still smaller than one would have hoped for, 4100 Saturday and 3200 for the regional final. Had Notre Dame made it and the committee found a way to get UM and MU there with them the turnout would have been quite respectable.

As it is a lot of factors played into the small crowd in Fort Wayne, as well as the other regionals, the two most obvious being the economy and the ticket prices. One can argue that compared to prices for regular season tickets a lot of fans are paying and the fact these are generally considered much bigger games than any regular season or conference tournament the tickets were not overpriced. The numbers of people in the stands say -- and quite loudly I might add -- otherwise.

What happens in the future is anybody's guess. I don't think we're going back to two regionals. God forbid we see a backtracking of the tournament to 12 teams. Remember a year or so ago they were talking of placing the field pretty much geographically and since the committee said very plainly they made the switches among the 3 seeds for "atmosphere" reasons how many of us think that won't come up again? Since this is the NCAA I can't see them seriously considering a drastic reduction in ticket prices.

 

[CLS]

Re: Ticket prices???

One thing that occurs to me is that at least two of the venues -- Albany and Worcester have been hosting Regionals for years, actually on an off for over a decade. I conclude from this that (1) it's profitable for them, or at least covers fixed costs, or they wouldn't keep submitting bids, and (2) they're acting in their self-interest with regards to ticket pricing. So I presume that correctly or incorrectly they believe that the current pricing strategy maximizes their profit and that they make a profit even with what we regard as sparse crowds.

 

[superfan11]

Re: Ticket prices???

With the 2010 FF tickets now in hand and the tournament set to begin in less than two weeks, I thought you might be interested to see the historical record of ticket price inflation for the Frozen Four that has taken place over the last 35 years:

1976 $13.50 (D. U. Arena, Denver)

1980 $24.00 (Providence Civic Center)
[This was the 1st time there was a
price difference between the
semifinals ($6 each), conso ($5) and
the championship game ($7) tickets]

1982 $25.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $6 each;
conso: $5; champ: $8]

1986 $36.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1988 $33.00 (Olympic Center, Lake Placid)

1991 $75.00 (St. Paul Civic Center)

1993 $60.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1995 $75.00 (Providence Civic Center)

1996 $69.50 (Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum)
[semis: $22 each; champ: $25.50]

1997 $75.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

1998 $90.00 (FleetCenter, Boston) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $40]

1999 $90.00 (Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim) [semis: $27.50 each;
champ: $35]

2000 $110.00 (Providence Civic Center) [semis: $35 each;
champ: $40]

2001 $85.00 (Pepsi Arena, Albany) [semis: $25 each;
champ: $35]

2002 $124.50 (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

2003 $120.00 (HSBC Arena, Buffalo)

2004 $135.00 (FleetCenter, Boston)

2005 $147.00 (Shottenstein Center, Columbus)

2006 $150.00 (Bradley Center, Milwaukee)

2007 $155.00 (Scottrade Center, St. Louis)

2008 $164.00 (Pepsi Center, Denver)

2009 $177.00 (Verizon Center, Washington, DC)

2010 $189.00/ (Ford Field, Detroit)
$119.00/$79.00/$40.00

2011 ??? (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul)

Still, everything considered, compared to NC$$ FF roundball (not to mention BC$ oblongball) tickets, it's difficult to claim that we don't enjoy bargain prices for our three-game national championship series.

actually, the face value of my final four tickets from detroit last year were $170 for the 3 game package..... i like the info tho

 

[nanotiger]

Re: Ticket prices???

Just wanted to comment that schools are apparently receiving bigger allotments of tickets now (as compared to the 12 someone mentioned).

Not enough the sate the level of demand, perhaps, but it has improved. The prices we pay aren't horrendous, if you divide the cost up per-game and attend all games. It could be much worse, given the amount of control the NCAA has on the supply-side, they could charge whatever they wanted (for example, here at RIT, we had people camping out the evening before tickets went on sale, and had a line ready to claim at least half of out allotment when the box office opened).


My bigger problem was that you had to buy all three games' tickets, not just ones you wanted. But it's not all that unreasonable, if you consider that most people are probably coming to town and will watch all the games anyway. If people could wait to buy tickets to the final until after their team made it, it would be mayhem. Just frustrating for schools like RIT that are providing buses for their fans, who will have to pay for but not see the Thursday late game, and may not make it back to the final.

 

[moose97]

Re: Ticket prices???

Just wanted to comment that schools are apparently receiving bigger allotments of tickets now (as compared to the 12 someone mentioned).

The 12 mentioned earlier was just a school policy for how that particular school divided between season ticket holders and students (who only were alotted the 12 mentioned). Each school typically gets 500 tickets, but I haven't looked this year to see if they upped that due to increased capacity at the FF site. It's up to the school to decide how to sell them. When BSU made the FF last year, they created a list of everyone who called in to ask, and went from there. As an example, they ended up getting calls from Vermont and Boston, from fans that thought they would be able to snag some from BSU, since they figured BSU wouldn't sell out, and BU and Vermont would...

Just frustrating for schools like RIT that are providing buses for their fans, who will have to pay for but not see the Thursday late game, and may not make it back to the final.

All that does is create an opportunity for you to sell that championship game ticket. Again, back to last year, and I know a lot of BSU fans who sold their championship game ticket to BU or Miami fans, and spent another day touring DC, or got a head start on their trip back home (FYI, the bus BSU sent to DC stayed for the championship game, even though they lost the first game of the tourney - that was pre-planned, and I woould bet a lot of folks on the bus would have been pretty upset had they left early, even with the quick exit by BSU).

edit - and why won't RIT fans be able to see the late game? Is this a one-day bus on Thursday, leaving right after the game? That's what, 6.5 hours each way? Not that I wouldn't do it if I were a student, but man, that looks like a long day, and if I were going, I'd want to stay for the late game, and make more than a one day trip out of the deal...

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Ticket prices???

I have never been to the arena in Ft. Wayne, but on TV, that place looked like a major dump as well. Its so sad that they put the regionals it ****ty arenas (when they will no longer put it in beautiful venues like Engelstad or Mariucci) and charge insanely high prices.

Not sure what the place looks like on TV, but actually Allen County Stadium isn't a dump in person. Its an old place but renovations have given it a modern feel in a number of ways and it is certainly no worse than any of the similar sized arenas that are all over the place now. IMO it is just as nice as much newer buildings in Grand Rapids, Dayton, or whatever the Chicago suburb is where Notre Dame has hosted their last two holiday tournaments.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Ticket prices???

My bigger problem was that you had to buy all three games' tickets, not just ones you wanted. But it's not all that unreasonable, if you consider that most people are probably coming to town and will watch all the games anyway.

In my experience this couldn't be further from the truth. I find it to more and more evident that people are showing up at ALL the regionals for only the semi-final game that their team is involved with. At Fort Wayne this year there were virtually no Michigan fans in the building before the third period of the Miami game, and virtually all the Miami crowd had filterer out of the building by the end of the first period of the Michigan game. There were perhaps a few dozen fans who appeared to stick around for all 6 periods. It has been this way at every other regional I have attended. As well it is that way at Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA finals. The building was empty for the first game, with no Miami or Michigan fans and nearly as empty for the night-cap as all of the Ferris and Northern fans had cleared out.

I understand the argument of looking at the ticket prices as being a decent deal for 3 games, but clearly few are looking at it like this and the NCAA regionals will continue to suffer smaller crowds because of it.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: Ticket prices???

At the St. Paul regional, ticket prices were $94 for a three game pass and $47.50 for single game tickets.

That's very well-priced in my book. Regular season tickets for the Minnesota Gophers are $35 per seat, which if you bought the three-game NCAA regional package at $94, is actually works out to less money per ticket than 3 Gopher Games in the same market - that's NCAA playoff hockey at a discount rate.

Regionals are a more prestigious NCAA event, and should bring fair market value for tickets and should cost far more than you pay for regular season college hockey. We should all be proud to pay more money for a higher-stakes event.

The big problem for the regionals is one largely of timing. People have already spent on conference tourneys, and a week's turnaround for the NCAAs is a short time to plan travel and sell tickets. I'd like to see a week's break between the conference tourneys and the regionals. That would help people plan and have a longer time for ticket sales and hype.

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Ticket prices???

That's very well-priced in my book. Regular season tickets for the Minnesota Gophers are $35 per seat, which if you bought the three-game NCAA regional package at $94, is actually works out to less money per ticket than 3 Gopher Games in the same market - that's NCAA playoff hockey at a discount rate.

In an arena that seats twice as many as Mariucci.

Students pay $15 to get a seat at the Mooch. A heck of a lot less than the $94 package.
Students, at the very LEAST, should be getting significantly reduced pricing for tickets.

But even still, the regular prices are far too high in my opinion. As has been discussed a number of times already, trying to draw local crowds is downright impossible with the current cost. For all the clamoring heard about trying to "grow the game," charging an arm and a leg to get into a 30% full arena is totally counterproductive to this endeavor.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Ticket prices???

Regionals are a more prestigious NCAA event, and should bring fair market value for tickets and should cost far more than you pay for regular season college hockey. We should all be proud to pay more money for a higher-stakes event.

Speaking in strict economic terms, wouldn't a fair market value for ticket prices result in all (or nearly all) the tickets being sold? I understand the stakes and prestige are much higher for NCAA regional games than for a regular season game, so they should seemingly be priced higher, but regular season games are largely attended by locals/students who have no expense other than the tickets themselves. Regionals, conference tournaments, or the FF, on the other hand, come with a whole host of other expenses, such as for multiple meals, hotels, possibly car rentals if one has flown in, and other necessary arrangements like securing time off work. Thrown altogether with tickets costing nearly $100 for perhaps two (and possibly just one) game(s) and I would say the fair market for NCAA regional tickets is a whole lot lower than what the NCAA and host institutions are asking.

The big problem for the regionals is one largely of timing. People have already spent on conference tourneys, and a week's turnaround for the NCAAs is a short time to plan travel and sell tickets. I'd like to see a week's break between the conference tourneys and the regionals. That would help people plan and have a longer time for ticket sales and hype.

What I'd like to see is an extra weekend or two of regular season games and the elimination of conference tournaments altogether, as well as a week between the end of all the conferences and the start of the NCAAs. I know some conferences see them as large cash cows waiting to be milked, but add up all the $$$ to be made by, for instance, each WCHA team getting two more home games. Another potential 12,000 tickets for DU to sell, another 28,000 for Wisconsin, another 24,000 for North Dakota, and on and on. The greatest possible # of games from the WCHA playoffs (all rounds) is 20 games, and could be as few as 15. In the end its likely a wash. But you don't make fans choose between conference tournaments and NCAA regionals, if that is one thing keeping fans away from the regionals. The extra home games cost them nothing more than the price of a regular season ticket, and what they save on travel to Detroit or St. Paul for a conference tournament could be spent on an NCAA regional.

 

[nanotiger]

Re: Ticket prices???

edit - and why won't RIT fans be able to see the late game? Is this a one-day bus on Thursday, leaving right after the game? That's what, 6.5 hours each way? Not that I wouldn't do it if I were a student, but man, that looks like a long day, and if I were going, I'd want to stay for the late game, and make more than a one day trip out of the deal...

That's my understanding. It's a long day, but it gets those who decide to bus/manage to secure a seat on the bus to get back for class on Friday. We run on a 10-week quarter system, so it's easy to get behind if you start missing classes.

There are some people planning to stay the whole weekend, or make their own driving arrangements. After all, from what I heard RIT got 600 tickets to sell at least to start. Those sold out in about 4 hours, but I think there's only a couple hundred bus seats.

[Edit]

Speaking in strict economic terms, wouldn't a fair market value for ticket prices result in all (or nearly all) the tickets being sold?

.

No. Businesses seek to maximize profit. Consumers as a group have a level of demand that is a function of price. If demand doesn't drop off quickly with increasing price - making this what economists call an inelastic good - the extra money made per ticket can more than offset the drop in number of tickets sold. And nothing about that contradicts 'fair market.'