Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time
I remember being offered them back then, but I assumed that those were the prices for anyone who wanted to go, not just season ticket-holders.
Big mistake by the Athletic Dept, but who's surprised? They'd rather have half-empty buildings than set the price-point where it belongs. See - the Camp Randall Game, the 300s at the KC...
They're not alone in this as the NCAA Regionals annually suffer from this same problem. College hockey is not the draw/value that some think it is.
I know fancy-pants things like elasticity of demand come into play, but I'd much rather have a full arena at a slightly lower price than a 2/3 full arena at a higher price, even if you told me the total profits would be slightly higher for the latter option. (I wouldn't believe it, because a few thousand more hungry people still may be willing to pay for expensive concessions.) Also, isn't being part of a big, high-energy crowd
part of the experience? More people would be interested in going to games if the crowds were bigger. The experience would be better. Also, I think the athletic department would have been much smarter to do their best to fill the Alliant Energy Center. They've been pumping it up as a throwback weekend, so why not get it full like it once was? (Also, it could be seen as giving a financial apology for screwing up the scheduling this year.) I don't know if there even is a true way to measure all of these factors, but bigger crowds = more interest = even bigger crowds = more enthusiasm overall = better experience and more money being spent because of it.
Speaking of enthusiasm, I don't understand why they pump up the football team so much (student tickets sell out the morning they go on sale), and say nothing of the other sports (those student sections have quietly shrunk). The above paragraph has many factors, but I can confidently say that this is just plain stupid. I've watched
many friends turn from non-fans to casual fans, and from casual fans to hardcore fans, just by going to one or two Wisconsin hockey games. The experience sells itself, but it requires that people get the chance to experience it once. Similar to how I've opened a few people's eyes to Badger Volleyball. (Heck, even a better appearance on TV would be great! Though sometimes the 10K crowds look absolutely packed on TV, which is a good thing.) And that's only the last 2 seasons. Imagine if they made it a little easier to get 13-15K in the arena every night! But not everybody knows someone as enthusiastic about the Wisconsin Badgers as myself, and has access to cheap tickets the way students do. People sell student tickets for 5-10 dollars...compare that to the standard single game ticket prices.
Speaking of single game ticket prices...why on earth is an obstructed view seat in the back of the 300 level the same price as a center-ice 200 level seat and a corner glass seat and a back row, 100 level, center ice seat? (Just trying to be politically correct...hockey fans can get antsy when people disagree with where the best place to watch a game is.)
